Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Gallery Books (2012), Edition: Original, Paperback, 448 pages
Description
When an unexpected turn of events pushes Leopold William Victor Wolfsburg of Nirona closer to the throne, the Wolfsburgs decide to step up Amy's transformation from down-to-earth gardener to perfectly polished princess-in-waiting. Amy would do anything for Leo, but is finding her Prince Charming worth the price of losing herself?
User reviews
LibraryThing member bookwormdreams
The title of The Runaway Princess is misleading because Amy, our heroine, is just ordinary English middle-class girl. Her best friends Jo jokingly calls her 'Queen of Spades', but that's got more to do with Amy's profession than social status. If you haven't guessed it, Amy is a gardener. I felt
While Jo tries to set Amy up with her posh friends, all Amy wants is someone ordinary and down-to-earth. Someone who is easy to talk to.
"I just want someone normal," I said stoutly. "I'm just a normal girl, and I want a normal bloke."
She smiled. "None of us are normal. We're all special in our own way."
When Amy meets Leo, it seems like her wish came true. And Leo is definitely not only easy to talk to but easy on the eyes also: blond hair, blue eyes, cute smile... But surprise surprise - Leo turns out to be a real prince from a small European country called Nirona. It's a little bit pretentious turning down a great guy just because he is a prince, especially if everything about him feels... just right.
"We're not exactly the same, but we fit together. You feel right. You smell right. When I'm with you, it's like I'm at home, even here in London, where I never thought I'd properly be happy. I don't know what it is, but I could talk to you forever and never run out of things to say. And I could never get tired of looking at you. Ever."
As Amy's and Leo's relationship gets serious, the pressure from royal family and paparazzi escalates and Amy encounters a lot of tough decisions and not-very-much-enjoyable 'princessing process'. How much are you willing to sacrifice for love? Is justified causing discomfort to your family just so you could be happy? Where is a boundary between improving and losing yourself? In this cute and quirky novel camouflaging as contemporary chick lit Hester Browne ask these and a lot of other important questions.
If you have ever envied Disney princesses on their hot and royal mates or wished you were lucky as Kate Middleton and caught a prince - Hester Browne will make you question that decision. If you want to know 100 reasons why you should not date (or God forbid) marry a prince and you like chick lit novels with quirky characters and English humor, then The Runaway Princess might be the book you are looking for.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review.
Show More
close to Amy immediately - we had a lot of similarities. We're both not afraid to get our hands dirty, do not care about latest fashion, makeup, manicure and usually say wrong thing or get tongue-tied around unknown people.While Jo tries to set Amy up with her posh friends, all Amy wants is someone ordinary and down-to-earth. Someone who is easy to talk to.
"I just want someone normal," I said stoutly. "I'm just a normal girl, and I want a normal bloke."
She smiled. "None of us are normal. We're all special in our own way."
When Amy meets Leo, it seems like her wish came true. And Leo is definitely not only easy to talk to but easy on the eyes also: blond hair, blue eyes, cute smile... But surprise surprise - Leo turns out to be a real prince from a small European country called Nirona. It's a little bit pretentious turning down a great guy just because he is a prince, especially if everything about him feels... just right.
"We're not exactly the same, but we fit together. You feel right. You smell right. When I'm with you, it's like I'm at home, even here in London, where I never thought I'd properly be happy. I don't know what it is, but I could talk to you forever and never run out of things to say. And I could never get tired of looking at you. Ever."
As Amy's and Leo's relationship gets serious, the pressure from royal family and paparazzi escalates and Amy encounters a lot of tough decisions and not-very-much-enjoyable 'princessing process'. How much are you willing to sacrifice for love? Is justified causing discomfort to your family just so you could be happy? Where is a boundary between improving and losing yourself? In this cute and quirky novel camouflaging as contemporary chick lit Hester Browne ask these and a lot of other important questions.
If you have ever envied Disney princesses on their hot and royal mates or wished you were lucky as Kate Middleton and caught a prince - Hester Browne will make you question that decision. If you want to know 100 reasons why you should not date (or God forbid) marry a prince and you like chick lit novels with quirky characters and English humor, then The Runaway Princess might be the book you are looking for.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ErikaWasTaken
Pros:
* fluffy, but well written
* just enough Kate and Pippa references
* romance twist was actually reasonable
Cons:
* slow to start
* Sophia's character was unbalanced. Either redeem her or make her really evil.
So this was like the grown-up version of the Princess Diaries. It was the right mix of fun
* fluffy, but well written
* just enough Kate and Pippa references
* romance twist was actually reasonable
Cons:
* slow to start
* Sophia's character was unbalanced. Either redeem her or make her really evil.
So this was like the grown-up version of the Princess Diaries. It was the right mix of fun
Show More
fluffy goodness, an the whole inciting incident that causes her to runaway actually felt natural. This wasn't the poor girl spying what she thinks is an indiscretion by the prince only to realize it was all innocent. Amy is a real girl, with real feelings, who is understandable a bit overwhelmed. Show Less
LibraryThing member carolvanbrocklin
Cute little story even if it is a bit convoluted.
Best part--NO swearing (well, 2 words) and while you know they go to bed, that's all you know. What a relief!
Best part--NO swearing (well, 2 words) and while you know they go to bed, that's all you know. What a relief!
LibraryThing member soraki
When Amy meets Leo at a party, she has no idea that he's a prince. But luckily, Leo is only the fifth in line to the throne of the tiny principality of Nirona, so not too much paparazzi attention is focused on them. But all that changes due to an unexpected succession, and Leo's family starts
Amy is a girl you can relate to. Shy, sensible, and awkward at parties, she would rather be gardening than posing for the cameras. This is a sweet, romantic, and absorbing book with charming characters that you care about.
Show More
trying to groom Amy into the perfect princess. Amy is a girl you can relate to. Shy, sensible, and awkward at parties, she would rather be gardening than posing for the cameras. This is a sweet, romantic, and absorbing book with charming characters that you care about.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Stephanie_Keyes
I loved the whole concept of The Runaway Princess, right from the start. Who doesn't like the idea of getting a glimpse into the life of royalty?
Hester Browne does a wonderful job of setting the stage and creating quirky, likable characters. I could instantly relate to Leo, Amy, Jo, and others in
However, that's where the book didn't quite give me what I was hoping for. The majority of Amy and Leo's romance is told in backstory. For example, Amy and Leo begin to explore the physical part of their relationship in one chapter. In the next, a week has passed and it's mentioned in internal thought almost as an afterthought. Not that we, as readers, necessarily need all of the details, but it would have been nice to at least pick up on the story the following day. Unfortunately, we lost the opportunity to be clued in one Amy's true emotions and thoughts.
This happened quite a bit through out the romance portion of the story. I think that seriously hampered the believability of Leo and Amy's relationship.
That being said, the writing and the characters were very enjoyable. I would definitely read a second book if this continues as a series, just because I'm hoping for more.
Hester Browne does a wonderful job of setting the stage and creating quirky, likable characters. I could instantly relate to Leo, Amy, Jo, and others in
Show More
this crazy cast of characters. I couldn't wait to see how Amy and Leo's romance would develop.However, that's where the book didn't quite give me what I was hoping for. The majority of Amy and Leo's romance is told in backstory. For example, Amy and Leo begin to explore the physical part of their relationship in one chapter. In the next, a week has passed and it's mentioned in internal thought almost as an afterthought. Not that we, as readers, necessarily need all of the details, but it would have been nice to at least pick up on the story the following day. Unfortunately, we lost the opportunity to be clued in one Amy's true emotions and thoughts.
This happened quite a bit through out the romance portion of the story. I think that seriously hampered the believability of Leo and Amy's relationship.
That being said, the writing and the characters were very enjoyable. I would definitely read a second book if this continues as a series, just because I'm hoping for more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mlake
This was a fun read with a great cast of characters.
LibraryThing member BookSpot
Sounds a bit like that Julia Stiles movie from whenever The Prince & Me . . . or a grown-up Princess Diaries.
LibraryThing member cygnet81
Predictable but fun.
LibraryThing member arielfl
After nearly being buried under my last book, the 1,149 page Outlander behemoth, An Echo in the Bone, I was looking for something lighter and shorter to read. Inspired by American princess to be Meghan Markle, I picked up this cute little novel about a commoner who becomes engaged to a prince. When
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was around the middle when Amy leaves Leo hanging at a party that I started getting frustrated with the story. Amy is the most insecure neurotic person I have ever seen. When a problem pops up she runs away and buries her head in the sand instead of dealing with it.Things happen in Amy's life that are beyond her control and still she chooses to act as if she should be ashamed of everything. There is no way a real life relationship could ever function if one person runs away and shuts down every time there is a minor problem. My disgust at Amy started to overshadow my enjoyment of the story. Although I liked the concept of an ordinary person trying to fit into a royal family ultimately Amy's vapid ways and lack of a backbone ruined the fairy tale for me.
Show More
gardener Amy meets Leo at a party she is the only person on earth who doesn't recognize who he is. She quickly gets caught up in the fun part of being a royal, diamond bracelets, glittering parties and fancy dresses. Unfortunately the bad part, attacks on her and her family by the press, insecurities, and awful relatives soon threaten her happy after. Is the love Amy and Leo share enough or will she be the one who got away?I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was around the middle when Amy leaves Leo hanging at a party that I started getting frustrated with the story. Amy is the most insecure neurotic person I have ever seen. When a problem pops up she runs away and buries her head in the sand instead of dealing with it.Things happen in Amy's life that are beyond her control and still she chooses to act as if she should be ashamed of everything. There is no way a real life relationship could ever function if one person runs away and shuts down every time there is a minor problem. My disgust at Amy started to overshadow my enjoyment of the story. Although I liked the concept of an ordinary person trying to fit into a royal family ultimately Amy's vapid ways and lack of a backbone ruined the fairy tale for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lydiasbooks
Not always a fan of royal mush, but this has really great characterisation as well as the love and diamonds. It's good to see a romance/ chick lit book not shying away from harsh reality: poverty, mental health, the past... I found myself wanting to know what happened next all the time.
Original publication date
2012-10-02
Physical description
448 p.; 8.33 inches
ISBN
1439168857 / 9781439168851