“…all that matters is the truth as you know it, and as the ones who love you know it.”
Synopsis: Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair, a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond.
While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.
Source: Goodreads
Title: Prince Charming
Series: Royals, Book One
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Links: Amazon CA | Book Depository | Goodreads
Genre / Themes: Coming of Age | Contemporary | Realistic Fiction | Romance
Point of View: First Person
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: 2019 (First published 2018)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 296
Book two of five complete in the Bookie Grail challenge! I’ve been eyeing this book for some time … it just seemed so adorable … and LOOK AT THAT COVER! I had to have it on one of my MANY bookshelves. As my first novel by Hawkins, I was thoroughly impressed with how she kept me engaged with the story the entire time. Guys … I finished this in ONE day … I don’t remember the last time I finished a book in one day! At the end of the day, this story served its purpose … making me laugh super hard and smile until the very end.
CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains alcohol and bullying.
Hawkins’ young adult novel’s a light and fast-paced read full of INCREDIBLE amounts hilarious dialogue and SUPER CHEESY (yet you love it) moments! Sometimes, you just need a “soft and squishy” story that’s bound to make your heart feel all warm inside … that’s the ESSENCE of Hawkins’ Prince Charming. There were points where I was laughing so hard I actually snorted water out of my noise — which hurt, so try to avoid that. Lately, I’ve been wanting to read novels that aren’t complex and make me feel happy at the end … and this novel accomplished that. An easily binge worthy novel, this is honestly the PERFECT summer read.
Contrary to my thoughts going into this novel, Prince Charming is NOT an insta-love or love triangle story! EUREKA! A ROMANCE YOUNG ADULT NOVEL THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE THESE AND REMAINS INTRIGUING! From the description, I thought this was going to be a MASSIVE love triangle … but it wasn’t. There’s definitely some “complications”, but those actually made the story SO much better and comical. And although Daisy and “man to be” to fall for one another, it doesn’t feel like insta-love; rather, the connection feels like that cute and innocent first love experience … simple yet adorable. I truly wish more young adult novels were like this!
Daisy, our quirky and witty main character, has risen higher in my personal rank of favourite female protagonists. Reading about Daisy’s CRAZY adventures in Scotland is reason enough to pick this novel up. She’s an adorable little nerd who loves to be sarcastic yet charming all at once. Rather than wanting fame and recognition, Daisy’s happy simply being with her best friend and going to “cons” to meet famous authors and the like. But beyond that, she’s also an independent thinker who stands up for what she believes in no matter what. I think we ALL need a Daisy in our lives.
Though a romance story, there’s a lot of attention regarding the importance of family and understanding. Daisy and Ellie don’t have the most functional sisterly relationship, but the story slowly unfolds and shows how each character is struggling in their own way. But I think the BEST element is Daisy and Ellie’s parents — THEY ARE HILARIOUS AND EPIC! They act like both a parent and a friend to their children, which resonated greatly with me since I have a very similar connection to my own parents. It’s a dynamic not seen as much in young adult novels, so this was lovely to see.
If you’re going to write a book about a culture beyond your own, do your research! See, THIS is why if I ever write a book, it’s going to be set in Canada or a fictional world. As someone who isn’t from Scotland, it’s bad when even “I” catch on to the things that weren’t researched well — “medical bill” references (not a thing in Scotland from what I’ve researched), the description of locations, character names, clothing worn at ceremonies and parties — these are ALL things that weren’t properly researched, making the novel feel less authentic. Honestly, I kept thinking this novel was set in England rather than Scotland. And oddly enough, Hawkins kept using the term “British”, which I don’t think is proper.
Though an incredibly adorable story, the pacing was WAY off. Everything felt SO RUSHED! Once I started getting into one part of the story, I was SWEPT off to the next … it was rather frustrating! It felt as though I was reading a screenplay at points rather than a novel simply because the story moved along WAY too quickly. This made it hard to really enjoy Daisy’s story, along with getting to know all the characters (which is a shame, because they all seem SO INTERESTING). This REALLY could’ve been a 400+ page novel.
Due to the pacing, the development between Daisy and “he who shall not be named” felt incredibly unrealistic and lack-luster. Honestly, I’m a SUCKER for the hate to like/love trope IF done right … even though I deny it ALL the time. And though I was shipping (yup … I used the term SHIPPING) these two HARDCORE and was happy with the end result, I was INCREDIBLY disappointed with the LITTLE INTERACTION we get … again, the pacing REALLY ruined a lot of elements … especially the development of Daisy and “mysterious man’s” feelings.
If I can describe Prince Charming in one word, it would be ADORABLE! Honestly, it’s one of those books that makes you smile at the end and believe in love again. Though there are some inaccuracies and the pacing is rather off, it’s still a cute and cheesy story that makes you feel all warm inside.
I recommend this novel if you enjoy:
↠ Light, fluffy and cheesy reads
↠ An IMMENSE amount of hilarious dialogue
↠ A likable and memorable main character
↠ A “binge read” novel
↠ A focus on family dynamics
↠ A more “naturally growing” romantic interaction
Have you read Rachel Hawkins’ Prince Charming?
Bookmark Your Thoughts 
I’ve been seeing this book everywhere, and I need some quick reads for the Reading Rush read-a-thon (THAT IS HAPPENING NEXT WEEK AND OMG I’M STILL PLANNING MY TBR) and also for NEWTs, so I might give this one a try.
How is your July read-a-thon going btw?
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P.S. Will you participate in the Reading Rush? 🙂
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P.P.S. You just have to! 😀
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LMFAO!!! I AM participating in the NEWTs though in August!
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Nahhh … nooooooo time. I’ve been feeling a little stressed so maybe next time 😀
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I’m participating in The Reading Rush…and my TBR is nothing but manga, though I fully expect to read a couple novels during the week as well. I do still need to figure out my TBR for the NEWTs though.
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A lot of people seem to be participating in the Reading Rush … I wish I felt more up to it but I have no energy ha-ha!!
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There’s nothing wrong with skipping out. Re-energizing yourself is a bit more important anyway.
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LMFAO! Good luck with that challenge! It looks real intense and I have NOOOOOO time for it ha-ha! If you want a QUICK and FUN read, pick this up. It’s SUPER quick! And even with the number of geographical errors, it’s still fun and sweet.
So far so good! I’ve finished 2 of 5! I’m HOPEFULLY going to finish the third this weekend and start on the fourth as well this weekend 🙂 I deliberately picked some light reads ha-ha!!
I’m actually going to post my NEWT challenge post soon! I just figured out my books. I only need to read four, thank gosh ha-ha!
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Aww, you need to participate in this read-a-thon at some point. I mean… there are BADGES for completing the challenges. How can you NOT participate??! 😀
You’re doing really well with July’s read-a-thon. July hasn’t been a great reading month for me, so the Reading Rush next week might be the best thing ever and push me to read more, or it might be the worst idea and actually put me into a deeper reading slump. We will see. ahaha
4?? I need to read 9?! How am I going to do that?!
There was one month this year when I managed to read 10 books, but usually I only read 5-7. Although, work has slowed down a bit, so that might be helpful.
Excited to see your NEWTs TBR! Mine is written on a piece of paper, that’s all I have so far. 😀 #VeryOrganized
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LMFAO! One day. Hopefully next year … I’m not gonna lie, seeing the badges made me want to participate ha-ha!
And what career did you choose again?!? I did Hogwarts Professor and since I finished my first OWLs, I don’t need to catch up on those. And with the NEWTs, the Hogwarts Professor and three prompts, one with two reading prompts. LUCKY ME! I might try to read an extra on or so, just for fun.
LMFAO! I can’t wait to see yours as well!
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I chose Auror, so I need O in Defense Against the Dark Arts (3 books), E in Charms (2 books), E in Potions (2 books), A in Herbology (1 book) and A in Transfiguration (1 book). D:
I’m sure I can do it…. 😀
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MAN!!!!!!!! That’s intense! I went with an easier one for my first time around but I want to try Auror or the Librarian one next time! This is something I would actually like to do every year 😀
And you most definitely can!!
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I have this book on my TBR, so it’s good to know that it would make for a nice fun quick summer read.
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I hope you like it! I kinda wish there was more to it, but I’m still happy with it 😀
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Thanks. And that’s what matters right, that you are happy with it and had an enjoyable time reading it.
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Wonderful review. Jenna! Hmm, I must admit you have me torn about whether or not to pick this one up! I read Haskins’ Rebel Belle a few years back, and was sadly underwhelmed. It was cute and all, but I didn’t care much for the characters or rushed pacing. So, it’s such a bummer to see that pacing was an issue for you here as well! The romance does sound quite adorable though, and I love great family dynamics. I’ll definitely be keeping this one in mind! 🙂
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THANK YOU! The nice thing about this is the characters are actually pretty cool, especially Daisy. I would be her friend if she existed in real life. But it’s INCREDIBLY rushed with little development between events. If you’re going to read it (I still recommend it as it made me smile), I would borrow it. I don’t regret buying it … since it’s really pretty on my shelves ha-ha!
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This is a great review, Jenna and… well I have to admit that I’m a little confused about it all now? I feel like I could really love Prince Charming, it feels like it would be my kind of fun, cute contemporary read, but I’m a little nervous about the pacing of the story now. I’ll have to think about it, but thank you for this review!! 😀
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Thank you very much! And honestly, I totally recommend it if you want a nice and fluffy read that’s going to make you smile. The lack of research and tempo bothered me, but I didn’t really notice that until the end of the novel. If you end up reading it, please let me know!
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Incredible review, honey!💛✨ I’m really not sure if it’s my type of reading, but I’ve heard a lot about it lately and I think I’ve also seen the sequel out there, I think it has a sequel, right? 😅
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Thank you! It’s that “looking for a light and fluffy read” kinda book. There’s a sequel but the MC’s change. I think it’s gonna be like “Anna and the French Kiss”, where the MC’s change but the MC’s from the previous books appear? I will let you know!
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