4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5. This book was a cute, open-door MM romance that takes full advantage of the premise and fairy tale resort setting. Set in the catskills, Storybook Endings Resort is run by Ethan, who is divorced from Amy. Amy owns the resort and sends her assistant Taylor to set up for an important birthday party. Taylor and Ethan are immediately attracted to each other. Cue the workplace tension between Ethan and Taylor!

I usually avoid workplace romances due to the power imbalance, this is neatly sidestepped by both of them technically working for Amy and I enjoyed it. This adorable story is filled with chemistry and emotional moments and keeps up with the storybook/fairytale theme throughout. It's not quite instalove but the attraction is immediate, and the vibe is intense. There are a handful of open-door scenes, I would put this at a 3.5/5 🌶️.

I loved the portrayal of ADHD, I know just how Ethan feels sometimes. I also like that the family dynamics are tense but not hateful, just the kind of conflict that comes with a divorce. The whole story felt very emotionally genuine. The only character who was a little lacking depth was Amy, mostly I think because she isn't a perspective character.

Some people are concerned by the age gap between Ethan and Taylor. There is a decent age gap which is healthily addressed in character, but if you are fine with a 500-year-old fae and a 20-something human falling in love, I think you can handle this one (no shade to fae, I also enjoy those books).

A huge thank you to Afterglow Books and Netgalley for this eARC.

This was one I could not put down. As someone who loves a good, spicy, queer romance it ticked a lot of boxes where usually age gap relationships are a bit hit and miss for me but Once Upon a You & Me does it perfectly.

Forbidden allure and a sprinkle of fairytale magic, Taylor & Ethan are adorable! If you are a lover of tropes like: age-gap romance, forbidden and workplace romance. This is for you ❤️

While cute, this queer romance was unfortunately quite predictable. It didn't push any boundaries and felt like it was plotting along a formula at times. The main characters gelled well together, but neither stood out and there personalities were often surface level.

When Taylor Frost is flown across the country to prep for a sweet sixteen party at the Storybook Endings Resort, he thinks this is finally the opportunity he needs to show his skill set to his boss, Amy. But things get complicated when he finds himself drawn to Ethan Golding, the manager of the resort, the father of the birthday girl and Amy's Ex Husband!

I really enjoyed this book and ended up giving it 4 stars. Was it groundbreaking or life-changing? Not necessarily, but it was such a cosy, feel-good read. I absolutely loved both of the main characters, and by the end, I was fully rooting for them.
As someone with ADHD, I did find some of the references to it a little on the nose, though I understand that might be because I didn’t need Ethan’s feelings spelled out as much. That said, the way his ADHD was portrayed felt really accurate and resonated with me.

Overall, I loved the book and found myself wanting more of Ethan and Taylor’s story. I’m definitely excited to read more from Timothy Janovsky in the future!

I really enjoyed this. MM romance has become my favourite genre to read, Once Upon You and Me ticked all my boxes. The detailing was on point. I pictured everything. I’m excited to read more by this author.

I thought it was a really refreshing read. It’s a real feel good book. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes a cute forbidden love story with that pinch of spice.

Other tropes
-small town vibes
-age gap
-work place romance

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this story.

truly an original read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Both characters captured my attention, and I found the storytelling and plot engaging. It features an age gap romance, which I appreciate, although I did find the pace a bit slow at times. Nonetheless, I believe this book has the potential to become a big success in the romance genre.

'Once Upon You and Me' was such a lovely, heartwarming read. We follow our two main characters - chivalrous Ethan, and hardworking and determined Taylor - in a cosy fairytale resort with small town romantic vibes.

Taylor is feeling overworked and unfufilled, unsure of where his career is leading. And Ethan has lost his spark since his divorce, no longer believing in happy endings, despite having built his entire life and career around a magical fairytale land.

This book follows their journey to a happily ever after. I loved both of their characters a lot; they were well fledged out with great backstories filled with wonderful family memories.They both shared a similar difficulty with not putting themselves first, leading to burnout. They were also so kind and thoughtful; it was really nice to read about such warm and gentle characters.

Taylor had a calmness to him in contrast to Ethans restlessness due to his ADHD, making him a great support to Ethan; despite their age gap, it was lovely to see how caring and what a rock he was for Ethan. I just love how thoughtful and considerate Taylor was. It was refreshing to see someone (regardless of just being a character in a book) who had taken the time throughout their life to learn how to treat and to adapt to somebody with a mental disability. Being neurodivergent myself, I also appreciated the overall representation in this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

This book is for anyone who loves age-gap romance with a hint of forbidden allure and a dash of fairy-tale magic. It’s spicy, swoony, and utterly captivating.

This was an oh so cute romance, all told from the masculine point of view. There is the rugged outdoorsy Ethan who is at home in the wilderness and working to keep his resort looking great. Then there is Taylor. The PA to Ethan’s ex-wife. He’s a bit more delicate and is super organised and what is lovely is that he cares and wears his heart on his sleeve. The romance is quite lovely as both Taylor and Ethan work out their own value to themselves as well as to each other. There’s a slow burn of the romance over the first few days, but the spark is definitely smouldering. The way that Ethan stands up for Taylor made me want to cheer, the bookends with a cracking epilogue as every good romance should.