Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Summary:

When a well-dressed woman steps out of a bubble and wants to know if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you


A) run

B) faint

C) say yes?

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for some glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C). Desi has a rare ability: with the help of "Royal Rouge," she can temporarily transform into the exact look-alike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?


Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras.... In this winning debut, one girl's dream of glamour transforms into the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.
 
Review:
 
Princess for Hire was just as sugary sweet and bubbly as the cover it has.
 
Desi was a character that was so hard not to like. She was sweet, funny, real and just someone who was so hard not to root for her. I loved how she would risk getting in trouble with her boss by helping the princesses she was subbing for in more personal and self-esteem building ways then were allowed because it showed what a great person she was along with what a fantastic friend she would be if she was real. Further more, I personally think Desi will especially be loved by the pre-teens and younger teens because a lot of the problems she faces such as friend drama, the feeling of not fitting in and low scale boy drama are ones that those girls tend to deal with.  Along with this, the princesses she deals with are basically the same leaving me to love getting to know them even if it was just for a short time.
 
While I liked the premise ( Seriously, how cool would it be to sub in for real life princess?), I felt the execution failed at times. Since the story had the tendency to drag on and become predictable. Though, usually before I knew it the story would take a new turn and become interesting again. Leaving this to not be the biggest of problems.


Overall, Lindsey Leavitt's Princess For Hire is a great read for pre-teens and younger teens looking for a more innocent and tamer read than some of the other books out there in the YA world. I'm looking forward to seeing how this series develops over time.
 
Grade: B
 
Princess for Hire will be released March 16, 2010!
 
Source: Publisher. Thanks Hallie!