Just Your Average Princess by Kristina Springer

Summary:
Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods arrived, things have really stunk. Jamie can’t imagine it was easy for Milan to leave her life back in Los Angeles and move to Average, Illinois, population one thousand. But it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for her since (a) Milan’s drop-dead gorgeous; (b) she’s the daughter of two of Hollywood’s hottest film stars; (c) she’s captured the attention of everyone in town, including Danny, Jamie’s crush since forever; and (d) she’s about to steal the title of Pumpkin Princess right out from underneath Jamie! (from GoodReads)

Review:
Just Your Average Princess was a really cute and enjoyable book. It wasn't deep, or thoughtful or emotional, but it was fun to read. And it's okay to occasionally read a light and fluffy book, which is why I liked Just Your Average Princess.

The concept is a popular one. Pretty, city girl comes to a small town and annoys the main character until some big secret is revealed and helps the main character understand the other (and sometimes it's reversed with the new girl as the protagonist). Milan and Jamie are cousins but haven't seen each other since they were little kids. Jamie tries really hard to be nice and friendly to Milan but she doesn't care. I did feel bad for Jamie because she wasn't really being treated very fairly by her own parents or Milan. But once Jamie finds out why Milan can be so bratty, it sheds light on the entire situation.

Even though the ending was cheesy and predicable, I did like it because it was a happy one. I like when things work out. I also loved the setting! Jamie's family owns a pumpkin patch/farm and since I love Halloween/October/Fall, I would love to work there! We have one of those near my house and even though it's usually for little kids it's still a lot of fun to go.

If you're looking for a light and cute book, look no further than Just Your Average Princess. It's a quick read, too, I read it in about 2 hours.

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: sent by publisher.

2011/Farrar, Straus, Giroux/208 pages.

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Jane’s job as a barista at Wired Joe’s Coffeehouse is a pretty boring gig. To make the workday go faster, she tests out her theory that you can tell a lot about a person based on their favorite coffee. After extensive research, Jane has a notebook full of personalities that go with each drink. So when she sees that some drinks seem to go along well with other drinks, based on their descriptions, Jane tries her hand at matchmaking two friends. When all goes well, Jane continues trying to find dates for other friends and the regulars at Wired Joe’s. But when the manager Derek discovers what Jane has been up to, he decides to make it an in-store promotion for the month of December. Jane will be the Espressologist every Friday night and match customers based on their drink preferences. Jane’s having fun and becoming semi-famous, so why is she feeling weird about her best friend Em dating her friend Cam, when she was the one who matched them?

I thought that The Espressologist was such a cute book. It was light, fun, humorous and romantic. I loved that Jane was a modern day matchmaker, and matching people based on their coffee preferences is a really smart idea. Who doesn't want a little love with their coffee? The book was short and interesting, so it read fast. The one thing I didn't like that much was that the author was very brief. Everytime something happened, the author could tell it in five sentences. She really took efficiency to a new extreme. It wasn't that big of a deal, but in my opinion it prevented The Espressologist from flowing as well as it could have. Despite that, I still think that The Espressologist was hilarious and a fun read for the holidays.

8 out of 10.