Let me start off by saying I almost passed out when I was approved to read this ARC. Meg Cabot has been one of my favorite authors as a kid, obviously beginning with the original Princess Diaries. So needless to say, I was a little starstruck and am truly honored to have been chosen to review her book! That being said, my review will be totally unbiased, even though I am a huge fan.
Her newest book in the Princess Diaries series follows a much more grown up Mia than I've seen. I read the first few books when I was in middle/high school but haven't kept up on them. So we're talking about six or seven books in between now and where I left off! But the nostalgia was still there! It was really cool to read about what Mia was doing now: married with two babies and running a country! The one thing that I found jarring was how unhinged Queen Clarisse Renaldi had become. I know her as the ever poised Queen of Genovia portrayed by Julie Andrews, so reading about her partying with college kids and ignoring COVID protocols threw me off, but also made me really wonder what exactly happened to her!
The story is made pretty obvious by the title: Mia is documenting her time as the country's ruler during the time of the coronavirus pandemic. What I loved about this though was how Mia continues to be relatable, even though her situation is extremely specific. One of my favorite parts was that one of the first things she did during quarantine was put a wine cooler in her bedroom. I wish I'd have thought of that!
Anyway, without giving too much away, we see Mia go struggle through different situations, some pandemic related, some personal, and are able to follow her thought process through everything, from lockdown protesters, to random people living in the palace. The entire time we're with Mia is a whirlwind and it was great fun to read!
Overall, I'd give this one 4 stars. The story wasn't my absolute favorite of hers, but it was a fun little read for sure! I'd definitely recommend it if you want to read an interesting perspective on the pandemic or are just looking for a dose of nostalgia!
Thank you so much again to Meg Cabot and Avon Impulse for choosing me to read this ARC!
Read the author's summary --> HERE
Buy it on Amazon --> HERE
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