I thought "We Could Be Magic" by Marissa Meyer was a cute graphic novel. When Tabi gets the opportunity to work at Sommerland, she jumps at the chance to participate in their summer program. Her dream is to play Princess Madeline! At the audition, she is unprepared and fails. While working at the nacho stand, she studies for the next audition. Will her dream come true?

I think this title is good for reluctant readers, especially those who are Disney fans. There is that kind of vibe.

The moral of this story is to never give up.
I loved this book. What girl doesn't like princesses and want to be a princess. The main character gets to work at a theme park and doesn't get the job she wants, but works hard at a job that is not to pleasant. On her off hours, she trains from observation and videos to do her dream job. Does she get it? No! There is discrimination and characters in this book who are not helpful, nice or supportive of anyone but themselves.
This book shows how to never give up, there are people out there that will support you and you can find your happiness. Sometimes you have to be patient and keep trying.
This is a book that I am going to recommend my students read.

We Could Be Magic embodies the importance of dreaming and magic for people of all ages! Even when you don’t fit the perfect mold for something, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be perfect for it. It just means that you need to find a way to make your dreams happen anyways. I definitely would read this book again and again!

I loved this. Marissa Meyer has been one of my favorites since I was in high school. This book was well paced and showed the beauty within, not whats on the outside.

We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer and Joelle Murray

🎡🎢🪄👑✨🎟️

Publish date: June 3, 2025

Genre: Graphic Novel/ YA Romance

This was a really cute and heartwarming story. I immediately fell in love with Tabi as a main character. I also loved the illustrations- they drew me in and perfectly captured the magical storyline. I would definitely recommend this graphic novel, especially if you’re a fan of Disney and/or other theme parks.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't read a graphic novel in such a long time and I absolutely loved this one! It reminded me so much of Disney World and I loved the vibe. Tabitha was amazing and I love how she showed how hard work and never giving up could make you achieve your dreams!

I think I was misled by the synopsis of this book, wherein I thought magic and friendship would take the forefront. The plot had very little friendship development and no magic.

That said, I felt like the art style was a good choice for the story and the storytelling was paced well. I might recommend this to readers who like cozy books.

5/5 Stars!
This is different from anything I’ve read from Marissa MEyer so far, but was a great read all around! Hopeful and cozy, this graphic novel tells about a young woman named Tabitha who always wanted to be a princess. This is a take on the Disney College Program, called Sommerland. The depiction of this magical place was so clear that it felt exciting just to watch it come to life from the page.
Tabi isn’t what the typical princess is expected to be at Sommerland. Throughout her struggles, she enjoys her life working in Sommerland and has no trouble making a friend or two. Lighthearted and joyful, I loved this one!

4/5 Stars

I have always enjoyed Marissa Meyer's fantasy books. This was my first time reading a middle grade graphic novel by her. I didn't recognize this writing style but it was still a decent read. I enjoyed the illustrations. (Joelle Murray did a good job! Hurray!) I also enjoyed the "magic" of this graphic novel.

Anyone can become a Princess! Tabitha worked hard and her dreams came true. I do wish the romance was a little more developed.

Everyone should have a dream and dreams do come true! I love the lesson this graphic novels teaches. Overall it was a decent read.

I absolutely devoured this book! As someone who did the Disney College Program, this graphic novel evoked a lot of memories from that time. The story was great, the message wonderful, and there were some heartfelt moments in there! Will definitely be recommending this one to my Graphic Novel and Disney lovers!

Sometimes a book comes along that is like a hug, a laugh, and a gut punch all at once. You read it because you see yourself in it, as flawed as you are, and because it gives you hope that maybe your flaws are okay—that you’re just human, not broken.

We Could Be Magic encapsulates those precise feelings for me in a wonderful, rainbow-infused book. I honestly should probably leave a more critical review, but by the end, I was happy crying, so y’all just get this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

Read for the 2025 PopSugar reading challenge Prompt #33. A book featuring an activity on your bucket list

4.5

Omg this was so freaking sweet. I am a Disney Adult, I know I know, we get bad reps but honestly I was born and raised to be this way and I’m not obnoxious about it…hopefully. My dad went to the opening of Disneyland (I know, he old) and my mom went to the opening of Disneyworld. Every other year we went for vacation growing up and I have been to 8 different Disney parks (including global). My highest bucket list action item is to go to ALL the parks. Suffice to say this book was built for my ilk. As soon as I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately clicked to request an arc not knowing how it really would vibe with me and fit my pop sugar prompt.

Sumerland is clearly Disney, down to the specifics of the summer intern program and behind the scenes nods. If I had to guess I would say Marissa Meyer was a cast member at some point but at a minimum is a Disney adult. (That much is clear with her other books as well.)

This book had so many feels.

Tabi our MC grew up knowing her dream was to play a specific princess at Summerland, but weight wise just doesn’t fit the mold. It doesn’t stop the that from being her dream though. What I really liked most about this was that Tabi is just is not given what she wants. She shows up to the audition and didn’t really prepare. She didn’t prepare the dance moves etc. so.. you can guess what would happen in reality and that kind of fits with what happens. Is this early on in her story so I don’t really consider it a spoiler because the rest of her journey is the brunt of the story and really the “lesson” the books about. I loved it, and highly recommend giving it a go if you like fairytales or love the Disney park’s because it really has the feels.

There is a very mild romance here and it’s super cute along with the art. It reminded me of Pumpkinheads overall, which I also quite enjoyed.

Tabitha always loved a story with a happily ever after even tho her parents story did not. So when she lands her dream job at Summerland she is excited. But sometimes when you get a peak behind the curtain it isn't what you expected. Tabitha makes the best of it and keeps working no matter what. I cute, heart felt story about the most magical place on earth, where dreams can come true if you don't give up.

The artwork is wonderful. The colors used make's the story that much more magical.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Releasing on June 3rd, 2025!

Marissa Meyer is an auto-buy author for me ever since I read and fell in love with her series The Lunar Chronicles. I was so excited to see that she was releasing a graphic novel this year, even though I knew nothing about it.

In this graphic novel we are following Tabi as she navigates her new summer job at the theme park Sommerland. Her dream is to be a character actor as a princess, but no matter how much magic and passion Tabi has, she doesn’t fit the park's idea of a princess. With the support of new friends, a new crush, and her own magic, she is going to devise her own happily ever after.

I had such a fun time with this graphic novel. I love that Sommerland is essentially a fictional version of Disney World. I’m not sure how accurate the “behind the scenes making the park magic happen” are, but I love seeing things like that.

I love that Tabi works so hard for what she wants. She’s determined to practice and get it right and I love seeing that motivation. I love how much James believed in her, even though we didn’t see him much in the first half of the graphic novel. The budding friendship to lovers trope in this YA was done so well. I really liked James as a character and how much he believed in the power of Sommerland magic, even when he saw the things he didn’t like. Even Kyra came around to me by the end of this.

Overall, I loved this one. I am so excited for this graphic novel to be out in the world. Five stars! I will definitely be preordering!

4.5

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an arc in exchange for a review.

This story is cute and wholesome. We follow Tabi whose dream is to play a princess at Sommerland, but she doesn’t look like your typical princess. This story is really sweet and shows that you can and should keep working for your dreams, because you never know if they might come true.

This is a wholesome, body-positive graphic novel. The romance was sweet and I liked the characters. As expected, it has a happily ever after. If I was a big Disney person, I bet I would like it even more. The art is lively and magical. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Very good reading for young people. It is an easy to read graphic novel, with a cute and romantic story suitable for young people. I really liked the development of the story, and it is a short read, good to read between a denser book, if you are an adult that also reads books for a younger audience. I liked it a lot and it was very nice to read it, I felt like I was watching a Disney movie from the 2000s. Definitely suitable for all ages.

*I have received a copy by NetGalley for my honest opinion of the book. Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC.*
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Spanish review:
Muy buena lectura para jóvenes. Es una novela gráfica sencilla de leer, con una historia linda y romántica apta para jóvenes. Me gusto mucho el desarrollo de la historia, y es una lectura corta, buena para leer entre un libros más densos, si te gusta leer libros de todas las edades. Me gusto mucho y fue muy bonito leerla, me sentí que estaba viendo una película de Disney de los 2000s. Definitivamente apto para todas las edades.

"There aren't any princesses who look like me."
"No, there aren't. But maybe there should be."

My Thoughts

This was such a cute story! As a theme park fan, I enjoyed all of the nods to Walt Disney World and their many secret (and not-so-secret) rules to preserve the magic for guests. It was also refreshing to see plus-sized representation and have the characters acknowledge the need for it. The romance was super sweet, and I had a fun time watching them grow closer in the most wholesome way. The art style and vivid colors truly helped capture the magic of the story and setting. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the magic that not just the parks themselves, but the employees can bring to guests.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for a free digital copy. All opinions are my own.

We Could Be Magic is a charming and heartwarming story with a message that resonates across all ages. The romance is sweet and wholesome, with a definite Disney-esque vibe. The vibrant colors and whimsical art style perfectly complement the story. It’s left me excited to explore more of Marissa Meyer’s work!

Super cute! I've read a few books by Marissa and I have enjoyed them all. This love story just gave cute and cozy vibes.