This Will Be Interesting: A Novel

This Will Be

by E.B. Asher

Set in the same magical, madcap world as E. B. Asher’s USA Today bestseller This Will Be Fun, this heartwarming, hilarious fantasy follows an unlikely band of heroes who must get to the bottom of an assassination plot gone wrong without breaking the one rule of do not fall in love with your questmates. 

Galwell True was the perfect hero, the legend who sacrificed himself to save the realm…only for his friends to unexpectedly resurrect him ten years later. These days, he’s feeling less “Galwell the Great” and more “Galwell the Lost.”

River Pricemark is an excellent assassin. When the Deathrose Guild, an organization known for banishing evil, tasks her with eliminating Galwell, she sees her chance to climb the ranks. So, it’s bad luck when her ambush is interrupted by Celine Hazelton, a scribesheet reporter who questions why the Guild is targeting Galwell at all. It’s worse luck that Celine is also her childhood crush.

Queen Thessia of Mythria is tired of being the damsel. She’s just married the kind and handsome King Hugh and is meant to live happily ever after—but her story feels incomplete. Upon learning Galwell, her ex, is in danger, she turns her royal honeymoon into a rescue, bringing everyone overseas to the opulent land of Vestriya.

Between underground lairs, magical grottos, horseball matches, and masquerades, Galwell must rely on his newfound questmates—including beautiful Vestriyan criminal Mona Grandhart, who seems determined to corrupt him in more ways than one. Good thing he’s set a single rule for everyone on this no romance.

But we all know how this ends, don't we?

Filled with dangerous impersonators, the inimitable power of friendship, and the realm’s most infamous horseball championship, This Will Be Interesting is a slow burn, cozy, and hilarious quest romantasy featuring:

Sapphic friends to loversHero x villain romanceReluctant allies to loversFake marriageFound family

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Humor, Cozy Fantasy

464 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2026

About the author

E. B. Asher is the author of USA Today bestseller This Will Be Fun and the pen name for Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Bridget is the author of several novels, including That Summer Feeling and Anywhere You Go. She lives in Los Angeles with her two cats. Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are the authors of novels including The Roughest Draft and Reese’s Book Club pick Heiress Takes All. Married, they live in Los Angeles, where they continue to take daily inspiration from their own love story.

Reviews

[BookishKB · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Bookish Thoughts
This Will Be Interesting returns to the same world as This Will Be Fun with the familiar crew back for quest adventure. It’s part sapphic romance, part quest fantasy adventure! I really liked seeing how Galwell adjusted to life after coming back. I would feel just as lost and disconnected.

While this book was just as funny, I did feel like it dragged more than book one. There were more “filler” scenes. But I still enjoyed it overall!

🩷 What to Expect
• Sapphic friends to lovers
• Hero × villain romance
• Reluctant allies to lovers
• Fake marriage
• Found family
• Magical quest
_ _ _

⭐ Final Score: 3.75 stars
📅 Pub Date: March 24 2026
📝 : Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Will Be Interesting by E. B. Asher
This Will Be series #2. Fantasy. Best read in series order but this one can be read as a standalone. LGBTQ+.
Galwell True was a hero. A legend. When his friends are able to rescue him before he actually dies, and brought whisked to current days, it’s been ten years since his death. His first death? His escape from death? With time, the realm has changed and he’s not quite sure of his place anymore.
River Pricemark is an assassin hired to kill Galwell. Celine Hazelton interrupts River’s attempt and already knowing River, has many questions and concerns.
Queen Thessia of Mythria was supposed to marry Galwell, but he died and tired of being alone, she’s married King Hugh. Now with Galwell back, her loyalty is split and confused.
Quests, magical manipulations and corruption have turned the lands and people to confusion and an uncertain future. Where do they go from here?

Amusing antics and thoughts from Galwell and the rest of the cast. A light irreverent story with three merging storylines, romances and the ultimate quest of “am I enough?”

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

[Angie Miale · Rating 5 out of 5]

EB Asher fans, it is time to return to Mythria! and this time we get to adventure beyond its borders. Beatrice and Clare are minor characters in this one, but we dive deep on old and new characters alike.

3 POV;
Queen Thessia, recently married to Hugh. He likes her but doesn't love her. Their honeymoon becomes a Quest.
River; a hired assassin who is planning to kill Galwell.
Galwell; back from the dead and 10 years younger than his former peers. Is he Galwell the great or Galwell the grateful?

EB Asher has singlehandedly (triple handedly?, lol) created the cozy romantasy genre. This book is Pixar's Onward meets The Count of Monte Cristo meets Pirates of the Caribbean. Expect laughter, a lot of camp, and a creative blending of feudal society and our modern culture. As someone who rarely reads fantasy, I can struggle with the world building and in being able to visualize and remember the creatures and characters. I find this book to be incredibly, even compulsively, readable. Low spice, high nostalgia, and all the fun.

Do you need to read This Will Be Fun in order to enjoy this one? No. But it will spoil it for you, so I recommend reading it first. I found this second book to be more adventurous, more mysterious and even funnier. It is a found family adventure for reluctant coworkers to lovers. The anticipation is real!

My Hollywood cast
Elizabeth Olsen, as River
Emma Watson, as Thessia
Chris Hemsorth, as Hugh
Noah Centineo, as Galwell
Alexandra Daddario, as Celine

thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC. Book to be published March 24, 2026.

[Gianna Molinari · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) THIS ONE IS FOR ALL MY HATERS (liv) WHO THOUGHT I WOULDNT READ 170 PAGES (liv) IN ONE SITTING (oliviaaaa)

for realsies tho, this book was superrr easy to consume and prob shouldve obly taken like 2-3 days.

the story was straight forward, easy to follow and pretty funny

[AK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was so cute??? And silly?? And just full of tomfoolery and characters finding their true selves and bonding with their ragtag found family and I loved every second of it.

Galwell is alive and he's not sure what to do with that. Stuck in a world 10 years ahead of where he was, he's baffled by it. Thessia, the queen, is tired of the narrative that she will leave her new husband for her first love. And River, an assassin, is trying to figure out why someone wants Galwell dead.

Right from the start we get this sad sack of a hero, who's pondering the same thing Buffy did when she was brought back to life - was it better to have just died? Seems like people don't like being pulled from their supposed fates. Anyways, the action starts right away and I loved how the crew came together, as well as features from the first book's cast.

The characters in general are so unserious and silly, and I adore them. I would protect them with my life. They are precious.

I feel like this instalment was also stronger than the first. With a solid plot pulling them along, with sidequest romances, this book was fast-paced and engaging. There was a lot in here to work with, and I feel like the authors set up everything really well and wrapped it all up perfectly in the end.

I don't know if we'll ever see these characters again, but I adore them and I will definitely return to this series again in the future. It's truly so much fun!

TW: death, injury detail, blood, murder, violence, sexual content, alcohol consumption; mentions fire/fire injury

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Avon in exchange for an honest review.

[✨Jessica✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“With you, I—I feel like I’m out of my mind sometimes with how much I want you,” he confessed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1.5🌶️

I had the most delightful time being back in Mythria. The characters that are introduced in the second installment are so endearing.

This book series is so cozy and whimsical while also having plenty of danger, adventure, and romance.

If you are a fantasy reader and just looking for something new and different this is it. It feels fresh and unique, but also gives me the nostalgic Princess Bride that I’m always chasing.

Thank you to @avonbooks for the finished copy! All opinions are my own.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a delightful hug to the senses and such a FUN sequel to E.B. Asher's This Will Be Fun. I am a huge fan of this world, and it was a pleasure to return to see what would happen following the events of the first and to see what might happen to our heroes. I was very pleased that the POVs were different from the first (as much as I love the Four) and the addition of new characters felt like they fit in and added more to both the world and the existing characters. A strong piece of this novel lies in the POV of Queen Thessia as well as Galwell exploring his life now and his role in it. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC of this sequel.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked This Will Be Fun (another book by this author and with this vibe), so I was excited to read this one.

I did like the previous book better, I felt like I could connect with the characters in that book better.

This one also felt more like a cozy fantasy than This Will Be Fun. That one had a little more action to it and that definitely helps to keep me entertained and interested. This book focused more on the emotional journeys that the characters were going through, especially our hero guy.

I also don't tend to love second chance romances and this has one of those. I did like how it was done though. I think lots of past things were explored and explained and that really helped me to like it. (I don't like feeling like I'm missing information from the past with second chance romances, but I think this book combated that very well. I got the explanations I needed.)

I do think plenty of people will really enjoy this book. Especially if someone is looking for a cozier fantasy this winter. I don't know why, but cozy fantasies feel right for winter.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an Arc of "This Will Be Interesting."

Expected Publication March 4, 2026

I enjoyed the previous books perspective on heroes after they saved the day. The perspective in this book is on a hero that had his ultimate sacrifice erased, and how that would inform his identity.

Unfortunately I don't think this series was for me since I was bored most of the time but I would recommend this book if your looking for friendship in a more Romantasy cozy vibes.

[Jodi R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Will be Interesting | E.B. Asher | 4.25 ⭐️

“It won’t be like old times, but neither of us wants that. It will be like new times. Something yet to be defined. I think we’re both eager to discover what exactly that is.”

This is such a fun fantasy romp! I said the exact same thing about the first book, but it remains true in this one: this book is like a wild Arthurian soap opera. I could suss out the romantic pairings from the very beginning, but I didn’t mind because I still felt the tension and build up for each of the pairings. Each of them had their own distinct dynamics and I loved getting to see each individual couple grow.
Contrary to the predictability of the romance, I found myself bamboozled by the plot twist (though to be fair this genre doesn’t exactly encourage the most critical of thinking in me). Looking back at it though, I can see the foreshadowing, and I think it was the perfect ratio of plot/character/romance.
While I wouldn’t call this an epic fantasy, or a life changing story, it was still a good palate cleanser, cozy fantasy, and overall great read. Perfect for fans of BBC Merlin and The Princess bride! Or really anyone looking for a fun, quick read with a large, lovable cast of characters 😊

*Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC copy. All thoughts are my own*

[Alex Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as cozy, fun, and funny as the first book! I loved the new cast of characters and relationships. Definitely more vibes than a strict plot but sometimes you need that 😭

I thought a few key moments were missing however. I know this book isn’t supposed to center around the four from the first one, but I would’ve liked to see:
- Elowen and Galwell talking at the end? Like about his whole self-discovery quest and his new love? I just thought that would’ve been nice to see, considering we barely saw him interact with his sister at all?
- Clare and Galwell talking about Mona. AND Clare and Mona making up. Clare caught Mona and Galwell and was upset, but then at the end he’s fine with both of them…I just think it would’ve been really nice to see Mona and Clare make up and reconnect as siblings. But I know I know it’s not Clare’s book 😭😭 but STILL

Anyways yeah there were places where I thought the plot dragged or went to fast but I honestly did not want to put this book down and I kept thinking about it, so for that reason I’m giving it 4 stars! 🫡❤️✨

[Mae (bookishpremed)]

dnf at 54% 😔

thank you to avonbooks and e.b. asher for an e-ARC and physical ARC of this book!

being endorsed as a silly, whimsical cozy fantasy book, i was so hyped for this book and these themes delivered, but i was just soooo confused most of the time. i’d like to chalk it up to the fact that i was unable to read book 1 first, so there were some nuances i missed, but as an interconnected standalone, it struggled on its own for me :(

there are 3 couples involved with different backstories so it felt like too many hands in the pot. having the multiple POVs totally threw me off and it kinda disrupted the flow of the book for me :/ the world-building and character descriptions/backgrounds felt like they were being name dropped. as i am currently over 50ish% and still confused on where this would go, i fear i must dnf. sorry guys, and i’m sorry avon, pls know i still love you, this was just not for me 😔

[Elise (elise reads & writes)]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars

This book has a lot of potential and a really fun premise. I love the idea of Galway returning from his death and not knowing what to do with his life. I appreciate that he feels lost, despite feeling grateful. I also love the idea of following Queen Thessia after her life didn't quite work out as planned.

It has taken me 30 days to read 171 pages.
Why is it so wordy? The sentences are SO LONG. The chapters are also really long too, and it just drags. I had really high expectations and hopes for this book because I loved This Will Be Fun! I'm really bummed. Sadly, I have no desire to trudge through the rest of this.

However, I am giving this a higher rating than books that I DNF. I can see the potential in this book and I know some people who might love this story, so for that I am giving it a 2.5.

Thank you to NetGalley, E. B Asher and their publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review*

[Devon Gilbreath · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m very grateful to have received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage, but I did NOT enjoy this. I’m not sure why my experience with this one was so different than the first book, but I struggled my entire way through this. I could not appreciate the characters who are finding themselves after their big adventure. We already did that last go around. This was just a bunch of adult characters who are deeply insecure and incapable of functioning as adults. It felt like I was reading about grown men and women with the decision making skills of an 8 year old, which was weird and gross at times during the more adultish scenes. I didn’t care about anyone or the future of the Queendom. This is even making me question how much I really enjoyed the first book now…

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet follow-up to This Will Be Fun, though I found the characters a little more haphazard, and the plot a bit more convoluted.

This was funny and engaging, with lush worldbuilding and enchanting locales. I really enjoyed the new setting, and it was fun to meet new characters!

However, there were a LOT of new characters, and I think that made it hard to get deep characterization of any of them. There were six “main” characters and a few side characters with decent page time. I would have appreciated a slightly slimmer cast, and think it would have improved the depth of characterization.

Thank you to E. B. Asher, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Gretchen Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to return to the world of Mythria. This story juggles not two, but three, delightful romances in this fantasy world with ever-so-slightly modern references. The romances mostly got their time in the spotlight (with plenty of spice to go around), but I did feel like Thessia's story did have a bit of a sudden shift into "now we have feelings for each other" and I feel like it missed some of the build up. That said, I loved the way things tied together at the end and I definitely cried a little during the conclusion.

[Lyssasauruss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

This will be Fun was one of my favorite reads in ‘24 and I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered a widget for This Will be Interesting. It reminded me why I loved the first one so much.

It’s just a fun time. It’s cute and silly and it is genuinely laugh out loud funny. The characters have so much heart and depth, they all work so well together and because of each other. It’s a beautiful look at what it means to really be ourselves and sticking with the the family we picked.

It was a joy. I can not wait for what Asher does next.


Thank you to Avon for the Widget!

[RoseGreyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was more than interesting it was a DELIGHT! I am in love with this world, the characters and magic and everything involved.

Much like I loved the previous books perspective on heroes after they saved the day, I loved this perspective on a hero that had his ultimate sacrifice erased, and how that would inform his identity. In the same vein, we got to see people who identify as villains find their honor and heroic purpose… but my favorite plot was the perpetual damsel doing the saving and leading the way she was always meant to do.

I don’t want to give spoilers to the plot, because this was magical to watch untold, but I will say I LOVED that every breadcrumb had meaning, every plot line tracked to its rightful place, and every love story had me swooning. This book is everything I wanted it to be!

[Alisha Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book and this sequel. It was an easy, fun read.
Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25🌟

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grand time

The pacing of the books feels a lot like a real DND quest. Someone's motivations are pulling the story along faster than the other players can catch up, but it was a lot of fun.
I think I enjoyed Galwell's struggles a lot more, because it wasn't all references to a story we don't know, we were here for it all.

[KaseyG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Synopsis: This cozy fantasy is a follow up to Asher’s This Will Be Fun, and features some of the same characters as well as some new faces on another quest through the land of Mythria.

Thoughts: These books are fun, unserious and silly in the best way. You just get to ride along with these quirky and endearing characters on their quest filled with shenanigans and misadventures. Thoroughly enjoyable read - maybe even better than the first book simply because the characters had more development and relationship growth. I do think you should read book one first because this one will spoil it for you.

Read this if you like:
👑 quests
👑 unlikely heroes
👑 found family
👑 fake marriage
👑 enemies to lovers
👑 sapphic friends to lovers

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to begin with This Will Be Interesting.

Honestly, the #1 way to tell whether or not you’ll like this book is whether or not you liked the first book. I thought the first book was kind of dumb but also kind of fun, and I think this book was pretty similar; bit dumber, a bit less fun, but, overall, much of the same.

The second book in the series picks up with a smattering of characters from the first book accompanied by a few new ones. Queen Thessia and, of course, the newly revivified Galwell are back to get up to a new quest in a different country. Joining them are River, an assassin hired to kill Galwell and the third and final POV character, Mona, an actually kind of interesting enemy turned ally, Celine, a reporter who is also there and occasionally does something, and Hugh, Thessia’s husband who does not love her and she doesn’t love actually but is also there (sometimes, not that often) and once or twice even did a thing (but not more than 3 times, let’s not get ahead of ourselves).

Reading through my review of the first book, for better or for worse, my review is much of the same. Overall, I found the way the book logically fits together to be completely lacking, perhaps even absent. It feels like chapters were written not based on telling a coherent part of the story so much as to fulfill a bullet-point list of plot plots (e.g. 1. Bridge some dramatic conversation with someone else on the quest; 2. Start a completely random and unconnected side plot that leads to a random out-of-the-blue Theme™ of the book, 3. Flirt with or have a disconnected tense conversation with or about the love interest, 4. Remember in the last 1-2 pages to actually move forward the main plot of the book). It results in a book that is just abrupt and ridiculous and, every so often, kind of fun? I’ve never been one for reality Real Housewives-style TV shows but I imagine them being a lot like this book: some drama played up for camera, some random nonsense, conversations that make no sense out of context and even less sense in context, and occasional moments of high stakes that may or may not last to the next chapter/episode (again, never actually watched these shows, I’m sort of just guessing on vibes). Sentence-per-sentence, the book is written well enough and has a fun goofiness to it; taken together, it never really feels like a coherent story.

I do think that this book was significantly hampered by the number of characters compared to the first. This Will Be Fun is a mere 50 pages shorter and has the same number of POV characters but one fewer couple, and thus only 2/3rds the number of characters. This is especially felt for Thessia, whose chapters both attempt to describe a lot of personal growth and cover a romance plotline. It results in her emotional development being more or less fine and her relationship with Hugh being entirely sidelined (there’s a moment at the end of the book where they call each other best friends despite having significantly better on-page friends and, no, they were not hanging out off page. They hardly saw each other the whole book). Similarly, River and Celine both end up being somewhat lacking as characters. River is fine, but her relationship with Celine falls flat on account of Celine having seldom little personality to speak of. Galwell has by far the most interesting chapters, and Mona is a fun, if inconsistent, love interest.

I was hoping to keep this review shorter, but I don’t think I can post it without talking more about Galwell. His storyline is the most compelling: having recently come back to life after 10 years of being dead, he’s now trying to find his place in a very changed world where he’s no longer the infallible, prophesized, manly hero that he and everyone else thought him to be. He doesn’t know how to be cared for by others, nor is he able to navigate the world on his own. This is accompanied by an extremely simplistic black-and-white worldview about good and evil, paired with a self-image that is entirely based on being good and strong and helpful. That’s legitimately a really interesting premise for a character! Like the first book, this story had rare moments where it did truly get to a thoughtful and interesting exploration of a complicated emotion. It didn’t always deliver, but I do have to give some props to the book for it even if I found the rest of the book to be rather silly.

Finally, a note on the worldbuilding: it’s…not good. Like the first book, there’s not all that much development of what it really would mean to live in a world where most (all? Many? I’m legitimately not entirely sure if it’s everyone or if the main characters not a representative sample) have one pretty powerful innate magical power such as reading minds, teleportation, super strength, etc. Constantly, magical creatures made up for the book are namedropped but with literally no description. The politics of the realm where most of the book takes place are hilariously simple. People turn to and from evil or overthrow governmental powers based on one person’s verbal account of something that happened. I won’t get into specifics because it’s a spoiler, but a moderate portion of the party’s problems could be overcome if the governments employed one (1) person with the magical ability to tell if someone is lying which, like, given the sheer range of powers that exist is definitely something they could do. The end result is a book that is deeply silly in a way that does detract from the book. To be clear, I’m not saying that this book needs serious worldbuilding or anything else of the sort. The book is very clearly aiming for silly goofy rom-com and that’s an aspect of the book I do appreciate (I’ve read too many books with awful worldbuilding who insisted on trying; I can commend a book for not even bothering). Mostly, I bring this up to say that, like the first book, don’t bother thinking critically. This book requires complete suspension not only of disbelief but also of critical thinking. I don’t think actually that’s a bad thing to be honest, not for this book. It’s what the book is going for, and I wouldn’t suggest even picking up the book without accepting that fact.

All in all, I can only recommend this book to enjoyers of the first book. It’s a dumb book, and it’s up to each reader whether or not they find that fun. I enjoyed the first one more but overall can say that this isn’t the series for me. At the heart of it, my biggest gripe is that I just didn’t care for the romance in this one, and I did generally think the romance from the first book was at least cute even if not always coherent. It made this book drag more which, paired with overall less compelling characters, caused this book to be less charming than the first one. I’m giving this book a 2.5 out of 5 stars; rounded up because, like, I definitely can’t claim to be surprised this time. It’s not the series for me and, even considering that, I know the authors can write a book I enjoyed more. That being said, I do appreciate the effort to bring silly queernormative fantasy romantic comedies to the world.

Thank you to Avon for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty-good-maybe-not-great-per-se-but-yes-enjoyable continuation of This Will Be Fun which is now, clearly, going to be a series.

This Will Be Interesting takes place in Mythria, the magical-yet-modern world where people have different types of magic ranging from making coffee taste really good to being able to mind read, but no one has gotten weird about it, X-Men style. In the first novel The Four (then three) go on a quest to attend Queen Thessia’s wedding and end up bringing their lost questmate, Galwell the Great, back to life in the process. In this book Galwell needs to figure out what to do with his life now that he’s back and life had moved on without him.

The first book is about trauma and processing grief and this one actually is, too. However, it feels less impactful this time because all the events are different, whereas the characters in the first book shared a central trauma, if that makes sense. Ten years ago, Galwell died at 27 and is now, still, 27 and everyone has a decade of memories that he does not. Also, someone is trying to kill him and he doesn’t know why. He decides to stow away on a ship taking Queen Thessia on her honeymoon voyage with King Hugh and ... they have their own problems. Meanwhile, Galwell’s hired assassin is having an identity crisis. She works for the good assassin organization - they only kill bad people - but she’s been ordered to kill Galwell. And he's good! Also her childhood crush Celine is here, well that’s just great!

EB Asher is actually three people which you would not guess from the writing style since it’s very cohesive. I assume each author takes a character since the book alternates between Galwell, Thessia, and River (a new character to what is now a series though I think she was either alluded to or mentioned in the previous book). Also, as with the previous book there is one sapphic story (River’s) and like with all sapphics I’ve read the spice scenes are way shorter, more tame, and appear less than with the other two couples. While this book has spice I would call it “partial open door” romance with each scene being less than a page and not detailed.

Thessia and Hugh’s story was my personal favorite, though Hugh’s character development I didn’t quite buy but I can overlook because I want to. I think River and Celine’s story was quite good as well, as both were dealing with some very heavy stuff. Galwell the Great is paired up with Mona the Merciless and it wasn’t my favorite pairing though I know some people specifically seek out the virgin MMC/experienced FMC dynamic. The “bad lady” being super sexual but also not actually that bad, really, is a trope I just don’t connect with. (Mona sounds like MOAN, get it?) This type of character can be fun (I am thinking of a minor character in Dreadful), but she didn’t really hit for me here.

Galwell I also wanted to like more than I did, but he was kind of wallpaper and I felt bad for him. The last book wasn’t his story and this book didn’t feel like his story, but both book revolve largely around him. Oddly, it feels like he knows all this as well? It’s kind of a bummer. Being brought back to life when one didn’t particularly want or ask to be is really compelling (see also that one season of Buffy), and I felt like it could have been more, somehow. There were a lot of parts of the book that came very, very close to being great, but were just good instead.

One thing that I love about the book is that it was actually quite funny. I found myself smiling or laughing out loud a few times, which is super rare when I read, and often it was surrounding Galwell. For example:

“The metallic-purple-haired gyrating man in the neighboring cage winked when he caught Galwell’s eye. Winked! First his odds-and-ends questing party, now sexy dance-cage confinement? Oh, this was not the heroism the legend of Mythria expected.” This is why there’s a lot more that could have been done with Galwell’s character because when he’s used properly his fish-out-of-water persona is really fun. Like when he thinks, “No! He would not succumb to her cleavage! He would focus on ... evil! Yes, evil!”

I also really liked Arlo (a terrible poet and okay prince) and Benjamin (his pet snail), they were charming and lovely and a great contrast to the other characters. There is also quite a lot of action in his book compared to the first (or at least my memory of it) and it felt engaging overall. One critique would be the awkward and frequent use of f-words (does Goodreads censor? IDK I'll do it just in case). For the setting it felt out of place and it forced like, “This book is for adults, see? They say f***!” Okay? Just delete them though because every time it reads weird.

While the book might technically be a standalone, it can’t be fully enjoyed without the world and character building of the first book. I don’t think I’d go so far as to call it a sophomore slump, but I did enjoy the first book and its characters more than this one (though I loved Thessia). I would say, if you read the first book and love it, you will like this one. If you though the first book needed more action, you will like this one. But it’s not an entry point to the series, and now that it seems to officially be a series, the end very much points toward a book three, which I will read.

Suggestions for the Authors for Book Three Based on Foreshadowing and My Preferences Even Though Who Am I, No One:

- please don’t make parenthood a major part of the book, I beg of you, I BEG
- fix your sapphic sex scenes and give them equal page time (if Bridget is the one writing the queer love stories, I want to say, Brigitte to Bridget, that I believe in you and you can do this)
- it’s okay to take out the spice if you don’t want to write it (though you’re probably locked in by the publisher; partial open door authors always confuse me)
- more of Arlo and Benjamin ← book three in Vestriya?
- more of Thessia and Hugh
- more of Clare and Beatrice

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never been happier to come back to a universe than opening this book and getting back to Mythria.

💭 Quote 💭

“Death doesn’t scare me.”


📸 Main Characters 📸

Galwell True
River Pricemark
Queen Thessia of Mythria




🫶🏻 Tropes 🫶🏻


Sapphic friends to lovers
Hero x villain romance
Reluctant allies to lovers
Fake marriage
Found family





🦋 Blurb 🦋

Galwell True was the perfect hero, the legend who sacrificed himself to save the realm…only for his friends to unexpectedly resurrect him ten years later. These days, he’s feeling less “Galwell the Great” and more “Galwell the Lost.”

River Pricemark is an excellent assassin. When the Deathrose Guild, an organization known for banishing evil, tasks her with eliminating Galwell, she sees her chance to climb the ranks. So, it’s bad luck when her ambush is interrupted by Celine Hazelton, a scribesheet reporter who questions why the Guild is targeting Galwell at all. It’s worse luck that Celine is also her childhood crush.

Queen Thessia of Mythria is tired of being the damsel. She’s just married the kind and handsome King Hugh and is meant to live happily ever after—but her story feels incomplete. Upon learning Galwell, her ex, is in danger, she turns her royal honeymoon into a rescue, bringing everyone overseas to the opulent land of Vestriya.

Between underground lairs, magical grottos, horseball matches, and masquerades, Galwell must rely on his newfound questmates—including beautiful Vestriyan criminal Mona Grandhart, who seems determined to corrupt him in more ways than one. Good thing he’s set a single rule for everyone on this no romance.

But we all know how this ends, don't we?




🤩 Did I love it? Thoughts? 🤩

Oh my God this book was so good. I loved the first one more than I ever thought I could but this one, having new characters and old characters and characters that we met, but didn’t really get to spend much time with, was the greatest. Oh my goodness, I could not stop reading this book. I loved everything about Galwell. I loved getting to really meet him and understand him as he goes through coming back from the dead and where that puts him in life because he was a hero who sacrificed himself but now his sacrifice didn’t happen or it didn’t stick so like who he is now.

Then getting to spend time in Queen Thessia’s point of view I loved her so much and her journey of trying to find herself and accept her life as queen and find happiness and then her happiness with Hugh, oh my God. I was devastated to find out it was fake because I really loved him but to see their love grow to become real. Oh my God so wonderful so happy

Meeting River and seeing her growth become who she was always meant to be and finding herself. Falling in love with Celine and her story and then meeting Mona, Claire’s sister, Mona and Galwell’s relationship and oh my gosh Prince Ario and I loved Benjamin too. I just loved this book so much.I have probably said this too many times already but it is true. I enjoyed everything about it. I am so sad it’s over and I need more from this universe and these people. I want to go on a quest with all of them because it just wasn’t enough. I loved having Clare, Beatrice, Elowen and Vandra all back in this story too even as more side characters than the main ones. Having Clare and Beatrice being in charge of the country while she was out of town I loved King Clare oh, I can’t. The portrait of Wiglaf.

🩵 Would I recommend this Book? 🩵

I was so excited to get a copy of this arc and I am so grateful to be able to have read this in advance because it was so great and I am telling you now I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy when this book comes out in 2026 because I want this in my hands. I want it on my bookshelf so that I can look at it every day and tell all of my friends that they need to read the series because it is so so so good I love it. I have nothing but great things to say. This is probably a series of six stars. It’s a god tier series for me which blows me away because I did not expect to love these books as much as I do. The authors do such an amazing job with these characters. I’ve loved every single character that they give me and I’m just so grateful that I got the chance to read this so thank you you Netgalley , EB Asher and Avonbooks for the opportunity to read this book in advance because it was amazing


Enjoy reading! 🤩

[Nae · Rating 3 out of 5]

HAPPY RELEASE DAY

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Genres, settings, categories, themes: cozy, fantasy, magic, romance (M/F and F/F), camp, found family, "hero" quest, adventure

💗 Tropes: 💗
> Coming of Age
> Second Chance
> Quest

Thessia x Hugh
> Fake Relationship
> Grieving Lover / Widower
> Royalty

Galwell x Mona
> Best Friend's Sister
> Celebrity
> Fish out of Water
> Opposites Attract (hero x villain)

River x Celine
> Friends to Lovers
> Shared Past

all about tropes here

POV: 3rd person, alternating/multiple (Galwell, Thessia, River)

Series/Sequencing Style: 2nd in an anthology series, can be read as standalone, no cliffhanger
understanding series types: dynamic, static, anthology - source 1, source 2

Format: ebook (e-ARC)

🔽🔽🔽

Overall ratings

Heat level: 🌶 3/5 spicy seduction 🌶... like a high 2 or a low 3
(from Ampersand’s guide to heat levels in romance novels – (0) sweet, (1) mild sizzle, (2) sensual steam, (3) spicy seduction, (4) red hot, (5) erotic)

~ MC/h 1: Thessia ~ 4.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
~ MC/H 1: Hugh ~ 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
~ MC/h 2: Mona ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
~ MC/H 2: Galwell ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
~ MC/h 3: River ~ 2/5 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 she has the coolest power & is an acrobat, and still managed to be off-putting, although she does get better
~ MC/h 4: Celine ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
~ Other characters ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 in general, the characters all felt somewhat run of the mill, middle of the road overall

~ Plot ~ 3.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
~ Pacing ~ 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
~ Romance ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 for Thessia x Hugh; 2/5 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 for Mona x Galwell; 1.5/5 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 for River x Celine

~ World building ~ 2/5 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
~ Writing ~ 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
~ Reading enjoyability & fun ~ 3.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 this might have a higher "fun" rating compared to other books, but it wasn't as fun as the first

~ Depth & tone (1 light & fun --> 5 more serious, addresses heavier topics?): 1
~ Diversity & representation: queer-normative world, F/F main couple, F/F side couple
~ Angst level: 3/5
~ Sadness level: 1.5/5

🔽🔽🔽

❗CW/Triggers:❗blood, death, fire/death by fire (historic, off page), injury, kidnapping, murder, stabbing, violence (overall fairly mild & cozy for all previously listed)

🔽🔽🔽

📝 Review/Notes 📝

Cute, but honestly felt like it was missing the magic of the first one (not literally, there’s plenty of cool magic). The relationships were all okay, but I wasn’t as into them as in This Will Be Fun. Thessia & Hugh have the best longing, but I don’t like how Hugh isn’t over his “one true love” (it’s not fair, but I struggle with the grieving lover trope). The book feels heavily focused around Galwell for large chunks, but Mona gets a little lost; their relationship was just a little underdeveloped. River & Celine *could* have been the cutest, but River was harsh, constantly pushing Celine away. I'd honestly rather have had just 1 of the 3 romances, to have 1 be developed really well over 3 meh ones.

The style is obviously similar to the first in the cozy vibes, playfulness, and old knight-style quest obsession tone; I just didn’t find this one as fun as the first one, so I was a little disappointed unfortunately.

Once again focusing heavily on the found family trope, this one also revolves around the characters all finding themselves.

Side note, is Galwell possibly written to have some sort of autism spectrum rep?

A little silly, a lot camp. This is clearly meant to be light and romp-ish, without a ton of plot development, believability/logic, etc. More like bingeable TV than your favorite novel.

🔽🔽🔽

🤠 Recommended for: readers who really loved the first one, give tis one a chance; if you just want something quick & cozy with found family, rotating characters, and mild character development in finding themselves, without a ton of depth

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heat Index: 5.5/10

—actually truly laugh-inducingly funny

—Princess Bride vibes

—threeee different romances

—found family

The Basics:

Legendary hero Galwell the Great is fresh off being (sort of) resurrected by his friends, and he's a bit... aimless. Until mysterious assassin River reveals there's a bounty on his head (mostly because she tried to collect on that bounty). But why? The only way to find out is by going on a new quest, and Galwell is roping River—and her childhood crush, scribe-with-a-photographic-memory Celine—in on the mission. Not to be outdone, Queen Thessia, his supposed former love, jumps in... alongside her new husband Hugh, with whom she has a rather complicated relationship. And what about Mona the Merciless, the seductive villainess Galway's been sent to seek out for help? It's a QUEST!

The Review:

This Will Be Fun, the book preceding this one (I'd recommend reading it first, as there's some character overlap and it is where Galwell begins—but it's not strictly necessary) was indeed fun, and this was indeed interesting! And fun. And hilarious. And kind of sweet at points. Basically, a really solid cozy fantasy romance. Is cozy really the right term? I mean, it's full of adventure. You just know the stakes aren't ridiculously high, because you're laughing throughout.

Once again, we get multiple romances (all with HEAs), and I enjoyed each other. Galwell and Mona give you a bit of brother's best friend, a bit of hero/villainess, a bit of... well. Galwell is, for all his heroism and super strength and good looks, quite inexperienced, as it turns. And Mona is NOT. She might be down to corrupt a hero in more ways than one, while he's there to be besotted and decent and show her the horrifying prospect of a man with a heart full of love.

River and Celine, on the other hand, are a classic case of childhood friends separated by circumstance, now quite different and a bit at odds. River very much wants to play the hardened assassin, but the reality is that Celine is adorable, relentless in chasing the scoop, and absolutely has her number. Where I think Asher went very right here was in making Celine much more complex than she initially seemed, taking her off her pedestal and giving her hard stuff to bond with River over.

And then there's Thessia and Hugh. Our sort of convenient, sort of outright fake married couple, putting on a show for the public while very much never intending to have a real union. Hugh has his damage. Thessia has her duties,. It's clear fairly on that he's actually completely smitten, and she can't possibly comprehend someone like him breaking his personal rules to love her—and what does it mean if he does?

Everyone is rather delightful and unique. There's also a prince who absolutely DELIGHTED me, with a companion whose identity I can't possibly spoil because it's one of the funniest gags in the book. I won't lie: The quest itself is kind of neither here nor there. Not because it isn't interesting, but because it isn't the point. The point is getting all these characters together, shaking them up, watching them fall in love with their respective partners, and learning to confront their emotional fears and evolve.

The world remains delightful. There are clubs. There's a scene with men dancing in cages that reminds me SO much of the "Off with His Shirt" sequence in the forever missed, incredibly great sitcom Galavant (everyone should watch). Galwell (hey...) may have been my favorite, because I do love a deeply confused, noble good boy gone (a tiny bit) bad. Mona REALLY does a number on this guy, and you love to see it. But there's truly something for everyone here.

And God. We could use a little joy.

The Sex:

As with the first novel, the sex scenes are on the page but pretty tame and lightly described. Galwell doesn't even know what fellatio is. He does find out. Every couple gets their moment, but it's not very intense.

The Conclusion:

Another wholehearted, hilarious romp of a romantasy. I'd recommend reading it if you enjoyed the first, but also if you're new to this world and want something to cozy up to like a hug.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚This Will Be Interesting
✍🏻E.B. Asher
Blurb:
Set in the same magical, madcap world as E. B. Asher’s USA Today bestseller This Will Be Fun, this heartwarming, hilarious fantasy follows an unlikely band of heroes who must get to the bottom of an assassination plot gone wrong without breaking the one rule of do not fall in love with your questmates.

Galwell True was the perfect hero, the legend who sacrificed himself to save the realm…only for his friends to unexpectedly resurrect him ten years later. These days, he’s feeling less “Galwell the Great” and more “Galwell the Lost.”

River Pricemark is an excellent assassin. When the Deathrose Guild, an organization known for banishing evil, tasks her with eliminating Galwell, she sees her chance to climb the ranks. So, it’s bad luck when her ambush is interrupted by Celine Hazelton, a scribesheet reporter who questions why the Guild is targeting Galwell at all. It’s worse luck that Celine is also her childhood crush.

Queen Thessia of Mythria is tired of being the damsel. She’s just married the kind and handsome King Hugh and is meant to live happily ever after—but her story feels incomplete. Upon learning Galwell, her ex, is in danger, she turns her royal honeymoon into a rescue, bringing everyone overseas to the opulent land of Vestriya.

Between underground lairs, magical grottos, horseball matches, and masquerades, Galwell must rely on his newfound questmates—including beautiful Vestriyan criminal Mona Grandhart, who seems determined to corrupt him in more ways than one. Good thing he’s set a single rule for everyone on this no romance.

But we all know how this ends, don't we?

Filled with dangerous impersonators, the inimitable power of friendship, and the realm’s most infamous horseball championship, This Will Be Interesting is a slow burn, cozy, and hilarious quest romantasy featuring:

Sapphic friends to loversHero x villain romanceReluctant allies to loversFake marriageFound family
My Thoughts:
This Will Be Interesting is just as fun. It's cheeky and campy and we follow the love stories of not one, not two, but three couples. I really loved the trio of POVs, each of the characters have such a great arc. This novel is full of such heart, true action and absolute irreverent silliness it’s impossible not to fall in love with this cast of found family. I truly laughed out loud at times. There is such joy in this novel, even when there are heavier moments. I thought all three main characters were equally intriguing and brought their own nuances to the story. They all experience a profound sense of change over the course of the book (even the side characters!), which made me appreciate them all the more. Galwell might have stolen the show with his profound internal reflections, but Thessia stole my heart with her quiet strength that only grew louder with love.
Thanks NetGalley,, Harper Collins Publishers and Author E.B. Asher for the advanced copy of "This Will Be Interesting" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#HaperCollinsPUblishers
#E.B.Asher
#ThisWillBeInteresting
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️Trigger Warnings: Sexual content, Violence, Blood

[Rallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate to exert some control over her life, Thessia had, in the middle of the night, poorly spelled her chestnut hair in shades of unnatural yellow.

If This Will Be Fun was about grief and loss, This Will Be Interesting is about finding purpose and meaning. This book has some absolutely raw lines ("How can I help you be the hero you're certainly capable of being?") that cut to the heart of its central thesis - anyone can be a hero, anyone can tell their own story, they just have to choose to be brave and do something different.

One thing that E.B. Asher nails every time is pacing and dialogue; they're very good at keeping the quips coming while allowing emotional moments to stand out without being minimized. Whether you want raw, emotional internal monologue or snarky dialogue E.B. Asher captures it all.

I love our three main characters and their +1s (and the group's +1.5); each of them approaches this question of control and purpose from a different perspective - the hero who doesn't see a place for himself in the world, the queen who has no control and desperately wants to be loved for herself, and the assassin shunned by her family chasing the approval of people who don't care about her - creating a well-rounded exploration of the human experience. Queen Thessia I have a special adoration for if only because she plays out a trope I love (the damsel is the hero) and her love story with Hugh is ephemerally painful. Both Thessia and River spoke to teenage and young adult me trying to find meaning, purpose, and love in a world that doesn't fit you, Thessia's struggle internal (we all know the midnight crisis hair dye or decision that you need bangs) and River's interpersonal (please Riv just let the beautiful girl love you, you deserve it!). Galwell and Mona's story was delightful in its own way: the grungification of a shining star by a sexy villain with dangerous cleavage who teaches him about foreplay and “in horseball terms...[reach] second horse arch” (seriously all their intimate scenes are hilarious, poor Galwell spent so long being a hero he never went on dates). And I absolutely ADORE Prince Ario (or should I say, Benjamin Slime - poet), he was exactly the comedic relief this party needed to round it out. Every time he showed up made me grin, especially when his genuine goofery matches up against Hugh's non-toxic masculinity.

I also appreciate the tonal shift between This Will Be Fun and This Will Be Interesting! I think having an overall comedy of errors vibe worked perfectly here where it would have been 100% amiss in the previous book (and the previous book's heavy emotional gravitas would not have worked here, either).

I don't know if a third (or more??) book is in the works (and I don't know which characters they might follow...perhaps Benjamin Slime?), but I do know that whatever it is and whatever aspect of human life E.B. Asher chooses to take as its thesis, it will be delightfully charming.

I received a free copy of this book from Booktrovert and am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

[Jillsbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - ⭐⭐⭐ 💫

“It isn’t magic that’s made your presence stay with me…I’ve kept you in my memory because you’re worth holding on to.”

This Will Be Interesting is the second instalment in the adult comedic romantasy, This Will Be Fun. Written in multi third person POV, the story continues after the events of book one while following. Galwell is attempting to find himself after coming back to a world where ten years have gone by. Queen Thessia is meant to be living happily ever after with her husband but feels unfinished. Yet things take a drastic turn when an assassination plot against Galwell goes wrong. It becomes clear someone want to destroy the perfect image of Mythria's hero and, with an assassin questioning her assigned target and a reporter who happens to also be said assassin's childhood crush, this motley crew comes together to unravel the secrets of who is behind the strange series of events...add in tournaments, magical grottos, alluring criminals, masquerades, and a knight determined not to fall in love and you know this adventure going going to be interesting XD

This book is easy to dive into and I love the world created!

Each character is faced with have to reevaluate the world the live it; Galwell plays into the noble hero role well but there is this sweetness to him that makes him endearing; Thessia has spent her life performing and has never had something purely for herself and her journey reflects a change in her relationship with Hugh as she confronts that. Meanwhile, River is second guessing the guild she has worked as an assassin for years. Each of them has a delightful love interest that shakes up their world that had me smiling with the banter.

There is some spice in this story - I would say about 2 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There are about 4 spicy scenes in this book with the first appearing around the 42% mark. The spice is more romantic and not super detailed. There is MF and FF romance that were beautiful and I really liked the variation to each of their journeys. The quests bringing them together was just enough tension that the spice did the job of showing their surrender when they could no longer fight it anymore.

The story itself is an easy read to throw yourself into. I appreciated the defined plot elements that help guide the reader. I loved being able to explore other kingdoms and the balance of serious storylines around assassinations and plots to undermine kingdoms alongside the sillyness and fun of a fantasy world (Galwell and his shankfry was quite memorable). I will say parts of the story were slow as we dealt with a lot of the characters working through problems in their head versus action. Mona was a character I adored because of how much she threw off Galwell but also the way that spiralled had me squealing. The twists and turns of court intrigue worked well and I wanted to keep reading and figure out the truth. The ending is sweet for all our characters and I am definitely curious for what is to come!

Overall, a solid read!

Thank you Avon for this arc!