Tag Archives: summer read

Review: Finding Prince Charming by Jamar J. Perry

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Finding Prince Charming by Jamar J. Perry

Finding Prince Charming
Jamar J. Perry
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published June 10, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Finding Prince Charming

In this swoonworthy YA romance, an ordinary teenage boy finds himself accidentally fake dating a crown prince.

Tyriq Howell is swearing off of love. After a fight with his cheating ex leads to missing his college scholarship interview, he vows to be done with dating for good. Until Desmond, a boy who works in the scholarship office, approaches with a curious proposal: he’ll get Tyriq another interview if he pretends to be Desmond’s date to a fancy gala in two weeks.

When Tyriq shows up to the gala, he’s shocked when photographers swarm him and Desmond. He’s even more shocked when he finds out that Desmond is Prince Desmond of Catalina. And now that the whole world knows Desmond is gay, he’s front page news.

When the King angrily summons Desmond and his new boyfriend to Catalina, Desmond begs Tyriq to play along. If his father realizes Desmond is serious about coming out, he might finally agree to let Desmond pass the crown to his sister instead. But navigating court politics and pretend relationships is harder than Tyriq imagined-especially when he realizes that he may have accidentally broken his swearing-off-of-love rule.

My Review

I read this on the heels of a really challenging book. I definitely needed a sweet, funny, adorable romance, and this book absolutely delivered those things. Tyriq is such a sweet guy. He’s got great people in his life… except where it comes to love. There, he’s struggling to figure out how to find a relationship that balances taking with giving.

There are a few moments where the plot armor pulls the story forward before we can really parse out whether something is realistic, but honestly, I didn’t look too closely that those details. It was fun getting carried away by the romance and the fun parts of the story, and I don’t think those hiccups represented anything problematic.

I liked Tyriq’s best friend and his mom a lot. His mom is smart and pragmatic. His best friend tells him exactly what she thinks, but she’s really funny, too. Tyriq also has a twin brother, and I enjoyed the ways in which they were alike and very different from one another.

I think I read a middle grade book by Jamar J. Perry last year, and honestly, I wouldn’t have realized this was the same writer. The tone is so light and fun here, whereas his middle grade fantasy was more serious and tense. That strikes me as having some great range. I’m really interested to see what he writes next.

Readers looking for a light rom com for the summer– be sure to put Finding Prince Charming on your reading list!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. A couple of scenes lead up to sex. There are a couple of details that show the characters leading up to that experience before the scene cuts away.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Paparazzi follow and pester Desmond, Tyrig and Tyriq’s family. Desmond’s dad displays some homophobia.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Mystery of the Smuggler’s Cove by Paul Moxham

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , , ,

The Mystery of the Smuggler’s Cove
Paul Moxham
Published January 31, 2013

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Mystery of the Smuggler’s Cove

Are you up for a thrilling adventure?

Twelve-year-old Joe Mitchell is excited to explore the caves on the beach where his family is spending their summer holiday. He and his sisters, Amy and Sarah, soon discover that the caves shelter a mysterious group of men who appear to be up to no good. Before they can raise the alarm, the kids need to find out what the men are up to and where they plan to send their cargo without getting caught themselves.

When word reaches the kids that one of the police officers in town works with the bandits, they realize getting help will be harder than they anticipated. They must to figure out who the traitor is and alert a trustworthy officer as well as rescue an ally who runs afoul of the smuggling ring before the men disappear into the foggy night forever.

My Review

I really enjoyed the sweet sort of 1950s feel of the story. It’s got a simplicity to it that felt refreshing, honestly. The kids are just having a summer holiday and wanting to explore and be kids when they discover evidence of a smuggling ring.

Though I enjoyed the simplicity of the spare storytelling style, some scenes went by too quickly, where I wanted to linger and really see things play out more completely. I liked each of the four kids– Will, Joe, Sarah, and Amy– but I sometimes mixed them up. There often weren’t a lot of details about them as individual characters.

One of the things I liked though was that the story is a quick read. It felt exactly like the kind of thing I might have read on vacation as a kid, so I enjoyed that kind of nostalgic sense to it and the fact that I read the whole book in under two hours.

On the whole, I thought it was a fun read, and I’m glad I read it. I would have enjoyed more detail in certain parts, but overall the story had a nice pace to it.

I think younger middle grade readers, like ages 8-10, would enjoy this shorter, fun summer adventure.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 10.

Representation
Major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
The bad guys tie up the good guys but make it clear they don’t intend to harm anyone.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE MYSTERY OF THE SMUGGLER’S COVE in exchange for my honest review.