📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @avonbooks for an early copy of The Quarantine Princess Diaries by @officialmegcabot. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

The Quarantine Princess Diaries was a delight to read! It documents Princess Mia’s heartfelt emotions as she deals with the COVID-19 pandemic in her country, dealing with her husband Michael’s quarantine after being exposed to the virus, her personal and political battles while imposing health restrictions, and dealing with the entire royal family.

Though obviously fictional, I applaud Princess Mia who did not hesitate to listen to the advice of her country’s political and medical experts in enforcing a lockdown on Genovia as soon as they heard about the fast spread of the virus. I think that it is what some leaders did not do immediately during the height of the pandemic, which made handling its spread much more difficult than it should have been.

The characters as fun and delightful as always, but after all the years have passed, Mia seemed to still complain a lot like a teenager instead of a mom in her thirties (though I get it, this book is supposed to be diary entries); I felt like it would have been quite interesting to see a much more mature version of Mia.

This was a fun read; perfect for fans of The Princess Diaries! Rating this ⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases March 28th, 2023!

**2.5 stars
Mia Thermopolis is back, and she is quarantined with her friends and family in Genovia.
While I have not read all the books in the series, I was excited to receive this ARC of The Quarantine Princess Diaries.
I, unfortunately, did not enjoy this one that much. While I did enjoy seeing how Mia and the country of Genovia responded to COVID-19, I thought this installment was tedious and would have been better as a novella. I did love the cameos of the wide variety of characters we know and love from The Princess Diaries. Overall, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon US for the ARC.

I’ve been a Princess Diaries fan since the second book came out when I was in middle school. I love following Mia’s journey throughout the years.

This book brought all of the fun characters and antics back with the typical sprinkling of pop culture references and current events relevant at the time (in this case- COVID) I really enjoyed the nostalgia and popping back into the world.

My only complaint is that I felt like Mia was still whining and complaining like her teenage self and not like a mom in her thirties. While we whine and complain too, I feel like the seriousness of her being in charge of the country and two whole human beings lives was missing and it it felt like watching your favorite childhood sitcom’s new reboot- there was just something missing. In this case, I think Mia’s character just wasn’t realistic as a thirty something millennial Mom.

"Mia Thermopolis knows just what to do in a crisis: Rule.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a section of the diary of Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia fell into the hands of Meg Cabot, the Princess's royal biographer.

As reported in media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, The Mary Sue, Refinery 29, Bustle, and more, from March until June of 2020, sixteen entries of the princess's diary were leaked onto Ms. Cabot's blog, to the delight of over a million fans.

In these entries, titled The Coronavirus Princess Diaries, the princess recorded her most heartfelt emotions while dealing with her husband's quarantine after exposure to the virus; her personal (and political) battles while imposing health restrictions on her small European nation; life during lockdown (even in as idyllic a location as a palace on the Riviera); and of course, dealing with her demanding royal family, especially her grandmother.

Since then, readers have been clamoring for more chapters of Mia's coronavirus diary...and here they are at last: The Quarantine Princess Diaries include not only the previously released entries (now edited and updated with new content), but two hundred more pages of entirely original, never-before-seen entries, including the princess's worries over a possible royal affair; a showdown between Mia and Grandmère over the latter's intended nuptials; the eventual development and distribution of a groundbreaking intranasal vaccine for every citizen in Genovia; and, as always, a royally happy ending.

After all we've been through, what could be more comforting for any lover of royal romance than snuggling up with a brand new installment of the diary of Mia Thermopolis, the princess who started it all?"

So excited to be back with Mia... But I kind of wish it was the third movie...

Updated review now that Harper Collins Union has received a contract.

It was stressful in a way to kind of relieve the early days of the pandemic in this factionalized setting, especially since Mia is such a worrier. I despite that, it really nice to be back in Genovia with Mia and the gang. Really, this was a comfort read, I’ve been a Princess Diaries reader from almost the beginning and I enjoyed every bit of the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eRC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed going back to see Mia! This was a fun book with my old beloved characters, trying to manage a kingdom through Covid-19. It was light, fun, and just want I liked about the original books.

I greatly enjoyed reading this collection from Meg Cabot. Having read The Princess Diaries as a young girl it was exciting to hear Mia's perspective on current events.

I've always been a huge Princess Diaries fan and despite never wanting to think about the pandemic again, this book was so good! Loved it!

2 stars

This Is an installment of the princess diaries where Mia is princess of genovia and they are going through the coronavirus as a country. She has many obstacles similar to what the world experienced in the heat of the pandemic.

I found it to be a bit light and annoying with no real theme.

I appreciate netgalley allowing me to read it for an honest review.

The year was 2020 and Queen Mia Thermopolis was beginning to struggle with the Covid 19 pandemic like the rest of the world. Mia was now in her 30's, married to Michael Moscovitz and the mother of twins. Mia wrote in her diary the daily events documenting how she tried to keep the citizens of Genovia safe from disease while dealing with the antics of those living with her in the palace. She is met with resistance and support while trying her best to keep everyone happy.

Fans of the series will be happy to see old friends in this newest installment of the diaries. There are the usual selfish relatives and the supportive friends which made this story like visiting an old friend. I found myself thinking "___ is still doing/acting like that?" like I was catching up with an old friend.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon Impulse and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this arc

It truly pains me to give a "Princess Diaries" book this low of a rating, but this book is just not up to Cabot's usual standards. I had read quite a few of these lockdown entries during our actual lockdown in the U.S., when Cabot was posting them on her website, and I enjoyed them as casual blog posts. But grouped together into a novel, with new material added, they just don't make for a fun read. Every other page has Cabot hammering home, through her characters, the stupid arguments of anti-vaxxers and those individuals refusing to believe in the science behind the restrictions and proper COVID behavior. It comes across as unceasingly strident and belabored, and doesn't age well past the period of lockdown. I'm assuming that the majority of Cabot's fans already know and believe these things, and since I know and agree with the points she was trying to make, it got old really quickly. Mia and the palace are in lockdown in Genovia! Michael has to isolate so Mia is deprived of his physical presence for 14 days! The whole family is nutso as usual! Grandmere gets engaged to a college student partying in Genovia over spring break right before lockdown! Everyone is angry at Mia for the restrictions and mask mandates! If you want fun and enjoyable adult Mia, go read "Royal Wedding" In fact, I might go reread it just to feel less annoyed. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Avon Impulse for a digital review copy.

This was definitely a major nostalgia bump. However, now that I've read significantly better writers, I'm not sure Meg Cabot hits very well for me anymore.

I was SO disappointed in this book, and I could not force myself to finish it. I was disappointed in the portrayal of both Mia and felt it was a huge departure from her character in past books.

We all know by the synopsis what this book is about. It's about Mia and her family and extended family living through the first year or so of Covid and being quarantined! This series has now been running for 22 years!

I thought this book was an adult novel, but I'm not sure. The character of Mia is so immature that I wondered if she had ever grown from her introduction to this series. When I looked this up to see how long this series had been running, I was amazed to see that the very first book was for kids 11 years old and up...it sure has changed since Mia is married. However, she still acts very immaturely, and I can't suspend my disbelief enough to envision her running a country.

The issues I had with this book are the massive amounts of politics, political correctness, wokeness, and anti-America/Americans are 'idiots' trope. This is from an author who was born in Indiana!

If you are totally left-wing, you will love this book-if you are very strongly right-wing, you may hate it. Hopefully, you are somewhere in the middle and will find you enjoy the messages you will receive from this novel.

These issues aside, it is a cute, fast-reading book for days when you don't want to overthink what you are reading.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, NetGalley, and the author.

the princess diaries was one of my favorite books and movie growing up, so getting the chance to catch back up with everyone’s favorite queen in the most uncertain of times was fun and nostalgic!

My childhood has come back around - I remember obsessively reading the Princess Diaries series in the early-to-mid 2000s. I can't remember if I was completely caught up, but I definitely read most of them. This is just as I remember it. Very light and easy to read, although, yes, if you find the pandemic triggering then you're probably going to want to avoid this one! I'm not sure a new reader to the series would want to read this, but if you're a Meb Cabot and/or Princess Diaries series fan then go ahead and pick this one up and enjoy!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Seeing a new book with Princess Mia again was like visiting an old friend. I have read all the princess diaries since I was a teenager and it was such a joy to read her diary entries again. I was curious about the quarantine theme as covid was a stressful time but reading Mia’s take on it gave it some humor and a light hearted take. Grandmere was my favorite in this book she had some great lines and gave me a few laughs. I loved that all of the characters made a return.
Readers can expect to laugh and reminisce on the quarantine times, if you have read her past books you will enjoy this one as thank you to netgalley Avon and Harper Voyager, and Avon Impulse for the advanced readers copy, truly an enjoyable read

I absolutely loved the Princess Diaries series and have been their avid reader since 2000 when they first were published. I, of course, was thrilled when the series was continued with an adult Mia with Royal Wedding in 2015. I eagerly started reading A Quarantine Princess Diaries.

I realized as started reading that I’d blocked out what mid-March 2020 was like, but it all came rushing back as I started reading. Cabot captures the anxiety and uncertainty of that moment perfectly. I loved that at first Mia started counting the days of quarantine, but then she gave up. That definitely felt real to my experience of 2020.

There are a few moments that feel out of character for Mia. In the earlier books in the series, Mia is set up as a very passionate animal lover. In this installment, Mia mentions trying to get all of the iguanas removed from Genovia. She also is no longer a vegetarian. Of course, people change as they get older, but this seemed like a pretty radical attitude shift for her.

Mia is put in an incredibly difficult position in this story. She is responsible for leading a country through a global pandemic, even facing pressure for her close family to reopen businesses before it is safe to do so. I know we were all feeling stressed and frustrated in that moment in time, but Mia does come off as very whiny throughout this story. She moans ab out why people don’t acknowledge the work she’s doing from keeping COVID-19 from spreading and complains that she’s gained weight from eating too many cookies and how her gray hairs are showing. Of course, I can empathize with her, but I wanted more from Mia.

In this book, Michael is the scientist who creates a intranasal vaccine against COVID-19. I know we’re supposed to suspend disbelief, but this feels unlikely to me. It also felt unlikely that Michael would happen to be working with his high school girlfriend on the project. Also, I certainly wish that the vaccine I got was instranasal. I know that vaccines are never fun, but I was disappointed that Mia complained about getting the vaccine.

I enjoyed the little real life moments peppered throughout the book. It makes sense that Mia would know Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and that a young royal like Mia would have been invested in their announcement that they were stepping away from public royal duties. It made me smile to read about Mia supporting them. I also loved the reference to Chris Pine being in a move about Mia’s life (obviously Princess Diaries 2).

Mia will always hold a special place in my heart, but The Quarantine Princess Diaries does not reflect her at her best. Of course, none of us were at our best in March 2020. I look forward to seeing what happens to Mia and Michael next.

The Quarantine Princess Diaries is a nice return to the world of Mia Thermopolis. This installment of the Princess Diaries takes the reader through Genovia’s social and political climate during the Covid-19 Pandemic. While this book dealt with very serious subjects - it still had the lighthearted feeling that Meg Cabot has brought to her books for years. In this book though, the lightheartedness was a downfall for me personally. Mia’s internal dialog still read as she was a teenager and many characters refusing to acknowledge the dangers of Covid was very frustrating to me.
All in all - a nice return and catch up with old favorites with a side of political commentary. Solid 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you so much for bringing us another Mia story. I know it may not be one of the most uplifting stories since it deals with the crazy pandemic we have all been living through over the last three years or give or take a month. But to have a character that I know and love and grew up with and being able to see that even she had her ups and downs through all this crazy just made me feel a little less out there as a mom, and as a reader. I need some laughter dealing with this crazy and this book provided it. Walking back into Mia’s world with all her friends was like walking back home and being embraced by old friends. Thank you so much for writing this book. I truly enjoyed reading it. Now if only Michael’s vaccine was real. I would have loved not getting a shot.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.