Am imaginative YA fantasy adventure that ends up feeling a little haphazard. 

Jani, our determined (and impulsive) heroine, is appalled to find that the mystical, magical, traveling hotel she's gotten herself and her sister into is not their passage to a safer, better future. The magic is dazzling, but the facade of safety wears thin and begins to rapidly crumble. 

Similarly, the magical feats described throughout the book are dazzling but the plot is driven by an ill-informed but determined Jani stumbling and bashing her way through it all. It didn't feel as satisfying as it might if the characters, relationships, and magical foundations had been a bit more developed. 

It's a fun world to plunge into, though! Fans of magical moving houses, vaguely French fantasy worlds, bigger-on-the-inside dimensionalism, sisters and orphans tales, sinister hearts lurking behind dazzling smiles, and posh magical amusements and amenities will thoroughly enjoy their time here!

Undeniably adorable graphic novel with an artistic style that perfectly matches the spirit of the story — sweet and radiant but grounded. The world is a fascinating blend of craft, tech, and magic; our seer Ray and barista musician Laurie are given a chance to be multidimensional characters; the side characters aren't just props; the diversity rep feels authentic and well integrated; and the choices the characters make are refreshingly honest, age appropriate, and trend toward healthy. The story felt a little underdeveloped in parts and had some pacing issues, but it was a fun read overall. And the art really is lovely.

A difficult story to hear, but incredibly worthwhile to listen to.

Interesting and funny. I just didn't expect each vignette to be so short and that's not a style that works particularly well for me whether I'm reading or listening (and I was doing both here, switching between audio and print editions).

This could've been a really good, non-steamy romance with a bookish/author-editor setting and a pretty great You've Got Mail hook. Unfortunately, the pacing, uneven development, and a few distasteful jokes let it down. It's a 4-star idea with 2-star execution, so I settled on 3 stars and that feels a little too generous. I think plenty of people will really love it, though. It definitely has a Nora Ephron vibe and would probably make a better screenplay/movie than a book.

This took quite a long while to come together for me. I liked both of the main characters, and generally enjoy a dual narration, but hoo boy, the clipped, dropped-subject voice of Leon's narration was hard to adjust to. Overall, though, it's a unique, satisfying, closed door romance with some fun publishing insider elements.