I began reading the Princess Diaries series when I was a similar age to the book’s awkward heroine, Princess Mia. Now, as an adult 15 years since the series was first released, I pounced on the opportunity to revisit this familiar character now that she is all grown up in the first adult installment of the series.

{021FEA67-2BBE-48E9-B31A-4199822864BE}Img400It’s been five years since Meg Cabot’s last book of the Princess Diaries series and with Royal Wedding, Princess Mia Thermopolis is back as a 26-year-old with a whole new set of adult problems.

Chronicled in the same diary format that longtime readers will know and love, Mia must now deal with paparazzi, death threats from stalkers, planning her upcoming nuptials to beau, Michael Moscovitz, and the revelation that she has a long-lost sister from a fling her father had 12 years ago.

The scandal could not come at a worse time as Mia’s father, Prince Phillip, campaigns for Prime Minister of the European principality, Genovia. It seems Mia must step up and manage the family crisis, a wedding and all the other duties that being a royal entails.

This book is a fun read that I could not put down. It is filled with all the same characters from the teen years but instead of French class and prom, they’re dealing with medical school, pop stardom or trying to pass the Bar exam. Don’t worry, I haven’t given away any spoilers since there are plenty of other twists and turns in this book that make it a delightful read.

I’m glad Meg Cabot decided to bring back this series with the knowledge that most of her readers have grown up alongside Mia. And that like high school, the real world brings its own set of problems and triumphs.

Royal Wedding will be available on June 2, 2015 but you can place a hold at your local library now! For Royal Wedding Read-alikes, check out these suggestions: http://bit.ly/1BO2Vjj

 

*BONUS: Younger readers are in luck since Cabot will release a new spinoff series that follows Princess Mia’s long lost sister, Olivia. From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess chronicles 12 year old Olivia’s life as she copes with transitioning from “normal” life to the life of a princess.

 

Emma Kanagaki is a Collection Development Analyst with OverDrive