Overall it's enjoyable and easy to read. I liked it.

A story set in a boarding school for high attaining pupils from aristocratic families with many who wish to remain incognito. It centres on a poor bursary pupil joining the school who finds herself with a strange and enigmatic roommate with who after some misunderstanding becomes her bosom friend. Moreover a rumour is set in motion that suggests that she is an undercover princess that in spite of all her attempts to dissuade gathers pace until all the students think that she must be. The mystery of why and how the story was started becomes a baffling mystery that seems unsolvable. There are enough mysteries, plots and hair raising events that maintains interest to the last page leaving the reader to speculate as to what happens next when the school year ends. What will the next year bring???.

Undercover Princess is the first book in the Rosewood Chronicles series by Connie Glynn.

Like many little girls Lottie Pumpkin dreams of being a princess, she attends a sophisticated boarding school in England and she lives by the rules of being a princess that she learnt from her mother. While at boarding school she swaps roles with her room mate who is an actual princess, but princess life comes with assassins and secret plots. This is a mystery/adventure book with likeable well developed characters and a fascinating, mysterious school with secret tunnels and beautiful gardens. 

Perfect for fans of Enid Blyton or Robin Stevens Murder most unladylike mystery's. Would recommend.

This is a good 3.5 star contemporary read, with a nice little mystery element. By the end I was thoroughly enjoying the relationship between the three main characters, and I liked the way the mystery played out while still leaving stuff for the remainder of the series.
At first I was convinced I wouldn’t finish it, the first couple of chapters weren’t really for me, but it turned around pretty quickly and just continued to grow on me as I read. A cute and easy read!
I think I will be looking out the follow up to see what happens next, as there are still quite a few things unknown

I will start this by saying I am not the target audience for this book - nevertheless I still really enjoyed it and I am excited for the rest of the series. 
This is a book I would have loved as a young teenager - it's sort of a cross between the Princess Diaries and Harry Potter. Equal parts Royalty, Friendship, and Mystery.

Lottie is new to Rosewood Hall - a beautiful sounding boarding school in the UK countryside - and meets her roommate Ellie (also new to Rosewood), the story follows their developing friendship as they try to navigate their unfamiliar environment and a very challenging world. 

The plot revolves around a 'mystery' - but I found this very slow moving, there was a lot of 'hidden' danger but very little that actually impacted the main characters. It all culminates in a very cliche end scene that would have benefited from a bit more conflict in the rest of the book - although this was probably a conscious decision due to it being a children's book. I also felt the characters were pretty cliche but with this being the first of the series and Connie's debut novel there is plenty of time for development.

It was a lovely inclusive story, with a great message about how friendships can endure despite differences. I would recommend it to any pre-teen/early-teen who likes Princesses and/or mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin RandomHouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this book although at first i felt it may be aimed at teenagers as it is based in a school. However, the story was like a modern fairy tale. The characters are interesting and the plot challenged you to keep reading changing your mind as to who was the villian.

A light and enjoyable read for younger teens. I have to admit that I didn't know that the author was a YouTuber until I read some other reviews, and I wouldn't have been able to tell from the writing, which was competent. It's not particularly deep, but that's ok - it would suit very well someone who was looking for something fluffy and light-hearted and low-pressure, rather than dark and intense. I'm looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Lottle and Ellie progresses (there are two ways it could go, and I hope the author/publishers go for the braver option).

HI LOOK AT THIS BOOK WHICH SCREAMS UNORIGINALITY. Can I just start with my 1000+ rant already? BECAUSE I’M READY.


+ THIS WAS SO CLICHE WOW 

Two best friends who are the literal definition of cliche. Did I mention they giggled and laughed, had perfect manners, and were so insanely perfect and sweet? AWWW, how cute. 
HAHAHAHhahaha...NO. I’m ready for bad-ass characters or characters WITH CHARACTER and things to be spiced up. 

What did I get? One so-called ‘rebellious princess’ who honestly broke into a few places but somehow it was okay?? And then this girl Lottie whose mother died YET SHE SUFFERED FROM LIKE 1 SECOND OF GRIEF THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE BOOK. Aww good PERFECT SWEET GIRL, I’m so freaking done and bored

+ THE CRINGE LEVELS WERE HIGH 

I don’t even WANT TO START. Literally, everyone’s just like “Thank you for being there for me” → “You're welcome. Your fabulous” LET’S JUST SHOWER PEOPLE WITH COMPLIMENTS SHALL WE. You know what? I love a good platonic relationship (Especially girls! It’s good to see something different from girl-on-girl hate) but this?? Sorry, how old are these people? CAN EVERYONE STOP BEING SO NICE??

+And when people got actually got rude??

I literally laughed and popped some cake in my mouth while I was at it. “She burst out” Yeah OMG I’M DYING OF FRICKING LAUGHTER. These girls have like 2 ounces of anger and rage inside of them and they get smiles from people whenever they get angry. WHERE’S THE CONFLICT?? ANd where're the CONSEQUENCES??

+Honestly everyone was so happy-go-lucky and kind

There was a villain but he’s so utterly boring I couldn’t even remember to be scared. Plus he does something bad and Ellie and Jamie come to the rescue straight away. Oh, boohoo MY DRESS GOT RIPPED. So villian like. 

And every time someone did something bad? Like Ellie breaking in somewhere, the head teacher’s literally like ‘Oh it’s okay, here have a biscuit’ OMG CAN YOU GET FRICKING PUNISHED FOR ONCE??

And every time someone got angry at someone else. The person would be like ‘Wow you got angry’ OMG THIS ANNOYED ME SO MUCH.

Also if someone mentions Ellie’s side smile ONE MORE FREAKING TIME, I will actually punch something. I DON’T CARE.

And OMG WE GOT THE BEST EXAM RESULTS. How fun.

+I was a not a fan of the writing style

Okay look I don’t mean to be utterly rude but it’s told like a fairy tale and whole book with this horrendous writing. OKAY NO. It didn’t work. Sure it was easy to read because it looked like every sentence was the most simple thing on the planet, but I honestly couldn’t even begin to like her style? Yeah...just didn’t work for me

The writing was like...NO. It honestly looked like a very amateur writer hadn’t written this! And like then published it and somehow gotten away with it. It was literally ‘Oh Lottie felt sad” “Ellie was angry” YEAH OKAY STOP TELLING ME STUFF, and start SHOWING IT TO ME. Maybe?? Sounds like a good idea.

+What is this world building you speak of??

Not only was the writing was a bit shabby, the whole story felt very disjointed. The story was in this world (which the author had taken like 2 nanoseconds to build) which would crumble in a matter of seconds. It was supposed to take place in Russia? Yet we got these stories and random info-dumps from Lottie in the middle but they didn’t actually tell us anything about the world? AGH SO MUCH POTENTIAL WASTED.

+The characters are LITERAL CARDBOARD cUTOUTS

I’m so bored, it’s funny. The characters have nothing. They are literal names who do stuff. Apart from that, they’re BLUSHING EVERY 7 seconds, If I met them, I’d probably just nap for 677 hours because hey do you have a personality? THESE CHARACTERS NEED PERSONALITIES LIKE YESTERDAY. Oh sure Lottie was sensible and Ellie was bold but omg, WE GOT TOLD EVERYTHING, rather than shown anything! 

Oh and basically the king and queen? They get 0 attention and ooh look cardboard. Let’s eat the cardboard or maybe throw it in the bin BECAUSE IT’S ALL TRASH.

I just didn’t CARE for any of the characters. AT ALL. They could die and I would be like ‘G’day, have some tea’ because they were so dry and horrible and B O R I N G. 


+The villains were funny

I don’t think they were supposed to be?? But it was like ‘watch out. I put a scary message in your cupcake’ and literally wanted to roll my eyes at the whole thing. OOH, I AM SO SCARED. N o t. I didn’t get to anything about them? Apart from they’re like rude, how interesting. I AM SO HERE FOR VILLAINS! but not just ones who like to be rude and kidnap people.

+Everything was too quick

Oh hey you’re Ellie’s portman now. Oh and while we are at it let’s throw in some sad tragic backstory for Jamie and now he’s like very serious. Omg I’m so sad. :)))) 
Ooh look you got into Rosewood and now everyone thinks you are a princess in a matter of like 0.005 seconds. How convenient your roommate is actually the Princess. Oh and you’re going to fly to a different place in like 7 seconds too. WOW I THINK THIS BOOK WAS SO FAST PACED when really things should have been fleshed out.

+Everyone was so dramatic, I want to kill them

OMG, WHAT? Did you keep a secret from me? Giujfbdhkb I AM DYING??? It was literally so anticlimactic and everyone just overreacted was a drama queen. Can you stop now, please.

+it was supposed to be scary and dark at some points but...WELL

It was not. It was literal ‘hey look I kidnapped you and poisoned you’ and can this get even more stupid? OH WAIT I RESCUED BECAUSE FIGHTY-FIGHTY. Honestly, these villains bored to my death and now I’m a ghost because what even?? They’re these random people who are literally rushed in at the last moment and HAVE LIKE NO MOTIVATIONS apart from being rude. Wow. I’m so engaged.

+There were so many plots, it became so UN EXCITING

Omg, there’s a paper under my bed, I CAN’T SLEEP - okay?? This is never explained. Is it magic or what?
And look scary threats → okay?? CAN WE KNOW MORE OR WHAT??
And ooh love interest → it seems like everyone was a love interest; Ellie, Jamie, Edmund FREAKING EVERYONE?? Like can you make up your mind
Who spread the rumour → We shall never know.

I feel like the author threw in multiple plot points to keep the reader engaged but it just made everything so messy and backfired because I couldn’t get engaged in ANY of the plots. Next time stick to like 2 things?

They get prefect exam results, the dances they want, the positions they want. I AM SO ANNOYED. Can someone Actually be sad apart from Jamie?? No, I don’t think so

+There’s like 0 emotions

Hi, I read this book. I won’t remember a single thing that happened after 1 second. Goodbye.

+Also I wanted Ollie 
We get like 5 seconds of him in the book. EXCUSE ME. Can you stop rushing five billion characters into this sorry without developing at least one of them? Ollie seemed like the only character with potential but this author just flushed it all down.

+I’m so glad this is over

It was a bore to get through and was LITERALLY UTTER TRASH. Because I’m pretty sure I’ve read this story about 738748 times?? Honestly this neede to be edited, changed and tweaked BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DIDN’T LIKE IT.

I’m so sorry guys. This WAS NOT GREAT. The cover is beautiful but I did not enjoy it, everything was unoriginal and like..yeah. I’m done.

This is one of those cases where I think if this was the only book I had ever read in my entire life, I would have enjoyed. I’ve read hundreds of other books, in actual fact, so it’s one of those cases where this book wasn’t good enough for me to even consider rating it over 3 stars. #sorrynotsorry

This book was a pleasant read, with a really strong story line, but slightly lacking characters in my opinion. 

It held a good pace, with the reader being introduced to Lottie just as she is about to depart for all of her dreams - Rosewood boarding school. I really enjoyed reading about the boarding school, as i enjoy reading any story about boarding schools (side effects of growing up dreaming of getting a Hogwarts letter), and it has a lot of history that has been left untouched - however the author promises more on this in the sequel. Throughout Lottie's trials and tribulations (and there are many), there was never really a boring moment or too much going on at one time. New characters were introduced but not so much that you could't keep track. 

However, to me, even though Lottie and Ellie were supposed to be polar opposates, I often got them mixed up. Although it is a good thing that they both had the same endearing qualities, there was nothing that stood out for either of them that made them their own character, the side characters with more mystery were much more interesting to read about. Also, this is getting to be a pet hate of mine now - can authors please remember how young 14 year olds actually are. Think more "The Princess Diaries 2" with the slumber party and less love triangles between moral, strict guard and brooding, sinister prince. STAHP. JUST LET THEM BE LITTLE GIRLS. 

The ending was really good once again, the plot and pace really can't be faulted, but to me it would have been more enjoyable if the girls were older, or more planned out and well rounded. 

// thanks to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review //

Verdict: A light and colourful read.

Lottie is a hardworking student at Rosewood boarding school, who loves tiaras, the colour pink, and fairy tales. Ellie is the rebellious princess of Maradova, who joined the school to shirk her royal duties and listen to heavy metal. When a misunderstanding has all of Rosewood believing that Lottie is the princess of Maradova, the girls use this as an opportunity to swap lives, one gaining freedom, and the other gaining her fairy tale wish.

This was just what I needed after a dry spell of reading - something light and imaginative, with vivid descriptions and a fast moving plot. 

It's a happy book about friendship, princesses, and protecting others, and the many references to fairy tales woven into the plot make it a very charming book. Even when the princess begins receiving anonymous threats, the events never feel too dark and serious. Instead they feel more like a mystery to solve.

The three main characters also work very well together. Lottie and Ellie are opposites: pink and black, studious and rebellious, day and night. Jamie is Ellie's brooding protector, but its great to see the girls are also able to hold their own when things get tough. 

My main criticism is that it reads more like middle grade than young adult fiction. Even through the characters are fourteen, the themes, language, and style all point to a much younger audience. The voice is simple and clear, often telling rather than showing, and the emotions are stated very clearly so there's no room for interpretation. As a young adult book, it's much too overwritten, but as a middle grade book it's perfectly fine.

So if you're looking for a light read and are comfortable with a younger voice, then this could be the read for you. 

Source: With thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley.com.

As a huge fan of Connie, aka Noodlerella, I was really looking forward to this book. On Youtube she funny, energetic and genuine, and all of this translates into her writing. I'm probably a bit older than the intended audience for this book, but I still enjoyed it regardless. I have always love books about boarding schools and fantasy, so this was a joy to read.

The writing feels very young and fresh; you can tell this is someone's first attempt at lengthy prose, which is easily forgivable because it's such a lovely story. I believe we'll see Connie's voice mature with her books. I've seen other reviewers rip this apart with the ferocity of an English professor, holding it high standards precedented by Classics. I choose to focus on the wonderful, vivid descriptions of Rosewood Hall, something so easily imagined as you read. 

The plot is well thought out, with a strong sense of direction. Perhaps too many characters introduced, like Lottie's childhood friend Ollie, who we hear so much about in the beginning. Obviously he will play a bigger part in the later books, but he seemed to be sacrificed for other characters. 

I really liked Lottie and Ellie's relationship from the start. I think the way they have been written is very entertaining but you can tell Connie wants to convey certain life lessons to her young audience through her characters. This is refreshing to see, as many books that come from Youtubers do not always reflect their true selves, rather, pandering to an audience.

Lottie Pumpkin (yes this is her real name!) is obsessed with the world of fairy tales. She loves the idea of being a princess, meeting Prince Charming etc etc. So when she starts her new school, Rosewood Hall, the last thing she expected was to be thrown completely into the world she fantasises about thanks to her new roommate Ellie Wolf.

 
It’s worth mentioning that I’m writing this completely impartial. Truthfully, I had no idea that author Connie Glynn was a YouTuber prior to writing this blog post so I didn't want to read the book based on the author. However, I've been seeing this book a lot lately, whether it’s been through a sampler at events or people posting about it on twitter so naturally after loving the sampler I read I knew this book would be exactly my cup of tea. 


I read this book insanely quickly because it just captured my attention. It was so full of twists and turns! Ok, yes some things were very predictable but then in the next breath some things happened which I certainly didn’t expect. I love the idea that the story is based in a boarding school. I actually thought the descriptions Rosewood Hall were wonderful and it was quite easy to imagine the setting. 


I really loved the characters too. Lots were introduced but it wasn’t hard to keep up with who was who and the 3 main characters were so instantly likeable which made them easy to read about. I had a few issues with certain characters, such as the villain for example whose motives I felt were a little nonexistent. Despite a few little things I thought many of the characters added something to the story. I am however hoping that some of the more minor characters will be discussed more in future novels.   

 Although I really enjoyed reading this book I feel that this would’ve been one of those books I would’ve obsessed about when I was around 15 so I would highly recommend this for people around that age. However, if like me you read the blurb and like the sound of the story I think you’ll still love it as I certainly did.

I know I for one am very ready for the sequel of this book already! Ok yes I’ve read books that are better written but I enjoyed the story and its interesting characters that captured my attention from start to finish. Honestly, for a debut novel I thought it was great. What more do you want from a book really?

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, but is has issues. Some of the writing is a bit stilted, and there is a fair bit of telling-rather-than-showing. A fair number of characters are introduced but not fleshed out much. Some of the plot elements are not really looped into the narrative properly and just sort of appear with no seeming connection to anything else, and for even some of the basic premises, it requires a greater suspension of disbelief than I'm really comfortable with. 

That said, the story might lead somewhere further in sequels; some of the setting and the characters are interesting. But I don't think I'll be following.

There is intrigue, secrets and betrayal galore in this book which keeps you turning the page, desperate to find out what will happen next. Lottie must cover for Ellie and she finds herself posing as the princess. There's a little romance too. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I recieved this book from Netgalley for an honest review. So Thank You Penguin Random House UK and obviously Connie Glynn.

Let me start off by saying I went into this book thinking it might be a little young for me. Being the ripe old age of 26, however that was so not the case this book engrossed me so much I read it in one sitting. I loved the character development, the relationship between Ellie and Lottie was just so cute. I adored the entire concept of this book.
I was not expecting this book to have a mystery element but my gosh was it a good one.
Really excited to see where this story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an open and honest review. 

I have quite a lot to say about this book, but I'll try to summarize my thoughts (without spoilers because this book isn't released until November 2017). I'll preface this by saying this wasn't my cup of tea. Overall, it read younger than the books I prefer to read despite (to my knowledge) being classed as young adult, but I felt it read on the younger side of that (like only one little step away from middle grade). It's a possibility that younger readers, or readers who enjoy middle grade, would've enjoyed this more than me. There were still parts I liked, and I think there is value and potential to this as a series. Keep this in mind when reading this review, and that I know this is a debut novel and the author is sure to improve with each installment of this series.

Characters 

I don't know where to start with this paragraph, so I'll jump in with my two main problems. 
1. A lot of these characters read like stereotypes in either YA or anime. Jamie was the brooding boy with a soft heart, and Lottie was the doe-eyed protagonist. They all felt pretty one-dimensional to me and didn't bounce off the page. 
2. A lot of this felt like self-inserts for the author. This will probably not be a problem for people who don't know Connie from her youtube channel, but as someone who has watched a fair few of her videos a lot of things were glaring. Lottie loves pink, a decorated room and cute accessories. She loves princess (especially Cinderella, who is referenced throughout the book). Connie has also mentioned on her youtube channel that she likes girls with a rebellious streak, who are darker (watch her Gay Childhood Crushes video so you can see what I mean) aka Ellie. It's so obvious they'll be together in the end, and I'm totally for that- as we need more reputation for younger readers- but it reads like Lottie is a substitute for Connie and Ellie is the fantasy dream girl in the authors head. Maybe this wasn't on purpose, but it's how I saw it when reading and wasn't a fan. 
3. I really didn't like Lottie. I wonder if this is meant to be a Cinderella retelling, as a few details felt that way- as well as the fact Lottie was a very Cinderella-like character. I know Cinderella is Connie's favourite princess, but she is far from mine. Lottie is even more-so how I remember the live-action version of Cinderella. A near mary-sue who is obsessed with being sweet and kind and becoming the embodiment of a stereotypical princess- which I guess is meant to be the irony in this book, but I found it insufferable. Her little mantra she had about being brave, kind and unstoppable felt more like a way of telling over showing and irked me like Cinderellas inner matra irked me. 4. The bonds that grew at the start of the book felt way too convenient for me, it sped past the details, and I wasn't convinced that they were truly bonded, and though I think this is meant to be a big school, it felt very small with only the characters immediately connected to Lottie being mentioned in the slightest.
I do, however, think these characters could go to good places as the series goes on, as I said, there's potential, and this is her debut- so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Plot 

I'm sorry, but overall, I didn't find the plot engaging. The mystery side of it held little interest, and I felt no sense of danger at all until the very end of the book. I will say, the ending was a surprise, I didn't guess the ins and outs of the mystery and who was behind the threats and notes. Everything felt skimmed over, scene to scene was jumpy and the story didn't flow easy. I found the school scenes uninteresting. I kept waiting for another layer of the story to present itself, for something truly magical or special to happen, but it never did to the standard I was expecting.

Setting 

Rosewood Hall is the main setting for the majority of this book. While the author done a good job of describing physical aspects of a place, the feeling never hit home. Lottie, the main character, would go on and on about how "special" and "different" the school was, but that wasn't conveyed to me as the reader at all. I've never been to a boarding school (and Connie Glynn has) so I don't know what is normal or different, but other than being fancy and pretty, the school itself held no real intrigue. There's a note at the end of the book by Connie, about how there was supposed to be a magical feeling to the place- despite being no magic. I didn't get that, and was hoping for something truly usual to occur. 

Dialogue 

I love writing dialogue, and I love reading it, but here is read as so unnatural. Like how you'd expect people to speak in a TV children's show. Conversation felt fake and inorganic the majority of time. In my opinion this was the weakest part of the whole novel, where a lot of the other things you could put up to personal taste or preference. 

Writing Style 

The writing was easy to follow (sometimes too easy, skimming instead of absorbing what was going on), but in some scenes and paragraphs I could go so far to say the descriptions could be "juicy," her word choice suiting the novel. However, there was often repetition. The word antithesis appearing at least 5 times, and a metaphor comparing a character to a puppy used around the same amount of times. She was a little too generous with her adverbs, and was quick to tell over show. The writing jumped from pretty to cliche every few paragraphs. Though this is her first novel, and something I could see improving vastly as she continues to publish books.

Overall vibe 

This book often read like an anime on paper, a lot of the imagery reminded me of the Slice of Life or younger magical girl anime, or at least gave me the feeling some of those anime used to give me as a child, and honestly, if it gives those vibes to younger people- that's awesome! This could also be a negative, falling into cliches of anime- like the classic falling into them then on top of them troupe (and if I remember right, there's a scene at the beginning where she's late so shoves bread/toast into her mouth as she's running out the door- but I could've mis-remembered that). It often slipped into a sugary princess vibe which I didn't like as much, often becoming cheesy and educing eye-rolling.
However, despite this, near the end the book takes a turn for the violent. Guns and knifes coming into play for one thing. This felt sudden for me, and a bit out of place tone-wise from the rest of the book, though it's possible darker themes could become more prominent in later books.

Conclusion 

Overall, this book had a nice vibe, and would suit a lot of young children wanting to move from children to young adult. It has a sweet vibe to the majority of it and has a lot of potential in future books. I found this quick to read, and easy to pick up even when my kindle ran out of charge for a couple of days. Even though this wasn't for me on the most part, as I had a lot of problems that boils down to Connie not being an inexperienced writer. I could see why other readers may enjoy it- especially if they didn't pick up on all the problems I had above

This is the prefect book for all teenagers and adults who loved fairy tales when they were younger. This has all the hallmarks of a fairytale: a princess, a villain (although their identity is unknown), a beautiful setting and an unsuspecting girl who gets swept up in it all. Lottie has dreamed of attending Rosewood her whole life but nothing can prepare her for what happens when she finally gets there.

Although most of the plot is obvious it didn't matter, its an enjoyable read and makes you want to keep turning the page. 
There's so much more to come from the characters that the future books will have their pick of direction - for me there is a hint of lust between to the two main characters which will be interesting if it develops as its rare to find a Young Adult book that covers the same sex relationship topic for a main character, especially when talking about princesses.

A fantastic book with strong characters, friendship and mystery - loved it!