jlw_writes 's review for:

Avalon High by Meg Cabot
4.0

4.25 Stars

Let me first say that my love for the Disney movie is what made me want to read the book. Also, I knew the book was different and I was totally okay with that. If you've read any of my reviews about adaptations before, you'll know I typically view each thing on its own rather than hating one for being so unlike the other.

I like how this was a little darker than I had expected. By that I mean there's some SERIOUS family drama and I quite like what it brought to the story.

The characters were fine, though I felt some of the secondary characters could have been a little more developed. Also, this book is a true product of its time and there's basically zero diversity other than a group of people who were clearly put in because Cabot wanted her character to denounce racists. Which isn't bad, but would be considered not "good enough" for today's standards.

I liked the plot, everything came together nicely by the end and it was honestly just a super fun journey. I really enjoyed this book, I'm glad I read it!

Between this and The Princess Diaries I definitely know I want to be reading more of Cabot's backlog in the future!