The Princess Diaries Reviews | Books 1-12 Including Novellas | From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess | Books 1 & 2 | Spoilers
Why these books are relevant 23 years later
Two summers ago (about this time), I read and listened to the entire Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. I read the original series first, then dove into the From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess Series, but I was extremely burnt out after powering through this series in THREE WEEKS. Yes, three weeks. Bless audiobooks and 1.5x speed. Let's dive in because I have A LOT of thoughts.
First, this book series (minus the Royal Wedding) is categorized as Young Adult. That doesn't make it any less fun to read, but reading it and expecting the narrative that a teenager has to make sense as an adult will be disappointing, so if you plan to tackle this series, level set first. I will review the stories here, similar to how I did on Instagram. I read and listened to them so fast that I didn't review each individually.
An exciting update was the release of The Quarantine Diaries in March of 2023, nearly eight years after what was presumed to be the last book in the series, Royal Wedding, published six years after what I think was supposed to be the actual ending, in 2015 and 2009 respectfully. I looked forward to that book, but it came out three years after Covid. At that point I was over hearing about quarantine and ready to never think of it again (as I'm sure many of us were). The story itself wasn't intended to be a story. Meg Cabot started releasing diary entries on her website in March 2020 as if it were Princess Mia going through quarantine. It was so well received that she compiled them, added more, and published them. I loved the idea, but not that it came out years later. I made it about 40% in before calling it quits. If you've read it, let me know!
I've been a long-time fan of movies, and I got the books for my 13th or 14th birthday. I remember being so excited, but something stopped me from reading them until I was 27. As I went through the stories, I couldn't help but kick myself for not giving them a chance earlier. The stories would have been perfect for me at that age. They would still be great reads for today's teenagers, even though they were first released on July 1st, 2001. They may be 23 years old, but the struggle of growing up is the same.
Original Pre-Finishing the Series Thoughts
"I've been a long-time fan of Meg Cabot's books. When I was younger, I read the Mediator Series, The American Girl Duology, and many of her other YA and Adult fiction books. So, why did I wait 15 years to read The Princess Diaries?
I've spent the last week or so reading through the books (2.5/11 currently). I'm halfway through the third book. It's been more of a combo read, switching between audio, physical book, and e-book.
A few comments:
1) I wish I'd read this series when I got the books at thirteen.
2) I love the movies, but the books are so vastly different from them that they may as well be a separate story (and they're even better).
3) I had not learned that Anne Hathaway was the audiobook narrator. This fact adds much to the story and makes the books even more fun.
***
"🎧📚I listened to Project Princess on the audiobook last night into this morning. It's a novella set between the fourth and fifth Princess Diaries books. It's all about Mia's Spring Break. It's very short and sweet.
I'm about 50% of the way through book five, which is equally entertaining as the previous books.
I'm getting a tad burnt out, but these books are fun and chaotic in the best way.😂"
Original Instagram Overview Review
Three weeks and the entire Princess Diaries series later...
eleven novels, three novellas, and 3,519 pages
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audiobook/e-book/physical copies
I can't believe how vastly different the book series is from the movies. In some of the later books (after the second movie was made), Meg Cabot refers to the films from Mia's point of view, saying, "How wrong they got it." It's incredibly funny and entertaining.
Here are my favorite differences between the movies and books (stop reading now if you don't want spoilers):
1) Her grandmother is nothing like Julie Andrews. She's horrible and the worst kind of grandmother, which makes her character fun to read.
2) At the end of the series, Mia marries Michael and is pregnant with twins. Her father is very much alive and has a second child, which we learn about in the last book. This sets up Meg Cabot's middle-grade series, From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, very well. I'm still deciding if I want to read those. They're not long, and I want to see if they mention Mia and Michael after their children are born.
3) Mia's mom and dad get back together (but only after Mr. Giannini- the same one from the movies) passes away between the 10th and 11th book, leaving Helen with their child and Prince Phillipe wishing he'd never let her go.
4) Lana and Mia become great friends(????). I will forever be confused about this, and all I could imagine was how horrible Lana was to Mia in the first movie.
5) Lilly is horrible the entire time. I don't know how Mia stands it unless it's because of Michael. The movie and book characters are almost identical, with the book series one being more irritating.
6) Michael spends the later books as a freshman in college and then goes to Japan to build a robotic surgery arm that changes medical practices. His reason for doing this, and what causes a complete novel break for Michael and Mia, is that he wants to prove to her family that he is worthy of her as a commoner. But he does what he sets out to do and ends up a millionaire.
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess
The two books I read were sweet, but I don't remember much. Mia and Michael appear, and her half-sister is the center of these books. I read both 1 and 2 in a day or so. They were more for the younger audience (obviously), but if you were younger and read these AND The Princess Diaries, you would spoil some significant parts of the story. It seems like the thing you'd want to avoid. I only have a few thoughts about these books, other than that they give more background after The Royal Wedding ends, but it's definitely from the mind of a twelve-year-old.
Final Thoughts
If Meg Cabot knows how to do anything, it's writing pre-teens/teens quite well. This comes from someone whose favorite book was All American Girl by Meg Cabot for several years and who read the entire Mediator Series in middle school. When I think of the author who's spoken to me more in my life, no matter my age, it's Meg Cabot. Her middle-grade, high school, and adult books always make me laugh. She had a unique writing voice that is present in nearly all of her books, which makes them comforting, especially reading them over the course of 15 years.
Overall, this was a solid series and a must-read for anyone who wants to see how the movies should have played out. While Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is a fun movie, I would have rather seen a crazy grandma, and Mia ends up with Michael. Who said that wasn't how the movie should play out? I want to chat.
Ratings
The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries, #1) - 5 of 5 stars - June 18, 2022
Princess in the Spotlight (The Princess Diaries, #2) - 4 of 5 stars - June 21, 2022
Princess in Love (The Princess Diaries, #3) - 4 of 5 stars - June 23, 2022
Princess in Waiting (The Princess Diaries, #4) - 4 of 5 stars - June 24, 2022
Project Princess (The Princess Diaries, #4.5) - 3 of 5 stars - June 25, 2022
Princess in Pink (The Princess Diaries, #5) - 4 of 5 stars - June 26, 2022
Princess in Training (The Princess Diaries, #6) - 3 of 5 stars - June 27, 2022
Party Princess (The Princess Diaries, #7) - 4 of 5 stars - June 27, 2022
Princess on the Brink (The Princess Diaries, #8) - 4 of 5 stars - June 28, 2022
Princess Mia (The Princess Diaries, #9) - 4 of 5 stars - June 28, 2022
Forever Princess (The Princess Diaries, #10) - 5 of 5 stars - June 30, 2022
Sweet Sixteen Princess (The Princess Diaries, #7.5) - 3 of 5 stars - July 03, 2022
Valentine Princess (The Princess Diaries, #7.75) - 3 of 5 stars - July 03, 2022
Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries, #11) - 5 of 5 stars - July 03, 2022
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess (From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, #1) - 4 of 5 stars - July 05, 2022
Royal Wedding Disaster (From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, #2) - 4 of 5 stars - July 06, 2022
The Quarantine Diaries - N/A - Never completed