✨ Review ✨ We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

A super cute YA graphic novel where Tabitha gets her dream summer internship working at Sommerland (pretty much a renamed version of our favorite American theme park). So what if she's working making weird nachos instead of acting as her favorite princess...she's not giving up hope that this can be in her future!

This book has sweet coming-of-age elements mixed with Tabitha's hard work and passion, as well as a sweet budding romance with another character. This is perfect for middle grades readers and teens!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA graphic novel
Setting: Sommerland, a fictional theme park
Pub Date: June 3, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Disney and theme parks
⭕️ kids movie characters
⭕️ dreams coming true

Cute graphic novel that was on the younger young adult side compared to the author's other books. This book follows girl's journey of getting her summer job.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-review copy. My opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Tabitha has landed her dream job at the magical theme park Sommerland, but when she is 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.

Read this for:
- theme park dreams
- FMC who doesn’t fit the heroine type
- making magic
- gorgeous drawings
- challenging the status quo

My thoughts: Tabi is everything that Sommerland wants in a supporting cast member, but she dreams of being more. This is an adorable tale filled with the whimsy of theme parks and the hopefulness of being a teen who still believe in true love and magic. Marissa’s writing shines with nods back to her early work with Cinder and Sailor Moon, and Joelle’s gorgeous illustrations bring the whole Sommerland world to life.

Highly recommend for those who love Disney and fairytales, and the work that goes into making magic happen for guests.

This is a fantastic story of a young woman who has always dreamed of being a princess at her favorite theme park. Not just any princess her favortie princess. So when she get's a summer internship she see this as her dreams coming another step closer. As with most dreams though she finds the steps to achieving them are not always easy, or even. But she is determined to make the most of her time. Along the way she meets a young man who loves the park as much as she does and helps her in ways she might not have realized she needed. 


This story is about keeping your dreams and finding those friends and family that will back you up and help proove to the worlds, and some times yourself, it's not about fitting the costume; it's about making the costume fit you. 


I loved this story. Growing up a big girl I can't tell you the number of times I needed a story like this in my life. But it doesn't just apply for people who are plus sized. This is a story for anyone who has ever been told they don't fit the mold. It's a story that ultimately tells the reader you don't need to fit because adjustment and new molds can always be made.


The art is gorgeous. It is vibrant and perfect for the story and the setting.  It's also really well balanced. With the theme park setting there could be SO much going on in each panel but it's prefect. Nothing ever removed me from the story and made me pause. The textures were bold and delicate all at the same time. If anyone in this world has magic for reals, it's artists and Joelle Murray is NO EXCEPTION!!! BOW before her!


This book is labled young adult, and I agree with that. You could probably pass it on to 4/5th graders at the youngest. I know I want to show it to my eldest.

This book was just the right amount of cute for something that takes place in a magical theme park. I loved Tabi's personality and the way she didn't think her weight was a problem at all until someone else told her it was. Joelle Murray's art complements this sweet and wholesome story perfectly.

Very cute and romantic! As a former Disney kid and current Disney adult, much of this story was nostalgic and relatable. My biggest issue was how clueless the main character was about a lot of things.

Thank you to Macmillian for an early review copy.

This GN is such a fun tribute to theme parks and fandom. It follows Tabitha, who is working a summer program at her favorite theme park. Ever since she was little, Tabitha has dreamed of being a princess at the park and replicating the impact that her trips to Sommerland gave her. What Tabitha soon discovers is that none of the princess costumes are a fit for her body type. This GN is such a good take on representation in media. Marissa Meyer did an excellent job with the script, and Joelle Murray's artwork is perfect.

This was a cute graphic novel. However, it is listed as young adult, and while the characters are young adults, the writing for the whole story was a bit juvenile.

I do feel the message behind the story is important for anyone to read, but with Tabi being obsessed with a Disney-like franchise, this is more of a middle grade graphic novel. There is an inference of one park-goer being drunk. One of the guys playing a prince insinuates hooking up with a female character. Finally, one character says, "What the hell." Those are the only things that would prevent this from being a true middle grade novel, but I feel it would be suitable for a mature middle schooler

For the story, I give it four stars. Overall, I think I'd give it three (appropriate audience).

Thank you @NetGalley and @MacmillanChildren'sPublishingGroup for the ARC. I will read anything by Marissa Meyer, love her books. This is no exception. We Could Be Magic is a graphic novel about a girl who one day wants to be a princess at a theme park. She does not fit the mold of a princess but with hardwork and perseverance she is going to do it. She meets some new friends along the way that might just help her meet her goal. Loved it.

I' m 11 years old and my mom got this as an Advanced Reader's Copy.
We Could be Magic is an amazing book! Everyone who enjoys the magic of theme parks and romance will love it.

If you are a Disney park fan… you’re gonna love this. This is magical and I’m not even a Disney girlie. I really enjoyed the illustrations through out and it’s genuinely such a cozy joyful graphic novel. With a cute little romance. Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

This book? Absolutely lovely.

From the first page, We Could Be Magic swept me into a world that felt both whimsical and deeply personal. The illustrations are gorgeous, full of color, life, and fairy-tale charm. Joelle Murray brings Sommerland to life with dreamy vibrancy that feels like a theme park and a fairytale rolled into one.

But beyond the magical setting and the swoony summer crush, what really got me was Tabi — a plus-size Black teen daring to dream of being a princess, even when the world keeps telling her she doesn't fit the mold. Her story is powerful, tender, and so important.

As a plus-size girl who grew up loving stories but rarely saw herself in them, this hit me in the best way. I felt that yearning, that spark, that desire to be seen as magical too. Books like this would have meant so much to my younger self — and they still mean so much to me now.

We need more body-positive, size-inclusive stories like this. Stories that center fat joy, fat love, and fat ambition. Stories that say you can be the main character, the princess, the dreamer, the hero. Because we’ve always been all of those things. We just deserve to see it more often.

Thank you, Marissa Meyer and Joelle Murray, for this absolute gem. Let’s keep this magic going.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

We Could Be Magic by Marissa Meyer was clearly a sweet and heartfelt love letter to Disney Park fans and employees. It is a graphic novel that follows a young high school fangirl who has only ever dreamed of working at her favorite theme park as her favorite princess character, and through the struggles, how to appreciate her self-worth, make friends, and learn how to make her own magic along the way. As a fellow Disney fan, this was fun to read and pick out all the similarities that pulled from the Disneyverse, and it was also a really relatable and fun story to follow as well. This was a great graphic novel debut for Marissa Meyer, and I would recommend it for middle-grade readers and above.

This romantic and tenacious graphic novel for teens reminds me of the delightedness in reading Pumpkinheads that has a fun setting and an adorable romance to forget your cares while you're reading the story.

Tabitha is going to be working at Sommerland, a storybook theme park that swept her up when she was young. She knows all of the characters and storylines and even if her parents' marriage didn't last, she still believes in it all. And her sights are set on playing the part of a character princess. But it's evident from the start that she'll have to work at it and work her way up when she first lands a job making nachos at a food station and is instantly dismissed from the first character tryout because she didn't know she'd have to learn some choreography. Lucky for everyone, she doesn't give up and searches for ways to improve but she also meets James who has her undying support because he sees the magic in her eyes that she wants to give the magic to other kids like she had when she was young.

They end up making the perfect pair because she moves up to playing a Kitty character and in a series of happenstances finds a way to break into a starring role before... (you'll have to read to find out).

It's visually gorgeous and uplifts the spirits.

My rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ (4.75 stars rounded up to 5)
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This book was ADORABLE. Tabi and James were sooo CUTE! The way they bonded over the magic of Sommerland was so sweet. I love how James supported her dreams. And I love how determined Tabitha was. A theme of this book is about not letting anyone dim the magic for you and being unapologetically yourself. Tabi and James believed in the magic of Sommerland and loved their jobs no matter how anyone else felt about it. And another theme is about believing in yourself. Tabi didn't give up when she faced those initial obstacles, she kept trying. And when she did get discouraged after it was made clear to her that she doesn't look like their ideal princess, James and her friends were there to support her. Honestly, not to get sappy but, as a plus sized girl myself, I think watching Tabi chase her dreams and find her own love story healed something in me.

A heartfelt thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc of this gem of a graphic novel!

Meyer's graphic novel follows the protagonist Tabi on her life long journey to become a Sommerland Princess. Sommerland is a theme park much like Disney parks, and Tabi has won a coveted spot at the summer internship!

While her dream of becoming a princess does not happen right away, she gains valuable insight, experience, and friendships as she understands the innerworkings of her favorite theme park.

With themes of bullying and body shaming, this graphic novel is not completely lighthearted, but it gives hope and whimsy and I loved it.

A solid 5 stars for me!

This is a cute graphic novel interpretation of behind the scenes at Disneyland/World. I felt it was a little one note reading it as an adult but I would absolutely recommend it to my 7th/8th graders. It does discuss issues of bullying and the ways in which people have been left out of certain roles due to size and/or other differences. It was a great message for young people and the illustrations were terrific! I would have liked a tad more depth, but that's as an adult reader only.

This book was so cute! I loved the art style and the story. I wish it was longer and that the romance and friendships were a little bit more developed, but I think it worked really well with the pacing it had.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

I was nose-deep in this book, it was so much fun! Unpopular opinion, I don’t like holding books for more than a few minutes, it doesn’t matter what kind of cover it has—I’m a put her down on a lap desk person, let something solid hold it. But I had this book all over the place, it was like a great conversation. Everything about it was engaging: the dialogue, characters, messages, and the illustrations. It was beautifully done that I looked up the illustrator’s work. I am on a mission to reread all of Marissa Meyer’s books before House Saphir drops, and this just lit a fire in me to get on that.

I loved the character growth from several characters in here. The plot of someone who loves the company/business so much that they don’t fit in, but end up making things better is not unique or new. But the world that has been created with Sommerland and the characters that grew as people along the way made this graphic novel special. To me it is a summer equivalent of Pumpkinheads. A magical l world with great characters that represents the best of the season.