Holly Martin

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Fairytale Beginnings delivers exactly what it promises, "a heartwarming romantic comedy" with great characters, a dreamy setting... and a lot of Disney references (which, let's face it, should really be mandatory everywhere. But I digress...).

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The plot combined the exact amount of fluff, drama and mystery to make for a really compelling read. I really liked the mix between history and fantasy that the author created. Even though I'm usually pretty picky about stuff like this in non-openly-fantasy books, she actually led me to accept both the truth of a family curse and the presence of ghosts in the castle without question, and I didn't really realise that I had done so until I sat down to write the review. Well played, Ms Martin, well played...

On to my favourite bit of every story: the characters! I loved Milly and Cameron to bits. It was so easy to relate to them, especially Milly. Her sparkly personality (and shoes) and her positive outlook on life won me over almost immediately. And, of course, our mutual love of all things Disney did help our bond immensely... She was sweet and funny, but also conflicted about her feelings and I really liked getting inside her head and heart, because it all felt so incredibly real. And Cameron, oh Cameron was a true gentleman through and through. Complicated to the right point, he is also battling his own personal demons from the past and develops a lot throughout the story, which was great to see. My main complaint about their relationship that it kind of felt a little bit like instalove at the beginning. But maybe we can call it "love at first sight". This is a fairytale, after all... Well, I'll let it slide, because sometimes I'm nice like that. The cherry on the cake was the gorgeous setting, with its dreamy castle and wonderful surroundings from the little village to the sea, all of them described so very well it felt like I had actually been there myself. A colourful cast of secondary characters completes the set, particularly the villagers with their odd traditions and affinity with magic. Of course, the ending is rather predictable... But hey, it's a romantic comedy, what else can you expect?

Overall, this was a really lovely read. If you're looking for a light read to lift your spirits, a sweet romance mixed with ghosts and a terrible curse, or simply a whole lot of pink sparkly stuff and Disney references, you should check out this book. Its unique characters, gorgeous setting and uplifting romance make for a great remedy to a hard day, kind of like a bookish tub of chocolate ice cream. So, dig in and enjoy!
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