“I’d find you in every lifetime.”

Veronica Lancet’s Fairydale is one of those books that slowly wraps around your soul, pulling you into its eerie, shadowy world and refuses to let go. It is a haunting, immersive, gothic romance set in a mysterious coastal town in 1955.

We follow Darcy O’Sullivan, a reserved schoolteacher who travels to Fairydale after receiving a letter that her biological father has died. But from the moment she steps arrives, something feels off. Murmurs of ghosts. A family legacy she never asked for. And two very different men, one living, one dead, both tied to her fate.

The story unfolds across three interwoven timelines, blending psychological suspense, slow-burn romance, and a deeply atmospheric sense of place. Fairydale is not just a setting, it’s practically a character of its own.

What I loved:
* Atmosphere: The town, estate, and fog wraps around you.
* Romantic Payoff: This is the ultimate “I’d find you in every lifetime” kind of love.
* Plot Layering: Every breadcrumb matters. It’s a slow burn, but everything eventually clicks.

A moody, emotional, beautifully haunting read. It’s not for everyone, it’s slow, introspective, and emotionally heavy. If you like your romance dark, tragic, and timeless, this one might wreck you in the best way. The haunting beauty of Lancet’s prose and the emotional stakes of the story make it an unforgettable ride.

Content Warnings: grief, trauma, mental illness, abuse, death, emotional manipulation

Thank you to NetGalley, Veronica Lancet, and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved certain parts of the story. I loved the character reunions. Their dedication to each other. I loved the Victorian era portion of the story. The spice not all of it, but some of it - was utterly scrumptious.

Im just gonna cut to the chase, if you struggle with romantasy that has instalove, flat, underdevleoped characters, modern language used in non-modern settings, inconsistent pacing, plot holes, and an unsatisfying resolution, you most likely won't enjoy this book

And its not that its bad per say, but when you spend 700 pages unraveling the most confusing story you've ever read, to be fed an unsatisfying climax - you're gonna be disappointed.

Now, this book is very well loved. A lot of people consider it their roman empire. And listen, I get it. The "I'll find you in every life time trope" is very romantic. I fell for it too. But the execution, in this case, needs a lot of work. A lot of editing, a lot of reworking the language, the structure of the story, even the plot itself. With certain revisions, this could have easily been a favorite of mine.

With all of that in mind, if you like gothic romance and the soulmates in every life time trope, you should check this out. If you're picky about writing, plot holes, character depth, etc this probably isn't for you .

Fairydale is dark, moody, and completely addictive. This is not your light and sparkly kind of story. Think shadows, secrets, and a romance that feels as dangerous as it is magnetic. Veronica Lancet has built a world that is both enchanting and unsettling, with just the right amount of tension to keeps me hooked.

Set in 1955 Massachusetts, Fairydale follows Darcy O’Sullivan, an orphan and schoolteacher whose quiet life gets turned upside down when she learns her biological father, a man she’s never met has died. She heads to the small town of Fairydale for his funeral and the reading of his will, where she’s introduced to her estranged family and the mysterious Caleb Hale.

Darcy starts having unsettlingly vivid dreams about a man named Amon from the 1700s, and strange things keep happening that she can’t explain. She’s pretty sure she’s being watched, and it feels like everyone in town knows something they’re not telling her.

The setting has this eerie beauty. The characters are morally complex and the romance develops slowly over time. Each chapter adds new layers to the mystery. The writing is detailed and immersive, complementing the moody atmosphere. It is not for everyone. It has really dark tones and themes that may not resonate with everyone.

It is a monster of a book, but the bonus epilogue available in the traditionally published version ties everything up quite nicely and gives the story a satisfying sense of closure.

I had really high hopes for this but I felt like it drug on and on. It was really hard to stay focused on this book

I absolutely ate this book up! The length is intimidating, but don't let it scare you away from picking it up. The story line of Darcy & Amon's eternal love is captivating. From the very beginning we get suspense & dark moody vibes. Darcy is an orphan who learns that her father has died and has requested in his will that she be there for the reading of it. When she arrives to Fairydale everything goes awry. She begins having haunting dreams, there are murders happening, everyone thinks she's a witch, and she's never sure who she can trust.. including herself! Come to find out, the inheritance she went to Fairydale hoping to get becomes the least of her concerns when she encounters past love and greedy family members who are determined to be her downfall.

This story was so well written and kept me wanting more the entire time! It's rare that I can pick up a book and read for hours on end in the same spot, but that's exactly what I did with this story. I couldn't wait to finish my work each day so that I could get back to Darcy's life in Fairydale. One of my top reads for the year. Well done to Veronica Lancet!

Fairydale is a dark, intoxicating blend of gothic romance and psychological suspense. Veronica Lancet weaves a lush, eerie atmosphere that draws you in from the very first page, with a setting that feels both dreamlike and dangerous. The romance is intense—equal parts passion and peril—while the plot keeps twisting in unexpected ways.

Lancet’s prose is vivid and immersive, and I loved how the story balanced beauty with unease. Some moments are unsettling in the best possible way, making you question motives and truths until the very end.

A haunting, addictive read for fans of morally grey romance and gothic intrigue.

Spicy ! Poetic ! So many twist so much information. Is it long yes ! In the end the story comes together so well. Darcy and orphan finds herself on a journey to Fairydale where her life will forever change as she learns her history and that of the man she loves .

Immediately the size of this book intimidated me, but I didn't let that hold me back. I will always love the eternal love trope. It is so beautiful to read on page and see depicted by different authors. That being said, I felt it was unnecessary to rehash each lifetime they met in this one book. I understand its importance in conveying all they had been through, but it made the book entirely too long. I feel some of this book could have been taken out to make the pace faster to keep the reader wanting more. The jumping timelines and visions made it also challenging to want to stay engaged. Overall a good gothic romantasy, but it was just not for me!

DNF @ 43%

I really wanted to love this book but it just was not for me. The story started off strong and I was very interested by the mysterious town of Fairydale, but I ended up getting bored throughout Part 2. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and I was intrigued by the MMC at first, but I really didn’t like the romance developing between him and Darcy. The gothic atmosphere and mystery were incredible, but I just felt the story was too long to keep my attention. If you love dark, gothic romances with paranormal elements then this book might just be for you!

Thank you to Veronica Lancet, Atria and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️ and 4🌶️

🖤Dark/gothic historical/paranormal Romantic Fantasy
🖤Magic
🖤Who did this to you
🖤Tropes that I won’t list because you GOTTA read this book and experience the vibes yourself.

(Spoiler free as always)
I am purposefully not including a massive list of tropes with this review as I feel most of the things I could list would ruin the story. However, this is what I will share. When I started this story, I thought, “what book could possibly need this many pages? There can’t be a story in existence that requires this, I’m sure this story will be way too fluffy.” And I would just like to say, I was totally and completely wrong. This story is not at all what I expected, nor was I let down in any way. I never correctly guessed what was going to happen next, the plot twists and content kept me on my toes between every single chapter, and I was left a wreck after finishing it.
I’m not sure any other love story will ever come close to surpassing the magnitude of the one in this book.
(But as a devoted reader, I’ll keep searching for you :P)
The author could have easily split this story into 2-3 separate books, and charged 2-3x as much for us to gobble up this story. Instead we are left with a full course meal.
Be mindful and please read any and all trigger warnings prior to reading as this is a darker romantic fantasy.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and @atriabooks for the advanced readers copy.

Ms. Veronica Lancet… I fear this may be a masterpiece. *Standing ovation—complete with slow clapping* Seriously, my jaw is still on the floor.

What a wild ride this was! Multiple timelines and multiple storylines to explore and get list in. The haunting atmosphere and beautiful moments are absolutely everything. From concept to execution I was hooked. This is an absolutely mind-bending, unhinged and stunning romance novel with dark gothic fantasy and paranormal elements.

This love story has a long buildup, but the culmination of this love story is gut-wrenchingly beautiful, and definitely worth the perseverance.

I received an eARC of Fairydale.

At no point, throughout the entirety of this book, did I know what was going to happen next.

When Darcy, an orphan, is called to Fairydale after the death of her biological father, she quickly learns that Fairydale is not at all what it seems. There are odd deaths and many many unexplainable moments, but the one thing for certain is she is not being told everything.

The three parts of this book are like experiencing three entire different books. The amount of detail and whiplash throughout this novel is absolutely insane.
Part one, where we primarily are introduced to Darcy and attempting to learn about Fairydale is extremely slow. With the world building taking place and the way the story is being set up, I had no idea what was going on. All of my time spent theorizing proved to be quite useless in the end.
Part two begins to pick up, but it’s still slow and confusing. We get introduced to a character from the past, which certainly adds more entertainment. With the said, almost everything that happened in part one is hardly revisited in the next parts, which is rather strange. In this part, we learn more about the truth of Darcy’s identity, but there is still so much to be discovered.
So, to set the scene, you need to read for an entire week so that you can learn every single drop and detail of someone’s entire life (twice) so that you can get to the good part. Part 3 of this book is INCREDIBLE. While parts 1 and 2 are definitely in the 3 star range, this section is an easy 5 star. I adored the version of Darcy we receive once answers begin to be revealed and the love story that finally unfolds is top tier. If you’re willing to handle the immense amount of world building that is needed for this ending, it’s well worth it.
Because of the slow start (though I completely understand the necessity of it now) as well as some details from the beginning just seizing to exist, id place this book around the 3.5-4 star range. Simply because of how much I love the third section, I’m glad I decided to push through in the slower sections. I’ve truly never read anything like this!
Closing thought, I absolutely NEED to see this book as a show or movie. Seeing this brought to life would be🧑‍🍳💋

Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC of Fairydale by Veronica Lancet.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. There were so many repetitive scenes that it felt like we spent an unnecessary amount of time in the early timelines without actually learning anything new. I didn’t feel even slightly invested until the last 20% of the book.

Personally, I think the story would have been much stronger if it had simply followed Sela and Amon in their original world, focusing on the war there. The multiple timelines felt pointless and didn’t add anything meaningful, the book easily could have been half the length.

I also struggled with the FMC as Darcy. She was incredibly inconsistent and, frankly, incompetent. In a world where she supposedly doesn’t know magic exists, she accepts bizarre events with zero hesitation. A man she believes assaulted her tells her she’s “just seeing things,” and she goes along with it, even agreeing to go out with him. That entire arc was frustrating. Then, when she regains Sela’s memories, she suddenly transforms into a powerful, capable heroine. It just didn’t feel earned.

Overall, there were too many plot holes, the pacing dragged, and the narrative felt scattered. Sadly, it just wasn’t the story for me.

ADORED. I absolutely loved reading this book. Yes, it is very long, but I was never bored or hesitant to pick it up. Definitely recommend to anyone who loves dark academia as well.

Absolutely loved this book! Sela and Amon’s story was full of depth and emotion. I appreciated the length. it was refreshing to get a complete, satisfying story in one book rather than a stretched-out series. I didn’t feel left wanting more; the author clearly poured her heart into this story, and it truly shows.

3.5* rounded up because I like fantasy, fairy tales and some dark romance.

There was a lot to unpack with this novel. It started out feeling like a dark academia, dark romance hybrid. It did not end there at all.

It’s set in 1955, mostly. The FMC is a bit quiet. She doesn’t feel fully fleshed out until she starts having very odd dreams. There was a lot of story. This novel is very long simply because the story is just so full of details and twists and turns. It’s really like several intertwined stories and I didn’t hate it. It wasn’t hard to follow. It was mysterious but in the end you get the whole picture. All those loose ends are tied up well.

The problem for me was that the whole picture felt less exciting than some of the past timelines. There’s a whole mystery for Darcy to solve but in the end some of the motivations felt flimsy. I very much enjoyed getting through that mystery with Darcy. Yet some of the other additions didn’t appeal to me as much.

One or two other characters, like Caleb, felt very real and alive. Everyone else didn’t.

I enjoyed reading this and the story at the end. I think this is the type of story for a very particular type of reader. If you like dark romance and fairy tales and you aren’t turned off by some horror or strangeness, you’ll like this. If you don’t like dark romance, this is definitely not for you, but it’s so much story, you have to enjoy a fantasy type read too.

I did not finish this book. I couldn’t get into it. DNF @ 20%.

The multiple timelines were very confusing & I couldn’t grasp the story around those.

Darcy O’Sullivan is an English teacher from Boston in 1955. She grew up orphaned and is surprised when she receives a letter that her father has passed. It reveals she has been included in her late father’s will. However she must travel to his hometown, Fairydale, to learn more details of the will.

While in Fairydale, nothing is as it seems to be.
Rumors of generational curses, suspicious deaths and mysterious town folk have Darcy on edge. The longer Darcy remains on Fairydale, the more secrets are revealed!

My thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Have you ever finished a book and think: damn, I need a cigarette after that?! Maybe a cold shower?

Prepare yourself for a long ride, this book isn’t a quick binge read. During some of the timeline jumps, it’s easy to be confused but I promise it all comes together.

This is the PERFECT spooky/fall read!
It’s a dark fantasy, not get it twisted with some cutesy fae fantasy. This book is addicting, slightly shocking and all consuming. It won’t be for everyone, I highly recommend looking over content warning if there are things that make you uncomfortable.

If unhinged, intense and possessive morally grey men are your vibe, look no further! 😮‍💨 we’re not talking about deleting one human but whole towns!

Perfect if you like:
- Slow burn
- Forced proximity
- Multiple times
- Fated mates
- Touch her and die
- Morally dark grey
- Gothic style romance
- Very jealous MMC

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and Veronica Lancet for the ARC and opportunity to enjoy this rerelease!

I had read Fairydale when it was first indie-published and fell in love with Veronica Lancet's writing. The way Veronica had you guessing what was real and not real throughout the whole story was insane! We follow Darcy on her trek to Fairydale after receiving a letter to collect an inheritance from her late father... but not everything is as it seems. We embark on the mysterious journey alongside Darcy as she navigates Fairydale and all its oddities. The amount of detail and atmospheric description was truly done so well. The love story between Darcy and Amon was absolutely timeless and told with such devotion and yearning that I could feel the love through the pages. I didn't think I could love it more than I already did, but Veronica proved me wrong! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read the eARC of the traditionally published version of Fairydale!

This is a LONG book! The first half felt quite slow and took a while for me to get into but the second half picked up quite a bit. I was also very confused in the first half and I feel like some clarity sooner than the 50% mark (there isn't really enough information for you as the reader to make accurate predictions prior to that point because of the naive narrator and the fact that a lot of people are lying to her) would have been appreciated. The vibes overall gave gothic romantasy and we switched between time periods but I do feel that the language and settings didn't always match that time period which was a little off putting. The world building and character development were rewarding overall but it's a big commitment to read 350+ pages before you get there. I do think some people will love this book! I personally just prefer books that are faster paced from the beginning and I have enjoyed long books in the past, but don't necessarily think this one needed to be this long. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the eARC, all thoughts are my own!|