Title: Project Princess
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: The Princess Diaries #4.5
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: OUR TENTS!!!!!!!!!!

What on earth is that princess up to now?

Most princesses would prefer to spend their spring breaks in Gstaad, or some other equally unpronounceable European hot spot.

Not this one, though. Hammer in hand, Princess Mia embarks on an epic adventure for one so admittedly unhandy: along with her cohorts from school, she’s off to build houses for the less fortunate. It doesn’t take Mia long to realize that helping others—while an unimpeachably noble pastime—is very hard work. Will her giving spirit prevail? Will the house collapse due to royally clumsy construction? And most importantly, will Michael stop working long enough to kiss her?

As someone who grew up camping, I don’t think that there’s anything funnier than a city-slicker trying to camp. At university I remember teaching some of my friends how to pitch a tent – a skill that I had taken for granted. Which is probably what made me laugh so hard throughout Project Princess. The shock and unpreparedness that some people experience when camping is certainly akin to what Mia felt. The fact that she didn’t even really know that she was going to be camping just made it all the more entertaining and interesting.

One of the things that I did find annoying about this story though is Mia’s single minded obsession with Michael. Yes, we’ve all been there and it was kind of cute, but it was starting to grate on my nerves towards the end of the story. After all, she is a talented and independent girl who just wants to do things that involve her boyfriend. To be fair, probably something I would do at that age. Which is likely why it bothered me so much.

Throughout the series so far Mia has promoted her love for and obsession with Greenpeace and conservation. The allure of nature has been a large calling card for her throughout the story, but when she actually has to spend time in it, it becomes a much more realistic world. One that she maybe isn’t so keen to immerse herself in once she leaves high school.

Image source: Amazon

Title: Valentine Princess
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: The Princess Diaries #4.25
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: It’s just… I’m not used to having a girlfriend.

Valentine’s Day means flowers, chocolates, and all-out romance.

That is, it usually means those things. But when you’re Princess Mia, nothing happens the way it’s supposed to. For one thing, Grandmere seems determined to prove that boy (or Michael, as he is commonly known) isn’t the right one for the crown princess of Genovia. And Mia isn’t having much luck proving otherwise, since Michael has a history of being decidedly against any kind of exploitative commercialization (Valentine’s Day, as it is commonly known).

Boris can declare his love openly to Lilly, and even Kenny comes through with a paltry Whitman’s Sampler. So why can’t Michael give in to cupid and tell Mia he loves her – preferably with something wrapped in red or pink and accompanied by roses – in time to prove he’s Mia’s true prince?

This is even shorter fluff than the rest of the Princess Diaries books. And by fluff I mean, mindless, happy, easy reading. It’s cute, it’s funny, and like the rest of the stories so far, this left me with a smile on my face, reminiscing about when I was a teenage girl thinking every drama was the end of the world. Of course, I didn’t ever worry about my boyfriend’s forgetting valentine’s day, and I certainly didn’t have to worry about being a princess. And the media. Bleugh.

As always, Mia is a slightly over-wrung basket case. This time, it’s over her first valentine’s day with Michael. Whether he will get her a gift, whether they will do something together, whether she should get him a gift. And, as usual, she lets her Gradmere influence her and this leads to all kinds of other chaos. I’m sure that at some point, later in the series, she will stop doing this and realise that her not-of-this-world grandmother doesn’t really help her be a normal American teenager… maybe MUCH later in the series.

The thing that actually annoyed me most about this story was Lily. I loved her archaic and independent attitude in the movie. She was difficult and pushy, but she also finally let Mia shine. She doesn’t do this so much in the book series. Maybe it’s because I personally love the idea of a day dedicated to love (regardless of its shady origins), but her dismissal of Mia’s feelings, and her inability to see why the day is such a big deal was kind of irritating.

Image source: Meg Cabot Wiki

Title: Princess in Waiting
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: The Princess Diaries #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Easy reading
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: In fact, between that and the whole not-thinking-Michael-suitable-consort-material, she’s laying it on so thick, I fully blame her for my zit – even though it’s gone now, thanks to the miracle of modern dermatology.

Never before has the world seen such a princess.

Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. Mia’s royal introduction to Genovia has mixed results: while her fashion sense is widely applauded, her position on the installation of public parking meters is met with resistance.

But the politics of bureaucracy are nothing next to Mia’s real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long—sought—after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère as a result of the Genovian parking—meter thing, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn’t there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?

Princess in Waiting follows Mia’s first foray into the political world of Genovia and details her many responsibilities as princess. As always in the world of Mia, even with the best of intentions, not everything goes perfectly and she is constantly putting her foot in it. The added complications of her new love life and diabolical grandmother just makes it more fun and entertaining.

At the end of Princess in Love, Mia is finally able to be with the boy that she’s madly in love with (but, she’s fourteen, so that term is a little overwhelming for me… but anyway…). So, now that she has the boy, she is racked with insecurity. After all, they kissed, and then she left the country for over a month. I’m a lot older than Mia and I’m still racked with romantic uncertainty. After all, who hasn’t wondered why their significant other chose to be with them? And add that to her own insecurities… Mia’s romantic neurosis take on a whole new, entertaining level. Which of course brings forth her other self-esteem issues. And she spends the entire story wondering why he likes her and what her talent is.

If Mia’s own talent for getting herself in trouble isn’t enough, her Grandmere continues to throw a spanner in the works. Everytime Mia is on top of her experiences and thinks she has everything under control, Grandmere decides to get involved for some diabolical reason. Primarily throughout this book it’s about sabotaging Mia’s relationship and encouraging a new one.

As with the first three books, Princess in Waiting left me smiling at the sweetness of the story. It also made me remember what it’s like to fall in love for the very first time.

Image source: Amazon