The Fairytale Experiment

by Amy Hoyer

A high school psychology class volunteers for “The Fairytale Experiment” to test Doctor Arthur Fae’s theory of ‘conscious travel’. Olivia Beaumont and her classmates are consciously teleported to a world of fairytales, where they are all assigned roles of heroes and villains they must play, living out the stories we all grew up with. As their journey progresses, though, they realize this experiment is darker and much more dangerous than they ever could have imagined, and right when they think they understand everything, the game is changed again. Join Olivia, Hunter, Phoebe, Jack, Wendy, and the rest of their class as they navigate the Fairytale Experiment.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fantasy

558 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2020

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOLYYY SHITTT THAT WAS GOOD!!! Saw this book on tik tok and had to buy it. I’m in love with all the characters and I feel so empty now that they’re gone. This book was so incredibly fun to read and I could not put it down!!! AND THAT ENDING THO- JAIL. I need a sequel now!!!

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book on TikTok and loved the idea of the story involving fairytales, so I just knew I had to read it!

At first, I was scared it was just going to be a retelling of a bunch of old fairytales. I honestly think the book started off slow and I was bored up until about page 200, which is when things started to switch up and it become it’s original story. That’s when I started loving it! I also loved the dark twist to the fairytales we all know and love! So my advice to you: push through, it’ll be worth it!!

The writing style was so descriptive and amazing. I felt like I was in the experiment with them! I love how the author explained a little background of each student, so that we understood why they fit in their specific fairytale. Very interesting!

Moving onto the topic of characters, it was hard to keep up with who was who at first. 25 names is a lot to remember! Besides that, I absolutely adore Hunter and Liv. I want a Hunter🥺 However, I want to punch Brady for being mean and punch Liv for putting up with him for so long!! I would also love to be best friends with Jack!

Overall, I loved it! And THAT ENDING THO AH! I need a sequel ASAP!! You should totally read this book. It’s worth it!

[Westo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I saw it on Tik Tok and thought it would be good.

I liked the character depth and writing style. You also had very interesting descriptions for people, places, etc. You also made the villains extremely hate able. Which is something even the most experienced authors have trouble with. Cough cough, Voldemort.

My problems with the book? You introduced the characters too fast and too early into the book. I could not keep track of that many names or personality’s. Because of this, when those characters died I didn’t really care. Too be frank, you killed off too many characters too early. At that point, I was scared to grow attached to the characters in fear they were gonna get killed off. The only character death I got actually sad for was Wendy’s.

TLDR; Character depth and writing style is awesome! Maybe you could work on building up any new characters in your sequel before you kill them off.

I definitely recommend this book! It’s a super good read, and there aren’t any nasty things in it. (Looking at you acofas.)

[Zamirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my new favorite books! Sooo soooo good! I hope there's a sequel? 😁
Edit: I recently recommended this book to my school librarian, and she is going to purchase some books for our school! (just thought I'd share)

[Cindy Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh

Honestly reads like a Wattpad story. There's also a furry romance. Still, the author is young so I'll cut her some slack.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good for being the first book by a young author! The only thing that prevented this from being a four star read was the flow throughout the first quarter of the book. At times it seemed rushed and other times too slow, eventually though as a plot developed the story really came together nicely. I’m looking forward to a sequel!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! There has to be another one with the ending but grew to love all the characters so much. Looked at the darker side of fairy tales and the stories behind them- loved them all (Beauty and the Beast AKA Liv and Hunter had to be my favourite).

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good and so underrated. All the characters were so loveable, even the mean ones. Sometimes with books, it's easy to make a mean character, but not able to explain why they are mean. Almost all the mean characters had reason to be mean. I loved the transportation into fairytales, most of them the disney version. I loved the relationships between characters, and when regular high school is described, it is accurate to what school is really like. I loved the balance of romance to adventure, which is a hard balance to master. Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

[Elaine McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. I’d discovered this book on Tik tok and was so excited to read it when it came out!! This book dragged me in immediately. The nostalgia paired with the amazing characters and beautiful friendships made this book so good. I loved reliving fairytales from my childhood in a new exciting light. The romance was impeccable as well. I’m not usually one for romance in books but I loved Liv and Hunter’s relationship and I have to say Finding You Can Change was one of my favorite chapters. The switch between song lyrics and Olivia stepping back and realizing her love for Hunter made my heart melt.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing!!! the premise of the book is a really cool idea and i am just so impressed that someone so young wrote it! i love the characters and i would be super excited to read a sequel, so i hope one comes out eventually :)

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it so much!! Found the author on tiktok years ago and she did not disappoint, it’s really good especially for a first book. Whenever the sequel is written whether it’s soon or years from now I’ll definitely be buying it!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was phenomenal!!! I didn't want to stop reading it! Cannot wait to read more books from this author!

[Griffin Kauffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot better than I expected (not that I expected it to be bad)! I was drawn in by the characters and story, and even felt like I was in the fairytales with them. You really feel for them and want to see them succeed in the end. I was never bored at any point, with each page pulling you in.

It was also darker than I expected, but that’s definitely not a bad thing.

My only critique is that it clearly didn’t get proofread very well because there are a decent number of grammatical errors, including when the Queen of Hearts says “who’s been painting my roses rose” instead of “roses red”. There aren’t too many, but there’s enough to be distracting.

The author definitely has a bright future ahead of her considering she wrote this book so young. I can’t see what else is in store for her writing, particularly a follow up to this story!

(Ps. I am also very confused by what happened to one of the characters. They went to wake her up from her trance but then she doesn’t join then and nothing else is explained.

[Cata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished this book I found out about on Tik Tok and I wanted to share my thoughts because I loved it.

The characters are complex and I really liked the small backstories given to each of them. It is full of emotions and feelings, which the reader cand very much relate to.

I also enjoyed that all the events were relevant to something that was going to happen in the future/ending, meaning they were very well planned out and not just to fill in the blank.

The corelation to the classic fairytales is very cool, and a topic many people, especially fantasy readers would enjoy, therefore I recommend it with all my heart.

Note that this review is coming from someone who just enjoys books and reading, not necessarily an expert.

[seo · Rating 4 out of 5]

its so good, what.

i really liked how she showed the backstories of the characters and explained why they were the villain or the hero. they werent just because. they had stories and qualities that made them who they are. i also rly liked chapter 67 when they show how the lives of these characters ended. it was bittersweet throughout the whole book, sometimes i wanted to cry and sometimes i wanted to laugh until i died. its beautiful.

[Madison DeMille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book but I think it could have gone through one more round of edits because there were still quite a few typos throughout the book and the writing was a little confusing at a couple of points. But other than that it was still really good and I can't wait for the sequel :)

[matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the complex and sinister characters. such a cool take on classic fairytales cannot wait for book 2!

[April Greene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good in theory, bad execution.

[☆♡~nelli~♡☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

o m g
this book was literally amazing. i need a sequel now.

by far my fav stories were sleeping beauty, beauty and the beast, and cinderella. they all ended in totally different ways than the original stories which is why i think they were the best.

i ended up putting on my dnf list for a while because of the other books i was reading but i’m so glad i continued.

the fairytales were different enough that you didn’t know what would happen next but at the same time you knew all the characters. you didn’t even know what was going to happen at the end of the book considering fae and jhonson were confining them in the world.

it was definitely a LOT darker than i thought it was going to be, which meant it was a whole lot sadder, but that made the book much more exiting to read.

the representation and diversity was great, which you don’t get a lot of times in fantasy books (sadly)

read this. now.

[Avery Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was BRILLIANT. Everything from the concept to the plot and characters was incredible to read. I loved the incorporation of eight fairytales interwoven with the students’ struggles of determining their own will from the psychologists’ desires as well as the traditional plots of the fairytales. This book is filled with battles between good and evil, strong friendships and romances, insane twists and turns, and so much magic. I can’t say enough good things about it. This book makes you fall in love with some of the characters and feel so deeply alongside them. The ending makes it seem like a sequel is in progress, and I will definitely be reading it as soon as it is released!

[Katie Needles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this on tiktok last year and I asked for the book for my birthday and let me just say, IT WAS SO GOOD. Like this exceeded my expectations.

I loved the dark twists on the fairytales and all the different characters and the representation is so good.

I did take a long break right around when the Cinderella story started but I picked up the book again recently to finish it and I wasn’t able to put it down. It is a slightly slow start but it is so worth it.

THE ENDING THOUGH IS SUCH A CLIFFHANGER. I will be needing a sequel asap.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and it's kinda dark, and really... Interesting (in a very good way)
I would say it's a 8.5/10, especially because how unique it is!
it's good but honestly the writing style is a bit messy and kinda hard to follow, I hope a potential sequel can fix this

It's still a really damn good book tho

[Emma Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need Amy to know that this is one of my favorite books and I consistently recommend it. The story is so gripping, and it was easy to fall in love with the characters. I've reread it twice, and every day I pray for a second book. I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings, especially with dark twists, and this checked every box on my list. This is a book that will stay on my bookshelf forever.

[arianna ;ྀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Magdalena Möller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cliffhanger at the end is really mean😭😭 amazing book tho.
Hunter & liv forever
Phoebe and Riley forever

[Markito]

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[Környei Dóra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it got me out of my reading slump. This book was full of twists and turns, it had amazing, diverse and reletable characters; with an ending you cannot see coming.

[Ashley Concetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter Bowers and Jack Young have special places in my heart. Thank you for writing this amazing story. Looking forward to a sequel 👀

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book 10/10 i lope almost all the characters