January 1, 2018
Gr 6-10-If there is one thing that the British do well it is Christmas: Christmas movies, Christmas songs, and Christmas television specials, and American anglophiles eat it all up. This year Dylan, who prefers to live under the radar, is finding herself in the middle of shooting one of these Christmas specials-a reality show set in a Scottish castle. Dylan's sister Dusty, a former Miss Mississippi, is marrying the dashing Scotsman and laird-to-be, Ronan, and the wedding, along with the days leading up to it, will be part of a spin-off special to the show Prince in Disguise where Dusty and Ronan first met. Upon arriving in Scotland, Dylan meets the charming and extremely well-read Jamie, who is also staying at the castle through the Christmas Eve wedding. Both awkward and a little camera shy, they find comfort in each other, and a budding romance ensues as Jamie shows Dylan the secrets of the castle and its grounds. Hilarious from the start and full of bubbly dialogue, this will appeal to those looking for humor and those looking for light romance. It captures the best of British rom-coms with its grand gestures, big musical numbers, and swoony romantic moments, all set against a dreamy, snowy backdrop. Strohm presents the appeal of reality TV while also giving readers a glimpse behind the scenes of the genre's not-so-genuine tactics. VERDICT A solid romantic comedy that will appeal to younger and older teens or any American Anglophile craving a British yuletide romp.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2017
A Mississippi teen finds herself in a Scottish manor for the holidays under unexpected circumstances.Dylan Leigh's sister, Dusty, found love as a contestant on the reality show Prince in Disguise, and now Dusty is going to marry the prince! Actually, Ronan is really only a lord, as Dylan reminds everyone, but no one seems to care. Now, Dylan, Dusty, and their mother--all white--are on their way from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Ronan's family home in the Scottish Highlands for the Christmas wedding TV special. Lucky for 16-year-old Dylan, who has spent months dodging the cameras (not so easy to do when you're 6 feet tall), she gets to be Pippa to Dusty's Kate, and all events leading up to the big event will be filmed for the pre-special special. Christmas vacation is ruined...until Dylan meets white, blue-eyed Eton boy Jamie, one of the groomsmen. It's refreshing that they don't hate-like each other, but rather sparks fly from the start: lightly at first and subsequently heavier as the story unfolds. Then the thought occurs to Dylan: what if the show's producers are setting her up to be the star of a sequel? Dylan's best friend, Heaven, is black; the show's producers bring her over because everyone else is "too white," a ploy Heaven refers to with a great deal of sarcasm. A glittery, holiday-themed, girl-meets-boy-under-less-than-usual-circumstances romance. (Fiction. 12-16)
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December 1, 2017
Grades 8-10 Life in Tupelo, Mississippi, has not been easy for 16-year-old Dylan. It's far from ideal being the more average-looking younger sister to seemingly perfect, beautiful Dusty, a former Miss Mississippi now betrothed to a Scottish princeOK, lordand subject of the reality TV show Prince in Disguise. But when the pending nuptials bring her family to Scotland at Christmastime, Dylan falls hard for Jamie, one of the younger groomsmen. But dating under the microscope of reality TV just might be more than she bargained for, and that's before learning Jamie'sspoiler alerta prince in disguise. After all, what's a wedding without the shocking return of a long-lost father, an unexpected bun in the oven, and other surprises? Strohm's latest is a pure rom-com delightthink Bridget Jones meets The Bachelor. Plot twists, both strongly hinted at and more genuinely surprising, abound and add interest to the cozy story. Readers will swoon over Jamie's earnest and nerdy banter and cozy up to the deliciously detailed Scottish setting. Hand to teen fans of The Bachelor and British royalty gossip rags.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
Sixteen-year-old Dylan is spending Christmas in Scotland, where her older sister (former Miss Mississippi) is getting married to a lord on reality TV. Narrator Dylan's self-deprecating sense of humor and on-screen bumbles will endear her to readers, as will her chemistry and literary repartee with British groomsman Jamie, who's hiding a royally good secret of his own. An entertaining read perfect for Royal-family followers.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)