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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Sassy Mia is at it again! The princess lessons continue and boy do we hear about them! Mia continues to stumble through her journey of becoming Genovia's next leader. And she honestly handles it like any corky teenager would. PURE CHAOS!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yes, I am re-reading the entire Princess Diaries saga. It is undoubtedly one of the most melodramatic and plain fun things I have read. (Yes I am aware at 22 I am slightly out of its targeted reading range).
In, Princess in the Spotlight, we follow newly revealed sole heir to the Genovian throne Princess Mia Thermopolis as she navigates being 14-years-old. One month on since the grand reveal of her true status, Mia is focusing on passing algebra, her mother's unexpected pregnancy and her possibly not unrequited crush on best friends older brother Michael. When her Grandmere announces that she plans to throw a massive and sophisticated wedding for her mother and algebra teacher, drama and theatrics ensue. Meanwhile, Mia begins to receive anonymous messages from a secret admirer
I can’t get over Mia, she is so self-absorbed –rarely taking the time to tune into the lives of those around her. But this in itself is relatable – who at fourteen isn’t completely obsessed with themselves. Moreover, we get hints at how Mia comes across to others through her actions. In regards to her mother, she seems to do the majority of the grocery shopping, takes the lead in dealing with her (unwanted) grandparents, and has been to everyone but the reader very accepting of her mother's relationship and subsequent pregnancy and marriage.
It is also seen in her friendships when it appears that Lily is cheating on Boris, Mia is quick to tell Lily that she doesn’t approve, despite how much she seemingly dislikes Boris. She does what she can to ease the fallout from her interview for Shameeka, however, most clearly is her polite acceptance of Kenny’s request shows her care for others. Someone lesser would have rejected him, embarrassing him in front of their friends, Mia simply agrees and furthermore goes out with him as well. Its details such as these that for me stop Mia from becoming annoying—they help me to flesh her out as a character outside of her own narrative.
We see much more character building in this second installment not only of Mia but of her supporting cast. However, it is the absurd subplots and little details that add so much humor. Like Hank becoming a male supermodel, Donald Trump and Phil Collins appearances at the wedding and locking their fellow student in a supply closet every day.
Overall this was a great continuation of this series and I look forward to reading the next one!
A very quick and fun listen on audiobook. I have to say though that I hate the grandmother. She’s literally horrible and I’m glad they didn’t make Julie Andrews play her that way in the movie. The story is so different than what we got on film but it is it’s own unique story that can be appreciated as such. I’m definitely continuing my binge.
funny
hopeful
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
I am having a fun time revisiting this series! I devoted them in middle school. And while they are a lot different than the movie they are still fantastic. Mia in this series has much more wry, observational sense of humor. Her diaries are filled with random observations, homework notes, and poetry besides her diaries which reminds me of my notebooks while I was in middle school and high school. It’s a fun read. (Plus the first 3 books are narrated by Anne Hathaway!)
Amazing. Oh no, am I going to have to read all of them?!