Fairydale by Veronica Lancet is a gothic romance/fantasy set in 1950s Massachussetts with flashbacks to the FMC's previous lives. I was intriguied by the premise of the story and the online discussions around the book. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the discussions I saw regarding the book failed to get across the triggering nature of some the events in the story. This is actually what ultimately led me to decide to not finish the book at this time. I made it through 47% of the book. (Note: the author does mention content warnings at the beginning, which I did read) I was very interested throughout the first half of the book. The author does do a great job leaving readers uncertain of what is happening and wondering how everything is connected. I am still genuinely curious about the rest of the story, and I may decide to pick it up again later. The story's pacing overall is slow (the author notes it is a "long journey"), which is not my preference but may be suited for others who really enjoy immersing in the setting and experiencing the spooky and mysterious vibes. I hope the right audience finds this book because I think it likely has a great payout at the end!

Prepare to be utterly captivated by a book that defies all expectations and takes you on a truly unforgettable ride! From the very first page, this story grabs you and refuses to let go, proving itself to be an absolute masterclass in unpredictability.

If you crave a plot that's perpetually ahead of you, then look no further. This book is full of surprises, with twist and turns everywhere, making it genuinely impossible to guess what was going to happen. Just when you think you've got a handle on things, another curveball is thrown, keeping you on the edge of your seat, eagerly devouring each chapter to uncover the next revelation.

At its heart is a compelling young woman whose entire life is a mystery she had to solve throughout this book. Her journey of discovery is incredibly personal, intricate, and deeply engaging. You'll root for her, feel her confusion, and celebrate her breakthroughs as she pieces together a past that impacts her present in profound ways. And let me tell you, it was worth it in the end! The payoff is incredibly satisfying, delivering a conclusion that feels earned and truly fulfilling.

What truly elevates this narrative beyond a simple mystery is its delightful blend of elements. I love how there was a little bit of magic thrown into the book, adding an enchanting layer that never overwhelms the core story but rather enhances its wonder. And for all the romantics out there, prepare to swoon! The book weaves in a lot of wonderful romance that is heartwarming, beautifully developed, and adds immense depth and emotional resonance to the protagonist's journey. It's the kind of love story that feels natural and truly complements the unfolding drama.

In short, if you're looking for a book that defies expectations, keeps you guessing until the very last page, and offers a perfect blend of gripping mystery, heartwarming romance, and just a touch of magical charm, then this is an absolute must-read. You won't regret diving into this wonderfully surprising adventure!

This book was a dark and magical doozy. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding our FMC and how all the puzzle pieces fit into place. I did guess most of the twists and big reveals- it paid off to read between the lines.

I do think it was too long, but I understand why- every single thing, every interaction, every character had to fit perfectly into the ending. There was a lot of repetitive phrases that started to annoy me but it added to the ambiance of the story.

The smut was SMUTTIN- please read the trigger warnings. There are some great but dark, devious, and explicit scenes that may not be for everyone. Lots of sensitive topics are swept under the rug by our characters.

Overall, I am glad I read this and enjoyed it but felt not much happened until about 60% in and it was too long without a plot twist. It’s mostly a love story that will have you yearning for your own.

Thank you, Net Galley and Atria Books for the eARC!

I am very much not the target audience for this one. I was expecting a fantasy romance, but from the timelines, the writing style, and the plot devices, this one was not at all for me. I know some other readers that I think would really like this one, but it’s not the sort of thing I enjoy unfortunately.

I seriously could not love this book more! The world building and slow burn was everything and more. I could read this book over and over again.

One of my all time favorite reads. I originally read this in 2024 when it was indie published and am so excited to see it's now getting traditionally published. Hopefully more people find this story now that it can reach a bigger audience.

The story takes place over 3 timelines that come together in such an interesting way that you truly need to read to understand. When I first read this there was so much going on for the first half of the book but at the same time I had no idea what was going on. The author warns you of this so it's expected. Once it clicks, it clicks! Everything will make sense. You just have to trust the process. It was so interesting going back to read this again and know from the start why things were happening the way they were. If you've previously read this I recommend a re-read once it re-releases because there is a bonus epilogue now that I was not expecting but absolutely loved. It really tied the story together and gave an even more satisfying ending for a standalone.

I have a hard time trying to explain this book to anyone without giving away spoilers because it's truly one you have to read to understand. The author said it best when she said, "Fairydale is a mix of gothic, horror, fantasy, and paranormal fiction with a dash of history, but at its core, it's simply a love story."

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

2.75 stars. . I really appreciate being able to read Fairydale before it was rereleased. That said, this book was way too long, I believe it could've been probably 200 pages shorter. The beginning was promising, I was very intrigued and couldn't stop thinking about the world, and all I wanted to do is pick up this book. Once we got to probably 300 pages I was slowly starting to lose interest. I think the only reason why I finished it was because I wanted to know if I was right and if all my questions were going to be answered. The ending was very anticlimactic, the whole book you are kind of getting are main female character Darcy's background, and you ending up realizing and finding out what people of Fairydale expect her to do. The build up was too long and the actual ending was too short which is ironic. For those who don't know this story follows Darcy through three different time lines, one in which she is Elizabeth and one where she is Sela,. I did find the concept very interesting. I also liked that the whole point of the story was the "I'll find you in any lifetime" troupe. . I'm glad we got answers but this was so dragged out and was way too long, Ive read books this long before and they've kept me intrigued and interested the entire time, but this one didn't and it felt like an over 700 page book.

This book had a lot going on! Different times, different worlds, memory jumping, you definitely needed to pay attention in this one and all the info it throws at you. It has interesting characters, and story, and I liked that you had to figure some stuff out as you went, it wasn't all just given to you right away. There was interesting magic and the romance was excellent. The touch her and die trope was just perfection in this! overall I'm giving it 3.5 stars.

What a beautiful complex story of true love. This is the opitome of “eternal love”. This is told through multiple timelines and the love that Amon has for his beloved is unmatched. Get in a beautiful Gothic style, it’s so complex and beautiful with a hint of magical realism/paranormal/fantasy. I have only read one other book remotely like this and that wasn’t as in depth as this was. Very very good.

The book Fairydale by Veronica Lancet about a young woman in the 1950s who receives a strange and mystery letter notifying her of an inheritance to collect. She takes a leave from her job as a teacher to travel from Boston to Fairydale to meet long lost unknown family members and receive her inheritance only to drawn into and trapped in town that subjects her to cruel behaviour and many violent situations.

It's written spanning multiple timelines and at Chapter 11, the paranormal portion of the storyline isn't clear. Characters are introduced very bluntly with no development or context to how they fit within the story, they just pop in and out. But, the biggest problem is the language and the writing style. It's so difficult to follow and lacks a maturity for the content. Unfortunately, I gave up as the back jacket preview is more interesting that the entire first third of the book.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this gem in exchange for an honest review!

You know that moment when you’re deep into a 2 a.m. doom-scroll for your next book fix, and then suddenly — BAM — Fairydale shows up like a seductive demon whispering, “read me”?
Yeah. I did. And I have no regrets.
At first, I was intimidated by the size (she’s thicc), but within a few chapters, I was hooked. Sleep? Who needs it. Reality? Don’t know her. This book swallowed me whole. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it pulled the rug out from under me — repeatedly, and with delicious cruelty.
Lancet doesn’t just write plot twists — she engineers emotional rollercoasters. The characters? Raw, sharp, messy, magnetic. The spice? Bold but never forced. The suspense? Unrelenting.

This book is a fever dream of trauma, desire, darkness, and power dynamics. I’ll absolutely be keeping this on my shelf — and probably rereading sections at random when I want to feel something again.

Would I recommend it?
Only if you’re into twisted characters, gorgeous writing, slow-burning insanity, and spice that makes you side-eye your Kindle in public. So yes. Enthusiastically.

I have currently DNFed this book at the 45% mark. The beginning felt promising but it just goes on for way too long and needs some intense editing. The author note at the front makes it feel very pretentious but from what I have seen so far it's just not that good. I do think this book will find it's audience but I just wasn't it.

This book will leave you questioning everything but not wanting the story to end. It is a beast of a story at over 700 pages so be prepared. The story drags a little at times but keeps you interested in wanting to figure out the mystery at the same time. If you like Gothic fairytales, mysteries, and romance you should check this one out.


Thank you atria and netgalley.com for a copy of this book.

Tropes That Will Ruin You in the Best Way:

🍎 Age gap with forbidden tension
🍎 Grumpy, morally filthy MMC
🍎 Damaged sunshine with a vengeance arc
🍎 Gothic manor + fairy tale gone feral
🍎 “Touch her and die” meets “I bite back”

A dark fantasy dipped in venom, velvet, and violence, and I devoured every inch of it. Veronica Lancet laces this twisted age-gap romance with obsessive yearning, sharp-edged trauma, and prose so lush it cuts like glass.

The tension? Unbearable. The vibes? Dark academia meets feral fairycore. And the dynamic between Theo and Seraphina? Absolutely unhinged in the most addictive way. I couldn’t stop reading, and I didn’t want to.

This isn’t a love story, it’s a descent. And I’d fall again.

This book was too long and a lot of it was unnecessary. I really think the book could have been improved with editing. There were some very questionable events that were not handled with enough care. The FMC was frustrating and the MMC was problematic.

I think this story has an overall interesting concept. I was initially drawn to the book because of its description and I think it met my expectations. The plot can be confusing at times, but it's done purposefully to mislead the reader, which kept me curious throughout.
I've never read a paranormal romance and it might not be a trope for me, but if it's definitely worth the read if it's something you're interested in. At no fault to the book, there were some points in the trigger warnings list that are also topics I normally don't gravitate towards. So, make sure to check those out before picking it up.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

DNF @ 47%

Unfortunately, this was not for me. Initially I was intrigued and the plot had me second guessing everything that was going on. I liked the mystery aspect and the gothic setting.

However, that is where it ended for me. I didn’t like either of the main characters and their dialogue had me actually cringing.

The mystery of the plot was just not enough for me to keep going.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC.

dnf at 47%

at first I was really intrigued. I thought wow, I have no idea what is going on, where is this going. It’s weird but I’m curious.

nope. no, nope. not for me AT ALL. I didn’t like the FMC, she was making some stupid decisions, the guy was so creepy, in a very unattractive way. even if he’s handsome… girl, run. I felt absolutely no chemistry between them.

the setting was really cool and I liked the creepy town vibe but it wasn’t enough for me to continue.

Darcy receives a letter that her father has died and that she must go to Fairydale for his funeral and reading of the will. Shocking to Darcy because she never even knew who her father was. Once she arrives in Fairydale all the weirdness ensues. This quirky little town is more than what it seems. Darcy is met with disdain and drama from the family she never knew and finds herself strangely attracted to Caleb Hale who keeps randomly showing up at opportune moments. The Hale’s and the Pierce’s are like arch enemies apparently and Darcy slowly starts to learn more about the history of the town and the families who live there. Oh but also she has weird dreams of like a past life and this dream boyfriend. Sounds confusing because it is, HOWEVER, the author does warn us about all the confusing info dump that fills this 700+ page story so every time I started to feel like maybe I missed something I reminded myself to just keep going. And yes it was definitely hard to follow at times but it was a really fun and entertaining story full of gothic, dark vibes, romance and lots of drama. Could it have been condensed quite a bit and still be a good read, also yes. That being said, I did enjoy this read and all the strange, dark, paranormal, vibes it delivered. I can’t even really categorize this book. It’s a mashup of dark, romantacy , gothic, enemies to lovers but only kind of? If you are looking for a story to get completely lost in then Fairydale will surely check that box.

Thank you to #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book....THIS BOOK, where do I start?! I was so completely taken aback by this novel! I've heard so many people talk about how much they loved it. I'm so glad I gave it a shot!

This will go down as one of my top reads for this year! Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley, & Atria Books for the eARC of this book.

This is a dark, gothic romance spanning worlds and various time periods. Truly a heart throbbing love that surpasses time with so many twists and turns it will leave you breathless!

The time is 1955 and we follow Darcy as she uncovers truths regarding who she is, where she is from, & why she is there. Growing up as an orphan in an orphanage, Darcy is taken aback when she receives a letter in the mail regarding her father's passing, a father she didn't know she had. The letter requests her presence in a town called Fairydale to attend his funeral and will reading. This town and the process in getting there is shrouded in mystery and unusual circumstances. She is taken to a home that she has inherited and from there confusion ensues. There are deaths, cryptic messages, mysterious strangers, paranormal experiences and a handsome man named Caleb. Caleb continually shows up and gives no question as to what he wants from Darcy. At the same time she begins to have dreams of another irresistible man named Amon. Darcy longs for the safety and love that she experiences with Amon in her dreams. She is torn between her undeniable attraction and deep need to be with the man of her dreams, Amon, and the man she has right in front of her, Caleb.

The longing, possessiveness, downright feral that Amon is to reaching Darcy, keeping her safe and all to himself is too much for this girl to handle! The words that come out of this man's mouth and the things he does with his mouth, I ATE every word up! The spice....Lord help me. This book is exactly what I would want in a gothic romance! Its a love like no other, angsty & longing to your very soul. Amon & Darcy's love transcends time and worlds and he has waited years, YEARS, for the opportunity to be with her.

Do yourself a favor and read this GEM of a book! As always check your trigger warnings prior to reading.