What do you think?
Rate this book
The Princess Diaries #6
Royal Rebel
The fabulous The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot continues with the sixth book - Royal Rebel, previously published as Sixsational.
How can Princess Mia Thermopolis bear it? Michael, her ONE TRUE LOVE, has gone away to college, leaving her to face a new school year TOTALLY ALONE (well, nearly).
With a potential eco-disaster happening in Genovia, a new English teacher who doesn't understand her and a totally transformed (hot!) Boris to get used to, life for the world's most reluctant royal is looking like it can't get much worse. Until Grandmère and Lilly step in - with a plan to save Genovia and Albert Einstein High. A plan that involves Grandmère showing up at school in her fur cape and tiara!
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
374 people are currently reading
11092 people want to read
About the author
Meg Cabot
279 books35.4k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,139 reviews
November 27, 2019
I live a Michael Moscovitz appreciation life.
May 28, 2015
Oh Mia... As I mentioned in my last review.. it's during this stage that I have to give these books 4 stages instead of 5 because of how annoying Mia can get. She's only 15.. I get it. It's just a bit harder to read now that I'm older. Still really enjoyed it and it definitely made me laugh! Really wanting to speed through rereading the rest so I can read A Royal Wedding when it comes out!!
June 3, 2024
michael kinda disappointed me a bit in the middle with that “i’m not gonna wait forever” stuff but then he won me back with his speech at the end. bare minimum i know! sorry, im a simple girl!
August 10, 2015
I enjoyed this one. Thought Mia was a bit juvenile about the topic of sex (just her maturity level discussing it, not her choices). But I liked the student council election story. At this point I kind of want more Genovia/princess stuff and less high school but we shall see :)
January 3, 2016
Mia needs a proper Sex ED.
Well,this was a fun ride.Her relationship with Michael was so funny and awkward in this book & Lilly and Grandmère were actually pretty cool here.However,Mia was behaving REALLY naive & juvenile in this one.Also,I'm not really sure I'm on her side when it comes to Ms.Martinez.Everything else was really fun.(ᵔᴥᵔ)
Favourite quote:
"Do you know what you are looking at here, Amelia?" Grandmere is asking me.
"If you're trying to hypnotize me into not biting my nails any more,Grandmère," I said, "it won't work.Dr. Moscovitz already tried."
Well,this was a fun ride.Her relationship with Michael was so funny and awkward in this book & Lilly and Grandmère were actually pretty cool here.However,Mia was behaving REALLY naive & juvenile in this one.Also,I'm not really sure I'm on her side when it comes to Ms.Martinez.Everything else was really fun.(ᵔᴥᵔ)
Favourite quote:
"Do you know what you are looking at here, Amelia?" Grandmere is asking me.
"If you're trying to hypnotize me into not biting my nails any more,Grandmère," I said, "it won't work.Dr. Moscovitz already tried."
January 8, 2018
This series should definitely be changed to the "Mia Whines-A-Lot" or maybe someone should invent a drinking game while reading this series. For example, take a shot every time Mia whines. You'd end up drunk and not remembering anything about this book. In the end, your life is probably better not remembering. I wish I could forget I read this book. But no, I made a deal with myself that I would finally finish this freaking series. I need to clean out my TBR guys!
So, yes, I will continue to suffer while reading these books. I just need to come up with a clever game or a cool reward for every book I finish - or something! Anyhow, not a lot happened in this book. Mia whined. She messed up in a big way because her problems are obviously more important than her princess duties. In the end, I didn't care at all. I'm glad this book is over and I can move on with my life.
February 19, 2009
WHY do I keep reading these "Princess" books? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY??? Am I forgetting that
* These books are total fluff books with practically NO substance WHATSOEVER?
* They are intended for teenagers?
* I am no longer a teenager?
* I don't think I will let my daughter read them when she is a teenager?
* My curiosity was fully satisfied by the third book?
Well, maybe I'll let her read the first few. But probably not book four or five, and definitely not six. Yes, I get that it's supposed to be Mia's private diary, but still. Too much about sex IMO. I'm glad she isn't ready and her boyfriend is okay with that; that helps. Still.
It is funny how she mentions the movies, though.
* These books are total fluff books with practically NO substance WHATSOEVER?
* They are intended for teenagers?
* I am no longer a teenager?
* I don't think I will let my daughter read them when she is a teenager?
* My curiosity was fully satisfied by the third book?
Well, maybe I'll let her read the first few. But probably not book four or five, and definitely not six. Yes, I get that it's supposed to be Mia's private diary, but still. Too much about sex IMO. I'm glad she isn't ready and her boyfriend is okay with that; that helps. Still.
It is funny how she mentions the movies, though.
December 4, 2015
I loved Mia's speech at the end but the entire Michael/Mia plot in this book made me super uncomfortable considering the fact that she's 15 and he's 18; he really didn't handle the situation the way I expected him to.
March 5, 2016
Aaaaaahh! Adorei! A Mia está maravilhosa nesse livro! Esperando MUITO ela enfrentar a Lilly no próximo livro, pq peloamordedeus é a pior amiga do mundo. Ela passou de chata, pra irritante, pra má amiga e agora tentou USAR a Mia! Affff
Quero ver como vai ser ela e Michael agora q ele tá na faculdade! E espero muito q ela ouça mais a Tina do q a Lilly.
Quero ver como vai ser ela e Michael agora q ele tá na faculdade! E espero muito q ela ouça mais a Tina do q a Lilly.
June 10, 2012
Until the last few pages of the book, I was going to give this one star for the simple reason that I just did not like it. At all.
Some of my complaints (this is by no means a complete list):
*I need the adults in Mia's life to step up and start acting like the adults. When Mia came to her mother and was asking questions about sex, her mother probably should have pushed more and given Mia more information. It was CLEAR TO ME that Mia was not handling things well. I just really think Mia's mother should have talked to Mia more.
*Just in general, I was uncomfortable with the way sex was handled in this up until the conversation Mia and Michael had at the end of the book.
*Mia vs. Lana for student council president? REALLY? They are sophomores. There are NO juniors or seniors who wanted to run?? This would have been a lot more believable if they had been running for sophomore class president.
*I was all ready to like this book a little more during Mia's speech. The first part of it, that is. THEN SHE WENT OFF ON THAT TANGENT ABOUT HOW IT WAS OKAY FOR PEOPLE TO WRITE ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS FOR ENGLISH. Well, no. Actually Mia, sometimes when your teacher tells you the assignment is to write about more serious subjects, you just do it. Sending your father to complain about your B? That's not okay, and I didn't like that this book made it seem like it WAS okay. I agree with your teacher, who is NOT being unreasonable. All I see Mia writing about are frivilous things, with a true teenage girl flair.
*Honestly, I do not like any character in this book except Michael. And even he is sometimes confusing because I do not understand Michael/Mia. I need to be able to ship this but it is not working for me.
The things I did like:
*Principal Gupta is a fairly accurate portrayal of my experience with school authority, catering to Lana's complaints and ignoring how Lana is actually at the root of a lot of the problems. Honestly, Principal Gupta was probably more with it than a lot of the teachers/administrators in my experience. So, I guess this isn't something I "liked" so much as I found it fairly true to life. For the school experiences in this book, at least.
*The New York stuff, as always, was excellent.
Some of my complaints (this is by no means a complete list):
*I need the adults in Mia's life to step up and start acting like the adults. When Mia came to her mother and was asking questions about sex, her mother probably should have pushed more and given Mia more information. It was CLEAR TO ME that Mia was not handling things well. I just really think Mia's mother should have talked to Mia more.
*Just in general, I was uncomfortable with the way sex was handled in this up until the conversation Mia and Michael had at the end of the book.
*Mia vs. Lana for student council president? REALLY? They are sophomores. There are NO juniors or seniors who wanted to run?? This would have been a lot more believable if they had been running for sophomore class president.
*I was all ready to like this book a little more during Mia's speech. The first part of it, that is. THEN SHE WENT OFF ON THAT TANGENT ABOUT HOW IT WAS OKAY FOR PEOPLE TO WRITE ABOUT BRITNEY SPEARS FOR ENGLISH. Well, no. Actually Mia, sometimes when your teacher tells you the assignment is to write about more serious subjects, you just do it. Sending your father to complain about your B? That's not okay, and I didn't like that this book made it seem like it WAS okay. I agree with your teacher, who is NOT being unreasonable. All I see Mia writing about are frivilous things, with a true teenage girl flair.
*Honestly, I do not like any character in this book except Michael. And even he is sometimes confusing because I do not understand Michael/Mia. I need to be able to ship this but it is not working for me.
The things I did like:
*Principal Gupta is a fairly accurate portrayal of my experience with school authority, catering to Lana's complaints and ignoring how Lana is actually at the root of a lot of the problems. Honestly, Principal Gupta was probably more with it than a lot of the teachers/administrators in my experience. So, I guess this isn't something I "liked" so much as I found it fairly true to life. For the school experiences in this book, at least.
*The New York stuff, as always, was excellent.
November 7, 2018
2.5 stars
Now I must say that I lost some of my interest for this series.. And that is totally because of Mia being whining all the time for everything.
But still I have hopes on the next...
Now I must say that I lost some of my interest for this series.. And that is totally because of Mia being whining all the time for everything.
But still I have hopes on the next...
January 6, 2019
Uh. So I used to love Michael and I don’t even know what happened to him because he started saying things like he “wouldn’t wait around forever” for Mia if she didn’t have sex with him eventually and that is most definitely emotional manipulation...
Once again, I’m being generous with two stars - for the president sub-plot, which I liked.
I honestly thought Lilly was going to get some redemption in this episode but nope, by the end of the book she was horrible again.
Once again, I’m being generous with two stars - for the president sub-plot, which I liked.
I honestly thought Lilly was going to get some redemption in this episode but nope, by the end of the book she was horrible again.
August 29, 2017
This has to be my most favorite installment by far!!! This book tackles the subject of having sex with your boyfriend and when is that okay and basically the message is, whenever you're ready and he should respect that. WHICH IS WHAT I WANT IN ALL BOOKS!! Please make this a YA standard because not all girls are just ready for it right at 16 like I see in a lot of YA books. Michael is such a great book boyfriend and character because he's real. He's realistic in the sense that there are things he won't do and things he'll compromise on and that's how relationships should go, so I absolutely gushed over him in this novel. He's EVERYTHING!!! <3
Also Meg Cabot throws the BIGGEST amount of shade in this book at Disney. I am so here for her dissing those movies. I love those movies but it just made this book that much better. Ugh the series just gets better as it goes on!!!
Also Meg Cabot throws the BIGGEST amount of shade in this book at Disney. I am so here for her dissing those movies. I love those movies but it just made this book that much better. Ugh the series just gets better as it goes on!!!
June 9, 2015
In case you were not aware, I LOVE The Princess Diaries series. I have read all ten books (approximately) a million times, and they are so near and dear to my heart. This series played a huge role in my life (and my sister’s life) as I grew up, and I’m just having a blast rereading them this year.
Princess in Training is actually one of my favorite books in the series—which, yes, I know it’s so meta to have favorite books in one of your favorite series.
In this installment, Mia is dealing with a lot of big things: on top of being a princess—and having to endure painful princess lessons with her Grandmère—she has to deal with her best friend, Lilly, nominating her for class president against Lana Weinberger; her boyfriend possibly wanting to deflower her; being a “baby-licker” and constantly worrying about her new-born brother and all the ways he can a) get sick, b) get hurt, and c) die; her ex-boyfriend constantly chatting her ear off about his new “perfect” girlfriend, Heather; and an English teacher who—gasp!—questions and criticizes her identity as a writer. Oh, and I forgot that the UN was trying to exile Genovia because of this whole “snail” situation—long story.
As usual, there’s a lot going on in this novel and it’s crazy and out of control, but it’s so wonderful for the very same reasons. Mia is always so frantic and panicked—as she should be, did you even read the list above?—but she’s always hilarious and witty; her type of crazy just works for me. Every book in this series is always so enjoyable to read because of Mia’s sarcasm and her immaturity; she over-thinks EVERYTHING and has very little experience (like, in everything) but that’s kind of what makes her such an uproarious character/voice to read!
I just like everything that this book has to offer and I adore it as the latter half of Mia’s journey begins. This is really the point when she starts to grow up a bit, shoulder some responsibilities, and, yes, bite the bullet and try to have The Talk with Michael Moscovitz, the love of her teenaged life. It’s witty and just the right amount of insane, but that doesn’t lessen its value—much like how Mia makes an argument for the relevance of pop culture references in academic work. Something can be hilarious and talk about things like Britney Spears and Sailor Moon without losing its meaning.
I really love this book—I just thought I should reiterate that fact.
Princess in Training is actually one of my favorite books in the series—which, yes, I know it’s so meta to have favorite books in one of your favorite series.
In this installment, Mia is dealing with a lot of big things: on top of being a princess—and having to endure painful princess lessons with her Grandmère—she has to deal with her best friend, Lilly, nominating her for class president against Lana Weinberger; her boyfriend possibly wanting to deflower her; being a “baby-licker” and constantly worrying about her new-born brother and all the ways he can a) get sick, b) get hurt, and c) die; her ex-boyfriend constantly chatting her ear off about his new “perfect” girlfriend, Heather; and an English teacher who—gasp!—questions and criticizes her identity as a writer. Oh, and I forgot that the UN was trying to exile Genovia because of this whole “snail” situation—long story.
As usual, there’s a lot going on in this novel and it’s crazy and out of control, but it’s so wonderful for the very same reasons. Mia is always so frantic and panicked—as she should be, did you even read the list above?—but she’s always hilarious and witty; her type of crazy just works for me. Every book in this series is always so enjoyable to read because of Mia’s sarcasm and her immaturity; she over-thinks EVERYTHING and has very little experience (like, in everything) but that’s kind of what makes her such an uproarious character/voice to read!
Everyone seems to think that Doing It is just, like, the pinnacle of experiences. Everyone except for me. Why am I the only person who, when she thinks about Doing It, feels nothing but…sweaty? And not in a good way. This can’t be a normal reaction. This has to be yet another genetic anomaly in my makeup, like absence of mammary glands and size-ten feet. I am totally lacking in the Do It gene.It’s so great to read narration like this, because Mia represents a larger population of teenage girls than she realizes; I found a lot of what she says relatable when I was growing up and I still feel that it’s applicable and valid now. I love that this book tackles such “taboo” topics, such as how to approach having The Talk with your significant other, literary merit, and other great social commentaries. There’s so much in this book that is important for young people—especially young girls, yes—to start thinking about. No, reading Princess in Training will not make a teenage girl an expert on comprehensive sex education—but it’s a GREAT start. We need more books out there like this one that are willing to talk about such a wide variety of topics from a realistic girl’s point of view, like Mia’s.
I just like everything that this book has to offer and I adore it as the latter half of Mia’s journey begins. This is really the point when she starts to grow up a bit, shoulder some responsibilities, and, yes, bite the bullet and try to have The Talk with Michael Moscovitz, the love of her teenaged life. It’s witty and just the right amount of insane, but that doesn’t lessen its value—much like how Mia makes an argument for the relevance of pop culture references in academic work. Something can be hilarious and talk about things like Britney Spears and Sailor Moon without losing its meaning.
I really love this book—I just thought I should reiterate that fact.
May 31, 2020
3.5 - This was really enjoyable! It’s interesting that this came out a year later than one of Meg Cabot’s other books, Ready or Not. The plot of this is kinda similar to that, with a girl deciding if she’s ready for sex or not. So it was fun to see Meg Cabot write a different side of that story through Mia’s experience.
But I will say that some of the things that Michael says in this book rubbed me the wrong way.
But I will say that some of the things that Michael says in this book rubbed me the wrong way.
August 31, 2017
Finalmente um livro em que a Mia não fica reclamando da vida ~injusta~ e discute algo mais vida real. Apesar da vida da Mia praticamente girar em torno do Michael (na cabeça dela), os momentos dos dois são poucos e meio anticlimáticos. Eu fico bem mais interessada em ela interagindo com a Lily e Grandmère (sdds Julie Andrews).
Esse foi BEM melhor do que o #5 e deixou uma expectativa boa pro que vai acontecer no próximo :)
Esse foi BEM melhor do que o #5 e deixou uma expectativa boa pro que vai acontecer no próximo :)
August 22, 2022
Reread on June 7, 2022: My ability to handwave all the problematic elements of this series and blissfully ignore the cringe age gap is frankly deserving of an Olympic medal, tbh. Nostalgia rules. Read via library/audio (narrated by Clea Lewis).
June 20, 2016
This was so good! This series is so funny and light and interesting. And I absolutely love Mia!!
\o/
:D
\o/
:D
Read
August 22, 2023Lana tells Mia college boyfriends want girlfriends who ‘do It’, so Mia spends the entire book freaking out. She reads like a hyper twelve-year-old. I like her neurosis and fixations, but not the immaturity of it all.
I liked that she knew she wasn’t ready (she couldn’t even think the word sex, or write it down) and she acknowledged that fact and that it was a big step. But Michael was a douche about it (especially as he’s 18, and she’s underage). I really truly hope it doesn’t actually happen in this series, because it’s just skeevy. And honestly, they literally never spend any time together or actually talk, it’s so hard to believe they’re so in love when they’re more like pen pals. Mia tells him nothing about herself or her life, but they do at least have somewhat of an important conversation eventually.
Most of all though, getting your friends together (including Lilly, which is so out of character btw) to jump around screaming “PULL YOUR PANTS DOWN! PULL YOUR PANTS DOWN!” because they don’t know whether someone is male or female is not okay.
I liked that she knew she wasn’t ready (she couldn’t even think the word sex, or write it down) and she acknowledged that fact and that it was a big step. But Michael was a douche about it (especially as he’s 18, and she’s underage). I really truly hope it doesn’t actually happen in this series, because it’s just skeevy. And honestly, they literally never spend any time together or actually talk, it’s so hard to believe they’re so in love when they’re more like pen pals. Mia tells him nothing about herself or her life, but they do at least have somewhat of an important conversation eventually.
Most of all though, getting your friends together (including Lilly, which is so out of character btw) to jump around screaming “PULL YOUR PANTS DOWN! PULL YOUR PANTS DOWN!” because they don’t know whether someone is male or female is not okay.
August 11, 2018
Loved the story arc on Mia's run for office and her stand for those being marginalized by the masses at her high school. It was also fun to see Lily and Mia's grandmother in cahoots. Very enjoyable on audio.
April 15, 2022
I always forget how much I can't stand Michael or Lily in this one. I keep trying to get through the series so I can finish but I get stuck on this one or the 7th every time!
Read
July 5, 2021“i’m sorry, but as far as i’m concerned, give me anime, or give me death.”
June 26, 2022
Mam zgrzyt przy tym tomie przez „kwiat niewinności” i stwierdzenie Michaela, że kiedyś Mia BĘDZIE jego. Ale biorę poprawkę na to, z jakiego roku to książka.
February 14, 2016
This was a pretty great book in a (so far) shaping to be epic series.
Let me first start with the good things:
Mia is still awkward, but she does her best to fulfil her princess role, and you can see that she is getting better and better at it with each book. From a girl who didn’t want to be a princess, who refused to do princess stuff, she is now making decisions, helping out her people, and taking on her princess role. Of course, not always happily, but then again, I can understand that, you have a great boyfriend, and then you are whisked away to your country again in the middle of summer break. I can just imagine that it must suck, you want a summer full of love, and instead you only get a bit of that and then you have to leave. Luckily we live in an era with phones and internet (hopefully Genovia does have that now).
I also loved Mia’s attitude in the later parts of the books, especially with the whole president of school part. I just wanted to clap for her and encourage her to keep on going, that she could do this. The conclusion to the whole president chapter was great, though I do hope we don’t get a mega explosion between characters because of it. Then again, it is that character, so I guess we will be getting Michael Bay kind of explosions.
I was also applauding for Meg Cabot not shying away from the sex topic. Oh no, don’t worry, it is all still very clean, nothing happens. But I am so happy to see that a book finally discusses this topic in the way this book did. It is not often, well, OK, I barely seen it, that a book writes about this topic so realistically. Generally characters just hop in the bed with characters without the Talk about if they both want it, if they both are ready for it, and if not, when they will be ready. Throughout the book we have Mia being totally stressed out, because she hears stuff (typical Mia, hears stuff and stresses out without checking facts). Though for once I could mostly sympathize with her (not all the way, because she made such a huge drama out of it). The talk and what comes out of that, it was great! I hope the other books will also still talk about this topic, and that we will see Mia’s and Michael’s relationship grow.
Ah, yes, another good thing. Mia FINALLY didn’t let people run over her all the time. Still for a big part she did, but she finally put her foot down with a lot of Lilly stuff, and I was just so delighted to see her finally stand up for herself and what she wants.
Now for the parts that weren’t really fun. Mia’s obsession with her baby brother. Dear Lord, girl are you the mother? I got SO sick of her meddling, acting like her mom is totally incompetent, and sure, the mom doesn’t always do things right, but she raised you, and you turned out right, so I think you don’t need to stalk your mom every x amount of time, or make her feel like she is a crap parent. I really wanted to just throw Mia out of window at times. Seriously, I do hope that the next book won’t have this obsession. Bah. Sisterly love is one thing, but this is just crazy.
Lilly, once again I hated Lilly. Then again, with each passing book the hate grows. Lilly is the most annoying character (even more annoying than the grandmother) ever. Instead of getting better with each book she gets worse. Pushing people to do whatever she wants, calling her friend a name she doesn’t like and just don’t see that it might hurt her, acting a bitch when your friend is calling with her boyfriend, acting a bitch when people don’t instantly do your bidding. Then there is her fanatical ways. I don’t mind a character protesting against things, but Lilly? Lilly is taking it too far. She is the kind of person I would really avoid in real life.
The English teacher. You see, that kind of teacher is a person who will ruin people’s talent and also the love for books or language. She is the kind of person I don’t like, people who push their likes and loves to someone, act like classics or high literature are so much better and then make bad remarks when someone says they prefer other stuff. Let people read and write whatever they want.
I am not saying that what Mia writes is always perfect, but to just cut of points because Mia uses pop-culture/modern references in her works? What the hell?
What else? I think I have covered most of the topics that I wanted to discuss. I am quite excited to read the next book (hopefully it will be here soon).
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would! Even with some bumps, it was still a great and funny read.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Let me first start with the good things:
Mia is still awkward, but she does her best to fulfil her princess role, and you can see that she is getting better and better at it with each book. From a girl who didn’t want to be a princess, who refused to do princess stuff, she is now making decisions, helping out her people, and taking on her princess role. Of course, not always happily, but then again, I can understand that, you have a great boyfriend, and then you are whisked away to your country again in the middle of summer break. I can just imagine that it must suck, you want a summer full of love, and instead you only get a bit of that and then you have to leave. Luckily we live in an era with phones and internet (hopefully Genovia does have that now).
I also loved Mia’s attitude in the later parts of the books, especially with the whole president of school part. I just wanted to clap for her and encourage her to keep on going, that she could do this. The conclusion to the whole president chapter was great, though I do hope we don’t get a mega explosion between characters because of it. Then again, it is that character, so I guess we will be getting Michael Bay kind of explosions.
I was also applauding for Meg Cabot not shying away from the sex topic. Oh no, don’t worry, it is all still very clean, nothing happens. But I am so happy to see that a book finally discusses this topic in the way this book did. It is not often, well, OK, I barely seen it, that a book writes about this topic so realistically. Generally characters just hop in the bed with characters without the Talk about if they both want it, if they both are ready for it, and if not, when they will be ready. Throughout the book we have Mia being totally stressed out, because she hears stuff (typical Mia, hears stuff and stresses out without checking facts). Though for once I could mostly sympathize with her (not all the way, because she made such a huge drama out of it). The talk and what comes out of that, it was great! I hope the other books will also still talk about this topic, and that we will see Mia’s and Michael’s relationship grow.
Ah, yes, another good thing. Mia FINALLY didn’t let people run over her all the time. Still for a big part she did, but she finally put her foot down with a lot of Lilly stuff, and I was just so delighted to see her finally stand up for herself and what she wants.
Now for the parts that weren’t really fun. Mia’s obsession with her baby brother. Dear Lord, girl are you the mother? I got SO sick of her meddling, acting like her mom is totally incompetent, and sure, the mom doesn’t always do things right, but she raised you, and you turned out right, so I think you don’t need to stalk your mom every x amount of time, or make her feel like she is a crap parent. I really wanted to just throw Mia out of window at times. Seriously, I do hope that the next book won’t have this obsession. Bah. Sisterly love is one thing, but this is just crazy.
Lilly, once again I hated Lilly. Then again, with each passing book the hate grows. Lilly is the most annoying character (even more annoying than the grandmother) ever. Instead of getting better with each book she gets worse. Pushing people to do whatever she wants, calling her friend a name she doesn’t like and just don’t see that it might hurt her, acting a bitch when your friend is calling with her boyfriend, acting a bitch when people don’t instantly do your bidding. Then there is her fanatical ways. I don’t mind a character protesting against things, but Lilly? Lilly is taking it too far. She is the kind of person I would really avoid in real life.
The English teacher. You see, that kind of teacher is a person who will ruin people’s talent and also the love for books or language. She is the kind of person I don’t like, people who push their likes and loves to someone, act like classics or high literature are so much better and then make bad remarks when someone says they prefer other stuff. Let people read and write whatever they want.
I am not saying that what Mia writes is always perfect, but to just cut of points because Mia uses pop-culture/modern references in her works? What the hell?
What else? I think I have covered most of the topics that I wanted to discuss. I am quite excited to read the next book (hopefully it will be here soon).
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes I would! Even with some bumps, it was still a great and funny read.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 16, 2021
Absolutely hilarious, and a sheer joy to read! Here, we finally see Mia maturing into the princess she will one day become.
ETA 10 years later: To my surprise, PIT held up better than expected, given that it’s between two of the weaker installments in the series. But as we enter the back half of the series, and finally move on from Mia’s freshman year, and this is really the book where Mia begins to grow into a leader. It’s very enjoyable to read about, because after five books of Mia running around like a chicken sans head, here she finally takes charge and makes things happen – and honestly, she’s a rather remarkable teen, one who evidently will make a great leader. Just look at how she stands up for underdogs and includes them in her social circle – something she never would have done a few months earlier.
In fact, the entire gang does some growing up here. I especially enjoyed the fact that Boris got hot, and that Grandmere is now an accepted (though occasionally misguided) ally to Mia. This book is also Lana’s last stand as the chief antagonist, as the next book introduces a new one. And honestly, Lana made for a very good villain, and her takedown was supremely enjoyable to read. And I applaud Cabot for moving on, because Mia has started to outgrow Lana as a villain.
The inclusion of Ms. Martinez as a thinly veiled jab at all of Cabot’s critics (who deride the book series for relying too much on pop culture) actually works really well, especially because it’s a very realistic turn for Mia: even if she has a talent, the appreciation of said talent is rarely unanimous. I also don’t mind because I very much come down on the side of Mia – nothing wrong with pop culture references (even if I think Buzzfeed-y lists of movies are a bit much to include in a book).
Honestly, by far the weakest point of this book was the plot about Mia’s fear of Doing It with Michael. I get what Cabot’s issue is here: like many TV shows that get the main couple together early in the run, there’s a struggle to find conflict for the couple to keep it interesting. And to be fair, the plot about a couple having issues with Doing It is far less contrived than last book’s prom debacle. But it’s just not very interesting to read about Mia agonizing over something that would be (and usually is) resolved with a simple conversation.
On the whole, this book series remains as fluffy, sweet, and hilarious as I remember it – and it’s a lot of fun to reread!
ETA 10 years later: To my surprise, PIT held up better than expected, given that it’s between two of the weaker installments in the series. But as we enter the back half of the series, and finally move on from Mia’s freshman year, and this is really the book where Mia begins to grow into a leader. It’s very enjoyable to read about, because after five books of Mia running around like a chicken sans head, here she finally takes charge and makes things happen – and honestly, she’s a rather remarkable teen, one who evidently will make a great leader. Just look at how she stands up for underdogs and includes them in her social circle – something she never would have done a few months earlier.
In fact, the entire gang does some growing up here. I especially enjoyed the fact that Boris got hot, and that Grandmere is now an accepted (though occasionally misguided) ally to Mia. This book is also Lana’s last stand as the chief antagonist, as the next book introduces a new one. And honestly, Lana made for a very good villain, and her takedown was supremely enjoyable to read. And I applaud Cabot for moving on, because Mia has started to outgrow Lana as a villain.
The inclusion of Ms. Martinez as a thinly veiled jab at all of Cabot’s critics (who deride the book series for relying too much on pop culture) actually works really well, especially because it’s a very realistic turn for Mia: even if she has a talent, the appreciation of said talent is rarely unanimous. I also don’t mind because I very much come down on the side of Mia – nothing wrong with pop culture references (even if I think Buzzfeed-y lists of movies are a bit much to include in a book).
Honestly, by far the weakest point of this book was the plot about Mia’s fear of Doing It with Michael. I get what Cabot’s issue is here: like many TV shows that get the main couple together early in the run, there’s a struggle to find conflict for the couple to keep it interesting. And to be fair, the plot about a couple having issues with Doing It is far less contrived than last book’s prom debacle. But it’s just not very interesting to read about Mia agonizing over something that would be (and usually is) resolved with a simple conversation.
On the whole, this book series remains as fluffy, sweet, and hilarious as I remember it – and it’s a lot of fun to reread!
September 29, 2021
[REVIEW]
I know some people find Mia’s constant overthinking as annoying, but think about it:
•She’s being trained to become a princess, a title she never asked for.
•Even with a princess title, she’s still treated as an outcast at school.
•Now that she has a boyfriend, Mia feels pressured to be perfect. Even though MICHAEL doesn’t expect her to be perfect, she still feels pressured by others (including Lana and her friends) to be and act a certain way.
•Her mom just had a baby, and the father is Mia’s former math teacher. Enough said there.
For these reasons, I totally get why Mia is stressed out all the time. Because of that, I want what’s best for her. With everything she’s doing through, she honestly deserves a break.
Even with Mia being stressed out, these books continue to make me smile! Whether it’s Mia finding herself in a hilarious situation, or her finding the courage to face some kind of fear, I constantly find myself turning the next page.
I gotta say, Mia NAILED IT with that speech! I was cheering her on the whole time! And Lana’s reaction was PRICELESS! There’s no way Mia’s going to back out now!
Also, the references to the Disney movie adaptations were hilarious! I wish Rick Riordan would roast the Percy Jackson movie adaptation the way Meg Cabot does with The Princess Diaries movies!
Are these the best book I’ve EVER read? No. But the Princess Diaries books are perfect when you need something light and fluffy.
I’m determined to finish The Princess Diaries series in 2020, or at least the main novels, if I can’t get to all the novellas. I’m halfway now!
I know some people find Mia’s constant overthinking as annoying, but think about it:
•She’s being trained to become a princess, a title she never asked for.
•Even with a princess title, she’s still treated as an outcast at school.
•Now that she has a boyfriend, Mia feels pressured to be perfect. Even though MICHAEL doesn’t expect her to be perfect, she still feels pressured by others (including Lana and her friends) to be and act a certain way.
•Her mom just had a baby, and the father is Mia’s former math teacher. Enough said there.
For these reasons, I totally get why Mia is stressed out all the time. Because of that, I want what’s best for her. With everything she’s doing through, she honestly deserves a break.
Even with Mia being stressed out, these books continue to make me smile! Whether it’s Mia finding herself in a hilarious situation, or her finding the courage to face some kind of fear, I constantly find myself turning the next page.
I gotta say, Mia NAILED IT with that speech! I was cheering her on the whole time! And Lana’s reaction was PRICELESS! There’s no way Mia’s going to back out now!
Also, the references to the Disney movie adaptations were hilarious! I wish Rick Riordan would roast the Percy Jackson movie adaptation the way Meg Cabot does with The Princess Diaries movies!
Are these the best book I’ve EVER read? No. But the Princess Diaries books are perfect when you need something light and fluffy.
I’m determined to finish The Princess Diaries series in 2020, or at least the main novels, if I can’t get to all the novellas. I’m halfway now!
May 29, 2015
Best part of this book: When Mia looked up her mom's ex using Yahoo! People Search. I'm not sure I even remember that.
Most surprising part: How often Mia actually said "sex". This it the Doing It book and I just remembered everyone calling it that all the time. And they certainly do, but it's not as excessive as I remember.
Fun fact: When this book was originally released, it came out a lot earlier in England than in the US (if I remember correctly, it was a mistake somewhere). I was in college at the time and lent it to several friends.
Actually, maybe the most surprising part is this is another one that worked a lot better for me these days. Mia is SO young and so obviously not ready for sex. And Michael's four years older and in college . . . it's a pretty realistic conflict and, this time through, Mia's reactions struck me as realistic, too.
And, oh, I am loving Tina more than ever. She's such a good friend and has such a good head on her shoulders. Her advice to Mia is spot on.
Also the presidential election! I forgot how great that is. Mia's really coming into her own.
Another thing that struck me about these books is how well they integrate school. I mean, that's such a huge part of teen life and not necessarily a big part of YA. (Come to think of it, maybe some of the reason I'm feeling extra love for these books is that I haven't been loving most of the YA that's been published these days.)
I'm mostly leaving these ratings at what I originally rated them, but this one is getting bumped from three to four.
Most surprising part: How often Mia actually said "sex". This it the Doing It book and I just remembered everyone calling it that all the time. And they certainly do, but it's not as excessive as I remember.
Fun fact: When this book was originally released, it came out a lot earlier in England than in the US (if I remember correctly, it was a mistake somewhere). I was in college at the time and lent it to several friends.
Actually, maybe the most surprising part is this is another one that worked a lot better for me these days. Mia is SO young and so obviously not ready for sex. And Michael's four years older and in college . . . it's a pretty realistic conflict and, this time through, Mia's reactions struck me as realistic, too.
And, oh, I am loving Tina more than ever. She's such a good friend and has such a good head on her shoulders. Her advice to Mia is spot on.
Also the presidential election! I forgot how great that is. Mia's really coming into her own.
Another thing that struck me about these books is how well they integrate school. I mean, that's such a huge part of teen life and not necessarily a big part of YA. (Come to think of it, maybe some of the reason I'm feeling extra love for these books is that I haven't been loving most of the YA that's been published these days.)
I'm mostly leaving these ratings at what I originally rated them, but this one is getting bumped from three to four.
March 8, 2015
See my entire binge read of this book and books 6-7 1/2 here.
Blah.
Besides, Princess in Waiting this is probably the most lackluster installment in the series. However, in retrospect I think Meg did an excellent job portraying a teenage girl. I hate to say it, when I was Mia’s age I probably acted a lot like her-though slightly less neurotic. And Teen Me is someone I really don’t want to be again.
That being said, I really wish there was more to this one. I could care less for either of the plots. The president plot I could care less for and in hindsight it really doesn’t add much to the series, save for being a plot point in the overall ridiculous plot that is seven.
The sex plot….well, I might’ve cared for it more when I was fifteen.
As a woman in her mid twenties though, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Mia’s obliviousness and freaking out.
Again, very relevant to someone who is of that age group, but when you’re older you really could care less.
There were some things that were enjoyable about this one that made it tolerable. The term Baby Licker was one of them. I also liked the fact that there seemed to be a heavy focus on friendship on this one.
But sometimes, the friendships got immature. Like a certain scene at a slumber party when the characters discuss whether a new kid at school is a boy or girl.
That just seemed a little rude.
Blah.
Besides, Princess in Waiting this is probably the most lackluster installment in the series. However, in retrospect I think Meg did an excellent job portraying a teenage girl. I hate to say it, when I was Mia’s age I probably acted a lot like her-though slightly less neurotic. And Teen Me is someone I really don’t want to be again.
That being said, I really wish there was more to this one. I could care less for either of the plots. The president plot I could care less for and in hindsight it really doesn’t add much to the series, save for being a plot point in the overall ridiculous plot that is seven.
The sex plot….well, I might’ve cared for it more when I was fifteen.
As a woman in her mid twenties though, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Mia’s obliviousness and freaking out.
Again, very relevant to someone who is of that age group, but when you’re older you really could care less.
There were some things that were enjoyable about this one that made it tolerable. The term Baby Licker was one of them. I also liked the fact that there seemed to be a heavy focus on friendship on this one.
But sometimes, the friendships got immature. Like a certain scene at a slumber party when the characters discuss whether a new kid at school is a boy or girl.
That just seemed a little rude.
April 14, 2023
I read this one a couple of months ago and I'm not going to lie, I had to look back on what this one was about.
This was the book in the series where the topic of sex was introduced. Not only does Mia need to have a s0lid talk about sex and what it could entail, but Michael also needs to have that talk with a professional.
I had the ick at the beginning of this series over the fact that Michael was eighteen when he started dating a fourteen year-old Mia, but the ick increased when he low-key started pressuring Mia into having sex with him. "I won't wait around forever" and then her having to bargain with him about re-exploring the topic two months (or whatever) later. "There's only so many cold showers a guy can take."
Yeah, Michael. Sounds like a YOU problem.
A little worrisome that this, back then or even now, could be a teen or middle grade's first encounter with sex and the expectations that couples could have regarding sex. Mia's age was evident in this one and her naïveté is very loud. I think this book also helps to take the mystique away from Michael being this incredible and aware boyfriend, especially because of that age gap.
Also, still extremely dislike Lilly at this point.
Happy reading!
This was the book in the series where the topic of sex was introduced. Not only does Mia need to have a s0lid talk about sex and what it could entail, but Michael also needs to have that talk with a professional.
I had the ick at the beginning of this series over the fact that Michael was eighteen when he started dating a fourteen year-old Mia, but the ick increased when he low-key started pressuring Mia into having sex with him. "I won't wait around forever" and then her having to bargain with him about re-exploring the topic two months (or whatever) later. "There's only so many cold showers a guy can take."
Yeah, Michael. Sounds like a YOU problem.
A little worrisome that this, back then or even now, could be a teen or middle grade's first encounter with sex and the expectations that couples could have regarding sex. Mia's age was evident in this one and her naïveté is very loud. I think this book also helps to take the mystique away from Michael being this incredible and aware boyfriend, especially because of that age gap.
Also, still extremely dislike Lilly at this point.
Happy reading!
May 9, 2022
2022 Reread
She gave a great speech, but I felt a little squeamish over that sex ultimatum. 🤢
June 2015
This was a nice palate cleanser after Red Rising. I'm rereading the series after I finish enormous novels for a nice break in between. Mia is still a worrywart princess, but she's my worrywart princess. I love all the pop culture references and epistolary writing style. Meg Cabot will forever be queen of my middle school reading habits.
She gave a great speech, but I felt a little squeamish over that sex ultimatum. 🤢
June 2015
This was a nice palate cleanser after Red Rising. I'm rereading the series after I finish enormous novels for a nice break in between. Mia is still a worrywart princess, but she's my worrywart princess. I love all the pop culture references and epistolary writing style. Meg Cabot will forever be queen of my middle school reading habits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,139 reviews