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young adult book reviews & more

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? by Melissa Kantor

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?Lucy Norton’s new life seems like the stuff of fairytales—in the worst possible way. Because of her father’s remarriage, she’s had to move from one coast to the other to live in a Long Island suburb. As if the move weren’t bad enough, Lucy now has a wicked stepmother, two bratty stepsisters, and a whole bunch of chores. But if Lucy is the new Cinderella, then isn’t she supposed to get the prince (okay, star basketball player), dance at the ball (or prom), and live happily ever after? Because at the moment, that looks impossible. But if Lucy plays her cards right and sticks things through, she may find happiness and get the guy of her dreams after all.

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? is a fantastic story of when fairytale crashes into reality. There are several things fairytale (especially Cinderella) references are used for in this novel, especially for comic comparison, to heighten the reader’s sympathy for Lucy’s plight, and as a source of character growth. All three of these points work extremely well, and because of them, Kantor establishes a perfect balance between seriousness and humor. This is extremely important because it makes the main characters and their circumstances more believable. As for the actual plot itself, it is sweet but somewhat predictable. I could foresee who Lucy would end up with early in the story and how that relationship would play out. It was still cute and enjoyable to read about though. There were a couple of changes at the end of the story I didn’t quite buy into such as Lucy’s new friends’ loyalty and her stepmother’s change of heart. In the grand scheme of things, though, this novel remains a sweet, funny, and heartwarming story.

This novel will be enjoyed by fans of Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph, Miss Match by Wendy Toliver, and other young adult romances. I look forward to reading more from Kantor.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from personal collection

1 munch(es) :

Anonymous said...

I thought the book was a little bit to predictable. I could tell what was going to happen at the very beginning. also I don't understand what happened to the stepmother with her change of heart.

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