Genre: YA Contemporary, Humor, Romance
Paperback: 320 Pages
Publication: April 23, 2013 by Balzer & Bray
When cousins Zoe and Jess land summer internships at the Fairyland Kingdom theme park, they are sure they’ve hit the jackpot. With perks like hot Abercrombie-like Prince Charmings and a chance to win the coveted $25,000 Dream & Do grant, what more could a girl want?
Once Zoe arrives, however, she’s assigned to serve “The Queen”-Fairyland’s boss from hell. From spoon-feeding her evil lapdog caviar, to fetching midnight sleeping tonics, Zoe fears she might not have what it takes to survive the summer, much less win the money.
Soon backstabbing interns, a runaway Cinderella, and cutthroat competition make Zoe’s job more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. What will happen when Zoe is forced to choose between serving The Queen and saving the prince of her dreams?
After having read Sarah Strohmeyer’s Smart Girls Get What They Want, I knew that I was in for another fun, humor-filled read. And that’s what I got.
How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True is a cute, quirky read. Typically, I’m not fond of the high school drama scene, but this is the exception that made it fun to read. I enjoyed going behind the scenes of an amusement park, especially with all the drama and backstabbing going what is supposed to be Fairyland. I think it may be because it takes place in such an innocent, fairy-tale-like setting that I enjoyed it so much. It also helps that Zoe takes it all in stride as a part of life instead of burning with rage at the unfairness of it all. No, she sets out to not only make the best of her situation but to prove that she’s capable, and that’s what won me over.
Zoe has strong ideals. I especially love her Red-Riding-Hood scene with the little girl. It makes a great statement for girls and what they can do in life. Zoe is also a loyal friend and cousin. Even though the Dream & Do grant sets the summer interns against each other, she’s out to make her cousin the winner, and she makes a solid group of friends. My favorite has to be Ian. He’s such a character and makes a statement at the beginning of the novel with his talk of cannibal chickens. I understand why Zoe isn’t fond of him at the beginning, it’s hard to hold things against him. He has a great sense of humor even if he makes bad puns (and, hey, a guy can’t be good at everything). I also love the Queen. As abominable as she is, she’s such a delight once you know how to handle her, and her tantrums are funny when she’s not yelling at you.
With its Fairyland summer-intern setting, it makes the perfect light read for summer, or something to read in between all the dystopians and paranormal romances floating around. I highly recommend it for the humor, cute romance, and wonderful cast of characters. And also for what Zoe gains out of her experience at Fairyland and the true meaning of what it means to be family, blood-related or not.
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Sierra says
Zoe sounds like a great character and the story certainly sounds fun and interesting. I didn't realize this was the same author as "Smart Girls" I had wanted to read that one and now I want to read this one too. A summer reading list is being formed here… Thanks for the review 🙂
Kris Chen says
Both are great books. I hope that you enjoy them both in their own special ways. And do let me know what you think about them! I'd love to hear about your thoughts 🙂
Bookworm1858 says
This is definitely a great summer read! I think I preferred Smart Girls but this is still one I'd recommend to people who love contemporaries and/or are looking for a light beach book.
Kris Chen says
I agree. Smart Girls will always be close to my heart, but this is a great pick for a light beach read / summer reading.
Taylor McBroom says
I just bought Smart Girls Get What They Want and I am so excited to read it. This book looks great too! Not many amusement park books out there, which is actually pretty unfortunate. Thanks for the review!
-Taylor @ Reading is the Thing
Kris Chen says
Thanks, Taylor. Smart Girls is a great book. I hope you enjoy it and pick up this one as well 🙂
Christianna Marks says
I just picked myself up a copy of this one and I can't wait to read it! I need some light fluffy reads! Great review!
Kris Chen says
Thanks, Christianna. I hope you enjoy this one! 🙂