“It’s like, get your own quest sweetie, and stop waiting around for Mr Muscles to validate you.”

Illustrated Girl is an incredibly original YA book. A teenage girl sees a princess in a fantasy book and makes the wish she could be her. Her wish is granted and… nothing happens as she thought it would.
To break this curse, she has to be kissed by a real boy… which means a reader has to finish the book.

This novel’s idea is absolutely great. I adored it, as much as I found the tone very light and funny. It’s told first person, and the MFC doesn’t hesitate to sometimes talk directly to the reader. On her quest, she meets a lot of stereotypical characters, which makes her question Fantasy as a genre, but also a very attractive knight, very (very) passionate about his missions. That leads to a forbidden romance, and, again, the idea is very interesting. She also meets a very grumpy unicorn and honestly that character was a pure treat.
The quest format makes of Illustrated Girl a nice coming of age story, in which the MFC rethinks her prejudices about what is “a perfect life”, her values and her priority. It also questions us (IMO) about pretty books, and how we (sometimes) just look at them, without actually reading them. What would have happened if she had read the story?
However, I have to admit that something was missing here for me to make this book a great book. I struggled a bit reading it –though it’s pretty short– and I can’t tell why,but I had a bit of struggle making connections with the characters, despite the settings and the very funny tone.


Thank you NetGalley, Josephine Angelini and Sungrazer Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Illustrated Girl is a YA romantasy series opener by Josephine Angelini. Originally published in 2022, this reformat and re-release, out 2nd July 2024 is 264 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

Full of the sort of sarcastic humor and snarky characterizations which make the YA romantasy subgenre so popular, this is a story about a girl who wishes to sink into the pages of a book (who hasn't?) and succeeds, only to find life in Lucitopia is anything but sunshine and roses. Evil wizards to fight, wrongs to right, indoor plumbing, and modern conveniences to install; she's got a full schedule, if she can survive long enough to figure it all out.

The writing is *very* young. The dialogue is *very* sarcastic and often the author sacrifices readability for one-liners and repartee. It's a relatively short, very much action driven plot. One for fans of the subgenre.

There have been comparisons to Travis Baldree's books, and it's a disservice to both. There should also be a note of wary caution for readers at the younger end of YA, because there is some not kid friendly content here. Despite being the third release of the book, it would have benefited with some judicious objective editing. It often feels as though the author's editing process made it difficult to remove many (any) of her own scenes and subsequently, the book spent a fair bit of time tripping over its own feet.

That being said, it's readable, and light, and enjoyable. There are three books extant in the series at the current time, so readers who enjoy this one have a nice potential binge/buddy read.

Three stars. Worth a look for fans of YA romantasy.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is perfect for lovers of Ella Enchanted and The Castle in the Attic if they're looking for something a bit more mature. This was what I would consider to be younger YA, but was still fun to read as an adult. Our main character gets sucked into a medieval story where she must kiss a "real boy" before the end of the year or be forever trapped.

The main character felt relatable and funny, and her actions made a lot of sense to me as a reader! I also thought the chapter headings were hilarious! I will warn you that the cover illustration (which is gorgeous) made the story seem a bit cozier than I think it was. However, if you're looking for noble knights, an asshole unicorn, and a looming battle, this is a great read!

If you were given an opportunity to be the main character of your favorite book, would you say yes?

My guess is a large majority of us would - and this is exactly what happens to our main character, Holly, in Illustrated Girl. Things aren't exactly as she would expect, however. Instead of getting to be a heroine, she was dropped into a land that has already fallen to the evil sorcerer. All she wants now is to get out of this book and back to her real life. She has 15 days to accomplish her task of kissing a human boy or she'll be stuck in the book forever!

I had planned to read this to my 9 year old daughter, as it would have been something she would have loved, but there are some non-PG references in the book that made me think twice. It felt like they were included just to bump the book from middle grade to YA, which I didn't feel was necessary.

Ultimately, this was a quick, charming, cozy fantasy read with a mix of action and romance. I enjoyed my time reading it, especially as a relaxing summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Illustrated Girl in exchange for my honest opinion.
My thoughts & opinions are my own.

3.75/5 Stars

This book was SO GOOD! If you love cozy, YA, quest-based fantasies, you’re going to love this one as much as I did. I read the first 50% in about an hour. I was hooked. It was so fun to read and had me giggling. What a lovely cast of characters. This story truly kept me guessing from start to finish and I loved every moment of it.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love how the summary asks the reader if we've ever wanted to travel inside of our favorite book? I mean, of course we have, but I am starting to wonder if I would survive if presented with dragons and monsters and the like. I think if I am going to find a book to plant myself into, I am going to find a nice coffee shop mystery but this cozy fairy tale is certainly a fun adventure.

This book was so cute and fun. I have to give it all the stars. I felts drawn in and loved the trope-ish characters. The author purposefully leaned into all the of the roles one would find in a traditional fantasy and even naming convention with characters such as Princess Pleasant, Witches, and similar.

Our main character, Holly, has been transported into the pages of a book as the Princess and now she has to make her own story play out the way she wants since it doesn't seem to be working out the way it's supposed to. She is running out of time to figure out how to get out of the pages of the book before she is permanently trapped.

I really hoe more people take the time to dive into this book. It goes quickly and is well worth the read. It's an enjoyable adventure with some hilarious moments and great dialogue and action. I am glad there seems to be more to come from this author and this series as this is labeled as #1 in the Chronicles of Lucitopia.

I remember my mom introducing me to the book by this author. My mom is an avid reader like me and while I'm currently the one recommending her books, there was a time she recommended me books. It was love at first sight. I've always been a Greek Mythology nerd and combining Greek Mythology with YA romance was everything I had wanted and more. So, I now wanna read this author's entire backlist. Luckily Sungrazer Publishing granted me a review copy via Netgalley.

This book has been in my thoughts ever since I finished it and I still don't really know if that's a good or a bad thing. I think this book had elements I really loved and elements I couldn't connect with. There were parts of the book I enjoyed and parts I couldn't care less about. There were moments I liked reading this book and moments I was counting down the pages until I would finish. It's therefore hard to explain what this book was not the big hit I had wanted it to be.

I love the concept and just like the heroine in this story I probably wouldn't have thought twice when I was offered to become a character in a book. And it's always special to read about a reader living the ultimate dream: becoming the hero of your own story. However, I think the issue lies mostly with the execution. The book is relatively short and maybe therefore it felt like so little was explained and a lot of things, especially the epilogue, felt really rushed.

I also feel like the plot of the novel our heroine ended up in was still quite vague at the end of the book. I think I get the idea. I also think the author was trying to rewrite those classic epic fantasies where girls were put away in towers while guys got all the interesting plotlines. It just feels like I never connected with the original story. However, the more I think about it, the more I think it's because I'm one of those readers who has never really enjoyed those stories to begin with.

I still wanna give the sequel a chance. Since it will be a new story I hope I'll have a click with that one!

A pretty fun fantasy book perfect for anyone looking for an escape!

Filled with humour, great characters and banter to go for days illustrated girl is a great cozy read guaranteed to fix a bad day. The book is actually as good as the cover promises with its fast pace, and short length which makes it a great cure for a reading slump. Filled with adventures and as mentioned beforehand pretty amazing and we'll rounded characters I'm still thinking about, this is an absolute must read for any book lover!

I loved this book - always nice to have a YA fantasy with the lead protagonist being on the younger side of that age group, and keeping it not toooo spicy, more allusion than action!

Although there IS plenty of action, but more of the monster fighting, evil wizard defeating, unicorn riding kind. The main character's self aware narrative gives the book something of a Princess Bride vibe for me, which is a huge compliment. Great premise, great characters, hilarious events and a very satisfactory ending, will definitely recommend.

This was such a fun read! The chaos was charming and funny and the characters (in particular Rancor the unicorn) were delightful. Well worth a read if you enjoy lighthearted fantasy

I am so glad to have finally discovered author Josephine Angelini.
I am very fond of fairytales and fairy tale retellings, but never before have I encountered such a funny, witty, and clever book from this genre. I laughed out loud throughout the whole book. I have talked to colleagues, friends and family about this story - heck, I have even recommended it to strangers in my library. I hope this book will find its way into many homes, as I think it will suit a lot of readers.

Never before have I fallen so much in love with a unicorn. And the characters were so unique, so fun and alive. I loved them! Angelini writes so well; it's easy, fun and addictive.

Do yourself a favor and read this book! If you find yourself in a reading slump - read this! If you want a good laugh - read this! If you want to fall in love with some cool characters - read this! Amazing!

"From bestselling author Josephine Angelini comes a whimsical cozy fantasy read with loads of adventure and none of the triggers. Perfect for fans of Olivia Atwater and Travis Baldree.

Ever wish you could travel inside your favorite book and become the main character? Of course you have. Everyone has. But if you ever manage to pull it off, here's a tip. Timing is everything...

Take Holly for example, who after saying a spell is transported inside a fairytale called The Chronicles of Lucitopia, a magical world infested with grifter grandmas, halitosis-riddled bandits, and devoid of any functioning toilets.

Holly becomes Princess Pleasant exactly as she wished, but she gets there too late, right after an evil sorcerer turns Lucitopia into a tetanus-ridden hellhole. And now, it's up to Holly to make things right.

With the help of a freakishly handsome, yet frustratingly virtuous knight, Holly sets out to fix her story, but she only has fifteen days left to do so or she risks being stuck in Lucitopia for the rest of her life, which may prove to be a short one considering she's overdue for her shots."

Hey I just got my tetanus, I'll take her place, I'm good for ten years!

I enjoyed this book I just wish it had more! The story felt a little rushed because of its length but the premise and story were fun and entertaining! I didn’t guess the ending fully either which I love because it was obvious but also not obvious! Definitely worth the read!

I am 100% not the target audience for this book even though it's being marketed as the perfect book for fans of Travis Baldree. The writing was just so juvenile and the humor didn't really land with me. It's like cozy fantasy but aimed specifically for kids.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm not normally a fan of "cozy fantasy" but this was a wonderful read. Angelini perfectly balances the parody and emulation of the fantasy genre without ever tipping too far to one side. Her characters are fully developed and the world they exist in felt only a step away.

This was such a unique and interesting story line. It is one of the best books that I have this year.

What a stunning cover! And the story inside definitely matches!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This book was so much fun! Like laugh out loud fun. I genuinely couldn't put it down because I was having the best time.

I've seen other reviews saying that it starts of slow but I don't really think that's the case. The first chapter sets the scene and gives a fair bit of info without it being info-dumpy and then the story moves along at a good clip straight away - sucking you in and making you invested really quickly.

While the overall story is slightly predictable (in the best kind of way as it's still thoroughly entertaining and does have a few little twists you don't see coming), the narrator is what really makes it so great. I absolutely love the Princess's voice throughout it, she's really funny and few moments caught me off guard and made me snort (the phrase 'poop shoot' being used is one of them).

One thing that did take me aback slightly was 'Tolkien' being spelt incorrectly in a chapter title, but this might have been intentional. I also would not have been mad if the book was slightly longer because that's how much I enjoyed it.

It is very YA but the humour makes it a good read for adults after something light. I really want to read the rest of the stories in the series now as I feel a lot of them are going to be interconnected and not all questions have been answered.

I recently received an ARC from NetGalley and was immediately drawn to the captivating cover of "Illustrated Girl." This stunning artwork set the stage for a journey into a whimsical world that I couldn't wait to explore.

As I delved into the story, however, I encountered moments of doubt. The pacing in the middle dragged, and I found myself tempted to abandon the book altogether. I must admit that I even skipped ahead until our main character encounters Asphodel. This pivotal moment breathed new life into the narrative, rekindling my interest and propelling the story towards a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, "Illustrated Girl" is a charming tale that balances whimsy with adventure, complemented by endearing characters and a subtle romance. While it may have stumbled in the middle, the captivating ending elevated the book from a three-star experience to a more commendable 3.5-star rating.

I think that when I first chose this book on NetGalley, I was drawn to the book description and beautiful cover.

This young adult fantasy read is the first in the Chronicles of Lucitopia series. The protagonist has become a character inside a book. I found this really clever, interesting and unique.

It wasn't a long read, but I found it quite charming and full of fun, with lots of interesting characters. I enjoyed its cosiness, and the author's fun portrayal of the world that had been created. If you are a fantasy reader, you might want to give this a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.