Secrets of a Reluctant Princess by Casey Griffin Genre: YA Contemporary Publication Date: March 7, 2017 Format: I was provided with an advanced copy from the publisher for review. In no way was this review influenced by that fact. You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1633755932/ref=x_gr_w_bb_sout?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_sout-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1633755932&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2 Summary: At Beverly Hills High, you have to be ruthless to survive… Adrianna Bottom always wanted to be liked. But this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Now, she’s in the spotlight…and out of her geeky comfort zone. She’ll do whatever it takes to turn the rumor mill in her favor―even if it means keeping secrets. So far, it’s working. Wear the right clothes. Say the right things. Be seen with the right people. Kevin, the adorable sketch artist who shares her love of all things nerd, isn’t exactly the right people. But that doesn’t stop Adrianna from crushing on him. The only way she can spend time with him is in disguise, as Princess Andy, the masked girl he’s been LARPing with. If he found out who she really was, though, he’d hate her. The rules have been set. The teams have their players. Game on. My Thoughts: This book I have a lot of mixed feelings about...there were parts that were loveable while others I struggled to agree with. To put it bluntly, the main character, Adrianna, acts really like a brat and that was my biggest problem with it. Before anyone starts yelling at me, allow me to explain. The book felt more like a middle grade book rather than a YA book as it is marketed as, and given the age of the characters, it is appropriate to market it as that. However, Adrianna seemed to be like in middle school instead of being a 16(?) year old. The writing style was good but the characters themselves weren’t that great. Another big problem I had was with the character development: All the characters were a bit flat. There was no appeal to why any of the characters did anything, and there really was no reason to empathize for them. The situation felt too ideal. It wasn’t realistic enough that others/readers can relate to because like Adrianna ‘magically’ made a friend the first hour within the school day starting. I feel like there’s just not enough to the book. She starts a new school, everyone hates her, she embarrasses herself, she has an unfortunate last name, she gets the boy, etc… Everything is so cliche, and she didn’t even go crazy spending money like any other 16 year old would. I think the main reason that I didn’t enjoy the book is just how i view things, that are very different than how they are viewed in the book. It’s more of a personal thing for me, and I know many people (such as my little sister) who would love this book. (Maybe I can get her to read it and write a review from her point of view?? I’ll see about that haha). I do feel for the Adrianna. Personally, if my parents hit it big selling toilet supplies, and uproot my entire life, I might freak out a little just like she did. But there are upsides: she was bullied at her old school so moving to a new place would be the perfect time to start anew and build a new character for yourself. And where else is better than Los Angeles?? The center of the entertainment world. Where many of the most brilliant creative minds to ever exist reside. And with your parents getting a new show and 2 new brick and mortar houses, there’s a lot of monetary benefits to come. I would’ve just stuck the humiliation out and then laugh at all the haters when the TV show strikes it big and I have a whole new wardrobe and a bunch of other things because isn’t that what the Kardashians are doing? While we’re all laughing and hating on them, we still watch their show and they earn millions. The ending really didn’t impress me that much. Instead of a 16 year old, Andy really sounded like she was 12 and her entire social life had been uprooted and that nothing is going her way and oh no, the sky is falling etc...Well i guess in some ways this is true but her tone is just so immature. The entire thing with the paparazzi reminds me a lot of another Entangled book, How Willa Got Her Groove Back and Finn with his entire paparazzi incident. It’s a huge cultural change going from a nobody to someone that everyone either wants to be or everyone makes fun of. Overall, I give the book a 4/10 (2/5 stars). I feel really bad for giving it such a bad rating but for me, the work just didn’t work or appeal to me very much. The writing is very good, and it’s nothing personal to the author at all and as I said before, I know many people who would like the book. The character development was the biggest issue for me, and so if that’s something that doesn’t bother you, go read the book. Also if you’re the type of person who likes to read the ‘rags to riches’ reality TV show stuff, then this is the book for you. ANOTHER THING: I have a guest post from the author from earlier this week, that you can check out here: http://thecozylittlebooknook.weebly.com/blog/secrets-of-a-reluctant-princess-guest-post So what did you think about the review? I want to know your thoughts as I’m still trying to sort out mine :3. Leave me all your thoughts in the comments below or find me on social media, @BrookeEvans2001 on Twitter and @thecozylittlebooknook on Instagram. ALSO!! Look forward to a very special announcement for something that I have never done before on this blog coming TOMORROW!! I will talk to all of y’all soon! ~Brooke
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About me!Brooke's a high schooler who loves to read all sorts of books. She's happy to be able to share all the books she's reading with all of y'all. Archives
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