Desi Bascomb has been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, so when a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and wants to know if Desi would like to become a substitute princess, she of course agrees.
This is a cute, sweet book. It's young, verging more on juvenile fiction than young adult. But it didn't bother me. I don't know what it was, because Meredith and Desi were both the type of characters that would normally annoy me, but they didn't. I actually liked them both which made the whole story fun to read. Maybe it was in the beginning when Desi didn't wish to be popular or get the guy but wished to have impact. I think that set a really good tone for the book so even when her internal monologue was maybe a little too young for me to relate to, I understood where it was coming from and found it believable for her age. I also really liked how she progressed as a character.
In fact, all her characters are really realistic. It's nice to have a break from the gorgeous, charming, perfect guy and his equally hot, strong group of friends and the perfect romance that can never be. (did I really just say that?) Desi is good and you like her without her having to be the singular object of his affection. And the guys are totally flawed which worked so well and Meredith is interesting.
I definitely recommend this book for young girls who want to read something fun, or for older girls who want to remember what it's like to be young.
