Desi desperately wants to escape her boring, unfulfilling life in Hicksville, Idaho. And now she has the chance - she's got a job substituting for various real princesses when they need a holiday. But not all princesses live in a palace, and not all princes are gorgeous. And the whole fairy godmother thing is seriously misleading.
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- Princess for Hire
Princess for Hire
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
January 01, 2010
ISBN
1423121929
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
Magical New Heroine
(Updated: June 24, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
4.0
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Be careful what you wish for!
Desi Bascomb has been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life. Then one day a woman walks out of a bubble and asks her if she wants to become a substitute princess.
Meredith, her new agent, tells her that Desi has a rare magical ability--if she applies the anicent Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge" she can transform temporarily into the exact look-alike of any princess who needs her subbing help.
Desi finds out that what at first seems like a glamourous new calling in fact involves a lot more than just looking pretty.
Desi is one hilarious heroine who attics are sure to bring more than a few smiles. She's not only likeable but very down to Earth. Her big heart gets her in more than one sticky situation like having one minor princess stand up to her bully sister and also giving another princess a little push in one direction. I couldn't help but want Desi to succeed!
The pacing and dialogue are great! So are Desi's determination and spunk which equal one great character.
I did want to know a little more about that royal rouge and some more history on the organization. I think these questions will be addressed in the sequel. The chemistry between one of her assignments will have readers wanting to know more! I know I did!
This fast-paced story is a welcome change from some of the darker stories out there. Go Desi! Who knew a royal fiasco could be so much fun!
Desi Bascomb has been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life. Then one day a woman walks out of a bubble and asks her if she wants to become a substitute princess.
Meredith, her new agent, tells her that Desi has a rare magical ability--if she applies the anicent Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge" she can transform temporarily into the exact look-alike of any princess who needs her subbing help.
Desi finds out that what at first seems like a glamourous new calling in fact involves a lot more than just looking pretty.
Desi is one hilarious heroine who attics are sure to bring more than a few smiles. She's not only likeable but very down to Earth. Her big heart gets her in more than one sticky situation like having one minor princess stand up to her bully sister and also giving another princess a little push in one direction. I couldn't help but want Desi to succeed!
The pacing and dialogue are great! So are Desi's determination and spunk which equal one great character.
I did want to know a little more about that royal rouge and some more history on the organization. I think these questions will be addressed in the sequel. The chemistry between one of her assignments will have readers wanting to know more! I know I did!
This fast-paced story is a welcome change from some of the darker stories out there. Go Desi! Who knew a royal fiasco could be so much fun!
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
5.0(1)
Characters
3.0(1)
Writing Style
4.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A(0)
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Princess for Hire (A Room with Books review)
(Updated: June 24, 2026)
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
3.0
Writing Style
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
First of all, I'm not quite sure how this is a YA book and not an MG book. I got it out of the YA section in my library and until I was reading it, I didn't realize that the main character was going to be 13. Normally I don't read real-life-esque MG books because I just find it a bit odd. This one wasn't too bad, though.
There were quite a few funny and hart-warming moments, but overall, I wasn't that impressed. For much of the book, I found Desi to be overly-dramatic and self-centered. She was absolutely obsessive about her crush but not at all in an understandable way. The absurdness of her crush had me wanting to punch her in the face a few times. I know a crush isn't really enough to go off of for a review, though.
I enjoyed the new spin on princesses. The lives weren't too glamorous (though I'm hoping for some glamour in the next!) and you got to see the nitty-gritty of the real princess's lives instead silly little surface problems we normal see when it comes to royalty.
In all, though, while this book wasn't bad, it wasn't remarkable either. The fist-pumping "You go, girl!" moments didn't outshine Desi's annoying obsession and inability to look past herself (even when helping others), but it was good enough to pick up the next one and continue in the story.
There were quite a few funny and hart-warming moments, but overall, I wasn't that impressed. For much of the book, I found Desi to be overly-dramatic and self-centered. She was absolutely obsessive about her crush but not at all in an understandable way. The absurdness of her crush had me wanting to punch her in the face a few times. I know a crush isn't really enough to go off of for a review, though.
I enjoyed the new spin on princesses. The lives weren't too glamorous (though I'm hoping for some glamour in the next!) and you got to see the nitty-gritty of the real princess's lives instead silly little surface problems we normal see when it comes to royalty.
In all, though, while this book wasn't bad, it wasn't remarkable either. The fist-pumping "You go, girl!" moments didn't outshine Desi's annoying obsession and inability to look past herself (even when helping others), but it was good enough to pick up the next one and continue in the story.
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