Super cute! Olivia's still trying to navigate school and being a princess, as well as crushing on the handsome Prince Khalil. She's super excited about being an aunt, and not so excited about the Winter Games. This series is still refreshing and I love it to bits. ( )

Royal Crush is the third in Meg Cabot’s (From the) Notebooks of a Middle-School Princess series. I like Olivia and enjoy seeing Mia’s family through someone else’s eyes, but have little patience for Olivia’s middle-school social dramas… which leads me to conclude that I am not the right audience for this book.

But one thing you can't change, unlike your hair or your shoes, is other people. Only they can do that. ( )

It’s almost Princess Olivia’s 13th birthday, and things are getting complicated. Boys, crushes, a birthday ball, and a school ski retreat — not to mention the birth of her sister’s twins!

I needed something light to listen to while I drove around this weekend, and this fit the bill well enough. Recommended for readers who enjoyed the earlier books in this series. ( )

Cute book! Definitely good for a middle grade reader, though I'd suggest starting with the first book in the series, maybe not the third like me. I found it hard to pay attention to the story and that's why I'm giving it three stars. ( )

So adorable!

As much as I loved Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries series, I just might like her From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess ones even more. We still have many of the characters we love from the YA books (Mia! Michael! Grandmere! An older version of Rocky!) but now we're seeing them through the eyes of Mia's half-sister, a current seventh grader and future wildlife artist. Add in middle school drama (which yes, is significant when you're in--or even just work with or live with those who are in--middle school, but let's face it, is waaaay less angsty than high school drama) and a main character who's not only dealing with being a newly discovered princess but also has had to move to a different country--her family's country--and you've got a great basis for a series.

In book three, Royal Crush, Olivia's got a lot going on, as usual. Mia's about ready to have her twins (and yes, she has them--and no, I'm not telling their gender or names; read it yourself!), there's a nasty strain of virus ravishing Genovia, her school is all set to compete in the Royal School Winter Games (she wants to stay home and let her new niece and nephew imprint on her like baby ducks, but her plans here might be foiled by factors beyond her control), and she's not sure why Prince Khalil doesn't seem quite as friendly as he had over the summer. And isn't sure if she cares. Because they're just friends. Or, maybe they're not. But maybe they are...

Ah, middle school.

Throughout it all, Olivia brings a fresh voice to the world of the Genovian royals and keeps us up to date with what's going on with the Renaldos. Though this book would work pretty well as a standalone--Olivia keeps us current on most of what we need to know going in to the story--it really will have the most impact if you've read the other two. Plus, the characters and writing are so much fun you're going to want to know the whole story--so go ahead and put them all on your TBR ASAP!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )