Secret Life of Prince Charming (Reprint)

The Secret Life of Prince Charming started out a little slow, but once I got about fifty pages in, I couldn't put it down. Quinn Hunt lives with her mother, her grandmother, her aunt, and her younger sister. All these women--except for the little sister--have had at least one bad experience with men. To make things worse for Quinn, her own father is a charming narcissist who uses women. Quinn goes out of her way to excuse his behavior, but when she discovers that he's stolen and kept as a trophy a prized possession from each of the many women in his life, Quinn can't deal with his dishonesty. She is searching for truth and she has to find a way to deal with what he's done. On a whim she calls her half sister Frances Lee and the girls decide to return the items. Younger sister Sprout (Charlotte) goes along. Though Quinn and Sprout hardly know Frances Lee at the beginning, by the time the quest is over, the three have bonded and become sisters. And Quinn has found truth--not only the truth about her father, but the truth in love. The writing is insightful and the events carry the book along to a satisfying conclusion. This great book is not just for young adults. I highly recommend it.

First of all, I need to say that you do not need to be a teen to enjoy this book. If you are a teen, or have ever been a teen, you will enjoy this story! I have a soft spot in my heart for Young Adult Fiction, even though I am 32! I think the struggles of teen life is something that we can all relate to, young or "old". This is the first book I have ever read by Deb Caletti, but it won't be the last! Her writing style is very simple and down to earth. The chapters were nicely sized and for someone like me (who has to finish one more chapter before bed!) that's always a plus. The story itself was quite moving. By just glancing at the story, I assumed that the story was based on a teen boy! Or maybe young love? But it's not! Not to give too much away, the book is basically about the main character, Quinn and her father. Quinn's father is a regular cassanova and downright con-man, leaving broken hearts and empty promises in his wake. Quinn teams up with her two sisters to try and erase some of the damage their father has done in the past. Can she right his wrongs and learn a few secrets about love in the process? All in all, a great book. A great gift for a teen in your life, or any woman who has felt the sting of heartache. I cannot wait to get my hands on another of her books!

The Prince Charming the book's title refers to, in part, is seventeen-year-old Quinn's charming and manipulative dad, Barry. He's left behind a trail of heartbroken wives and girlfriends as well as three daughters (Quinn, her sister Charlotte--"Sprout," and a half-sister Frances Lee). Quinn, who lives with her mom, sister and and grandmother, fears that like them, she is doomed to have no luck in her relationships with men, especially after her boyfriend Daniel unceremoniously dumps her. To make matters worse, Barry backs off from contributing to her upcoming college education. Quinn feels doubly betrayed. But her pain becomes the impetus for her to contact her half-sister Frances and go with her and Sprout on a road trip to return to the objects that her father had stolen from each of his old wives and lovers, even though she risks destroying her fragile relationship with her dad. Along the way, Quinn has to confront her anger at her father as well as her anger at the women he was involved with after he abandoned her mother. But like her mother, they were also wounded, and in excerpts throughout the book, they tell the story of their relationships with men. All of them were looking for Prince Charming, and thought they had found him in Barry. They learned hard and empowering lessons about love: "Love is not hurt and harm. Love is never unsafe." Quinn can learn from them, and as a child of divorce, she has an opportunity to build her own unconventional family based genuine affection and trust. Deb Caletti has a wonderfully buoyant style of writing and a great ear for dialog. "The Secret Life of Prince Charming" conveys an important message to girls about self-respect and learning the ability to recognize and steer clear of abusive relationships. Highly recommended.

Okay, so maybe it is a young adult book and I'm not so young-adultish anymore. But even this adult can appreciate the lovely writing style of Deb Caletti, the author of this "The Secret Life of Prince Charming". On the first page she says, "The important thing was, love was dangerous. Love was that dark alley you were walking down where your purse might be snatched." Ahhh, I almost sighed when I read that and the lines to follow. Really? Young adult and good writing, too? Comprelling story of Quinn, dumped by her boyfriend and seemingly about to join the parade of jaded women through her life. her mother and aunties. Her story is sandwiched amongst numerous stories of other women in her life- none where the princess goes and lives happily ever after with Prince Charming. Some parents evaluating whether to get this for their teen: the main character Quinn seems far more grown up than her divorced parents. Her dad is a smooth-talking lothario and she talks about having to protect her mom from her dad's wrongdoings. Lots of references to drugs and alcohol specifically with one of the parents using drugs. Some questionable language, as well. Still, there is a very heartwarmiing ending and many small truths told along the way. Most will be the better for having read this. Very much a coming-of-age story as Quinn realizes her ownn story doesn'y have to be like everyone else's story.

Since she was young, Quinn has constantly heard about how awful men are. Her mother, aunt, and grandmother have all been in bad relationships, and feel the need to warn Quinn about the men she should stay away from. This, unfortunately, also includes her dad, who has just recently come back into her and her sister's lives. But when Quinn discovers that all of her father's "prized possessions" are actually things he's stolen from the women he's been with, she decides to right her father's wrongs. Quinn calls up the half-sister she barely knows, and they set out to return the items that their father has stolen. On this roadtrip, Quinn learns the truth about her father, mends the hearts of some of his exes, and might even mend hers along the way. I absolutely loved this book. The whole idea for it was just amazing. I loved the fact that Quinn and her sisters were riding around and delivering the objects to their rightful owners. A lot the women that their father had dated or married were really nice people, and the objects were some of their prized possessions. The fact that they drove all around the state of Washington and even into Canada was so cool. I wish I could do something like that. I also liked how Quinn and her sister Sprout hardly knew their half-sister Frances Lee, and yet they got in a car with her to complete this quest. The three girls became so close, and it was nice to see everyone grow into a family. Every so often, there would be a story or little passage from Quinn's family, or from the women that her father dated, and it was talking about love and giving advice on love. Some of the things Deb Caletti wrote were so true, and they were things that everyone knows, but they don't know they know it until someone has the ability to articulate it into words. Here's an example of Caletti's insightfulness: "She said a marriage is like a well-built porch. If one of the posts leans too much, the porch collapses. So each must be strong enough to stand on it's own. I've thought about this over the years, and I've seen many a porch collapse. To know that you can stand alone, to know that he can too - it seems very good advice." Now, how true is that? And the whole book was full of little truths about love and relationships. Overall, the book was quirky, smart and heartfelt. Quinn was a great protagonist and she developed into a very interesting character throughout the book. She really grew up and learned a lot about relationships and love. It was so sweet to see everyone become a family over their four-day journey. And there were some really funny moments thrown in there, too, making this book a worthy read.