Royal Wedding (Princess Diaries, #11)

by Meg Cabot

[Katie King]

I grew up reading the Princess Diaries series. I remember sitting in the reading nook I had made in the corner of my bedroom and just devouring the first few books. It's when my love of reading first started picking up some steam.

I was pretty disappointed with this, and I'm kind of surprised by the amount of great reviews.

It's nice that we had the opportunity to grow with Mia. Looking back at the original series at my current age, I probably wouldn't like it as much. So I'm glad that this is a more adult novel so that I can fairly judge it.

The problem is that it isn't quite an adult story. Mia and everyone around her is definitely older, but they don't act any different. Everyone still seems exactly how they were in the original series and it bothered me. All the "adult stuff" that happens (ex. sex, getting engaged) feels so forced. Like Cabot took 14yo Mia and just layered awkward sexual conversations and adult life events on her, as if that would convince us that time has passed. Mia didn't sound or feel any different, as though she completely refused to mature or change in what, 8 years? I've aged, but she clearly hasn't at all. I'm a very similar age with similar life events going on, but I couldn't connect at all. That led me to the conclusion that I probably wouldn't enjoy rereading the original books back when she really was 14.

Ugh and then it's like Cabot couldn't decide what kind of twist to include so she dropped a bunch in all around the same time. Seriously, the sister, engagement, parents getting together, babies...there wasn't even any time to respond or reflect on each of the events because another twist would be dropped a few pages later. It was really gross.