Monday, March 13, 2017

Review: Secrets of a Reluctant Princess - Casey Griffin



Secrets of a Reluctant Princess 
Casey Griffin
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Reading Challenges: #ContRom2017


ABOUT THE BOOK
At Beverly Hills High, you have to be ruthless to survive…

Adrianna Bottom always wanted to be liked. But this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. Now, she’s in the spotlight…and out of her geeky comfort zone. She’ll do whatever it takes to turn the rumor mill in her favor—even if it means keeping secrets. So far, it’s working.

Wear the right clothes. Say the right things. Be seen with the right people.

Kevin, the adorable sketch artist who shares her love of all things nerd, isn’t exactly the right people. But that doesn’t stop Adrianna from crushing on him. The only way she can spend time with him is in disguise, as Princess Andy, the masked girl he’s been LARPing with. If he found out who she really was, though, he’d hate her.

The rules have been set. The teams have their players. Game on.


REVIEW

Adrianna thought she was getting a fresh start. A new city. A new school. A new look. She thought that if she shed the "Andy" parts of herself and played a better social game, that things could be different. As she worked harder towards avoiding becoming a social outcast, she began to lose parts of herself. Those missing parts were found every Sunday, when she would go LARPing. When Adrianna donned her mask, she became Princess Andy, and this princess was closer to her true self than the Porcelain Princess ever would be.

I found this book to be a very sweet and endearing look at how difficult it can be to be your true self. Andy's struggle was a typical one for many teens, but I appreciated that Griffin did not turn her into an angsty mess. Sometimes you want angst, sometimes you want light and breezy. I was in for some lighter fair today, and the drama level was exactly to my liking.

Griffin assembled a fine cast of supporting characters to help Adrianna find her way back to Andy. Among them was the geeky but awesome Kevin. Kevin was the opposite of "Adrianna". He unabashedly let his freak flag fly, and was a relatively happy guy. There were so many adorable interactions between Kevin and Andy, I couldn't help but jump on that ship. Another standout in the cast was Kevin's sister, Keelie. How do you not adore a girl who is true to her self, speaks her mind, and protects those she loves with the ferocity of a lion?

But alas, my favorite parts of this book were the LARPing parts. Griffin did a great job with all the LARPing sequences. She had me googling to learn more and wanting to fabricate a boffer so I could join in the fun. These scenes were so much fun to read, and added an extra element of enjoyment for me. What can I say? I love geeky things.

Overall: Super adorable and fun read which appealed to my geekier side.

**I would like to thank Entangled Teen and Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours for the advanced copy of this book

GIVEAWAY

One (1) winner will receive a signed copy of Secrets of a Reluctant Princess + a Tiara!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PURCHASE LINKS

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N| Kobo | TBD | iBooks

ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Casey Griffin can often be found at comic conventions on her days off from her day job, driving 400 ton dump trucks in Northern Alberta, Canada. As a jack of all trades with a resume boasting registered nurse, English teacher, and photographer, books are her true passion. Casey is a 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel finalist, and is currently busy writing every moment she can.


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