Faeking It: A Cozy YA Romantasy

by Mindy Lawrence

I never meant to leave my world. Will I survive his?

Ellie James sells soap at her parents' Renaissance Faire - and loathes it with a fiery passion. Faerie wings and fancy gowns could never improve on Ellie's charmed life. Her reality is better than any fantasy.

Yet when a strange encounter at the Ren Faire transports Ellie to the land of the Fae, she must admit the unthinkable: Faeries are real. Magic is real. Even worse, the Fae are clamoring for war with humans. If Ellie's true identiy is revealed, she will be executed at once.

Terrified and adrift, Ellie forms an alliance with Finn, a reclusive and unusual Fae. Secrets threaten them at every turn, yet all the while, an ancient magic beckons. Home may be within Ellie's grasp ... if she can convince the faeries she's not a human.

Genres: Fantasy

328 pages, ebook

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

Mindy Lawrence is a frequent quoter of movies, a dark chocolate connoisseur, and a night owl. A lifelong devotee of the romance genre, she adores writing clever, fiercely independent characters who lead with their heads - until love takes over the tender reins of their hearts.

Mindy and her husband are American expats living in a quiet village in England. When not dreaming up new romances, Mindy can be found baking muffins with her three darling children or throwing impromptu dance parties in the kitchen.

Reviews

[Julie WB · Rating 5 out of 5]

YA Romantasy isn’t my usual genre, but I will read anything Mindy writes. Loved her previous two books. This one did not disappoint. It’s so freaking good. The characters, the gorgeous setting, the sweet romance all made for such a fun ride. There were also some great surprises that I did not see coming. Hoping there will be more to come!

[ECD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Mindy’s writing. I read this with my daughters, though I wished the book would’ve come out sooner when they were heavy into their fairy phase. We all enjoyed the book. It was a cozy quick read with just enough romance and action to satisfy us all.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely adventure. I had to slow my reading pace because I knew I'd miss the story once I finished. There's lots of fun twists and lore, a truly gorgeous fairy world, and a hero that my teenage self would have absolutely swooned over. Really enjoyed it.

Also, side note, I'm going to need someone to make the Tears of a Swallowtail soap because it sounds fabulous.

[g the book dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an adorable, cozy YA fantasy! The world building, the characters, the banter—all excellent. I struggle with YA sometimes because of the younger MCs being more impulsive but this was a lot of fun to read.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited when the author Mindy Lawrence asked me to read this book early. Even though it wasn’t my usual genre (this is cozy YA romantasy), I loved her other series so I wasn’t surprised I loved this book of hers too! Ellie and Finn are such a cute couple. I love that they are enemies at first and that they met at the Ren Faire where he shouldn’t be because he’s a Fae. I also loved reading Ellie’s views of the beautiful land of the Fae called The Keep and reading about how both Ellie and Finn grow as individuals and as a couple. Thank you to Mindy Lawrence for this opportunity.

[Katrina G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special thanks to the publisher and Book Sirens for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review

This was SO MUCH FUN. From the moment I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. I loved Ellie! She was kind of your basic teen that's embarrassed by their parents, but she wasn't a rebellious jerk just for the hell of it like teens tend to be in YA stories. Her character development throughout the story was very organic and such a delight to read.

Finn is ADORABLE. I want to put him in my pocket and protect him at all costs. He was great.

The pacing of the story overall was also done very well. Many things happened, but never once did the story feel rushed. On the flip side, nothing felt like it was dragging on and on either. The story was fully engaging from beginning to end, and I may or may not have gotten scolded at work because my productivity was a bit lower than usual because I was reading instead of working

I haven't read the author's other books, but I hope to see more from her in this genre in the future!

[Cas · Rating 5 out of 5]

** ARC review **

4.5 rounded up because half stars cannot be given here.

This was such a fun read and very much the cozy YA read it was advertised as. It has all the things a good YA should have, amazing characters, a good plot, stunning worldbuilding where things just make sense, and an adventure that brought a good flow to the story.

The characters were great. While Ellie was portrayed as someone who didn't want anything to do with fantasy and ren fairs, she was still genuinly interested in the fae's history. She wasn't a helpless fmc or an annoying fmc but really a nice girl to read about.

Finn was also so sweet. He's so down to earth despite being the prince.

And Gilda <3 She was my favorite character.

I loved all the lore in the story. The old fae language that was used for spells, the story behind what the fae did for nature and how nature helped them. The story behind the queens.

This has all the good romantasy elements for younger readers without the spice.

[Piros OlaSz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww I loooved that cute of a book.

4.5 rounded up!

I was a bit afraid at the beggining that its about a tale-hater soccer “who is the toughest” kinda girl’s story catching a ren-fair sticky-hand as she delivers justice kind of main heroine. BUT FORTUNATELY its far from it!

Sooo once we are out of her comfort zone (and in fairy-land) the story becomes a cute adventure romance of Finn and Ellie.

I liked the idea of the old fae languge and the story behind, loved the games for the magic and all the development of relationship between our main characters!

The book is well written and entertaining and I find their young love very sweet.

I also like the additional characters popping up and the changes they characters are going thru (or not goung thru) the book.

I really enjoyed the end cavalry as well!

Ill defenitely look for other books from the author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was an ARC reader for this book. Thank you Mindy for allowing me to read this early! This is a cute YA fae/human romance. It’s got some ACOTAR vibes with zero spice. Some cute kissing scenes and you can feel the teenage hormones, but this is perfect is you want a book like ACOTAR with the human going to the fae world, enemies to “lovers”, and some world building and character development but NOT the spice of the series. There’s some betrayal you don’t see coming and surprise characters. It’s a HEA and it wraps up the story nicely. No cliffhanger. Sometimes I had a hard time getting through the chapters, but I also had to remind myself I’m 38 and my 16 year old self would’ve eaten this up. I teach seventh grade and my girls would eat this up! I really paid attention to the writing style and the grammar. It’s well-done. I’m impressed with this storyline. It was unique and I’m happy to have been part of the ARC team. Well done Mindy!

[Moni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

* This books is part of The Faerie Chronicles (not sure if the next book will have the MCs as the MCs)
* First person pov
* Spice: steamy kisses (suitable for older teens & adults)
* Content warning: abandonment & three brief references to smutty fanfic & feelings

This is the first book of the author's that I've read and I wouldn't mind reading from her. I was pleasantly surprised by the story as it wasn't what I expected but it was easy to get pulled in to Ellie and Finn's world. Their banter was fun and I liked how they went from being unlikely allies to friends to falling for each other. While the stakes aren't high, as this is more of a cozy fantasy, there was conflict and twists that will keep you reading to find out what happens. The ending does make me wonder if we'll follow Ellie and Finn on even more adventures but, regardless, I am curious to read more from this series.

[Ashling B · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No Spice

I loved the description of this book and was eager to read. As it was advertised as a YA, I was not expecting a lot of spice so was not surprised to find none.

Not going to lie, I initially thought this was going to be a DNF after the first chapter due to some of the characters speaking like "Hast thou not heard" and I thought the full book was going to be like that but quickly realised it wasn't and they were just cosplaying. Once I really got into the book, I couldn't put it down.

The Enemies to Lovers is soooo cute and how the author developed it throughout the story added to the cuteness. The magic system was also quite unique.

The twists and turns throughout were not expected..... Gilda 😯😯!!

Had such a warm happy and fuzzy feeling after reading this and look forward to reading more by this author!

[booklovingcat222 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Captivating Journey into the Fae Realm

Wow—this book was an absolute delight! It’s easily one of my favorites this year. The vivid descriptions of the land of the fae transported me to another world, and the characters were so engaging that I found myself completely invested in their journey. The pacing was fantastic—I never wanted to put it down.

What truly made this book stand out were the unexpected twists. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story surprised me, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I love a book that can keep me guessing, and this one delivered flawlessly.

Mindy Lawrence has crafted a magical, immersive story, and I’ll definitely be reading more of her books in the future!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amberly Hershberger nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute super sweet and whimsical love story that I just KNOW my young teenage self would have SWOONED over. As an *ahem* much older woman, it was occasionally difficult for me to get past some of the clunkier prose and what seemed like silly parenthetical statements and plot points of convenience BUT all I could keep thinking was how much I wish I could have read this at 15 when I wouldn’t have noticed any of that and would have just gotten lost in the story. My star rating is from 15 yr old me as I feel that is the audience most likely to resonate with this story.


*Thank you to Silver Thistle Publishing and BookSirens for the digital ARC of this book which I received for free in exchange for an honest review*

[Arlene H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is Mindy Lawrence's best book. The dialogue is authentic, and the plot is intriguing. Just when I was sure that I knew how the book would end, there was a twist in the plot that kept me reading.
Young adult readers of fantasy will love this book. It is a perfect blend of a love story with a magical world. The scenes were so well-described that I was immersed in the human interactions as well as those that were more fantastical.
I am going to recommend this book for a local high school book club. I know they will enjoy reading it and will also have some wonderful discussions about young love.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling It is a fantasy novel by Mindy Lawrence. WOW, this is an excellent fantasy novel. Ellie and Finn are great characters. Ellie does not get into the Renaissance Faire like her parents, so, naturally she is the one to drink and go into the Fae Keep. I found the going from human size to fairy size great. The Queen is supposedly dead and there is betrayal, fighting, loss of magic… everything I love in a great fantasy novel, including romance. This is the first novel I have read by this author. I can't wait for her next book! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Sarah Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to be a beta reader for this one! I know the author and have enjoyed her other written works. Loved the story and world building. The banter was clever and fun. My main critique is that I didn’t feel like the target audience was clear throughout the book. Some portions read really young, and some of it felt too old for the characters ages maybe? If you liked the movie Epic (animated, 2013) I think you’d enjoy this book!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little outside my normal reading taste, but I enjoyed the story and it is from an author friend - YAY. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a clean romantasy for themselves or their tweens/teens.

Content FYIs: N/A

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie has been basically raised at the Ren Faire. She works at her parents’ soap booth. But she would like to hide these facts from her friends. Nobody really believes in fairies anyways, but that is what her mother made for her to wear this summer.

As she is working she spies a “fairie boy” going around the different booths. She yells at him when he tries to steal something. She even runs after him and grabs his arm.

Nothing, after that moment, was the same foe Ellie or Finn. She had shrunk to the size of Thumbelina. Finn was a real faerie. Now she was with him in his world but had to hide, because the rest of the village really didn’t like humans.

How was she going to get home now? And how could she stop the developers from tearing down this beautiful forest, along with Finn’s home?