Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of We Could Be Magic!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
📖 love to read graphic novels
🏰 ever wanted to work at Disney World
🧀 have ever had to make nachos for a living
👑 would do anything to be a princess for a day

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

When Tabitha Laurie was growing up, a visit to Sommerland saved her belief in true love, even as her parents’ marriage was falling apart. Now she’s landed her dream job at the theme park’s prestigious summer program, where she can make magical memories for other kids, guests, and superfans just like her. All she has to do is audition for one of the coveted princess roles, and soon her dreams will come true.

There’s just one problem. The heroes and heroines at Sommerland are all, well… thin. And no matter how much Tabi lives for the magic, she simply doesn't fit the park's idea of a princess.

Given a not-so-regal position at a nacho food stand instead, Tabi is going to need the support of new friends, a new crush, and a whole lot of magic if she’s going to devise her own happily ever after. . . without getting herself fired in the process.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I absolutely loved this graphic novel! Super cute, incredible artwork, and a great story. I loved Tabitha - she felt so real to me. Her weight, her parents divorce, her dreams of being more - I’ve felt that all and more. I loved seeing her never give up, and to keep pushing. I can’t say that I would have the same attitude unfortunately, so it was refreshing to see in her. I also loved James - he was such a sweet MMC, and so helpful to Tabitha when she needed it. Kyra turned out to be such a sweetie as well! I hope to see more with these characters in the future!

This is the best book ever! I love Tabitha’s chemistry with James. It has some good characters. And it’s a fun story! Oh, and at the end, it was cute!

Meyer's graphic novel featuring a Disney-esque setting is truly magical, if a tad unbelievable. The illustrations are perfectly done, with a fantasy-land color scheme that feels directly out of Disney World. Superfans will appreciate little callouts to park lore, while former park employees will feel seen by the co-worker drama and corporation messiness. Overall, while a little saccharine, the love story was sweet and believable, the body positivity storyline delightful, and the message that dreams do come true solid.

A contemporary read from my instant buy author Marissa Meyer, I was excited to get this arc "We Could Be Magic". As a fan of Disneyland, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Sommerland and the happiest place on earth, including their college program, but it made the storyline more enjoyable and very tongue in cheek.

Things I like about this book:
-Body positivity; the main character is plus sized and isn't ashamed of it but it isn't thrown about constantly either.
-Magic; the storyline had plenty of magical moments and nods to theme park lore that would give any fan a smile
-Romance; the romance is a slow burn and sweet without being too drawn out.
-Art; the artwork is beautiful and unique in this story and keeps the story moving at a nice easy pace.

Things I disliked:
-I thought the author showing up was a little too convenient
-At times the theme park nods got to be a bit much, and for someone who isn't a theme park fan this would not be the story for them.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC.**

This book brings the essence of magic to life! As a child, Tabi visited Sommerland, a magical theme park bringing characters and stories to life, in a time that her own personal life felt like it was crumbling down. Seeing the princesses and princes so in love renewed her faith in the idea. Years later she lands a summer job at Sommerland and her dream of bringing magic to other children is so much closer. Her full dream is to audition and become one of the princesses, but Tabi doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of what Sommerland thinks a princess should look like. Despite the setbacks she faces, Tabi is the embodiment of perseverance and uses her own magic to bring not only the dreams of children to life, but her own.

The illustrations in this graphic novel are gorgeous and add whimsy and fun to the story from the hidden kitties in the park to Tabi's unique (more like hideous) nacho hat. Meyer does an excellent job of making us connect to Tabi, feeling her frustrations and her joys, and rooting for her happy ending all the way. Tabi is Black and plus size and other main characters represent a wide range of races and ethnicities.

A sweet, fun story with a great setting and gorgeous art. The heroine, Tabi, is passionate and hardworking and kind, really easy to root for. The Sommerland theme park is such a fun place to explore. (Now I want to go there, haha!)

Attracted to the fun and colorful cover, I dove into this cute slice of life graphic novel. With Marissa Meyer penning the story and Joelle Murray providing the artwork, this story was a breath of fresh air that dreams can come true if you work for it and really want it.

Tabitha has been a long time fan of Sommerland (a lawyer friendly version of Disneyland, which Marissa Meyer is a frequent visitor of) and their princesses, and she finally gets to work at her favorite park for a summer internship. However, achieving her greatest dream isn’t as easy as it looks. Tabitha was a great character and was didn’t give up, keeping an upbeat mood throughout the adventure. I like that Tabitha’s size wasn’t used as a point of trauma or pain. The romance she has is cute and adorable! It’s obvious that Meyer is a big fan of Disney Parks with a lot of shoutouts and references translated to a more Sommerland version of them. There’s some great messages of achieving your dreams no matter what you look like.

The artwork was expressive and colorful and had a Disneyland feel to it. It showed off a lot of cute things that a regular prose novel wouldn’t have been able to display, including some of the Disney Parks shoutouts!

A very fun and colorful adventure that fans of Meyer will adore, as well as Disneyland fans and those that want to go for your dreams!

Tabitha Laurie has dreams to work as a princess at Sommerland. She believes in true love and wants to bring joy to all the children who visit, just as she had when young. The only problem is – Tabi does does not fit the body type of a Sommerland princess. Tabi, who is a joyous and wonderful character, makes friends and finds magic everywhere. With their support she may just make her dreams come true.
A delightful graphic novel showcasing the ups and downs of character work at a theme park. I loved the friendships and the romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this DRC.
#WeCouldBeMagic #NetGalley

A very cute, body positive read! Tabitha is obsessed with the world of Sommerland, so much so that she takes a summer job working there. While she has dreams of being a princess, she’s assigned to a good stand. Though friendship, hard work, a bit of magic and a bit of romance, her dreams might come true! Thank you to NetGalley for a free ebook in exchange for this honest review.

A super adorable graphic novel about a Tabitha, who grows up dreaming of playing a princess in her favorite themepark, but when she gets the chance, she realizes that she doesn't look like all the other princesses.

I loved the bright art and cheerful tone of this graphic novel! It definitely captured the magic of childhood wonder and the joy of trying to pass that wonder on to younger kids! I especially loved the fairytale wedding and the diverse cast of characters!

Unfortunately, I do think this book relied a bit too heavily on the whole Disneyland inspiration, which left the park and the accompanying lore a bit chaotic and underdeveloped. Also there seemed to be a bit of an age gap between Tabitha and the love interest that seemed a little inappropriate. She was 17 in a high school summer program, and he was a full time employee of the park who had been there for a few years. So while his age is never stated, he's definitely a few years past high school.

Over all, I think this is a great quick read for anyone that ever wanted to work at a Disney park lol.

We Could Be Magic is the wild tale of one teenager’s dream summer program at a beloved childhood theme park. This story captures the energy of the Disney College Program perfectly for those who won’t get a chance to experience it themselves. From the highs of parades, to the lows of parking duty. It’s told through the eyes of a super fan who doesn’t take a second of her experience for granted. Tabitha teaches readers to stick with their dreams no matter what, brush off bad vibes of the haters around them, and stay the course towards what they believe in! This is an ultimately uplifting story about body positivity, summertime crushes, and magical theme park antics.

The absolute stand out of this title for me is Joelle Murray’s art. Through endlessly whimsical details and beautifully vibrant pages filled with color, she created the absolute most stunning environments and larger than life characters for Meyer’s universe. I could immerse myself in the pages all day!

Nods to hidden mickeys and other Disney World “secrets” will keep young fans coming back to this one again and again. It’s a wonderful overall representation of black girl magic and not letting other’s ideas of what a bigger body can do hold you back. This story arc was lighter on the romantic flirtatious avenue than I expected especially judging by the cover, but PERFECT for little readers wanting to just barely dip their toes into that genre. An age appropriate clean romance that will certainly be getting recommended at my public library!

I read this courtesy Macmillan Children’s Publishing and NetGalley. Tabitha has always been a huge fan of Sommerland, a theme park remarkably like, say, the Mouse Kingdom, and when she gets a summer internship, she is overjoyed…but she finds out that it’s not a fairytale. In this charming story, Tabi learns to keep the joy she’s always felt for her idea of the theme park, but understand that there are people who work there, just like her. It helps that there’s a cute boy who works there… A feel-good sweet romance, just the right thing for a summer read! #WeCouldBeMagic #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read! It's pretty unique to see someone applying to work at a Not-Disney place and see them actually working there. I like the protagonist's struggle with wanting to be the main character but also not taking her experience working there for granted.

The art was kinda off at some points but it worked overall for the story.

I received a digital arc from the publisher via Netgalley though all thoughts are my own.

This was such an enjoyable read and I had a great time from the beginning to the end of the story.

I loved Tabi who is a young adult that just recently landed a job at her dream park that is the equivalent of Disney but without using that name. She's determined to become a Princess and while the road is far from easy for her, she has some help with friends she makes in the park as well as realizing that her version of being a Princess is very much needed.

I highly recommend this book. I loved that there was an emphasis on being fat positive, that it's more than okay to be different than what's considered a regular Princess and that sometimes you can meet one of your best friends completely by chance while following your dreams.

I also loved the artwork and the ending was super sweet!

This was a fun read that I will definitely be buying for my HS library. I love that this author has ventured into graphic novels, it was the perfect medium to tell this story. The plot and characters were wholesome and cute, though the story went very quickly and I wanted to see and know more. This is definitely a great read for a fan of certain theme parks and for romance readers looking for a good palate cleanser. A great read!

4.5 stars // this was ADORABLE!!! I wasn't expecting to like this as much as i did, but who doesn't love a dreamer?

rep: racially diverse cast, Black plus size MC

spice: none

5 stars. All the stars! Once I started this book I could not put it down. This graphic novel has everything my childhood heart would desire: fairy tale princesses, behind-the-scenes theme park adventures, smiles and magic and so much more. The illustrations and coloring are perfect. Tabi is an awesome leading lady who has her dreams set on becoming a character actor for Sommerland’s Princess Madeline. Even though the odds are against her, she has grit, determination, unwavering optimism and so much heart. Tabi starts out her summer internship working the nacho stand. She steels herself against disillusionment and befriends James, who shares her authenticity and spirit. This book is just so charming. I swooned. I regained faith in humanity. I believed kindness and good people exist. I felt like a kid again. Read this book if you’ve ever wanted to visit (or revisit) the most magical place on earth. Read this if you’ve ever dreamed of being an imagineer or cast member. Read this book if you love finding fairy tale magic in the real world. Read this is you like uncovering hidden secrets or finding Easter eggs. Read this book if you liked Rainbow Rowell’s Pumpkinheads. Read this book if you’ve ever looked in the mirror and felt discouraged but continued to dream big anyway. This is a body positive book with great representation. I was so lucky to receive an ARC of the digital ebook from NetGalley. I will definitely be gifting a copy to my niece and reading a hard copy with my daughter after it’s released. Marissa Meyer has impressed me before in other genres, but this addition to her oeuvre is not only my favorite of hers but also one of my all-time favorite graphic novels. Coupled with the excellent art from Joelle Murray, this was knocked right out of the park.

We Could be Magic is a beautifully magical book about following your dreams and learning to love yourself. I was rooting for Tabitha Laurie from start to finish. Tabitha who desperately wants to be cast as a princess to create the magical moments she remembered as a child. Through hard work, dedication, and passion, she works tirelessly to chase after her dreams. There are many magical moments in this graphic novel. The story-line is fun and quick moving, The artwork in this YA graphic novel is magically beautiful. It's about loving who you are and being yourself. Good graphic novel for teens and Young Adults.

Marissa Meyer proves yet again that she isn't just the queen of fairytale retellings but can make magic in the contemporary world as well.

This is such a cute story of believing in your dreams and not giving up. Tabi has been in love with Sommerland ever since she was little. Even more so than her dream of portraying a princess. She is chosen to participate in the junior apprenticeship program during the summer where she hopes she can make her dreams come true by being a character.

Off to a rough start, Tabi doesn't give up on her dreams nor does she let anything ruin the magic of Sommerland. She meets people who believe in her and in the end, she makes magic.

This world has a very Disney-esqe feeling to it but when Disney is one of the most magical places on Earth, how can you not compare it? However, the team does a great job making this graphic novel magical and ensuring it has its own style. I thought the whole story was very cute and inspiring.

I really liked the ending where the portrayals are shown as still being very important but also the inspiration that can come from going outside of those portrayals.

I highly recommend this graphic novel for everyone who has always loved magic and wanted to be royalty someday.

I ADORED this graphic novel!

Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to get an ARC of her newest graphic novel. There was a wonderful message of body positivity, set against the charming backdrop of a Disney-esque theme part called Sommerland. The art style was charming and cute, and Tabi was such a sweet character. I liked that she took her job seriously but always had fun with it. The art style reminded me a bit of Pumpkinheads which I also love. I would definitely recommend this gorgeous graphic novel.