Go The Distance by Jen Calonita - Review

Book Synopsis:

What if Meg had to become a god?

After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Meg that she can't be with Hercules because she's, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus--as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.

The mission? Oh, just to rescue her ex's current wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades. The ex-boyfriend who immediately moved on to someone else while she was stuck in the Underworld. Can Meg put her past behind her and use her quick wit to defeat monsters and gods alike, including the nefarious Hades? Will she finally figure out her place and contribution to the world? Or will her fear of commitment have her running away from an eternity of godhood with Herc?

My Review:

4/5 stars. This book was hard to rate. I'm giving it a soft 4-star rating. On the one hand, I had lots of positive thoughts about it, but on the other hand, I didn't really feel much when it ended. It was just kind of a book. I really enjoyed Meg's character arc and the overall themes of the story, but there were also some elements that annoyed me.

This is my third Twisted Tale by this author. I read the Frozen one years ago and loved it, but then I started to read the Snow White and couldn't get through it. This one was in the middle; I liked it but didn't love it.

I understand this was a retelling of the Disney movie and not the original mythology, but there were a lot of anachronistic ideas and phrases for the historical time period. It wasn't exactly a historical fiction, but there were even lines of dialogue that felt too modern compared to what was in the Disney movie. Similarly, Meg's mom's whole "We don't need men, we're independent" attitude was not realistic. However, that ended up being part of the character arc.

Meg went from trying to do too much on her own and not trusting others to learning to lean on people and opening her heart to love. I loved that growth. In today's super feminist society, I appreciated the book showing that men and women are partners who should work together in life.

This book also had great messages about love and what it means. However, I did feel it was a bit heavy-handed. It was already obvious through how Meg grew and changed, so it didn't need to be directly told to us in a monologue from some of the characters.

Another part I enjoyed was the backstory for Meg. That's what I like about the Twisted Tales series; they give more depth to characters we already know and love. I liked learning about Meg and her mom, and more about Meg's relationship with Aegeus.

I'll say a couple more character-related things I wasn't a fan of. Hercules felt a bit too perfect. I know he's a literal god, but he didn't do anything wrong in this book. He always had the right thing to say or came in to save the day at just the right moment. The only time there was a disagreement with him was that Meg got annoyed that he was being too good and trying to help. Another small thing was that Hades was super annoying. I don't remember him being that bad in the movie.

Finally, the ending was cute and satisfying. I knew it was all going to work out in the end, but it was still nice to see everyone happy.

Content:

Language: h*ll

Sexual Content: Kisses that aren't described in detail, light descriptions of Hercules' body

Violence: Death, wounds and injuries, nothing gory

Drugs/Alcohol: None