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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I gave it a rating based on how I would have liked this book if I was still in middle school like when I originally read it lol. For adult me it’s just not my cup of tea anymore but was totally my jam back then. It was nice to revisit though and revisiting the book reminded me just how spot on Anne Hathaway’s portrayal of Mia’s personality was. She really nailed that role
As series’ go, this is a pretty assured first book. Mia is a clear-cut character with firm convictions, and a little different from run-of-the-mill teenage heroines. She’s interested in boys, yes, and concerned about her disastrous hair and being flat-chested, but there’s a lot more to her than that. Most girls would probably delight in the thought of being a princess, but to Mia it means only that everything she knows about the world and her place in it will change. She’s concerned about not being Mia anymore, about not managing to remain true to herself both in her new role, and particularly in the media spotlight. She makes some mistakes, yes – Josh Richter is a classic example. She has the sense to see when she’s being used, though, and the self-respect to do something about it. Despite finding herself in a new and bewildering situation, she refuses to give in to peer-pressure, staying true to her convictions about vegetarianism and not drinking. She even seems to see some of the injustices around her more clearly – befriending Tina is a warm-hearted moment in a book full of them. To my mind, this makes Mia a heroine worth aspiring to.
In some ways, this is a classic American high school story. It has all the normal ingredients - relationships, classes, cliques, dances. You name it. Mia discovering she’s a Princess adds a unique twist, however, and really manages to turn a normal situation on its head. The fact that it’s written in a diary format means that we get a privileged insight into Mia’s thoughts, but also that the motivations of other characters remain completely opaque. We only see them through Mia’s eyes, and so we perhaps can’t really judge them as objectively as we’d like. Having said that, Mia seems like a mostly fair-minded narrator, so I’m not too concerned about unreliability. This is her story, after all. If anything, she’s too critical of herself – almost to the point where she’s so convinced that no-one could ever be interested in her that she’s completely oblivious to the fact that Michael evidently is. It’s interesting that this isn’t lost on the reader, though, and it’s good to have something to cheer for.
Mia is a unique and spirited heroine, and I can’t wait to see what happens to her next. This is a series I’ll definitely be continuing.
Visit my blog for more reviews: http://scheherazadereads.blogspot.co.uk/
In some ways, this is a classic American high school story. It has all the normal ingredients - relationships, classes, cliques, dances. You name it. Mia discovering she’s a Princess adds a unique twist, however, and really manages to turn a normal situation on its head. The fact that it’s written in a diary format means that we get a privileged insight into Mia’s thoughts, but also that the motivations of other characters remain completely opaque. We only see them through Mia’s eyes, and so we perhaps can’t really judge them as objectively as we’d like. Having said that, Mia seems like a mostly fair-minded narrator, so I’m not too concerned about unreliability. This is her story, after all. If anything, she’s too critical of herself – almost to the point where she’s so convinced that no-one could ever be interested in her that she’s completely oblivious to the fact that Michael evidently is. It’s interesting that this isn’t lost on the reader, though, and it’s good to have something to cheer for.
Mia is a unique and spirited heroine, and I can’t wait to see what happens to her next. This is a series I’ll definitely be continuing.
Visit my blog for more reviews: http://scheherazadereads.blogspot.co.uk/
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Miał być comfort book, a dostałam książkę o czternastolatce, która ciągle powtarza, że jest płaska i przez to żaden chłopak jej nie chce. Jej ojciec na informację o tym, że jest obrażana w szkole radzi jej "zacisnąć zęby i przetrwać". Ale czara goryczy się przelała w momencie, gdy główna bohaterka cieszy się, że jej zdjęcie zrobione w pewnym krępującym momencie nie podbiło Internetu, bo w tym samym czasie "Kalif zbombardował Afganistan" (sic!).
Mia cracks me up. It’s fun rereading these as an adult, since I was 15 when I first read this book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5⭐️
I did the audiobook and it was super cute to have Anne Hathaway read it. Regardless, the writing style is very YA.
I did the audiobook and it was super cute to have Anne Hathaway read it. Regardless, the writing style is very YA.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this book as part of a “re-read your childhood” challenge. I chose the audiobook route because Anne Hathaway really brought Mia Thermopolis to life again. Reading it as an adult was so different than as a kid because I could pick up on the political undertones and the different innuendoes. I laughed at so many other things and Lily Moscovitz was the OG millennial activist.
08/15/21: After watching the (cheesy) Disney movie on a flight, I had to re-read the series. Or at least the first one. This was SUCH a pivotal book for me when I was a preteen. It made me want to live in NYC and be a Princess. The references are dated but it holds up pretty well two decades later.