Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA/New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks448 pages
Description:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding—but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.
For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.
But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?
Royal Wedding is the first New Adult/adult installment in the incredibly popular Princess Diaries series. The story follows our recurring heroine, Princess Mia, as she tries to navigate her life - which always seems to be filled with problems. Lately, Mia has been holed up at the Genovian Consulate in New York because of the paparazzi and her former stalker. It's almost impossible for Mia to live a normal life - she can't leave to run the new community center she built, almost never gets to visit her friends, and even rarely sees her boyfriend, Michael. Just when Mia thinks that things are going to boil over and cause a huge mess of everything, Michael surprises her with a trip to the Caribbean - for just the two of them. While there, Mia gets another big surprise - Michael proposes to her! For once, this is something she doesn't have to think twice about or second guess herself - she immediately says 'yes.' Back in reality, however, life continues to become crazier by the day. Her grandmother starts leaking fake wedding information to the press, and a crazy cousin threatens to overthrow her father from the throne - and he might even succeed due to a family secret that would leave her beloved country without a monarch. Mia realizes that it's time she stepped up to her place as monarch and ruler of Genovia - but she has to convince everyone that she's even ready to marry Michael, let alone become the ruler of a country.
I'll start off by saying that I haven't read any of the previous books in the series. I missed out on a ton of information from the earlier books that would have made this story much easier to dive into. In my opinion, you should definitely read at least some of the books prior to this one - it will give you needed background information, history, and an overall sense of understanding that you won't be able to get otherwise. I had the disadvantage while reading this book because I had to accept things that had previously happened in the overarching story and just go with it - whereas those who had already read the series would be completely up to date with the story line. It was a fun and easy read, even though I didn't have all the background. It's written in the form of a diary, with parts of the story broken up into daily entries. Again, I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that this is the same writing style that's been used throughout the entire series.
By reading these journal entries written by Mia, we get a really close look at everything that happens in the book - and all from Mia's perspective. I always mention the point of view a book is written in because I feel that it's a major factor for the reader. With this story being told from Mia's first person point of view, we're able to get a lot of personal insight. We are able to read her feelings on a person or situation, how things look to her, along with much more private information like her emotions, dreams, fears, inner thoughts and so much more. I always love the first person POV and I think that it's a perfect fit for this book and the series as a whole. Getting to know Mia on such a deep level makes her incredibly realistic and easy to empathize with. By the end of the book, it felt as if I was a very close friend of hers and she had told me the story herself, not through journal entries.
The plot was filled with lots of activity - both good and bad. Like reality, Mia's life is overwhelmed by various commitments - both as a royal and as a person of influence. She has to balance this part of her life with the more personal side - the one that is close with her friends and is in a loving relationship with Michael. Things tend to bounce around on both sides of her life, so she's always dealing with something - whether it be good or bad. It's a lot to handle for a normal person in her mid-twenties, let alone a princess! I liked that the story focuses on Mia and her life instead of just one or two incidents that take place. We get to see a more rounded version of Mia this way, along with it giving the plot a few smaller story lines to follow during the book. The main and secondary characters were all well written with distinct personalities and quirks. The author was able to capture the feel of Mia's life - and the existence of Genovia - and slipped it seamlessly into the world we live in now. It was easy to slide into Mia's world because it's so incredibly normal and close to our own society. Of course, the main aspect of the story was Mia's wedding to Michael - along with everything that came with it and before it. Even though it got a bit rough for Mia at times, the author was able to make it feel like a normal existence, with the reader being able to understand and sympathize with all that Mia has to deal with. Overall, it's a wonderfully romantic and light-hearted novel that fans of the series will definitely want to get their hands on. It will also appeal to an older audience and those who are new to the series. Definitely recommended for an easy and laid back summer read!
Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. More than 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.
Find out more about Meg at her website, follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
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I think I'm one of the few people who hasn't either read any of these books or watched the movie. I love that readers have grown up with Mia and that the series is still going strong!
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