The Princess Sisters

Princess Sisters #1

by Stacy Lynn Carroll

The only thing she stands to lose are her shoes. Cinderella is an ordinary teenage girl, with an extraordinary name. But because of that name, she and her cousins, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White suffer years of torment from their peers. Then as the girls enter high school and the enticing world of dating, a life-altering decision must be made. Is it finally time to stop fighting, and surrender to the fairy tale clichés that have been holding them back? By embracing their names, the girls discover an inner-strength they never knew existed. And by putting everything they have on the line, maybe, just maybe they will discover there really is such a thing as ‘happily ever after.’

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Unfinished, Contemporary, Ebooks, Fairy Tales

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Stacy Lynn Carroll has always loved telling stories. She started out at Utah State University where she pursued a degree in English, learned how to western swing, and watched as many of her fellow students became ‘True Aggies’. She then finished her BA at the University of Utah where she got an emphasis in creative writing. After college she worked as an administrative assistant, where she continued to write stories for the amusement of her co-workers. When her first daughter was born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her job and became a full-time mommy and writer. She and her husband have three children, two Corgis, and a fish named Don.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was only able to give this book a couple of hours before deciding to stop wasting my time. Initially, I was impatiently waiting for the story to start. At about the quarter point, I'm still not sure that it has. There's lots of expositive filler about the characters, but with nine people to keep track of (four sisters and their five daughters), I'm afraid that they simply aren't very well differentiated. Even the ones with princess names (that give you something to hang onto) end up sounding and acting more or less the same (a single quirk based on your name is not enough to hang an entire characterization on).

So what I'm saying, I guess, is that Carroll needs to spend some time honing her craft. The exposition is way too much and doesn't achieve its job of informing the reader very well. She tells the reader things that end up feeling unnecessary and unimportant. The settings feel like empty sets in a play (an entire McDonalds and two cavorting teens attract zero attention?). The characters are undifferentiated and interchangeable (they all sound the same despite what we're told of their so-called personalities). And sometimes, the author intrudes enough to feel like I'm receiving a lecture with wisdom culled from teen dating magazines.

In the end, this came across as an author's vanity piece without bothering to find ways to engage anybody else. It's an interesting premise that ultimately doesn't go anywhere.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll be frank: the first half of this book grated on my nerves. Begrudgingly I’ll also admit that by the second half the characters sort of grew on me and I had to admit to myself that there were several aspects of this story I enjoyed. Not many, but there were some.

The biggest hurdle for me was to get used to the tone of the narrative. I think the author meant for it to read like a fairy tale, but she didn’t quite pull it off and instead it ended up sounding rather amateurish. Once I got past this snag, though, I was already past the 50% mark on my kindle, and the characters were gradually growing on me. Of the few things I enjoyed about this modern fairy tale, the close relationship between the five girls is what drew me into the story. I thought it ridiculous that four sisters would all decide to name their daughters after Disney characters, and that all five these girls would be in the same age group and live in four houses next to each other in the same street; not to mention all four mothers being single and changing their last names back to their maiden name, Princess. But I tried to read it in the spirit in which it was meant to be read, which helped make it easier for me to actually see it through and finish it. Fairy tales aren’t meant to be realistic or believable, right?

Anyway, what appealed to me most was how each of these characters had a fear that matched a particular detail of each of their fairy tale namesakes. For instance, Ariel is afraid of water, and Belle is dyslexic, even though she loves to read. I don’t know what Dave’s part was supposed to be in this story (and his last name just happens to be...ahem...Prince) other than deceiving the girls and helping them to conquer their fears. But whatever it was, I loved seeing how these five girls took charge dealing with their fears and hopefully no longer be ridiculed at school.

Overall, I found The Princess Sisters to be a typical candy fluff light read. I think readers between the ages of nine and twelve will find this a delightful read. I appreciated the idea behind this story and also that it sends a positive message to young girls. What I didn’t enjoy is that most of the narrative details events that don’t really move the plot along such as movie nights and sleepovers, shopping sprees, their antics at the mall, what dresses they’re wearing, what shoes they’re wearing, what they’re having for breakfast, lunch, dinner, what each of them and their mother ordered to eat at the restaurant, etc. I enjoy my candy floss reads with all the bells and whistles, but there were times I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at the incredible cheesiness of some of the events in this book.

Not a bad story, but I’ll only recommend it to readers who still have imaginary tea parties with their Barbie dolls.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Overall it was a cute premise for a book. There were a lot of unneeded "stuff" in there that ruined the book for me. I guess this one is supposed to be more about Cinderella, but I thought Belle was the main gal 50% of the time.

Without giving too much away - 4 sisters have 5 daughters born around the same time(the girls are 15 at this point). These sisters either had them out of wedlock, or are divorced and all live next door to each other. Their last name is Princess. The sisters all name their daughter's princess names (Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel & Aurora -last two are twins-) The daughter's get a lot of grief in school for their names and so stick together.

There were some older content in this book so I wouldn't recommend to teens, but that is definitely the target audience. I finished it so that is saying something. A coming of age story.

Moral Note: A poem with "whore" in it (making fun of the girls, and calling the girls that). High school bullying. Underage drinking (mother lets the daughter try some). One of the girls gets a belly button ring. Girls mention other girls chests (ex: she has big breasts). One of the girls uses a fake id to get into a club (just dancing), and then stays overnight in a college co-ed dorm. So, a lot of poor choices for teens thrown in there. I know it happens, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or read about it.

[Stacy Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever!

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book!!!! This is a book I would read again! I would definitely recommend this book to my friends!! byStacy Lynn Carrolldid an amazing job!!

[Dawn Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looks like a fun book can't wait to read it .
I just spent the afternoon in this book and loved it. I am in my mid 40's and I still enjoyed the book. It used pop references that most would know and high school doesn't really change that much it is still all about the popular ones. I read the entire book and will pass on to others to read.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the ultimate in light reading fun. No complicated characters. Very little teenage angst simply a perfect Sunday afternoon read.
Do not expect more than a light fast fun read. However, It has been awhile since I last enjoyed a YA read this much. Bella stole the story though which came as a surprise to me!

WaAr

[Lynell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun take on the joys of being a teenager. I adored Carroll's description of the three different types of guys. It's a must read for any one who wishes they were a fairy-tale princess.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, five 15 year old protagonists! You couldn't pay me to be 15 again.

The Princess sisters are really cousins (except for the twins) all with the last name Princess and no dad's in sight. This starts the summer before they start high school when a cute boy named David Prince moves in next door and becomes friends with them all. They all hate their princess names and each have a issue based on it (Cinderella only wears combat boots, Ariel is afraid of the water, etc).

Something bad happens the first day of school and so they eventually decide to face things head on and prove to all what they are made of.

This is very much a YA book. The cousins all act 15. Some issues were very easy to see that they missed That David was stealing their bracelets as well as secretly kissing them. Although I was glad to see Scott having the sense to not date Cinderella and deprive her of the high school experience, but at the same time come to the rescue for the dance.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The moral of the story: Utah moms shouldn’t name their kids weirdo names😂

[Mary Walling · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE PRINCESS SISTERS
BY
STACY LYNN CARROLL

From Back of Book
What happens when you mix five modern teenagers with five fairytale princesses? Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White Princess are cousins (and best friends) stuck with names they are not too fond of…and now together they must face the challenge of getting ready for high school-a world where fitting in is definitely a must. But how will they ever fit in when they’re destined to stand out? Or, perhaps more importantly, how will their friendship ever survive when the five Princesses all set their minds on one Prince?

A young mother “Princess” who loved fairytales told them to her four young “Princess” daughters as they were growing up. Her favorite story was about her “Prince”, their father, whose last name was really Princess, had swept her off her feet and rode off with her into the sunset on the back of a moped. Then one day her “Prince” turned into a toad and left her to raise her daughters alone. When the mother Princess died, the daughters Princesses decided that in her honor they would name their babies if they were girls, after each of the Disney Princesses. So where is the problem? Their last name is Princess. Belle, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel and Snow White. It’s enough that they have to be subject to unique first names, but to have the last name Princess. What were their mothers thinking of? Not only that, but each has a personal secret/fear that only the cousins know about. Now they were in high school. Middle school had been hard enough, but high school was where they definitely had to fit in. It was not going to be easy when a handsome young “Prince” moves in across the street they all like him and a vindictive young lady who doesn’t like them sets out to make their life in high school miserable. How do they overcome these two obstacles and turn the tables on everyone?

When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It really isn’t the genre that I read. I was really surprised. The book is delightful. It was refreshing and I enjoyed the interplay with each of the girls. I love the closeness they have with each other. It brought back memories of my high school days. I really felt for Snow White. I was shy and very uncertain of myself in high school. I stayed to myself, was not outgoing, wished I was more like Belle. They could be mad at each other, say what they wanted about each other, but heaven forbid someone else did. I love the reference made in the book that says “they say before you find your prince, you’ll kiss a frog or two…” It reminded me of the class I taught in Young Women on dating. When the girls met Dave Prince each one fell for him. Was he a Prince, a frog or a toad? When they started high school, how were they going to live down not only their names, but the ugly stigmas found on the poster taped to their lockers? How did the vindictive young woman who taped the poster to their lockers find out their own inner personal secret? No one knew them but the cousins themselves. How do they turn the tables and use the vindictiveness to their advantage?
If you are looking for something that is a refreshingly good read and stays within moral standards then I recommend this book to all young women ages 12 to 112.

I was provided this book for review at no compensation by Stacy Lynn Carroll.
Stacy can be reached at stacylynncarroll@gmail.com
To schedule book signings, interviews, , class visits,or any questions contact the author at
stacylynncarroll@gmail.com
www.stacylynncarroll.com

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading an eBook will always be a challenge for me, but I did enjoy having the opportunity to read and listen simultaneously on my laptop. I was given access to the audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review (and putting it all on the line, one of my best friends is the narrator!).

There are two generations of Princess sisters (it’s their last name): the elder generation are the mothers of the younger and they are the true sisters. The younger set are their children, the ones named after the well known and loved Disney princesses. The younger, though cousins, have always been around each other and so they have forged bonds between them akin to sisterhood.

The premise is enticing: the summer before the girls start high school (tenth grade), their townhouse development is graced with a new neighbor, the first of their age and, as the girls happily notice, a good looking one. David Prince (yes, his last name is really Prince to the girls’ Princess), is charming and funny and quickly has all five Princesses swooning over him. The plot line is perfect for the intended female, pre-teen, young adult audience.

Over the course of the book, the Princess sisters each have their affections indulged and, as would be expected, they are none too thrilled to discover that they alone do not hold the full attention of their new companion. There’s something a bit shady going on and it requires the Princesses embracing their strength and confidence to figure out if Dave truly is the prince he first appeared to be.

The only thing that detracts from the book is the sentence structure and dialogue formatting. While the characters may be 15, the writing seems to be more geared towards the age group I currently work with: 8-9 year olds. There were some pages with dialogue where every other word seemed to be “said” or “asked” and most paragraphs and sentences start with a character name or pronoun. The content, however, is not, in any way geared towards anyone younger than a high school freshman. Overall, a good plot, but a mid-range rating because the reading level doesn’t quite match the (I’m assuming) intended target audience.

[Anna del C. Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly enchanting tale, well written and with great imagination. It is a coming-of-age book full of real life situations. It is an easy read, the characters are well defined and they could be any of our kids. The many real life experiences the characters live are so aligned with reality that you may think this is a biography instead of a fictional novel. It teaches many needed life skills for young men and women alike.
Five girls, related to each other and of the same age, are given the names of five princesses. Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel and Bell. This should please them to no end, especially being as their last name is Princess. However, the girls do all in their power to have nothing to do with their cartoon counterparts.
They live next door to each other and have been friends since they were born. Because of this they don’t have friends outside their family. Their lives could be harder if it were only one girl with a princess name. Instead they have been good so far except for the pesky teasing they get from everyone in school. That all changes when a handsome young man moves in across the street from the girls. They became fast friends and do everything together during the summer.
Now the princesses are ready to go to High School and become somebody different than princesses … that is until a horrible witch discovers their secrets and makes them public. On the first day of school they find out that life will be quite miserable for them, as they are called names and made fun of by all the other students. Being bullied in school was just raised a notch higher. Life is hard enough without having to live in fear of High School.
The princesses at first don’t know what to do, but one of their fairy grandmothers gives them an idea. From that moment on they work together to change the view the rest of the students have of them. Will this last resort work for them?
This book is entertaining, a page-turner, and a great clean read for Young Adults and their families alike.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Princess Sisters is the first book in The Princess Sisters Series by Stacy Lynn Carroll. The story centers around the five Princess sisters: Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, and twins Aurora and Ariel. They're mothers were all sisters who, in memory of their mom, named their daughters after fairy tale princesses.
Going into the story, I figured it would be cheesy and cliche, but was pleasantly suprised to find that it was cute and entertaining. The girls all shy away from something important about the princess they were named after. Snow White, for example, refuses to eat apples. They all live on the same street and spend all their time together, as if they were sisters; which in a way they are. Then a new family with a son a couple of years older than the girls moves onto their street. It is then that their bond is tested when they each fall for this new boy.
The girls are easy to relate to since they are wrote so well that the reader feels as if they are real people and not just fictional characters. Sometimes, the story can be a little hard to follow since the point of view changes suddenly and with little to no warning. Despite that, it is a great story that reminds us all to be proud of who we are and to not be afraid to be ourselves.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about 15 year old cousins that are named after the princesses. I can see girls of a few years younger enjoying this book. Although there is a slip in language and alot of talk of kissing. The beginning and the end were great. The middle felt drawn out. It seemed to last forever. If I had a book instead of my kindle I think I would have probably skipped pages to move it along faster. There was some humor and I actually laughed out loud (late at night almost waking up my family).

One of my favorite scenes is when Belle is super mad at Dave. She runs outside and is standing and waiting.
Here is the scene:
"Are you waiting for someone?" Dave asked, holding his hand out to display the empty road.
"A car, a train, a bus, I don't care at this point."
"To hitchhike?" Dave asked.
"No! I'm going to push you in front of it!

Another one I liked..
"We're done being teased. This time, we're going to fight back," Aurora added.
"Just so long as nobody gets hurt," Dana said.
"Guess we'll have to get rid of the lighter fluid then," Ariel said.

These little glimmers of humor combined with a memory of wanting to fit in with the crowd were what pushed me through the middle part to an enjoyable ending.

Happy reading!

[Mary]

The Princess Sisters is Stacy Lynn Carroll's first published novel. It is a fun story about 4 sister's by the last name of Princess who are all about to become single mothers. On the night of their Mother's funeral they decide to name their babies after the Disney Princesses.
The girls are best friends, they are of course different in personality, and competitive, especially when a cute older boy moves in across the street.
Each girl has a phobia based on her princess character name that they have to deal with, like being a teen, and entering High School isn't hard enough.
The girls learned through hard experience how to tell a frog from a toad, and they learned how to help each other try and conquer their fears, in an effort to best their tormentors.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Princess Sisters. Stacy did a good job helping the reader feel the emotion and humor of the story.
This book is geared to preteens (My 7 year old Niece already wants to read it) and teens, but adults will enjoy it too.

[Mandi Slack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is cute!! The Princess Sisters written by Author Stacy Lynn Carroll is a fun, witty, coming-of-age story. This is a story about five cousins who all share the same last name of Princess. Then to make matters worse, their mothers gave them all Disney princess names:Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, Aurora and Ariel. Ready to enter high school, the girls are wondering how they will ever fit in, and when a handsome new boy moves in across the street it makes things all the more complicated. This book is definitely a cute read. The characters are true to life and you can easily relate to their experiences with high school and growing up. Each girl offered something to the story and it was fun to read how they interacted with one another. I loved their relationships and how they handled their unique names. I recommend this book to tweens and adults alike. Its fun, its clean, and it will leave a smile on your face.

[Sherry Gammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Princess Sister is a fun fresh idea. The poor girls were named after... well, Disney princess by there collective mothers(who were sisters). As you can imagine, while the girls were growing up, every cliche was thrown at them from poison apples to lost slippers. They tried their best to distance themselves from the Disney character, however the other kids at school never let them forget!
Thankfully, the girls had each other! The story picks up as the enter the dreaded High school! The girls must now pull together even more to make it through... as if High school wasn't bad enough, try surviving it with a name like Snow White!
There are also several fun fairytale "ideas" throughout, such as kissing toads!!! This novel is a real charmer and worth a read for the young and the young at heart!! Well done new author Stacy Lynn Carrol!
My daughter loved it also!

[Hollie Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. Great for preteens, and early teens. With five girls named after the Disney princess and all 5 hating everything cliche that has to do with their name sakes, with teens teasing them with using their names as the object of the teasing. Who hasn't lived through that?

Learning to live through high school, finding out who is a true friend and who is not. The five sister Princesses learn some heard lessons,and find a way to over come the difficult time of being a teenage girl.

With each girl with different personality's they are just like how I remember how teenage girls are, along with how high school is like.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. My two older girls really enjoyed this story, but I have some mixed feelings about it. First, I thought the whole Princess name thing was a little ridiculous, but it was fun how each girl's fear tied in to her princess counterpart. I was also a little put off by some of the small events in the book (the girls tasting champagne, telling lies to their moms, etc.) considering how old they were. Plus the writing style in several places just rubbed me the wrong way. I did like how the girls (cousins) had such a close relationship and especially how they worked to overcome their fears and deal with the bullying problems at school. Overall, a cute story!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was written by my friend's daughter and I gave it a look. It took me a minute to get into it but I was quite pleased by the end. I liked how the 5 girls developed, built confidence and overcame some of their personal demons. I was also happy to hear that a second book is being written now since it would be fun to visit these characters again and see how their relationships change and develop in the future. Being the hopeful romantic that I am, there is a certain couple I am rooting for.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book written by a good friend. I liked the fact that the girls had to overcome adversity and personal fears to achieve their goals. It is full of good and bad examples for teens to model themselves after, good humor and a lot of quality Utahisms. I'm looking forward to having Stacy come to my class and talk to the students about writing.

[Amberle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute. Definitely aimed towards a middle school audience which normally I enjoy more than I did this book, I think because this one is set in the present day and not elsewhere or in another time. I liked the messages is presented and would recommend it mostly because of those messages.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes the dialogue was annoying but the story was ok. I hope if a sequel is written, the author places it a few years down the road and continues a relationship with Scott and Cinderella. Scott was my favorite character but other than that the story is just ok.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this fun story that introduces you to five women who's last name Princess, all having daughters and name them after the Disney Princesses. The girls have to learn to love their names and be confident and brave in many fun situations. Very charming book!

[Nena · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure: I am friends with the author.

The Princess Sisters is a very cute book that I think middle school aged girls will enjoy. The premise is fun, and Stacy really captures the voice of the girls.

[Kellie]

A friend's little sister wrote this. I remember meeting her my first year of college. I'm looking forward to reading it.

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for preteens and teens. My friend wrote it. It was fun to have a book written about places I know and things I have personally done.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting plot line with memorable characters. Some edgy material.

[Stacy Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous new cover, and the minor changes to the story make The Princess Sisters better than ever!