Secrets of a Reluctant Princess

Secrets of a Reluctant Princess follows Andy, a girl who has to reinvent herself as Adrianna, when her family scores a reality TV gig due to the success of their bathrooms and accessories line.
After moving away from a place and life she kind of loved, she becomes popular and has to dress and act completely differently from what she's used to, but one day, after evading the camera crew that constantly follows her, she meets Kevin, a boy who works in a small yet rival bathroom store, who has an interest in LARPing. Suddenly, Andy develops multiple interests, and has to battle between the girl she wants to be, and the girl she thinks she has to be.

Yep, this is essentially a fun, slightly ridiculous, version of Romeo & Juliet, in an American high school, with multiple references to bathrooms and other related products. Also, it's about LARPing. I almost can't wrap my head around it.

Kevin meets our protagonist as Adrianna, the new girl who has a reality TV show and who's popular and mean ad everything he doesn't want to befriend. Unbeknownst to him, he also meets her as Andy, a girl who is entirely his type.
Andy feels free when she's LARPing, but people would make fun of her if they knew she did it. She'd end up disappointing her parents and losing her friends and lots of other overly dramatic consequences. Instead of coming clean with Kevin about who exactly she is, she leads a double life, and continues to try to interact with him as both Andy and Adrianna.

The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of A Cinderella Story, except instead of talking online, they talk behind masks. If you liked A Cinderella Story and like cutesy and fun stories then you'd probably like this.

The story has a happy ending, because I'm not sure these kind of stories are allowed to have endings that aren't happy. You'll root for Kevin who really does seem like a nice guy, and you'll end up liking Harper, who's deeper than what she seems. Maybe you'll even enjoy the basic references to ‘nerd culture' that they throw in too.
This is a big of feel-good fluff with some angst thrown in, but it's a nice way to spend some time.

Be still, my heart! Friends, I'm about to shamelessly gush about this book. Consider yourself warned. I mean, I admit that it did take me a few chapters to warm up to Andy but once I did? Well, you couldn't have pried me away from this book if you tried. It has everything I love. Great characters, realistic life lessons, sweet romance, and LARPing. Yes, LARPing. My nerdy heart is so happy right now.

Andy, or Adrianna as her mother prefers she goes by, is the type of character that I wish we saw more of in YA literature. Used to being bullied and mocked, she uses her fresh start in her “new life” to remake herself into someone who avoids all that. The problem is, that she soon learns that it's difficult be someone you're not. Even more than that, she learns that sometimes fitting in means being the bully. If more teens learned that lesson early on, well, high school might not be such a difficult space to exist in.

My absolute favorite part of this story though was that it was a love letter to nerdom. Griffin points out the deep divide that exists between the popular crowd, and the “nerds”. However she goes beyond that by showing that it's perfectly acceptable to love what you love. Comics, drawing, cosplay, it's all in here. I was instantly able to tell that Griffin did her research, and I adored the spotlight that she gave to this group that is often ignored.

Then there were the characters. Most importantly, or maybe I have a minor crush myself, is Kevin. Kevin is sweet. He's kind, honest, and he loves LARPing. It takes his character, unafraid to be himself, to teach Andy who she really wants to be. The awkward, often tear-jerking relationship between these two was the icing on the cake really. I would have loved them even if they were just friends.

Secrets of a Reluctant Princess has it all. Family loyalty, forever friendships, high school drama, and enough giggle worthy moments to make the tear-jerking moments totally worthwhile. I loved this book! I genuinely hope you'll add it to your TBR, because it's well worth you time.