Blog Tour: Royal Crush

                                                                                                                


Hey friends! It's Mari here, reviewing for one of my FAVOURITE AUTHORS OF ALL TIME!!!!!! Thanks to Rockstar Book Tours, we are bringing you a blog tour for Royal Crush by Meg Cabot! 

Title: ROYAL CRUSH
Author: Meg Cabot
Pub. Date: August 1, 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 192
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

Being the newest princess of Genovia is WAY more complicated than she expected, but Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison is getting used to it. She gets to live in an actual palace with two fabulous poodles, a pet iguana, her very own pony, and, best of all, a loving family to help her figure things out!

And right now Olivia, having finally admitted that she likes Prince Khalil as more than just a friend, could REALLY use some advice. What is a princess supposed to do once she's found a prince she likes? With her half-sister Mia busy enjoying her honeymoon, Olivia turns to Grandmere for help.

The third book in the middle-grade Princess Diaries spin-off series, written and illustrated by New York Times-bestselling author Meg Cabot.


About Meg: 

The kween herself

Meg Cabot is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for both adults and tweens/teens. There have been over 25 million copies of Meg’s nearly 80 published books sold in 38 countries. Her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming.” She currently lives in Key West, Florida with her husband and various cats.

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Pinterest | Instagram 


Review:

Let me make something very clear. I do not, ever, read middle grade fiction. EVER. It's not my thing, nor was it when I was the age that it's targeted for.

But I will always, ALWAYS make an exception for Meg Cabot. She is a kween among women, and I will always give her books a try, especially when it comes to the Princess Diaries.

I'm so glad I made that rule.

I was expecting the whole Princess Olivia series to be a watered-down version of the original parent series. But it wasn't. It hit all the notes that the original did, but in a fresh way, geared toward a new generation of readers. Olivia is much like her half-sister Mia, in that she is neurotic and obsessive over the things that she loves, and her relationships with her friends and family are very similar to Mia's. She is a plucky and relatable heroine, and her personality is so freaking charming! But while that may seem like Cabot is simply trying to recreate something that she had with her other series, it really doesn't read that way. Trust me. 

The things that made me fall in love with the Princess Diaries in the first place, (that it was about a girl who came from a "common" life, and now lives with her rather trying royal Grandmere and family) are present in this series as well. What is new however, is that Olivia lives (and goes to middle school) in Genovia. It brings a new level to the story having her be surrounded by young royals, unlike her sister. It's hilarious seeing Olivia trying to navigate her new royal life. Plus her crush on a certain Prince is super cute to read. 

What also made me hesitant about reading this, was that it felt like I was cheating on Mia, what with reading about her sister and all. But never fear. Mia has a prominent role in the book (what with her pregnancy and all!) and even her friends are mentioned. Also, her mother and Rocky are still around, and reading about their happy life in Genovia is wonderful. It really makes you feel better about read-cheating on the original series.

All in all, this book hit all the right notes, and Olivia is a new princess for a new generation of readers. And (dare I say it?) even old ones like myself!

Recommended for people who enjoy: The Princess Diaries, contemporary fiction, middle grade




Rating: 9/10 Stars

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of ROYAL CRUSH, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

Week One:
7/24/2017- YA Book Nerd- Review
7/25/2017- Bibliobakes- Review
7/26/2017- Margie's Must Reads- Review
7/27/2017- Never Too Many To Read- Review

Week Two:
7/31/2017- Little Miss Drama Queen- Review
8/1/2017- The Book Nut- Review
8/2/2017- Becky on Books- Review
8/3/2017- Pervy Ladies Books- Review

8/4/2017- YA Books Central- Spotlight

Well that's it from me! Let me know what you think of the Princess Olivia books, and if you missed my review of the first Princess Diaries book, click here to check it out!

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: The Princess Diaries

Taken from www.megcabot.com

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Release Date: June 26, 2001
Read: June of 2010 (for the first time)
Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval
Format: Paperback, 283 pages

Description from Goodreads: 
Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foor-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra.
Is she ever in for a surprise.
First Mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?

Review: I first picked this book up five years ago. It might be hard to believe, but no, I hadn't seen the movie first. In 2010, I was at a clearance sale at Chapters and saw a three volume set of the first three books. Obviously I bought it. After reading the synopsis on the back, I knew that this was the book for me. Mia is the princess that no one expected to be. She is crazy and neurotic, but it comes off as endearing, and somehow cute.It's funny, in a zany and quirky way. One of my favorite parts of the first book, is all the pop culture references in the early 2000's. Of course, if you don't know very much about this time, it may be a little hard to follow. When I first read this, all I wanted was to be exactly like her best friend- Lilly Moscovitz. She is one of the best parts of the entire series, because she is the wild child rebel that causes trouble where ever she goes. She inspired me to listen to the news, and to not flinch away from expressing my opinion. If you still aren't sold, and are thinking "I'll just watch the movie," here's one more thing. Grandmere, is one of the biggest character changes, book to movie. In the books she is one mean, and crafty old gal. She smokes and drinks CONSTANTLY, which adds to the charm.  If you really aren't sure about reading them, Anne Hathaway read the first three books, and Clea Louis the rest. They are great, and I've listed to them about a million times. This is on of my favorite book series ever, and I recommend it to anyone who needs a long and funny series.  

Favorite Quotes: “What kind of name is Paolo, anyway? I mean, this is America, for Pete’s sake! YOUR NAME IS PAUL!!!” 
― Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries

“You know in sixth grade, when they made all of us girls go into this other room and watch a video about getting our periods and stuff? I bet while we were gone, the boys were watching a video about how to look at each other in that infuriating way.”
― Meg Cabot, The Princess Diaries

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended for People Who Enjoy: YA fiction, feminist characters, funny dialogue, princess stories

Happy reading, 

Mari