Forever Princess

The Princess Diaries #10

by Meg Cabot

The tenth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. It's Mia's senior year, and things seem great. She aced her senior project, got accepted to her dream college(s), and has her eighteenth birthday gala coming up . . . not to mention prom, graduation, and Genovia's first-ever elections. What's not to love about her life? Well . . . everyone adores her dreamy boyfriend, J.P., but Mia is not sure he's the one. Her first love, Michael, is back from Japan . . . and back in her life. That senior project? It's a romance novel she secretly wrote, and no one wants to publish it. And her father is losing in the Genovian polls—to Mia's loathsome cousin René! With not just Genovia's but her own future hanging in the balance, Mia's got some choices to make. And what she decides might determine not just the next four years but . . . forever! Forever Princess is the tenth book in the beloved, bestselling series that inspired the feature film starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. Beautifully repackaged in paperback, this title will appeal to new readers as well as fans looking to update their collection. 

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Teen, Childrens

383 pages, Hardcover

First published January 2, 2009

About the author

Librarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.


Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I sat down on the couch tonight with this book, I was honestly just planning on reading a few pages. . NOT the entire book for sure in one sitting . This is my first time rereading this book, but it had been so long I had forgotten most of it! I was so happy that Micheal was a bigger part since he's one of my favorite characters. It was really odd to start it and have it take place almost two years after the last (since most of them take place almost immediately after the events of the previous book). However it was really nice to see how much more Mia had matured. I loved this ending and I'm SO HAPPY I can finally read. A Royal Wedding!!!! I'm going to bed now but I'll definitely start it tomorrow!

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling ALL the feels. All of them. Michael Moscovitz forever and ever.

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I CANT EVEN DEAL RIGHT NOW

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review, in numbered format:

1. I still don't like Lilly very much.
2. Tina and Lana are awesome.
3. Mia is an idiot (although a lovable one).
4. Meg Cabot did not need 383 pages to tell this story.
5. Grandmere is hilarious.
6. Meg Cabot should have resisted the urges to include the pop culture references, for they will be sadly dated very soon.
7. The twist with Mia's dad at the end is priceless.
8. Michael is awesome, as is his final text message.

[Runa · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS BELOW
Pre-Review Warning: This review is not intended to be any sort of formal review. It is a reflection of my thoughts immediately after reading this book, and therefore, there will be caps-locking and excessive exclamation marks. Adjust your mood accordingly.

Oh, I went into reading this with cynicism. Grandmere or Louie were going to die. There was no WAY Mia would come out of this with a boyfriend (I was highly supporting the idea that she'd end up "self-actualized", realizing she didn't need a guy to be awesome). I...did not see this ending well. But, as has happened quite a bit lately, I fell in love. Maybe it's because of personal issues. I'm going through senior year, the same crazy college rush Mia's going through, with some similar personal problems as well. I really don't know. But this book reminded me once and for all why I read YA, and why I am proud to call myself a Princess Diaries fan--why I am proud to scoff at those who laugh and say it's all cliche. Screw them. They don't know a good book, obviously. They don't know a book that relates to the readers, that attracts millions of girls and tells them "hey, go out there and do your OWN thing". They'd rather be reading 'the classics', the ones that will have no immediate impact on their lives. Hm. Sucks to be them.
The book started out slow. Mia was with J.P. and the person she had become was not a very great one. Slowly but surely as Michael re-enters the picture, the book picks up the momentum found way back in the very first volume that launched this epic story, and Meg Cabot does not lose momentum. Everything ends...perfectly. It's not a "perfect" happily ever after (J.P. is probably not too happy at that moment), but...well, yeah, it really is. It's the most genuine, realistic happily ever after Meg Cabot could give her characters, and boy did she deliver. Did the woman channel Barack Obama on that last page or what?
Give her a hand. Good luck, Mia, we'll see you another day.

Rating: I only wish I could go higher than a 5/5.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been reading the Princess Diaries series since 2001, when the film was released. The only reason I read them was because I was a royal-watcher, and of course, was thrilled that there was a book series featuring a princess living in modern times. I would have stopped reading the books long ago if it weren't' for my strange desire to see it all the way through, wanting to know how it would end for all the characters.

I'm not going to critique the actual writing, because while I like to write and all, I am hardly a literary expert. Instead, I will simply state all the things I disliked about the final volume.

The previous installment, Princess Mia, saw some major changes for the main character. She broke up with her boyfriend, started eating meat, actually grew breasts due to the resulting weight gain, became estranged from her best friend, and started being friends with the girl who had tormented her from the very beginning of the series. Character growth is important, but as I started Forever Princess, I noticed how much more shallow she was becoming. First off was the comment about how not wearing trendy clothes indicated that a person didn't care about themselves. On page 39 (hardcover edition), she states the following:

"If you let yourself go - not washing your hair, wearing the same clothes you slept in all day or clothes that don't fit or are out of style - that says 'I do not care about myself. And you shouldn't care about me either."

I agree with most of that statement except for this crucial part: "or are out of style". So basically a person could wash their hair regularly, wear cleaned, ironed clothes that fit but just happen to be out of style - like acid washed jeans, for example - you shouldn't care about someone? That's an indication that a person doesn't care about themselves? That is a ridiculous notion and is but one example of how this character has changed for the worse. I usually refer to it as 'selling out' because at this point she sounds like a slightly more socially conscious version of Lana, her former nemesis (who hasn't really changed much, other than being friends with Mia).

Another thing that bugged me was the treatment of her friends, such as bringing an iPod to Boris's concert. So what if she's heard his repertoire a zillion times - doing something like that is just flat out rude. A real friend wouldn't do that - a real friend would endure it just to provide support on such a crucial night.

The whole lying thing is a contrived character flaw that is just really annoying. I guess it's because everything is so obvious to the reader, and you have to just suffer through the book, waiting if she'll ever freaking GET IT - such as 'the other thing', which is basically the fact that she's not sexually attracted to JP. After reading excerpts online back in 2008 I was hoping it would have been something more scandalous than that.

Which brings me to the subject of JP. In the previous books - Party Princess, Princess on the Brink and Princess Mia - he seemed like a decent guy who had a crush on Mia, willing to do anything to get with her. Nothing in those books indicated that he was the kind of person to do the things he did in Forever Princess (basing his play on their relationship, and calling the paparazzi on her, among other things), except for the thing at the beginning of Princess Mia. Still, making JP into the villain so she could dump him for Michael was just weak. It would have been more exciting if she simply had to admit that she didn't like him, break it to him, and then decide to sort out her relationship with Michael. Making JP into the villain only offered an easy way out for her.

Besides, when all that stuff went down regarding JP's relationship with Lilly, I didn't feel much sympathy for Mia. Here she is, in a relationship with this guy for nearly two years, and she's not only completely not attracted to him, she doesn't even really like him that much. She strings him along for nearly two years because she can't handle being alone. Then, when Michael finally arrives back on the scene, she ends up making out with him during some carriage ride, out in public, while still dating JP. So she's hardly as innocent as she - or rather Meg - would like us to believe. Furthermore, she never tells JP that she never really loved him in the first place. If she was so hell-bent on punishing him for what he did to Lilly, she should have told him that she was never in love with him to begin with.

As for her getting back with Michael....this is probably going to get me a lot of flames and such, but I just thought it was pathetic how she immediately jumped into bed with him 1. after he had only been in town for less than a month, and 2. had broken up with her boyfriend of nearly two years just hours before she left the prom for Michael's loft.

So at the end of this series, the socially-conscious misfit we knew and loved has become a shallow A-crowder who can't live without a guy in her life. The 14 year old Mia would have seen the 18 year old (is that how old she is?) Mia as yet another Lana wannabe. I am glad that she and Lilly make up at the end (the reason for Lilly being so upset was a complete letdown and after all that build up on the forums and all - it was so obvious that she was upset over Mia getting with JP).

Oh, and as a royal-watcher, the whole Genovian election thing was completely absurd. The monarch of any constitutional monarchy would not run for office...yeah, they'd be ceremonial figureheads, but they wouldn't need to be elected (obviously) and would only have limited powers. It might be unfair that a monarch can't be prime minister for example, but they're supposed to be non-partisan leaders of their countries, representing everyone without the political baggage that comes with an elected head of state. I dunno, maybe that's too complicated for teenagers or something, although I would think that it isn't.

I was so very disappointed in this last book because I absolutely loved the first three. I loved the whole premise of an ordinary girl becoming a princess. Well, I am glad that she at least realized her dream - to be a published writer before she turned 18 or 25 (I can't remember which, but in this book she mentioned 18 and in a previous one she mentioned wanting to write a book before she was 25 or something).

[Ardent Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I would like to say that the author bragged the story too much... Well, there is no need of that.

After 18 years of time finally, Mia came to her senses and knew that her soulmate was Micheal, not JP. And her best friend (Lilly) should have told Mia about JP, but then the story would not flow like this.

And the other thing is that the author had to write 10 books to let Mia and Micheal get back together.
😒

Only one book is left to finish the series. 😍

[Rosamund · Rating 2 out of 5]

During the release of almost every book in the series, I've been the same age as Mia, so I could almost always relate to what was going on. But this book in particular made me feel like I failed as a 17/18 year old. Looks like the whole "royal heir to the throne of Genovia" thing got to Mia's head - she might as well be Lana Weinberger. Could be that I am too old to read these now... but no longer is she the lovable nerd that drew me into the first 6 or so books. This series amused me during my dark days of high school, but I felt as if now it turned around and stabbed me in the back. (I realise that obviously this isn't going to apply to everyone - but this is my un-impartial review, not yours.) At times, this book was as antagonising to read as Twilight. She's not 13 anymore, she shouldn't be worrying about petty little things, or acting as if she is the saviour of the environment and animals just because she is a princess, when in fact she's as careless as every other person. It annoyed me so much. I am glad this is the final book.

SPOILER
Am I the only one who found that Mia's sleeping with Michael had more to do with the fact she kept whining about being the last virgin in her class, than that she still loved him and he happened to be around? Maybe I'm just bitter because the whole thing reopened wounds for me, but... I just hated this ending.

To conclude, I want to erase this book from my mental repertoire as soon as I can.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book in the bestselling Princess Diaries series. It was sad to see Mia go, but we had some good times together. I was there when she thought she liked Josh Ritcher... I was there when Grandmere stayed at the loft... and I was there when Michael pledged his undying love to Mia!!( Okay, maybe that was a little egsagerated. But he did write a poem for her to say he loved her!)

I'm really going to miss Mia, and it's hard to say farwell. And it's also sad, because no more MICHAEL MOSCOVITZ!!!!!!!!!! I love him, and have always loved him. He is the fictional character that sets my heart on fire, and makes my swoon! Although I said I'm sad to say goodbye, I truly believe Meg Cabot has ended the series with a lovely happily ever after.....

[Marga · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first time in what feels like an incredibly long while, I finished a book in less than a day. I stayed up until past 2 am reading this!

And really, Mia does not disappoint with her last. She could frustrate you, but in a way that's kind of amusing... And, I can't explain why, but I found myself crying at some points. Or at least getting teary-eyed. I could relate to some of her experiences.

The major reason why I'm giving this book a five is because, in all honesty, it's been a while since I've found myself completely immersed in what I'm reading.

[Namratha · Rating 2 out of 5]

“No one has ever died of embarrassment – never, not once in the whole history of time.
Of which I am living proof, having a grandmother like mine”

Mia Thermapolis

And that pretty much sums up Meg Cabot’s last and final instalment in the hugely popular Princess Diaries series.

PROS: Mia or should we say Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo is at the tail-end of her senior year. She has mastered the reluctant art of being a princess of a small European Principality, Genovia. She also has an assorted clique of well-meaning(although delusional) friends. And…she has the perfect boyfriend, J.P.

CONS: So along the way, she broke up with the love of her life Michael Moscovitz (who went off to design a surgical arm in Japan), parted ways with her best friend Lilly Moscovitz and ended up in therapy.

BIG SWEATY-PALM INDUCING CONS: She hasn’t yet chosen her college, despite having received acceptance letters from each and every one of them. (which she suspects has something to do with her being a princess). The book she has been secretly writing for the past two years gets rejected with alarming regularity by most of the publishers. Her father is running for Prime Minister of Genovia and according to the current polls.... he is far, far behind. Add to that the little fact, that Michael is back…his CardioArm has been a huge success and he’s looking better than ever (or as Tina would put it: he got hit with a stick of pure awesomeness!).


So what does Mia do?
What Mia always does.

She whines, freaks out, hyperventilates and writes in her journal. She writes in the weirdest places and at the most inopportune moments. She pours out her insecurities, her doubts and her guilty secrets.

Questions are answered, mysteries unravelled and Mia slowly but surely grows up.

I had many, MANY issues with the storyline and the silly twists it took to justify Mia's happy ending. I did not like the treatement meted out to certain characters and honestly, I miss the Mia of the first three books. This Mia is an entitled, perpetually complaining Princess. And that gets old really quick.

Gah.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT:

THERE ARE SPOILERS GALORE AHEAD:
(But if you don't want to know about the book, why are you reading reviews of it on Good Reads anyway?)

1)Mia graduates high school--finally after 10 books (!)

2)Michael comes back and Mia and he get back together

3)Mia finally sleeps with him--but Meg Cabot is crafty enough to disguise the scene as a page from the bodice ripper that Mia writes.
And of course, it's superfantabulous, the best sex ever. Yeah, right...

4)The bodice ripper is (really) actually worse than "Twilight", but a publisher still decides that it is a great book and publishes it even BEFORE they find out that Princess Mia wrote it, NOT "Daphne Delacroix"

5)If you really want to read the whole thing, Meg Cabot has actually had the chutzpah to let her publisher rake in some more money by publishing "Mia's" book on its own.

6)Meg Cabot is the money whore of authors. Is she getting kickbacks for all the product placements for high priced bling in these books? Is she planning on revamping the product and celebrity names in 10 years time when these books have become as dated as "Sweet Valley High"? and raking in MORE money?

7)Does Donald Trump really relate higher on the celebrity scale than Princes William and Harry? Didn't Cabot THINK before she wrote out her guest list of celebs for Mia's party.

And LAST:

8)Would Barack and Michele Obama be caught dead at such a party? And if so, wouldn't Mia be a little more interested in them than in Angelina Jolie?

Utterly predictable. But after 9 other books, what do you expect?

[Shannon A · Rating 5 out of 5]

And Mia's journey through high school is complete. I really liked how this one turned out. I was happy to see Mia's growth and, as she likes to say, self-actualization! Lol

[Muse-ic ♬ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This book is totally my favorite of the series so far. It invoked fangirling squeals!
But they were the kind of squeals that make your chest constrict because you can't express them out loud because then your family will look at you like WTF?? Quick call the mental hospital!!

Fabulous!


So it's two years late and Mia is so mature now! The difference is amazing! I don't even have anything to complain about really.
Michael successfully made his CardioArm and became a millionaire....and he still loves Mia!!! YES!
But stupid selfish unsupportive JP is in the way.

Still loving Lana! She's totally awesome. I really never thought I'd say that!

I like how Mia is actually standing up to her Grandmother now. So many good things are happening!
Mia writes a romance novel. JP the jerk was not supportive.
And he wrote that oh-so-original play about a kid named "JR" (wow that's so creative) who falls in love with a princess who went to his school (wow that's so creative!) whose name is Rhea and she invites him to sit at her lunch table with her friends (OMFG that's so creative!!). And he had been lying to her and planning to sleep with her on prom night months in advance. He also wanted a movie deal for his stupid play and his suggestion for a book company to publish her book, even though they've never read it! Gah!
Their breakup was way too nice. I don't care if Mia is a princess, he deserved wayyyy worse for the way he acted.



Lilly is nice again! Hopefully that doesn't change.
Tina is still awesome!

Daddy Renaldo wins the election. Yay :D

I'm sooooooo excited to read the next one!

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some can complain that this last installment was predicable, but I say: so what? It ended they way it was supposed to end and I am happy about it. I enjoyed the book very much, the ending was true to previous books in the series and extremely satisfying (unlike another YA series: Breaking Dawn anyone?).

[aarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread on June 8, 2022: I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I forgive all mess (problematic and otherwise) in prior installments because it led up to this. The making-out-in-a-carriage-slash-cheating-scene is GREAT. I basically cried for the entire book. The romance novel meta made me so happy — I love that Michael was so supportive. I cannot believe that I, self-acclaimed hater of romance meta, am saying this. I'm going to cry happy tears again. 😭

Some general series thoughts after a full audiobook reread:

- This series does not work if you're an adult reading for the first time, lol. Everyone is ridiculous and dramatic and selfish with terrible decision-making skills. This was extremely relatable to me when I was a teenager, though you'll probably want to strangle everyone as an adult reader. On the other hand, twelve-year-old me was dazzled and rightfully so! Meg Cabot, you are a legend. I met her at a conference a couple years back and managed to not make a fool out of myself.

- It took ten books, but I do believe that Mia achieved self-actualization. What a relief (for my sanity, mostly).

- Tina Hakim Baba is SUCH a good friend and probably the nicest/best person in the entire series.

- Grandmère is iconic. Like... even at her wildest, she's always great to read about. I will say that I understand her POV more now that I'm an adult. Is this what maturity does to a person?! Then again, sometimes Grandmère is just an evil genius, lol.

- The meta-commentary on the Anne Hathaway movies is hilarious, especially to explain why Tina wasn't included or why they changed love interests or why they made Grandmère nice.

- I won’t pretend to be uneasy or troubled by the potentially-cringe age gap. Like, sorry, but I’m talented at slapping my hands over my eyes and yelling “lalalala” if presented with issues in a favorite ship. 😅 I’m sinking with Mia/Michael to the bitter end. Still, I’m glad they don’t go past heavy make outs until after Mia’s eighteenth birthday.

- I don't have an issue with the intense early-2000s pop culture references. It feels like a time capsule, even though I would cringe at the mention of someone-who-used-to-have-a-good-reputation-but-is-actually-not-a-great-person-today. The satire mostly works, except there are some jokes punching down on Britney Spears and other people that REALLY do not age well. The Lars-the-bodyguard-was-trained-by-the-Israeli-army tidbit REALLY does not age well. There are some other cringe moments, but I can't remember them all. Overall, the books work as an amusing time capsule, warts and all. It's funny how the series is four-years-in-book-time but written over nine years (so the pop culture/tech ages faster). They all magically have iPhones in this book?! Pure comedy.

- It's so weird, but the series is simultaneously progressive AND regressive on all topics. Sex, virginity, race/lgtbqia+ depiction, feminism, social issues, etc. It’s a mind fuck to keep track of it all. I have so much to say, but I don't want to write an essay. Just know that I could. 😂 Someone definitely could publish a dissertation because there's enough material to cover.

- Re: sex, I am a little sad because I can't think of recent YA that discusses sex like this series does (casually and frequently, but never angsty. Always in a funny and light-hearted way. Even when Mia has sex for the first time, it's off-page and replaced with a non-explicit sex scene from Mia's romance novel, lol). Like, where are these books now? While I don't think the whole "Mia wants to wait for sex but her boyfriend would prefer otherwise" storyline works today, it was so.... refreshing. These are real issues!!! For teenagers, anyway. I don't know. Maybe I don't read enough YA anymore, but I don't think there are similar books being published today. It's either explicit angst-fests or kisses-only rom-coms. Let me get off my lawn and stop whining.

- I really wish Anne Hathaway had narrated the audiobooks after the first three, though I understand why she didn't. Clea Lewis did a good job, except I *really* wish she didn't attempt accents for non-white characters. It sounds so racist (the worst was for Michael's Korean roommate in college. So, so terrible). I know audiobook narration has come a long way, but ugh. Both Anne and Clea were excellent at sounding like a high school teenager, dramatic emotions and all.

Read via library/audio (narrated by Clea Lewis).

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

Princess Mia is back in the final installment in the PRINCESS DIARIES series. Mia is ending her senior year and life couldn't be more stressful! Where will Mia go to college? Is her boyfriend, J.P., the one? Will Michael ever return from Japan? And will Mia survive turning eighteen? What's a princess to do?

I have enjoyed the PRINCESS DIARIES series ever since I read the first book and always enjoy escaping into Mia's world. I think what I love most about the series is that Mia's voice is always fresh and funny and makes me giggle with girly happiness. Even though Mia is a princess, she's still a teenager and a geek at heart (which this fellow geek at heart loves). Author Meg Cabot is the queen of teen chick lit and she always captures the perfect voice of teens in her novels. Mia is relatable to teens, but also to older readers looking back on their own teen years.

Coming in at 400 pages, FOREVER PRINCESS is the longest of the PRINCESS DIARIES books and fans are in for a treat. FOREVER PRINCESS is wonderfully funny and charming. Mia has come a long way from her freshman year, and readers who have been following the series will see that Mia, as well as the rest of her friends, have grown up along the way.

But just because Mia and the gang are seniors doesn't mean their crazy adventures are far from over, and Mia again finds herself in over her head. Meg Cabot delivers a winner that I'm sure fans old and new will fall in love with.

I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed this book, I was sad when I finished and I really hope that Meg Cabot will write about Mia's adventures after high school in the future. I'll always be happy to read more about Princess Mia.

[Caitie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. And there is really no defense for this series' continued existence through ten indistinguishable books.

[Reading Relish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It only took three years, but I FINALLY FINISHED THIS SERIES!!!

[REVIEW]

So, I guess this isn’t the last book in The Princess Diaries series. Apparently, there’s an eleventh book, Royal Wedding, which is set a few years after the events of this book. So can I technically say that I’ve read all The Princess Diaries books? I guess not. I still haven’t read any of the novellas either. But I’ve owned the ten main books since high school, and my bookish goals in 2020 was to finish the ones ones I hadn’t gotten to (I still had five left). And that’s exactly what I did. So even though I really didn’t read EVERY the books in the series, I think I can still say that I FINALLY finished reading (the main books in) The Princess Diaries series. I’ll take any accomplishment I can get!

A part of me is kind of glad I’m (mostly) done. I’ve owned these books since HIGH SCHOOL, and was only getting to one or two each year. I’m glad I can finally scratch this series off my list!

But the other part of me is going to miss this series. I tended to read these books after finishing a heavy or intense book. While these weren’t my FAVORITE BOOKS EVER, I could always rely on them to laugh and breeze through. Which series is going to replace that now???

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about my thoughts on THIS book specifically.

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t been enjoying the last couple of books in the series. Things were getting repetitive, Lilly was getting on my last nerve, and Mia and Michael’s feelings for each other felt more obsession than love. So I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. While there were still some things I didn’t like, I thankfully found myself enjoying this more than the last few books. I finally felt like I was back to when I read the first books in the series. I chuckled, gasped, and cheered Mia on to follow her heart. I’m glad everything worked out for her in the end.

MY THOUGHTS ON…

CRITIQUES:

•I had noticed this in the previous books, but I’ve never written about it in the reviews. So I’ll say it here: These books can be VERY repetitive. I get that these are diary entries, and diaries be can be repetitive with certain thoughts and feelings. But sometimes they were too much, you know? Like, instead of Mia slowly changing her perception and learning something new and plot-advancing, she’d freak out for ten pages. And then she’d do it again. And again. And again. So sometimes I’ve skimmed over because I wasn’t going to learn anything new. This was the case a few times in this book, mainly when it came to Mia’s conflict between Michael and J.P.

•Back in the ninth book, the school bully Lana Weinberger had a sudden change of heart. She was still flirtatious and full of herself—but she suddenly wanted to be friends with Mia after Michael and Mia’s breakup. I found this suspicious, and waited for her to backstab Mia in this book.

But...she didn’t??? Don’t get me wrong, it’s always good to see mean characters have a change of heart. But...Lana was a bully to Mia in the first EIGHT books (if you don’t count the novellas). For her to suddenly take pity on Mia and want to be friends with her was VERY unlike her. I wish either we had seen Lana backstab Mia, OR watch Lana and Mia slowly change from enemies to friends earlier on in the series.

•I wish we’d seen more of why Mia and Michael still have feelings for each other. It just felt Mia was TELLING the readers that she was attracted to Michael...but not explaining WHY. Like, he was DEFINITELY more supportive of Mia’s writing dreams than J.P. But just his presence ALONE was enough to confuse Mia.

WHAT I LIKED:

•The story had a great, strong start! I liked seeing all the colleges Mia got to, and THEN seeing all the rejection letters from publishing companies. Just by that alone, I could tell what was more important to Mia: her love of writing. Yes, she got into all these prestigious school that some students could only dream of getting into. But we know from the previous books that Mia loves writing. So seeing all the rejection letters broke my heart!

•Mia referenced and roasted The Princess Diaries movies again!!! I swear, that’s one thing I’m going to miss the most about this series.

•While I wasn’t always a fan of Lilly, I LOVED Tina! Yes, she could be too optimistic at times. Yes, she tended to think romantically rather than logically. But she was WAY more supportive of Mia than Lilly ever was. She helped Mia find hope when Mia was stressed about everything. The fact that she was cut from The Princess Diaries movie is one biggest crimes against humanity.

•So many characters throughout the series made an appearance in this book! It was like watching all the Marvel superheroes assemble in Avengers: Endgame! Even if they never actually SAID anything, I was still glad to see they weren’t totally forgotten.

•It’s clear from the beginning that J.P. wasn’t the same charming guy Mia met in the seventh book. He wasn’t as in tuned to Mia’s feelings. He didn’t always ask her what was wrong like he used to before they got together. He and Mia even bickered near the beginning about going to prom. Mia’s mom also pointed out J.P. didn’t have much of a personality because he ALWAYS went along with everything Mia did (until his play got recognition and he wanted Mia to come with him to Hollywood).

I think Cabot did a brilliant job subtly showing how J.P. and Mia were never right for each other. And while some people might get annoyed that Mia didn’t break up with J.P. immediately, I found this realistic. It can be confusing (ESPECIALLY as a teenager in your first relationship) to know if you’re mad at you partner because you care, or if it’s because you don’t love them anymore. And after two years of being together, it wouldn’t be easy for Mia to drop J.P. so quickly. Humans crave normalcy, it’s psychologically proven! Even when there’s something better for us out there, humans tend to stay in their comfort zone because there’s certainty and predictability there. So it was understandable why Mia didn’t dump J.P. immediately.

(SIDE NOTE: I related SO MUCH to Mia when she said was hurt about J.P. not asking her out to prom. Yes, they’d been dating for two years, but it’s still nice to be asked out. Besides, what if Mia didn’t want to go? J.P. shouldn’t have assumed that Mia was down to go. Mia’s feelings were valid, and I completely understood her frustration with J.P.)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

So my thoughts on this series in general: I’ve had my ups and downs with it. Some books have had me laughing and cheering on Mia to get what she wanted. Other times, the writing got repetitive, some subplots felt unnecessary, and certain characters got on my nerves (*cough, cough* Lilly).

But I don’t want to end this review on a sour note. So good things? I loved that whenever I need something light and fluffy to read, The Princess Diaries was there for me. I loved that Mia had a character arc at the end of each book. I love that Mia never grew pompous about being a princess. I’m glad Mia got a happy ending in this book, and hope she won’t get into anymore shenanigans in the future (although my suspicions tell me she will. But she’ll at least have a band of people to help her and cheer her on through all of it!).

[Lisbeth Checo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this books all the secrets come out. When i picked up this book i couldnt put it down. i was happy about the fact that mia ended up with michael instead of J.P I also liked the fact that Lilly and Mia forgave eachother and are best friends again

[Rose H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this series probably 10 years after I read them last and like omg 😭😭😭 I’m so emotional and this is the perfect ending!

[Ina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have such weird reading tastes lately. From true crime books through Anne of Green Gables to Princess Diaries

I have absolutely no idea how it suddenly occured to me last night to re-read this book. I grew up reading Princess Diaries and I used to adore them. However, I’m very much aware of the fact that these books are completely not suitable for me anymore. I’m a) too old and b) too cynical for them. Let’s be real, even for a teenage reader, these books are kind of silly and Mia is VERY dumb and even more immature at most occassions. However, I knew that book #10 was somewhat more mature, so when an urge to re-read this overtook me, I decided to pick up this installment.

I remember that when I first read book #9, I was furious. It ended with Mia and Michael breaking up, Michal did some pretty out of character stuff and Mia was acting like a complete lunatic. Thankfully, Mia is acting a bit more grown-up in this book and Michael is more perfect than ever (I mean seriously, he is super hot, smart, successful, funny, with a great personality – where can I get one of those again? These books are the exact reason I have unreasonable expectations in life). Come to think of it, can someone explain to me why exactly Michael fell in love with Mia? I mean, just like we already established, he is pretty much perfect. And although I used to love Mia, she has her fair share of issues. She has no self-confidence, she is quite a pushover and she is basically a compulsive liar. Yeah, I’m certainly too cynical to re-read my pre-teen favorites.

Although even someone as cynical as me has to admit that this was a perfect way to end this series (I know that there is the Royal Wedding, but I consider that to be more of a down-the-line epilogue, so this is the end of the series for me).

[Liralen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've come full circle, in a way: this was the first Princess Diaries book I read after joining Goodreads (having read the previous nine before Goodreads), way back in 2010. Except for the rating, I don't really know what I thought about it then, but hey! That's why I'm rereading. Or something.

- The horrible orange man who wreaked havoc in the White House from 2017 to 2021 is in this one again (this time at Mia's 18th birthday party). I wonder if Cabot would have put him in here if she'd been able to see into the future...the Obamas are there too, so there's that, but egad.

- Mia thinks that 'One in three children of the world die of hunger every day' (197). I don't know what they're teaching at Albert Einstein High, but it isn't math.

- Mia's father calls her a tease—in a critical, you-are-not-being-a-good-enough-girlfriend way—for not wanting to go to prom (...and to an overnight hotel stay...) with the boy who is very clearly using his relationship with Mia to further his own aims. And while he's right that it's not unreasonable for someone to want to go to prom with the person they've been dating for two years (although—note that nobody was ever going to hold Michael to the same standard, because he's male and older than Mia), calling your daughter a tease when she is expressing reservations about her relationship is a GIANT FUCKING NO.

- Mia writes a romance novel. I'm still figuring out whether or not I have to read it as part of this series re-read. I didn't read it the first time round, so maybe that lets me off the hook...?

[Melissa **Just Really Loves Musicals** · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

This was definitely the best book in the series. I LOVED it. The first 9 books were rated 3-4 stars, I enjoyed them but they were never my favourite. In this one, everyone was so much more mature, the pacing was so fast and flowed so well. I loved the sexual tension between Mia and Michael when he came back. It was just perfect. I cannot wait to read Royal Wedding now.

[Sierra the Nerdgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never get over how amazing and influential this series is.

[Marta (Bibliofilem być) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powtórzyłam sobie całą serię od maja i to była super przygoda!

[Nagini · Rating 5 out of 5]

6🙂
Najlepsze zakończenie serii w całej galaktyce. Booktuberzy często wystawiają ocenę trochę wyższą ale jednak trochę niższą np.4.50 lub 4.75. Czy zdarzyło wam się jednak zaobserwować u jakiegoś booktubera wystawienie oceny 6 ? (Na goodreadsie )


To jak Mia poradziła sobie że swoim życiem to znaczy że ślubem swojej mamy, rozwodem z Michaelem i przede wszystkim byciem księżniczką jest świetnie pokazane i zamknięte w ostatnim tomie. Jeśli myśleliście że J.P. jest taki idealny (tak jak ja) to jesteście w wielkim błędzie🙂. Mia dorasta i to widać szczególnie po tym jak zerwała z J.P. . Tak ZERWAŁA!!!! A i powieść wreszcie udało się wydać !!! PS. Mia wybrała Sarah Lawrence
PPS. Oczywiście zeszła się z Michaelem 😀😀


Moim zdaniem ta książka zasługuje na ocenę 6, bo jest cudowna i wszystko nam ładnie zamyka. Tu nie ma jakjeś klątwy 2,4,6,8,10 tomu. To jest po prostu seria świetna w każdym tomie. Oczywiście niektóre były gorsze i oceniłam na 4 gwiazdki, a niektóre lepsze oceniłam na 5 gwiazdek. Ta jest jednak najlepsza. Kończę już gadać i idę robić reread całej serii🙂🙂🙂

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was much, much better than the last one. And I say that when I was rooting for JP in the beginning. I totally thought her and Michael were over, but I was wrong. She finally became friends with Lilly again (I cannot believe they lasted two years without being friends!), and I loved Kenny wanting to be called Kenneth, and then how at the Prom, Lilly just called him Kenny. JP was a huge jerk, which really surprised me, I thought he was a good guy. But apparently not. That moment in the coffee shop with Michael (the interview for the Atom) was so adorable! The end as so amazing, even if it surprised me!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one with so many loose ends getting tied up and happy endings all over the place. The readers of the Princess Diaries are getting a longer books and a more mature Mia as we get to this tenth installment. Clea Lewis has done and excellent job bringing this series to life along with Anne Hathaway (1-3).

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god it's finally OVER. Now I can relieve myself of this infernal teenage book series.