When I saw Marissa Meyer’s We Could Be Magic was available on NetGalley, I had to request it—and I’m so glad I did. This sweet, empowering graphic novel blends a charming meet-cute romance with a deeper message about believing in yourself and chasing your dreams, even when the world says you don’t fit the mold. Marissa Meyer writes characters you can’t help but root for, and this one is no exception—you just want them to have their happily ever after. I’ll definitely be buying a hard copy when it hits shelves.

4.5*
Thank you to Marissa and Feiwel & Friends for this digital ARC!
This was very sweet! I love everything Marissa writes, so when I heard she was coming out with a graphic novel, I had to jump on it. The illustrations are adorable and very expressive. It captured the characters beautifully and made it very engaging to read. The writing was fun and easy to read. This book is great for younger readers looking to explore the YA space. I loved Tori and her hardworking nature. She knew what she wanted and fought for it, which is very inspiring. She was very sweet and caring. Seeing her make magic for all the parkgoers was adorable. I appreciated how passionate Tori was and how she stuck to her morals. I enjoyed seeing her accept and love herself as the book progressed. Her relationship with James is so wholesome. It captured the awkwardness of crushes while providing Tabi with a great support system. I love James’ selflessness and passion he has. I appreciated seeing character development from all the characters, even the more minor ones. The theme park setting was so fun and magical. The whole book captured what it felt like to navigate being a teen and finding friendships and yourself. I really enjoyed it!
There was a brief kiss.

Really enjoyed reading 'We could be magic'. It was heartfelt and encouraging to follow your dreams, work hard, and never give up. I love the message of how you can always achieve your dreams in life. My favorite part is the ending, as a new character is created via inspiration of the main character. There is no need to fill an old role when you can create a whole new one.

4.5 stars. I'm a huge Marissa Meyer fan AND a huge Disney fan, so this mash-up was amazing! The main character, Tabitha, got a summer job at Sommerland (cough*cough*Disneyland*cough*cough). Sommerland had all the magical vibes that you hope for. Tabitha's dream since she was a little girl was to be a princess character at the theme park. The problem is that Tabitha doesn't have the body type of the iconic princess, but Tabitha is resilient. After the first round of auditions, she realizes that she needs to work on her dancing skills. So she practices and practices. Next round of auditions, she makes it past the dancing portion. She blows the judges away with her acting skills, BUT they still only cast her as a costume character. Again, this doesn't break Tabi's spirit. She will work hard to accomplish her dreams along with some help from some friends.

I LOVED the illustrations by Joelle Murray. I definitely plan to keep my eye on her future work.

I have been to Disneyland and Disney World as a child and an adult. I truly believe there is something very magical about these types of places. Marissa Meyer and Joelle Murray did a fantastic job capturing that magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for providing me an advanced copy.

What a cute graphic novel! The illustrations and colors were absolutely gorgeous, the perfect art style for this story. This is the representation every fat middle school/high school girl needs. And kids seeing a fat princess at a theme park is such amazing representation. Not only fat but also Black! Fantastic, spectacular. Also loved the two MCs friendship that blossomed into a romance, so so cute.

“We Could Be Magic” by Melissa Meyer is a joyful, feel-good graphic novel about chasing dreams and embracing who you are. It follows a plus-sized girl who longs to be a princess at a Disney-like theme park—and challenges the idea that magic is only for a certain look. With charm, heart, and a touch of pixie dust, this story is both empowering and uplifting. A quick read with a lasting impact, it’s a beautiful reminder that dreams don’t have a size limit.

Ever since she was a little girl, Tabitha Laurie has had one wish: to work at the magical theme park of Sommerland. When a summer job at the park opens up, Tabi finds herself one step closer to her dream. But working at the nacho stand is a far cry from being in the role of her favorite princess, and the daily grind soon makes her summer job more of a nightmare than a dream come true. But with courage, determination, and a little help from her own Prince Charming, Tabi discovers the true magic within as she steps into the spotlight at last.
“We Could be Magic” by Marissa Meyer is a delightful graphic novel about a summer job at the world’s number one theme park. I immediately bonded with Tabi as she shares her struggles and her dreams, and I absolutely adore how brave she is despite numerous setbacks. The storytelling drew me right in, and stellar art by Joelle Murray pairs perfectly with this magical adventure. The panels are easy to follow, and it was quite lovely to get utterly lost in this modern-day fairy tale as I turned the pages. Following Tabi’s first few days at work made me laugh out loud as I recalled my own first job.
But the best part of this story is how very real the characters are. James is a kind spirit who’s gone through some trials of his own, while Kyra shows incredible depth hidden behind my initial impression of her. Tabi faces prejudice due to her physical build, and I really liked how the author gently addresses this extremely relevant issue. People come in all shapes and sizes, and no one “standard” of beauty or build should ever define our image of ourselves. I also love that Tabi doesn’t let prejudice stop her. Tabi fights hard to follow her dreams, even if she’s afraid or fails at first. I have to say that Tabi is not only a relevant character, but an empowering heroine that we can all be inspired by as she works hard to find her own happy ending. After all, she reminded me of my own dreams as she steps up to save the day as only she can.
This beautiful story of working hard to follow your dreams earns a well-deserved five out of five stars for its relevant message of diversity, engaging storytelling, and phenomenal art. Suitable for readers 12 and up who love fairy tales, magic, and epic stories of determination, this lighthearted adventure is sure to bring a smile to your face as it lights up your heart.

I loved this book!! Like Disneyland, but better (don’t sue me), Sommerland and its stories were where Tabi found magic amidst her own sometimes magic-less life. So of course she ends up pouring her heart and soul into working there during a summer program.
Beautiful art, body positivity, and proof that everyone can be a princess with their own happily ever after. If anything, I wish it was longer!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This is such a cute coming of age romance! It's a very simple story, but the characters are super lovable and relatable.

I loved seeing Tabi's growth as she learned to love herself the way she is and worked towards her dreams. Both the support and antagonism she received from the people around her shaped her journey. The romance was super cute, and although it was only a subplot, it added to my enjoyment of the book.

I don't usually read graphic novels because I find it hard to follow along with both the words and art at the same time, but I had a great time with this. The art style is literally so cute, and I thought the character designs worked perfectly with their personalities!

Overall, I thought this was a very cute and uplifting story about a teenage girl working towards her dreams!!

We Could Be Magic is a young adult graphic novel centered around our main character, Tabitha, as she fulfills her childhood dream of working at Sommerland. A theme park that provided her with so much magic and made her believe in true love, and now, it is her turn to do the same thing for a little kid just like her as a princess. Except, she wasn't offered the position of princess, and it seems like she won't ever be. With nothing going to plan and the clashing between her castmates, she is starting to feel like her dream of Sommerland is crumbling in her hands. This story was SO cute! I loved Tabitha's positivity and energy that practically glows off the page. Her love and enchantment with Sommerland felt so very contagious and I loved how the art style truly matched the vibrancy of her and this story. The pacing was so well done, no part of the story felt rushed in any way. It was fun to have a 'behind the curtain' feel of the castmates and how the magic of the park is created, and the romance felt very well paced too. This story discusses the beauty standards within the park industry and the industry as a whole's lack of body diversity and plus-sized princesses/actors in major roles. This kind of representation matters, and I loved the ending of this story and how all the conflicts ended up getting resolved.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for this free e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This was an adorable YA graphic novel following Tabi, a high school senior spending the summer working at Sommerland, the most magical place on earth. 😉 She dreams of nabbing a princess character role, so when she’s assigned to the nacho hut, she must decide what she’ll do next to make her dreams come true.

This was a sweet story with nice themes of being true to yourself and chasing your goals. It reminded me a lot of Rainbow Rowell’s Pumpkinheads.

LOVED THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL! I’ve known Meyer from Cinder and beyond, but this one was such a sweet reintroduction. Loved the art style and the intentional character plots. Perfect for its audience and I’d read another in this universe in a heartbeat!

We Could be Magic is a love story to those who love Disney parks and fairy tales. But it also doesn't pull its punches when dealing with serious issues. When Tabitha Laurie was growing up she visited Sommerland, the Disney equivalent in this world. The actress who was playing her favorite character gave her an important piece of life advice. To believe in love even as her parents marriage fell apart.

It is years later and Tabitha is back at Sommerland this time to work as an employee for the magical summer program. This is somewhat like Disney's summer college program, where students take on different jobs within the park. Tabi is very interested in doing for other people what the actress playing her favorite princess did for her. She wants to give people a reason to believe in magic.

But the reality of working at Sommerland is nothing like the dream she's had growing up. For one thing her dream of playing a princess like the one who helped her in childhood is botched by a failed audition. Tabi is soon slinging nachos and trying to make the summer as magical as possible. However as time goes on she realizes that no everyone who works there believes in the magic of Sommerland.

The only exceptions to this are her new tour guide friend and her roommate. Thinking she will have another chance at the next audition Tabi practices her hardest only to learn there may be a reason behind why she isn't getting picked. This novel explores with a deft hand the way fatphobia and body standards for character actors can be a negative thing.

But when all of the actors who are playing the royal parts up and leave just before a parade Tabi must take her shot at being a princess and giving kids some magic, even if it means her job.

This was so sweet! I love the body positive message and the cute romance. The setting was simultaneously a nostalgic celebration and a valid critique of Disney.

The illustrations on my phone were often very pixelated, but maybe that’s normal for eARCs of graphic novels? This was my first time reading a graphic novel ARCs, so I don’t know. Assuming the final version won’t be so pixelated, from what I can tell, the illustrations are lovely.

Tabi was so incredibly lovely!! It was wonderful watching her love of magic and Sommerland grow and evolve. Just like any other growth, it can be a bit painful and sometimes awkward. But if she holds true to herself and her belief in magic, she may be able to find her own happily ever after!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

This graphic novel was very cute and although it is intended probably for younger audience, I still found joy in it. I like how Tabitha managed to hold on to the magic that Sommerland provided for her. Growing up, we had Disneyland and the Harry Potter world and although I haven't been to both parks - yet?-, I still understand and can imagine how it must feel to experience these characters in real. She also struck me as weirdly optimistic and determined whilst I am in a phase in my life where I am the exact opposite of Tabi.

Dreams do not come true but at least for her they did. She couldn't be princess Madeline so she became her own princess and I loved that for her.

oh my goshhhhh! This was the most adorable graphic novel EVER. The story, the characters, the illustrations, and the absolute HEART OF THIS STORY???? It was truly MAGICAL! It was also so inspiring, and filled with so much hope & positivity! Tabitha has my whole entire heart I just absolutely adored her the whole way through. I love her so much! I also just fell in love with the theme park Sommerland & how it was presented in the story! The way it was spoken of in the novel (especially alongside the GORGEOUS illustrations) just made it come alive to be so so fun & magical! I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone looking for a relatable read that still has lots of positivity & magic. I cannot wait to reread it physically! A new favorite for sure.

Growing up, Sommerland was the symbol of true love for Tabitha. For as long as she can remember, it has been her dream to bring the magic of Sommerland to other families by being a princess. When she lands a summer job there, it’s the first step towards her dream.

However, the character auditions don’t quite go as Tabi planned. Turns out they’re looking for someone with a different body type than Tabi has. But when an opportunity to be a princess presents itself, Tabi has to decide if she wants to take it, even under the possibility of getting fired. Will she take a chance on her dream?

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for an advanced copy of We Could be Magic by Marissa Meyer to review! This is Meyer’s first contemporary graphic novel, and I’d say that she hit it out of the park. The story lends itself well to the magic of the graphic novel illustrations from Joelle Murray.

Sommerland in this book sort of functions like Disney World, so if you’re a Disney Fan, you’ll probably love this book! From the beginning, Tabi is determined to fulfill her goal of becoming a princess, despite the comments she gets from other people. I loved her as a main character, and she has great chemistry with her crush. Getting to see how she interacted with the magic of the park, even when it wasn't exactly how she pictured, was so wholesome and lovely.

My only qualm is that I wish some of the side characters could have had a bit more room to breath. Other than that, this is a delightful graphic novel romance you should definitely check out this summer!

This is such an adorable and fun graphic novel and everything you would expect of a contemporary story from Marissa Meyer. Tabi is a fantastic protagonist, and I appreciate her upbeat attitude so much. Even when things don’t go the way she hopes, she puts her all into whatever she’s been hand keeps trying.

I also appreciate how much thought Marissa Meyer put into Sommerland and the character. While it’s obvious where she pulled her initial inspiration, she took the time to flesh out the ideas and make it her own. This book also has a lot of diversity, including different ethnicities, fat girl representation, and LGBTQ+ side characters.

The artwork is also amazing. Joelle did such a great job bringing the characters and world to life with such beautiful and colorful artwork!

Some plot aspects moved a little fast and I wish it had been a little longer to flesh out some of the relationship dynamics, but overall, it was super cute and heartwarming and exactly what you expected from the queen of fairy tale retellings.

Such a cute book! I don’t read a ton of graphic novels, but will if they look interesting enough. This book is sweet and positive, depicting how sometimes things don’t go the way you plan, but can turn out better. Our main character has dreamed of being a Princess at Sommerland, a magical theme park to rival Disney. Tabitha soon finds out that having the curtain pulled back on the magic isn’t always as fun as you might think. Her journey is cute and uplifting, even if it is a little predictable. Sometimes we all need a little magic in our lives. Definitely worth the read! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.