Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced audio copy of this book.

A fractured fairytale of sorts with a focus on princesses controlling their own fates. It starts out with Rosamund (Sleeping Beauty) awakening to a kiss from a prince. She is not impressed by the act of kissing and runs away from her prince and ends up in a school filled with other rebel princesses. The premise of the story seemed really cute and interesting as the book started out but it seemed to drag and become harder to follow. I received an advanced copy from #netgalley and the publisher in the audio book format and really struggled with the narration. It lacked appropriate intonation and expression so that may have been what made this middle grade story hard to finish. There were some clever conversations and interactions between the various princesses and gross-out moments that middle graders would get a kick out of but over all the story was hard to follow. There are unicorns and dragons so that might be a selling point for young readers!

Cute story which has been done before, but London gave it some nice unique bits. I wasn’t engaged with the AI narrator so the book (and the final audio) might be one star better.

This was a cute read. Fun middle grade play of a twisted fairytale. I did enjoy the princesses finding their voice but I also felt like the story jumped at times and could have developed deeper. But over all good book with a good message.

Sleeping Beauty is rudely awoken by a kiss from the valiant, yet somewhat naive Prince Phillip. But instead of love at first sight, she runs from the tower and finds herself pulled into the real world. Sleeping Beauty has been transported to an academy for former princesses(and princes) who wish to choose their own story instead of fulfilling the fairy tale laid out for them by their fairy godmother. Sleeping Beauty is given a new name ( Rosamund) and meets other beloved fairy tale characters including Cinderella, (Cindy) Snow White,(Margaret) Prince Charming (Charlie).... etc. At first the academy seems to be a great place and the fairy godmother in charge of the school is really nice. Then the plot unfolds, and the princesses find that there is more to the academy and its founder than meets the eye.

There was a lot of crude humor and corny jokes that started to grate on my nerves coming from three characters I found annoying. These characters are honestly the reason for my lower review.

I did like the main story and premise. Fun, fast paced, and mysterious.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced reader's copy.

This was cute if a bit too on the nose at times. I was worried going in that it would be too clinched (the idea of princesses going against their stories has been done this way a few times now), but I think the spin on this one added a layer of uniqueness that was enjoyable!

This book was a clever, funny, laugh-out-loud book worth reading--and I enjoyed it so much, that I've recommended it to others already. Because what could be more realistic in 2024 than a princess getting woken up by a kiss, only to react in a grossed-out and somewhat horrified manner? And then, of course, there is the question of the prince himself. Does he even GET why he's doing this or what it means that the princess is less than interested--or impressed? This book was so cute, it is worth the read--and it's also worth the reminder to our kids that they can choose their own happily-ever-after, whatever that looks like for them.

It was fine. I loved this idea that a door of opportunity could open up for a fairy tale character who wanted a different ending than what they were given. I loved that they decided that they didn’t HAVE to have the ending that they were originally given. But I don’t know. Something about it just didn’t fully connect. I thought it was a really great idea, but didn’t go all the way in the way I wanted it to.

Found this one hard to get into, though it was the AI voice and not the final voice author, which could have improved the impact. For readers looking for a twisted fairy tale, this would fit the bill. Fairy tales are already written with an ending for their characters, but what if a prince wants to find a prince and not a princess, or they want a career and not be part of royalty? Though I struggled to get into the story, the ending did have it's share of twists and turns that made me wanted to finish.

I loved the message in this story! That we all have control over our own stories and can change the outcome by taking control.
I like that Alex London left the ending of this story open enough that it could become a duology, trilogy, or series, or it could be a standalone novel. I will say, I am hoping for a series. I would love to be able to learn how each princess/prince was able to update their story.

A spin on fairytale princesses. Rosamund is magically transported to the modern day real world after she's awoken from 100 year slumber. Chaos ensues at her new boarding school. Rosamund and her new friends fight evil and save the day. Timeline and plot can be a little confusing at times and certain spots don't flow as well. Love the author, but this was a miss for me.

I enjoy fairy tale retellings and when I saw this was a spin on fairy tales, I knew I had to read it! I found the premise to be interesting and unique. Rosamund decides she doesn't want to live her fairytale the way it is told so she enters a Princess Protection Program. There is an unlikely group of friends, a mystery to be solved and a spin of the fairytales as you know them. While I couldn't relate specifically to the characters, I did find them likeable and wanted to root for them. I got the opportunity to listen to the story and found the experience easy to follow and enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audio copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Everyone knows the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, but this time when Rosamund wakes up, she discovers she's distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of being kissed in her sleep and forced to marry the prince who's appeared at her bedside. Instead, she flees, and to her surprise, she finds herself at an academy for fairy tale characters fleeing their stories. But not all is right in this world either, and Rosamund and her new friends will have to unravel the truth behind the legends if they want to take control of their own destinies.

This book puts an interesting spin on the concept of fractured fairy tales. I like the twists we get, and I appreciate seeing the characters grow throughout the story. While there are a few fun concepts, it wasn't terribly unique, and not very memorable, I'm afraid. Perhaps this is a factor of it being so short and lacking vivid scenes. Still, I'd recommend this to any young reader who enjoys fairy tales with a twist, and I love the way that it encourages young people to consider what they can control.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Princess Protection Program was a fun twist on fairytales. I enjoyed the story very much and look forward to recommending it to all my young readers who love The School for Good and Evil, and Land of Stories series.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
PrincessProtectionProgram #NetGalley

Princess Protection Program is a great story. I love the premise of princesses being able to escape their stories through DoO's or doors of opportunity. Something more sinister is hiding behind the scenes of a school that seems to be set up to train the princesses to survive in this world. But there are creatures outside of the school that hunt the princesses. So have they traded their story for a cage they can never leave? This is a unique take on the whole fairytale scenario. I've seen many different takes, but this is my first time seeing this type of perspective.
I am not entranced with the computer generated voice. This needs a voice actor who can make the different voices come alive. Also, most audio books say Chapter 1, Chapter 2 where this one just says 1, 2. And having "Harper Collins" said in the background every 20 minutes is very irritating to me. It sometimes is hard to hear the book because of it. The flow, otherwise, is good. I think I would enjoy this more once it is in its finished and finalized version, instead of the computer generated version.

I am unabashedly a fan of fractured fairy tales and while I wasn't sure what this book had in store, it sounded like something I would enjoy. Little did I know that it was going to be one of those books that I had to highlight key lines. Fairy tales have always told stories with lessons and moral ideas, but how do we make that work when times have definitely changed? Is it a requirement for all princesses to marry a prince? Are we supposed to swallow the notion of finding your true love without even speaking a word? I even have problem's with Disney's Cinderella because they cut out 2 of the times she meets him and all of the conversation. Are we allowed to change the stories we were written into? The Princess Protection Program asks a lot of these questions. Actually, questions are the very key.

This book is not the first to take on these questions, but London approached it in an interesting way. When Rosamund escapes her story, she finds herself in a magical school for escaped princesses, and one prince. It seems like a safe haven, but is it? Did the princesses leave one cage only to be placed into another? An easier story for a younger student to grasp than The School for Good and Evil, but an enjoyable one.

Princess Protection Program is a fun new storybook type story similar to many classic Disney movies. Taking the original stories of princes and princesses from fairytales and twisting them in a way that makes the overarching story entirely original. A school for princesses departed from their home stories exists in our modern world. But something sinister is going on in the background and our intrepid and curious princesses have to figure out what it is before it’s too late.

This story was so fun and original. I thought the premise that the princesses escaped from their stories to find a new life away from the expectations of their stories was an interesting one. Most stories like this the main characters are so into their stories and seem happy with where life is taking them but this story takes it a different way. The princesses and one prince are engaging and interesting characters. They aren't happy to just let life stagnate and they try to figure out what is really going on at the school. The villains are excellent and the fairy godmother was so great. I really hope this becomes a series so I can read more.

This will be an excellent audiobook once it gets recorded by a voice actor. The synthesized voice wasn't bad but a real person will add so much more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alex London and Harper Collins Publishers for the chance to listen to this very fun story.

This story weaves together several beloved fairy tales. This is a slyly subversive adventure about finding your place in the world. When Rosamund flees her prince, a Door of Opportunity opens, and she steps through it to the Home Educational Academy. She comes to wonder after a while-- does anyone ever leave the Academy? She is determined to change her story- no matter what!. I love it and I think my middle school girls will too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an early audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Liked the premise but didn’t grab me. Maybe because it was a computer generated audiobook. Princesses from fairy tales are transported to a boarding school in the real world but there is more to the school than meets the eye.