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The Princess Diaries #4
Princess in Waiting
Never before has the world seen such a princess.
Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. Mia's royal introduction to Genovia has mixed results: while her fashion sense is widely applauded, her position on the installation of public parking meters is met with resistance.
But the politics of bureaucracy are nothing next to Mia's real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long—sought—after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère as a result of the Genovian parking—meter thing, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn't there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?
Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. Mia's royal introduction to Genovia has mixed results: while her fashion sense is widely applauded, her position on the installation of public parking meters is met with resistance.
But the politics of bureaucracy are nothing next to Mia's real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long—sought—after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère as a result of the Genovian parking—meter thing, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn't there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title?
259 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 25, 2003
596 people are currently reading
13308 people want to read
About the author
Meg Cabot
267 books35.3k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,645 reviews
May 14, 2015
I had to give this one a four instead of a 5 like the others.. Mia was SO whiney.. She was in Europe yet l she could think about was missing Michael.. That part didn't really bug me. BUT once she got home, she started just acting crazy. First, she goes through that phase where she reads Jane Eyre and thinks she should ignore Michael and basically play hard to get. Okay girl, I just read pages after pages of you missing him and now you're NOT going to call him back? Are you kidding me? I'm glad her mom set her straight. Then, after she finds out she will have to cancel their first date because of the ball, she just ASSUMES he is going to break up with her. *sigh* and don't even get me started on the whole is he in LOVE with me or does he just LOVE me bit.. Geez that part drove me nuts.
I guess Mia is only 14 and in love.. She is expected to doubt herself and their relationship (I mean like Mia said they haven't even been out yet) I'm just looking forward to the future books when she matures a bit. I didnt hate the book of course. I still love this series and enjoyed this book, Mia just annoyed me a bit though.
I guess Mia is only 14 and in love.. She is expected to doubt herself and their relationship (I mean like Mia said they haven't even been out yet) I'm just looking forward to the future books when she matures a bit. I didnt hate the book of course. I still love this series and enjoyed this book, Mia just annoyed me a bit though.
June 2, 2024
michael moscovitz is sooooo boyfriend.
i just absolutely love that meg cabot has no issues changing facts in the book to fit whatever narrative she wants like how in book 1 mia is in love with josh but in book 2 mia has been in love with michael the whole time and how throughout the series it’s said that michael is a loser but in book 4 suddenly he’s one of top 3 cutest guys in the school. like it’s beyond being an unreliable narrator LOL
i just absolutely love that meg cabot has no issues changing facts in the book to fit whatever narrative she wants like how in book 1 mia is in love with josh but in book 2 mia has been in love with michael the whole time and how throughout the series it’s said that michael is a loser but in book 4 suddenly he’s one of top 3 cutest guys in the school. like it’s beyond being an unreliable narrator LOL
November 27, 2019
I can praise Michael Moscovitz forever and ever and ever. Mia was a little more annoying in this one than I remembered so I docked it a star, but still so fun!
August 8, 2015
Actual rating 3.5 stars
Least favorite so far in the series. Mia took a drastic turn in this book and was pretty obsessed with a boy and nothing else. Granted, she is 14 years old so it's understandable to a point, but she was a bit melodramatic in this one. Still enjoyed overall and will continue the series though!
Least favorite so far in the series. Mia took a drastic turn in this book and was pretty obsessed with a boy and nothing else. Granted, she is 14 years old so it's understandable to a point, but she was a bit melodramatic in this one. Still enjoyed overall and will continue the series though!
January 3, 2016
"How do I know Michael hasn't met some other girl?
Some Floridian girl, with long,sun-streaked hair, and a tan,and breasts? Who has access to the Internet and isn't cooped up in a palace with her crazy grandma,a homeless,Speedo-wearing prince and a freakish,hairless miniature poodle?"
I missed The Princess Diaries so much!I loved reading about Mia's adventures in Genovia and Grandmère's schemes.Also,love the movie refrences-Meg Cabot sure knows how to make her readers laugh!
"Hello," Lilly said."Movie. Of your life.You were portrayed as shy and awkward."
"I am shy and awkward," I reminded her.
"They made your grandmother all kindly and sympathetic to your plight," Lilly said."It was the grossest mischaracterization I've seen since Shakespeare in Love tried to pass off the Bard as a hottie with a six-pack and a full set of teeth."
And...um,hi Michael.
Favourite quotes:
"But a sweater? I mean,that is so unromantic.It is the kind of thing I would get my dad — if he wasn't so in need of anger-management manuals,which is what I got for him for Christmas."
"Really,Mia,"she said. "You know I don't like to contradict your grandmother ..."
This was the biggest lie I'd heard since the Prince of Liechtenstein told me I waltzed divinely,but I let it slide,on account of Mom's condition."
January 4, 2018
It's been a while since I've read the first three books from The Princess Diaries series and I kind of forgot how Mia was but this book definitely reminded me pretty quickly.
I can't wait for Mia to get more self-esteem. I CAN'T WAIT GUYS! The constant whining and everything was so god damn annoying. UGH! Can that please not happen in the next book?
I didn't even care about Mia and Michael's relationship throughout this book. It was just so boring to me and I'd rather have something weird happen in this book, like a meteor crashing or something - just so it could have been more interesting.
I pray to god that the next book wont be so boring because I will have regretted trying to finish this series so much.
I can't wait for Mia to get more self-esteem. I CAN'T WAIT GUYS! The constant whining and everything was so god damn annoying. UGH! Can that please not happen in the next book?
I didn't even care about Mia and Michael's relationship throughout this book. It was just so boring to me and I'd rather have something weird happen in this book, like a meteor crashing or something - just so it could have been more interesting.
I pray to god that the next book wont be so boring because I will have regretted trying to finish this series so much.
May 12, 2021
Tbh after the confession in the last book, I expected more cute scenarios but the book mostly had - "will he dump me now? He is going to breakup I know! Do you think he is going to breakup now?" I mean hell that was a lot of pessimism reaching the point of irritation. Also was Grandmére blind to prince Réne being a playboy? There were only cute scenes towards the end so most of the book was uneventful unfortunately.
July 8, 2015
3.5 stars.
Soooo much of this book was Mia doubting Michael's love for her, and that drove me a bit crazy. However, the cuteness level is still through the roof & I love it. Also, I adore Michael as a character.
Soooo much of this book was Mia doubting Michael's love for her, and that drove me a bit crazy. However, the cuteness level is still through the roof & I love it. Also, I adore Michael as a character.
February 10, 2017
It is hard to love a book when you are annoyed by the protagonist. And boy, was I annoyed of Mia's insecurity! When you are emotionally invested in a series, and halfway down the line, the lead starts to piss you off, it gets awkward as a reader and you don't know whether to continue the series or not. I'm glad I decided to continue because the climax was awesome. Meg Cabot surely knows how to end a book in a way that makes the reader swoon!
October 31, 2018
Good but didn't enjoy this like the previous books.
I wish something significant will happen in the next.
I wish something significant will happen in the next.
March 4, 2025
Jedno słowo : Czadzik 🙂
July 15, 2018
Honestly, the plot was compelling (in a teenage universe) and I loved the conclusion. I just miss Anne Hathaway. Why, Oh why, didn't she continue narrating the series. Clea Lewis does a delightful job, but I loved the way hearing Anne immersed me back in the Princess Diaries movies which I thought were adorable.
May 26, 2020
The beginning of this book was way too slow. Mia is in Genovia and separated from her friends for the first third of the story. It felt like a lot of filler. I enjoyed it way more once she got back to NYC.
The meta commentary of the Princess Diaries movie was very funny since there was a movie version of Mia's life which got a bunch of stuff wrong. Also, the ending of this made me squeal with happiness.
The meta commentary of the Princess Diaries movie was very funny since there was a movie version of Mia's life which got a bunch of stuff wrong. Also, the ending of this made me squeal with happiness.
October 4, 2019
Michael Moscovitz tiene un puesto oficial en mi lista de novios literarios.
March 10, 2021
"Because even a princess has to have fun sometimes."
The Princess Diaries: Mia Goes Fourth is a short & delightful read. I loved reading this, and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series!! ^^
On another note, I love Chris Pine in Princess Diaries 2 (the movie) 😍
May 30, 2025
„He is never far from my thoughts, because he is my heart's breath.”
4 gwiazdki dla 4 tomu, bo trudno mi ocenić serię, którą rozpoczęłam i skończyłam właśnie na tej jednej książce. czasem jednak bardziej liczy się to dla kogo lub z kim się z czymś zmagamy.
PS. Kochajmy Rene to dla niego te gwiazdki <3
4 gwiazdki dla 4 tomu, bo trudno mi ocenić serię, którą rozpoczęłam i skończyłam właśnie na tej jednej książce. czasem jednak bardziej liczy się to dla kogo lub z kim się z czymś zmagamy.
PS. Kochajmy Rene to dla niego te gwiazdki <3
August 4, 2019
It's hilarious how the author calls out the movie adaptation throughout this novel; I mean, that's something I've never seen done before and I loved every second of it.
My full review of volumes 1-4 is: here.
My full review of volumes 1-4 is: here.
July 9, 2017
This like all of them so far was cute but now I'm thinking about Mia outside of her journal and I think she's a pretty normal girl that we've all hung out with but didn't know her deepest insecurities. So they come off as extra annoying in the book but in reality she probably doesn't seem so insecure. Michael is just so dreamy but I'm literally reading all these to see if he's in it for the long haul with Mia lol he is going to college soon. Also why is the U.K. Version so different? Mia writes about missing Michael in the American version, in the U.K. version she's calling him all the time after he finally figures out her number, I'm confused by this modification.
February 14, 2016
I am seriously falling in love with this series all over again. I just love how Meg Cabot writes these books. Mia is like the quintessential teenager (minus the being the princess, obviously), who is just trying to get by in life. And I love it. I love how throughout the entire book she is so worried about Michael dumping her CLEARLY he is in love with her, and has been for quite some time. I mean, that just SOUNDS like a teenage girl. These books will be forever in my heart, I just love them too much.
March 2, 2016
Esse foi o mais fraquinho até agora. Ele se baseia mto na insegurança na Mia no relacionamento (o que é muito crível pra uma menina de auto estima baixa como ela), mas por conta disso a história não andou. Se vc for resumir não aconteceu quase nada e o payoff foi mto no finalzinho.
Quero mais Michaeeellll!!
Quero mais Michaeeellll!!
March 15, 2016
Not my favorite but still super cute! On to the next one :)
October 8, 2022
I don’t have Number 3 but it is on the way 🙏 had to feed my addiction in the meantime by skipping it but I will come back to it!!
In recent years I have wondered to myself why I bought Jane Eyre at the age of 12 and tried to force myself to read it and this book explains that!! (I never did finish it tho maybe I’ll try again now lol)
In recent years I have wondered to myself why I bought Jane Eyre at the age of 12 and tried to force myself to read it and this book explains that!! (I never did finish it tho maybe I’ll try again now lol)
April 17, 2025
mała ja szalała za Michaelem AND I CANT BLAME HER😭💞
June 6, 2017
Eu tinha esquecido como esses livro se passam em um período de tempo tão curto. As referências são maravilhosas, mas esse foi o mais monótono até agora porque a Mia é insegurança em pessoa e a minha vontade era de chegar: MIGA SOU LOUCA, MENOS! E aí lembro de como todos fomos com 14-15 anos. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
May 26, 2015
Now this one I liked better than I remembered! Mostly my memories were of Mia's worry about Michael "loving" her versus being "in love" with her. I still think that's kind of silly, but I felt more sympathy for her overall. (I think I read this around when it came out, so I would've been 19 or so. Almost-32 me sees it in a different light, I guess.)
And there was more to the rest of it than I remembered. I liked seeing Mia in Genovia. Back in the day, I was just eager for her to get back to Michael, ha! Now I was more princess stuff!
Also notable for mentions of teenage heartthrob Prince William! I kind of forgot how into him everyone was once upon a time. I don't know! TIME PASSES. PEOPLE GET MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS AND SUTFF.
And there was more to the rest of it than I remembered. I liked seeing Mia in Genovia. Back in the day, I was just eager for her to get back to Michael, ha! Now I was more princess stuff!
Also notable for mentions of teenage heartthrob Prince William! I kind of forgot how into him everyone was once upon a time. I don't know! TIME PASSES. PEOPLE GET MARRIED AND HAVE KIDS AND SUTFF.
August 31, 2025
“Even a princess has to have fun sometimes.” 💜👑🪁
i’m going to start this off by saying that i am so GLAD that i wasn’t born a princess because the first 80 pages of this book were so boring (remember, you have been warned). of course, i was only bored because mia was bored, but i mean, it was almost excruciating. the poor girl had barely any fun over winter break!
it was pretty fun seeing mia navigate the first month or so of being in a real relationship. she was nervous and confused and needed advice from her friends! it’s instances like these where i feel like she is just so REAL. you know what i mean?
i must end this by saying that michael is such a cute boyfriend for mia. you’ll see what i mean when you read! i cannot wait to read the next book!
i’m going to start this off by saying that i am so GLAD that i wasn’t born a princess because the first 80 pages of this book were so boring (remember, you have been warned). of course, i was only bored because mia was bored, but i mean, it was almost excruciating. the poor girl had barely any fun over winter break!
it was pretty fun seeing mia navigate the first month or so of being in a real relationship. she was nervous and confused and needed advice from her friends! it’s instances like these where i feel like she is just so REAL. you know what i mean?
i must end this by saying that michael is such a cute boyfriend for mia. you’ll see what i mean when you read! i cannot wait to read the next book!
March 25, 2017
This review can also be find on my blog at: https://diminishingthoughts.wordpress...
Mia Goes Fourth takes place just before Mia has to go back to school for her second semester. Yes, you read that right. Just before she went back to school. I was actually looking forward to her touring the castle and Genovia in general but that didn't happen. Instead she complained about failed speeches, meetings and parking meters, oh and of course...Michael's unclear stance on loving her as a friend or more. Every. Dang. Page!
If you hadn't noticed by the above, I didn't like this book. My rating would've been a dead giveaway in any case. When reading a book, there's only one thing I ask for -besides good writing- and that's a protagonist that won't make me want to throttle them. The older I get, it seems I get more annoyed at obvious immaturity. There's a difference between innocence and just plain stupidity. Mia's stupidity in this novel made her immaturity come so much into the light I'm sure I would've needed sunglasses if it got any brighter. I'm not saying that all teenagers are stupid or immature, but Mia definitely was. I was reminded constantly just how young she is and how little she knows of life. My main clue: her constant fretting over whether Michael loved her as just a friend or whether he was going to dump her because she wouldn't be able to make their date.
Lilly wasn't a bother to me in this book. And there were times I wish Lilly would shut Mia up- which she did a time or two- because I couldn't deal with her anymore.
I don't know what it was about this book in particular because Mia has basically had a one track mind in the other books as well, but this book made me almost hate her. I feel like this book wasn't needed. It was nothing more than a filler. We didn't get to see Genovia at all, Mia listened to her grandmother- I mean seriously! You know that woman's out to get you, why even take her advice?. She made me wonder if I too was this annoying when I was 14.
**Just a little extra thing here: I felt a bit strange (I don't want to say offended because I think that's too strong a word for what I want to say) that they used Jane Eyre as a means of relationship advice/material. Jane Eyre wasn't about 'getting the guy and keeping him', it was about a woman refusing to be tied down and treated the way society deemed 'proper'. She went against the social barriers and put herself first. Not so that she could get the guy, but because she wanted to be certain of herself as an individual! ...Okay so maybe I was a tad bit offended. Give me a break, it's my favourite book so I noticed.
One day when I re-read this series, I'll probably ignore this book completely since nothing of great importance happened here. I shall continue on with the next books but of this one I was not a fan.
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Mia Goes Fourth takes place just before Mia has to go back to school for her second semester. Yes, you read that right. Just before she went back to school. I was actually looking forward to her touring the castle and Genovia in general but that didn't happen. Instead she complained about failed speeches, meetings and parking meters, oh and of course...Michael's unclear stance on loving her as a friend or more. Every. Dang. Page!
If you hadn't noticed by the above, I didn't like this book. My rating would've been a dead giveaway in any case. When reading a book, there's only one thing I ask for -besides good writing- and that's a protagonist that won't make me want to throttle them. The older I get, it seems I get more annoyed at obvious immaturity. There's a difference between innocence and just plain stupidity. Mia's stupidity in this novel made her immaturity come so much into the light I'm sure I would've needed sunglasses if it got any brighter. I'm not saying that all teenagers are stupid or immature, but Mia definitely was. I was reminded constantly just how young she is and how little she knows of life. My main clue: her constant fretting over whether Michael loved her as just a friend or whether he was going to dump her because she wouldn't be able to make their date.
Lilly wasn't a bother to me in this book. And there were times I wish Lilly would shut Mia up- which she did a time or two- because I couldn't deal with her anymore.
I don't know what it was about this book in particular because Mia has basically had a one track mind in the other books as well, but this book made me almost hate her. I feel like this book wasn't needed. It was nothing more than a filler. We didn't get to see Genovia at all, Mia listened to her grandmother- I mean seriously! You know that woman's out to get you, why even take her advice?. She made me wonder if I too was this annoying when I was 14.
**Just a little extra thing here: I felt a bit strange (I don't want to say offended because I think that's too strong a word for what I want to say) that they used Jane Eyre as a means of relationship advice/material. Jane Eyre wasn't about 'getting the guy and keeping him', it was about a woman refusing to be tied down and treated the way society deemed 'proper'. She went against the social barriers and put herself first. Not so that she could get the guy, but because she wanted to be certain of herself as an individual! ...Okay so maybe I was a tad bit offended. Give me a break, it's my favourite book so I noticed.
One day when I re-read this series, I'll probably ignore this book completely since nothing of great importance happened here. I shall continue on with the next books but of this one I was not a fan.
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April 12, 2025
5/5⭐️!!!
Myślę, że wszyscy wiedzą jaką miłością darzę ten cykl(zresztą patronuje 2 i 3 tom😝!), a ta część była kolejną fenomenalną przygodą.,,Pamiętnik księżniczki” to seria, która zawsze wywoła uśmiech na mojej twarzy i już od pierwszych stron wciągnie mnie do fabuły.To była CUDOWNA powieść, a ja witam się z Wami jako patronka 4 tomu pamiętnika🩵🤭!!
Myślę, że wszyscy wiedzą jaką miłością darzę ten cykl(zresztą patronuje 2 i 3 tom😝!), a ta część była kolejną fenomenalną przygodą.,,Pamiętnik księżniczki” to seria, która zawsze wywoła uśmiech na mojej twarzy i już od pierwszych stron wciągnie mnie do fabuły.To była CUDOWNA powieść, a ja witam się z Wami jako patronka 4 tomu pamiętnika🩵🤭!!
February 21, 2024
Stop whining Mia
February 15, 2009
Mia has the boy of her dreams, finally! But how fair is it that she is whisked off to Genovia for several weeks before they can even have their first official date? And what with trying to help boost Genovia's infrastructure income, trying to find time to text her beloved, and worrying about the perfect present for his birthday, this Christmas vacation is anything but restful.
After reading the first book in this series I went to the library and just happened to see the rest of the books (11 of them) sitting on the shelf so I loaded them into my bag and found myself diving into a week long Princess fest. And I enjoyed ever minute of it!
This whole series is a fun, light hearted read, though in some of the later books, it focuses more on sex (talk rather than action) than some parents might find appropriate for their teen daughters. I would suggest a read through first.
This book is when they really started getting fun for me. Maybe it was because I started to see all the interests that Mia and I had in common. When she and Lilly posted their Guide to What's Hot and What's Not On TV I think I really began to relate to them.
After reading the first book in this series I went to the library and just happened to see the rest of the books (11 of them) sitting on the shelf so I loaded them into my bag and found myself diving into a week long Princess fest. And I enjoyed ever minute of it!
This whole series is a fun, light hearted read, though in some of the later books, it focuses more on sex (talk rather than action) than some parents might find appropriate for their teen daughters. I would suggest a read through first.
This book is when they really started getting fun for me. Maybe it was because I started to see all the interests that Mia and I had in common. When she and Lilly posted their Guide to What's Hot and What's Not On TV I think I really began to relate to them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,645 reviews