Summer Readin' Pick #2: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer

where I feature my favourite summer reads!
© On Books!

Publication date: 23rd April 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Links: Amazon, Goodreads

Source: Bought

Stars: 4/5

My first pick for the summer was Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. It's time to feature my second pick: How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer!

I wouldn't have pounced on this book and finished it in a day if it weren't for Elena @ Novel Sounds whose review made me psyched to read the book! Reasons why it's the perfect summer read:

•  It's set in Fairyland Kingdom, a Disney Land of sorts, where Zoe and her cousin Jess are interning for the summer! Since it's a theme park, the interns get assigned to don the roles of various fairy tale characters.
•  involves the "Queen", the boss from HELL whom the protagonist, Zoe is assigned to serve. Oh yes, it's part Devil Wears Prada.
•  also has the employees competing against each other for the Dream & Do Grant... a grant that Zoe's cousin, Jess, desperately needs if she has any hopes of going to a good college; given her family's financial situation. The cutthroat competition adds an ultra fun element to the plot and there's also a twist in the end that I felt was very Willy Wonka!

Why wouldn't you want to spend your summer reliving the juicy behind-the-scene exploits of the interns in Fairyland Kingdom? Especially since it involves a rogue Prince whom Zoe runs into in a Forbidden Territory (who leaves a swathe of cloth behind), the Queen aka The Boss From Hell demanding answers, a runaway Cinderella and a really hot Puss 'n Boots! There's also touching, almost fairytale-esque backstory and an ending that left me teary eyed and satisfied!

I could see how Zoe got attached to Fairyland despite its annoying rules like a ban on TV watching. I got attached to Fairyland Kingdom just by reading about it. It seemed like a great place to spend the summer... even with the quirky rules and the Queen's tyranny. Zoe was someone I instantly warmed up to and I loved watching her have her cousin Jess's back, put the pieces of the mini-Fairytale mystery together and uncover the identity of her rogue Prince Charming. 

Strohmeyer's writing is incredibly wholesome and fully brings the characters of this story alive! I loved that most of the times, the interns had the additional pseudo identity of the characters they played in Fairyland... it made the story even more intensely amusing and appealed to my love for fairy tales! This is an incredibly cutesy, light and charming book with lovable characters and a lot of heart. Despite the manipulativeness and bitchiness amongst interns that would be a part of any competitive setting I also loved that there was a good deal of selflessness, loyalty, love, truly genuine friendships and a deserved Happily Ever After!