Short, sweet and from the point of view of Olivia, Princess of Genovia, and younger sister of Mia. If you enjoy the other stories from the Princess Diaries series, especially the earlier books, you should adore the stories written from Olivia's point of view.

These are reminiscent of the way the stories were written when Mia was still in school. School age Mia was young and innocent, and her point of view closely resembles Olivia's in the stories from the "From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess" series.

In this short, an outing with the inimitable Grandmere is the main event, and is recorded from the sweet and idealistic viewpoint of Olivia. Very light, entertaining and adorable. I am liking this new Princess of Genovia.

I read the Princess Diaries when they were published, but after #6, I lost interest and stopped. Then recently, I read and enjoyed Royal Wedding (#11) and now the series is back on my radar. I might have to go and read #7-#10. For those who thought that the original series graduated into Adult Fiction, this series is a great addition for younger readers.

**eARC Netgalley** ( )

I’ve read the first couple of Princess Diaries books; my 20-something daughter has them all, but I wasn’t aware of this spinoff series. I did a quick Wikipedia check to catch up on the goings-on in Genovia to see where this much-younger half-sister came from. I don’t want to give too much away, but there you have it.

This is a cute spinoff, and it’s nice to see that Grandmere is her old salty self. This is an “e-short”, so don’t expect a lot of plot development; there’s just not time. That said, it’s a fun interlude as preparations for Mia’s wedding hit high gear.

I feel like Olivia’s voice in this first-person account comes off as a little too young. She is supposed to be 12, but she sounds younger in her wide-eyed wonder.

This book would come before Royal Wedding if you are trying to read the books in chronological order.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Grandmere does enjoy a good cocktail. Mia’s pregnant (with twins) before the wedding. Guess I need to read the rest of the books and find out just what goes on!

Who Might Like This Book:
It is aimed at middle grades, but I think my third-grader could understand the goings-on just fine. Like all its sister books, it’s definitely targeted at girls, but there’s nothing to say a boy couldn’t enjoy it.

This review also at http://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2016/04/spinoff-from-beloved-series.html
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. ( )