This was a ride. I got whiplash, felt like I was going clinically insane, and kept coming back for more. Veronica Lancet does a masterful job of making us feel like we're losing our minds at the same time as the FMC.

She's thicc, and this is a whole journey, but it's so worth it.

5🌶️ amazing. absolutely 10000% perfect in every way. no notes. i don’t think i have ever read a love story where the mmc loves the fmc more than in this book. i’m at a loss for words. this was everything that i expected it to be and more. Amon is fucking perfection. i don’t want to say too much and give it away but please go read this fucking book!!!! nothing was what i was thinking it was. coming from someone who does not at all like love triangles…. this was so so fucking good. worth every single page and even after almost 800 pages i still could have read another 800 pages about these characters and their lives and love for each other. 🥹 this will for sure be a reread at some point in my life. this romance will live rent free in my brain for the rest of my days.

Fairydale is an absolute masterpiece! Lancet creates an intricate, multi-layered world in Fairydale that spans multiple genres. This is part fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and gothic romance. It is richly imagined which makes for a captivating read; I didn't want to put it down. Fairydale spans three different timelines, so it's a story that demands your full attention. Threaded throughout the novel is an epic love story full of angst, longing, and heartbreak. There is an aura of mystery and many unanswered questions which makes Fairydale that much more propulsive to read.

Fairydale starts innocuously enough in August of 1955 with Darcy O'Sullivan learning that she has been included in her late biological father's will. This news comes as quite a shock since Darcy is an orphan. Full of curiosity, Darcy travels to Fairydale to claim her inheritance and meet the family she never knew existed. Once Darcy arrives in Fairydale, she captures the attention of Caleb Hale. Although she can't help but notice how handsome and kind he is, Darcy is haunted by the enchanting Amon d'Artan who lived centuries ago. Odd occurrences and animosity from locals make Darcy's stay in Fairydale fraught with tension, but she remains undaunted. Before long, Darcy's dreams start haunting her waking hours too.

To fully experience the magic of this story, it's best to go into Fairydale knowing as little as possible. The layers and reveals are surprising and entrancing. It reads like a story within a story within a story, and each timeline is equally as absorbing as its counterparts. Your heart will be broken and made whole again. It truly is an epic gothic romance, and I loved every page.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Veronica Lancet for the ARC!
3.5 ⭐⭐⭐
Phew! Where do I start, I overall enjoyed this story. It was incredibly long though and I think it could have been shorter to get the point across. I really enjoyed the love story but I was a little surprised for a book being so long that it was insta love. The concept of the story was really amazing and I enjoyed my time reading it. The smut was decent and I like the beginning of the books spooky vibes. I'm not a fan of flash backs so those were the hardest parts for me to finish. This was good, I look forward to reading more from this author!

This book will forever live as one of my “god tier” books. It solidified my love for Veronica Lancet and has made me obsess over everything she’s ever written.

4.5 stars for Fairydale by Veronica Lancet, the earwig of a book whose scenes demand regular rereads.

Fairydale is a wild ride of a book; if you're preparing to read, strap in for more genres and WTFs than you ever planned to scream out loud while reading a novel. The story starts with our FMC Darcy, an orphaned teacher living in New England, who receives a mysterious invitation to the small town of Fairydale for a life-changing inheritance. What starts as a paranormal mystery quickly morphs to romance, adds historical, then sci-fi. Wild ride. While I do agree that the author has taken on quite a bit in attempting to blend these various genres together, the resulting story salad has managed to install buttons in my brain demanding rereads of various scenes and even the book itself at times. Our MMC is down BAD for the FMC from his first page, with lots of 'who hurt you' moments following in the next several hundred pages. If this is a trope for you, please pick up this book and enjoy! If at any point during this read you find yourself not being able to carry on, please know that the final love scene is absolutely bonkers and worth the trip to the end of the story.

There are TW at the beginning of the book and on the author's website - please give yourself a heads up!

Hope you enjoy as I did and do with each reread. :)

Thank you Atria Books for this eARC.

Ok, I was confused for a lot of this book, but it was one of those confusing things that you need to continue because it is so intriguing and boy oh boy was I right!!!
My firVeronica Lancet book and it was absolutely fantastic I cannot recommend it enough!!!
Im so glad my friend insisted I read this book and to not be intimidated by how big it is (that’s what she said)

I am a big fan of Jane Eyre, and this is very reminiscent of Charlotte Brontë‘s novel. The Gothic setting, the orphan learning about family she never knew, and having to travel out of a comfort zone to a new place, are all themes in both books. I also enjoyed that Darcy was essentially a reimagining of Jane.

I find overall this was executed well for what it was trying to be.

Despite liking the Gothic elements and the illusions to Jane Eyre, I just could not get behind the story or the characters. The chapters were too long, which made it hard to take breaks while reading it. I just did not like this book. There is a lot of exposition being dumped on me as the reader – it felt more like I was being told rather than being shown.

I also felt that the story needed to move a little bit faster. I found Darcy to be an unreliable narrator, but there wasn’t a reliable side character to keep the “truth” of the situation story forward.

Unfortunately, this just missed for me.

I loved this story; it was different from so many of the romantasy books I’ve read and I’m so happy it wraps up nicely.

It is hard to write a review without spoilers so I’ll just say enjoy the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! I’m having a bit of a hard time writing a review or giving a star rating, because there were some aspects of this book I loved, and others that I hated and felt cringey to me. I’ll start out with the things I loved:

- I thought the overall plot was fantastic. I was very intrigued by the story and the unique mystery and timelines within it. There were times when other things about the book made me want to DNF, but the plot kept me going. I am a sucker for detail, and this book certainly has A LOT of detail.
- I am into gothic spooky sort of settings, and this book definitely incorporated some of those elements that kept me hooked.
- There were some female empowerment parts I was a fan of!

Things that didn’t land for me:

- I think the author took on too much. I could see this maybe being separated into a duology or something, which would have made it more palatable. (I say this also has someone who advocates for more standalone novels, but I think there was just too much here, and a lot got lost in translation.)
- I liked the various timelines, but they were very confusing and it was hard to keep track of. I annotated this book and have a history of reading big fantasy novels, and I still had a hard time keeping track of the family lines. Maybe if a genealogy map had been incorporated at some point it would have been easier to follow (although perhaps that would have caused spoilers and was an intentional choice not to include).
- I wanted to love the MMCs but found them to be cringey. I am all down for a “touch her and die” trope, trust me, but this was … too much? Not believable? The nicknames killed it for me a bit, it just felt forced and not genuine. Like, I got the ick.
- I really hated the infertility trope, and do not feel like it was handled gracefully. I do understand the timeline that the book takes place in, but there is literally a line where the FMC ascribes to the idea that a woman’s only value is motherhood. Despite the timeline, this is just a very bad thing to promote, in that the FMC never really grew away from that belief. I wish the author had addressed better that a couple who chooses one another is, in and of itself, a family, and is enough. To be fair, there was a trigger warning for this, but I don’t think the overall trope, which is delicate in and of itself, was handled with care.

Overall I am glad I read this, but this book, unfortunately, was not my favorite.

"Until you, I thought life and suffering were synonymous."

End of review. Perfection.

Just kidding but that may be my favorite book quote, like ever.

I don't even know where to begin to review this. Prior to reading I saw this classified as a gothic historical paranormal romance and I laughed because what? Oh no, that’s this book, 200%!
This was unlike anything I have ever read before, its very core it is truly a heart wrenching romance. The longing, tension, pining, angst, heartbreak… my word.
It will simultaneously have you mind fucked have you shipping out of responsibilities to continue reading, but also, having NO IDEA what you’re reading!
This love story is the epitome of, I will find you in every lifetime.... I have waited 1000 years for you and I will wait 1000 more because you are worth it. Pure swoon.

My official rating for this book is 4.5 stars. I was warned before getting into this, that this would be a long journey with lots of information. After reading it, I can agree that this was a LONG read, but it was also very good! It took a little more thought process sometimes to keep track of who was who and in what time period and then have it all come together in the end. The book has you thinking one thing, and then bam, it was something that you didn't even think. I truly commend this author for writing such a story that kept me wanting to read more and have me understand what was happening 90% of the time. I would definitely recommend this book to those that love historical romance, romantasy readers, or someone who just wants something different from their normal romance routine that is open to trying new things!

Wow. What a journey this was. This book was so LONG but also so unique. I didn’t know what was really going on for a while there at the beginning but as the pieces began falling into place, I was HOOKED. This book was the best example of true love prevailing… of being madly obsessed with your person. It was amazing. And not only did we get the “touch her and die” trope… but we got the “touch ME and die bc you upset my person by putting your hands on me” trope and I AM HERE FOR IT. Did I mention the narration for this book was INCREDIBLE?! Wow. I just can’t say enough good things. If you can get past the length of the book and the confusion in the beginning… it really is such an amazing story. 10/10 recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I had such high hopes for this book but I genuinely felt like it was about 300 pages too long. Nothing happened for so long and then when it does it didn’t feel like it was worth the long lead up to it!

Now I loved the concept of this book and I did like the basic storyline. It just was way too long for no reason in my opinion. Which gave me time to get bored and not want to finish at all.

I also could not get past their pet names for her Lizzie Mine and Darcy Darlin! I literally cringed every time I read it!

I was very bothered by the fact that the FMC had zero intuition about people and was way too trusting. The entire book I was rolling my eyes and yelling at her in my head for being stupid!

I know there will be people who love this book but it definitely wasn’t for me.

All hail Veronica Lancet! Where has Fairydale been my whole life?! This wasn't just 5⭐️ read, not even 6⭐️...this is a 10⭐️, holy grail, top tier read! Addicting is the best way i can describe this. Paranormal, gothic, creepy small town, sloooooooow burn...literally just amazing!

I was very intrigued by the mysterious and historical vibes that the synopsis provided, and I certainly wasn't let down! And with paranormal and romantic aspects mixed in, I though this was a great story!

While this wasn't a horror novel, the gothic and suspenseful nature of the story definitely kept me on my toes the entire time. There were times where I felt a bit confused about what was going on with the plot, but honestly it felt intentional and actually worked well in this case, as it helped to really feel for what the FMC knows in the present moment and we get to learn alongside her.

There were multiple timelines surrounding the main characters and their past which I absolutely loved. The romance between the MCs truly was one for the centuries and I loved watching it unfold and be rediscovered throughout the novel. The love and yearning feels so tangible and kept me rooting for the romance the entire time. And this book is long! But I only found myself feeling bored or overwhelmed at a few points, and in general I really enjoyed the entire story.

In terms of the historical aspect, there were times where the main characters really didn't seem to behave in the appropriate ways given the time/setting they were in, which is really the main reason why this story isn't a five star read for me, but overall I thought that the spooky, historical vibes were there and I wasn't taken out of the setting too badly.

Fairydale was a great twist on the reincarnated lovers story with amazing spooky and gothic vibes that kept me captivated throughout the entire (very long!) story.

Fantastic book! You cannot skim it! Every detail matters! I was first thinking this could be a horror novel but boy was I wrong! The mystery and intensity was constant and consistent. The twists and turns q were done beautifully. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

This was my very first time reading any fantasy with paranormal and gothic vibes and I think I am obsessed. The slow burn in this book is top notch. I hope to read more by this author soon!

3✨

The first part was interesting (even if a bit confusing).
The second to last part was just mediocre for me. All those flashbacks were a bit too much.

I love Veronica's writing style and I think this book was the perfect example of what she is able to achieve, unfortunately I didn't like the characters enough to love the writing style like I could have

This book was AMAZING. The multiple timelines made this so much more than a simple reincarnation love story. Amon is THE book boyfriend and I won't be accepting any criticism, now or ever. I've been struggling to stay focused with books this long, but every page in 800 some odd pages kept me completely engaged and kept me eager to keep reading.

This definitely isn't a book to skim though. You'll miss a lot of core things if you do. I can't wait for my preorder to come so I can physically annotate it while reading it again with everything I know now.

(Atria, a girl is begging for a physical copy.)