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244th out of 918 books
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The Secret Life of Prince Charming
by
Deb Caletti
Maybe it was wrong, or maybe impossible, but I wanted the truth to be one thing. One solid thing.
Quinn is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken. Between her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother, Quinn hears nothing but cautionary tales. She tries to be an optimist -- after all, she's the dependable one, the girl who never makes foolish choices. But when she
...moreHardcover, 322 pages
Published
April 7th 2009
by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
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Women empowerement. Let me hear it for the ladies! Those are the first words I thought of when I finished this excellently done book. If someone were to ask me what book they could find advice about love this would be it. Seriously that good. I know someone will beg to differ, but for my young heart it was the perfect advice.
Now I really loved Quinn, but my favorite character was her younger sister Charlotte (aka Sprout). I wish I had that much confidence at that age. In reality all ...more
Now I really loved Quinn, but my favorite character was her younger sister Charlotte (aka Sprout). I wish I had that much confidence at that age. In reality all ...more
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I reviewed this for Booklist. It's a romance, a road trip, and a coming of age story all of which are fun and will please fans of Caletti's other work and newcomers who enjoy Dessen and others like her. It has an intriguing chorus of older female voices sharing their past history with men and what they've learned. The advice is solid and hard won, and delivered in a way that doesn't seem didactic, just lovingly shared. I'd love to have my teen daughters read it. Maybe I can get them to if it is ...more
At first I was not in love with the premise of Deb Caletti's newest; it seemed a little too much like a movie theme, kinda like the last one. But Caletti's writing always conquers all. This, to me, was her most powerful novel. It's all about love and relationships and what women are willing to put up with for love. Like so many of her other novels, it's a multi-generational story and while the heroine is a teen, her mom, grandma, aunt, and the women who have been in her father's life are all...more
Dani
added it
Well, I'm only a few chapters into this book. I was a fan of Deb Caletti. I loved her first few books (The Queen of Everthing, Wild Roses, The Nature of Jade) but, this book (a lot like The Fortunes Of Indigo Skye) is filled with negativity and makes me feel like I'm being lectured. I've read some other reviews and I hold hope that the book will get better.(I truly hope it does because I paid $10 for it, which is a lot for a book.) It's taking forever to get to the actual plot with action.
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I know a lot of people are going to claim that this is a guy-bashing book, but I found it to be a lovely exploration of love and emotion. Quinn is turning 17 and, along with sister Sprout, has a tenuous relationship with her biological father. They've only been in each other's lives for a few years and the girls are fond of his newest girlfriend, Brie. Unfortunately, one day they show up for a visit and Brie has vanished - but a precious keepsake of hers was left behind. Quinn discovers that...more
MEN MAN. WHO NEEDS 'EM? WHAT JERKS, AMIRITE?
...That's basically the message of this book, for the most part. Guy bashing and women empowerment YEAH! Okay, while the book states that not all men are bad, I had a strong desire to really hate people by the end of the book. Like, a really strong desire.
This book is... okay. It doesn't really pick up until the half-way point, so if you're impatient I wouldn't suggest it. There's also random words of wisdom just thrown in there tha...more
...That's basically the message of this book, for the most part. Guy bashing and women empowerment YEAH! Okay, while the book states that not all men are bad, I had a strong desire to really hate people by the end of the book. Like, a really strong desire.
This book is... okay. It doesn't really pick up until the half-way point, so if you're impatient I wouldn't suggest it. There's also random words of wisdom just thrown in there tha...more
This book definitely conveyed an important message for me that I think I've been trying to avoid and shut out. This past year I've been through hell and back relationship-wise and it's left me a complete, emotional wreck - not that I would admit that to any of my friends. I lost interest in a number of things that I thought I loved to do - read, write, bake, etc. I finally got back into reading and this was one of the first books I picked up. I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect book for me...more
I really liked this book, but WARNING, it has a lot of potty mouth talk in it. I didn’t know youth fiction could contain the F-word so much. None, the less, I have a habit of changing words I don’t like in my head as I read…can’t do that so much if it’s an audiobook. But I really liked the storyline. It’s about a 17-yr-old who while she and her 11-yr old sister are visiting their dad one weekend, discover he has items all over his house that he’s stolen from his former “women.” She contacts...more
Karen Kaiser
rated it
I loved this book. It could be categorized as a romance novel, but it's so much more than that. True, it was enjoyable reading about Quinn's and Jake's budding relationship, but Jake didn't even enter the story until half-way through. So much of the story is about Quinn finding and accepting the truth about her father, who she tries with all her heart to love. A father is someone who almost always has some kind of emotional hold on someone, and this story is about Quinn breaking the emotional ho...more
Betsy Imhoff
added it
The book Secret Life of Prince Charming is written by Deb Caletti. This book is about a girl named Quinn who is 17. Her little sister’s name is Sprout and Quinn loves her very much. She also has an older half-sister named Frances Lee, who she has never met before. Every woman in her family has never had love they have always had heartbreak. It’s about how they all get together to fight against the jerks and to stop the heartbreak that they have all encountered.
I really liked this book...more
I really liked this book...more
Books and Literature for Teens
rated it
It's amazing really, what some people will fall for. Mr. Sensitive, the competitive jerk, the control freak, or the "dirty, rotten, liar" in the words of Dorothy Hoffman, Quinn's grandmother. Sometimes though, you never know about your mistake until you really get to know that person. In The Secret Life of Prince Charming, Quinn explores the world of not-so-perfect men, choices, and the complications of, well, someone who is NOT prince charming and someone who is.
This is my first Calet...more
This is my first Calet...more
This book is about Quinn, the women in her life, and the man who ruined them all (her Dad).
Quinn is 17. She has a little sister named Sprout and an older half-sister (largely unknown) named Frances Lee. She lives with her mom, grandma, and aunt and goes to stay with her dad every other weekend. But her dad has really only been around for a couple of years and Quinn is starting to discover some things about him she doesn't like and is having a lot of trouble coming to terms with ...more
Quinn is 17. She has a little sister named Sprout and an older half-sister (largely unknown) named Frances Lee. She lives with her mom, grandma, and aunt and goes to stay with her dad every other weekend. But her dad has really only been around for a couple of years and Quinn is starting to discover some things about him she doesn't like and is having a lot of trouble coming to terms with ...more
Quinn has learned from her mother, grandmother, and aunt that there are warning signs when a man is about to break your heart. All have been burned by love, and Quinn, who tries her hardest to make good, safe choices, When her dependable boyfriend dumps her and she discovers that her self-absorbed, Prince Charming father has been stealing objects from every woman he’s ever married or dated, Quinn snaps. She enlists the help of her younger sister, Sprout, and Frances Lee, the half-sister she’s ...more
This book was published for YAs, but I don't think middle schoolers will have the patience - or interest to stick with it, and often as I read it, I wondered if Deb Caletti was feeling equivocal about whether she intended her audience to be teens or middle aged women. Quinn and her younger sister Sprout (Charlotte) join up with a half-sister they hardly know on a quest to return sentimentally valuable items their father has stolen from former girlfriends and wives to their rightful owners. Along...more
Reviewed for Amazon Vine program.
Besides a writer, author Deb Caletti is also a painter, a lecturer, and a lyricist. She is a National Book Award Finalist with other titles including: The Queen of Everything, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, The Nature of Jade, and The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. She resides in Seattle with her family.
Quinn is an ordinary teenager, or so she feels. She is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken and has grown up hearing nothing but cautionary...more
Besides a writer, author Deb Caletti is also a painter, a lecturer, and a lyricist. She is a National Book Award Finalist with other titles including: The Queen of Everything, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, The Nature of Jade, and The Fortunes of Indigo Skye. She resides in Seattle with her family.
Quinn is an ordinary teenager, or so she feels. She is surrounded by women who have had their hearts broken and has grown up hearing nothing but cautionary...more
Growing up with women who’ve had nothing but bad relationships, Quinn has only heard bad stories and dire warnings about the male gender. Still, she tries to remain optimistic. After all, her father is back in her life after years of absence; that must be some proof that men aren’t entirely bad. But being suddenly dumped by Daniel, the boyfriend she thought was perfect, jars her back into reality, and a shocking discovery in her father’s household makes her question the trust she’s placed in him...more
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
The Hoffman women have absolutely awful luck in the man department. At least that is what Quinn concludes after analyzing her mother, Aunt Annie, and Gram. All have their fair share of failed relationship experience, stories of young girls in love only to have their hearts shattered by unfeeling men.
After Quinn is spectacularly dumped, over the telephone, she develops her own jaded view of men. Daniel seemed so nice - polite, r...more
The Hoffman women have absolutely awful luck in the man department. At least that is what Quinn concludes after analyzing her mother, Aunt Annie, and Gram. All have their fair share of failed relationship experience, stories of young girls in love only to have their hearts shattered by unfeeling men.
After Quinn is spectacularly dumped, over the telephone, she develops her own jaded view of men. Daniel seemed so nice - polite, r...more
The book is called The Secret life of Prince Charming, it’s written by Deb Caletti. This book is fiction, if you like a tiny bit of mystery, along with talking about love then this book is for you.
Personally I really liked this book. I didn’t love it because to me certain parts were boring and didn’t have enough details. I also didn’t love it because the ending left me with tons of questions. But overall it was very good! I really liked how she had details about people. And the surrounding...more
Personally I really liked this book. I didn’t love it because to me certain parts were boring and didn’t have enough details. I also didn’t love it because the ending left me with tons of questions. But overall it was very good! I really liked how she had details about people. And the surrounding...more
Quinn comes from a long line of betrayed women. In fact, her father is the culprit who broke her mother's heart, then abandoned the family. While visiting him one weekend, Quinn notices that her father has an interesting collection of artifacts. Upon closer examination, she discovers that each of her father's prized possessions actually belongs to ex-lovers, which he stole. Determined to find the truth about her father, she enlists the help of her half sister to find these women, return their po...more
Quinn knows a lot about love. She lives with her mom, aunt, and grandma - all tried and true love gurus who have withstood many storms caused by love gone wrong. Magnetically stuck to their fridge is the comprehensive master list of things to watch out for - signals that identify a guy who will only bring hurt. Formally educated and ready to stay away from love for good, Quinn decides to rectify some bad love tales on her own. Beginning a quest to right her father's womanly wrongs against mo...more
Great advice, great interesting characters, and a unique story. After finishing the book I smiled, so that's got to say something. At first I was a bit iffy about the cover. I even saw another book with this same cover at the book story so I was a bit peeved to see how little work some put into the covers. But you shouldn't judge (or rate) a book by its cover right? And the book deserves 5 stars.
I really like the characters. Quinn is exceedingly nice and polite which you don't see a ...more
I really like the characters. Quinn is exceedingly nice and polite which you don't see a ...more
I'm giving you another chance, Deb Caletti! I liked your first books, and then you made me angry with your lame studies in class in America, a.k.a. The Fortunes of Indigo Skye.
This one kicks off with a quote from a sexist John Mayer song. God, guys, not to go off on a tangent, but how much do I hate that song? First of all, if I were to rerecord it (and I'm not sure the twisty path of circumstances that would lead to that happening) it should just go "parents be good to your chi...more
This one kicks off with a quote from a sexist John Mayer song. God, guys, not to go off on a tangent, but how much do I hate that song? First of all, if I were to rerecord it (and I'm not sure the twisty path of circumstances that would lead to that happening) it should just go "parents be good to your chi...more
Cute story idea and well written, but it only got 3 stars from me because the author went too overboard on all the descriptions and lead-ins. The quest is what the book is all about, and it just took too long to get to it, which would've been fine if it the before part was filled with really great stuff, but it just wasn't.
The essays were cool, and surprisingly I didn't find it to be male-bashing... it was more like: know who you are first and beware of certain types of guys. Nothing wro...more
The essays were cool, and surprisingly I didn't find it to be male-bashing... it was more like: know who you are first and beware of certain types of guys. Nothing wro...more
The story of a 17 year Quinn who is searching for the real story of the father she thinks she knows. Her father has left a trial of good women behind him and Quinn wants to know why.
She finds the family she was looking for closer than she thought. The women in the book give tips about life and men, some worth writing down.
I love Deb Caletti and recommend her to any teen wanting to read something more than angst novels.
She finds the family she was looking for closer than she thought. The women in the book give tips about life and men, some worth writing down.
I love Deb Caletti and recommend her to any teen wanting to read something more than angst novels.
In many ways, The Secret Life of Prince Charming is a book every young girl should read, before we fall in love (or "love") for the first time. There’s actually a lot of good advice in this book about character traits that maybe one should be wary of when choosing a mate – and really, they’re not traits that are exclusive to men. And along the way, there’s a sweet story about a teenaged girl who’s trying to figure out her (mostly absent) dad, and maybe finds a little love of her own a...more
I wanted to like this, but a lot of it just felt very over the top and self-consciously quirky for quirky's sake. Also, there were sooo many characters, and they all had a MESSAGE. This just didn't hit me the way The Six Rules of Maybe did.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
First things first, I made a horrible, horrible mistake. I have had this book on my shelf since it first came out in April last year. I read around the first 50 pages and just lost interest and stopped reading it. I don’t know what made me want to read it again but I did and I am so grateful. I will admit this book does have a slow beginning –hence the loosing interest when I first read it—but it really was an amazing read. This was the first Deb Caletti book I have ever read and I am so excited...more
Seventeen-year-old Quinn has heard all her life about how untrustworthy men are, so when she discovers that her charismatic but selfish father, with whom she has recently begun to have a tentative relationship, has stolen from the many women in his life, she decides she must avenge this wrong.
I thought this was a very interesting book. I was impressed by the strong female characters and the fact that even though there were many female characters - they each had very individual voices...more
I thought this was a very interesting book. I was impressed by the strong female characters and the fact that even though there were many female characters - they each had very individual voices...more
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I've only read a few pages, but this book is really good so far. The author's writing style is different from all the others I've read, and yet it always makes sense. I read some of the funny parts out loud to my little sister last night, and she said she'd have to read it. I'm loving the idea that all of these women live in the same household together, and Gram is really funny. Sprout is cute. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this book! *UPDATE* I LOVE this book! I'm definitely readin...more
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| does anyone else notice that the cover page's picture is the same from the book "flirting with boys" ?? | 1 | 3 | Nov 18, 2011 09:50pm |
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Deb Caletti is an American writer born in San Rafael, California. She was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the recipient of other numerous awards including PEN USA finalist award, the Washington State Book Award, and SLJ Best Book award.
Deb went to Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A., and graduated in 1981. She earned a BA in Journalism/Communications from t...more
More about Deb Caletti...
Deb went to Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A., and graduated in 1981. She earned a BA in Journalism/Communications from t...more
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“This is what I know. Don't settle for 40, 50, or even 80 percent. A relationship-it shouldn't be too small or too tight or even a little scratchy. It shouldn't take up space in your closet out of guilty conscience or convenience or a moment of desire. Do you hear me? It shold be perfect for you. It should be lasting. Wait. wait for 100 percent.”
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100 people liked it
“It starts so young, and I'm angry about that. The garbage we're taught. About love, about what's "romantic." Look at so many of the so-called romantic figures in books and movies. Do we ever stop and think how many of them would cause serious and drastic unhappiness after The End? Why are sick and dangerous personality types so often shown a passionate and tragic and something to be longed for when those are the very ones you should run for your life from? Think about it. Heathcliff. Romeo. Don Juan. Jay Gatsby. Rochester. Mr. Darcy. From the rigid control freak in The Sound of Music to all the bad boys some woman goes running to the airport to catch in the last minute of every romantic comedy. She should let him leave. Your time is so valuable, and look at these guys--depressive and moody and violent and immature and self-centered. And what about the big daddy of them all, Prince Charming? What was his secret life? We dont know anything about him, other then he looks good and comes to the rescue.”
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90 people liked it
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