Spotlight on Just Your Average Princess, by Kristina Springer

Country girl meets city girl, but on her own turf. This fun read takes place on a pumpkin patch in Average, Illinois and the small town setting is sure to get you in the mood for fall. It's so smart to release this month because reading about pumpkin towers, haunted houses, petting zoos, and caramel apples is enough to make the reader web search a patch nearby and get into the autumn spirit, too! And I really appreciated the authentic details like cruising for fun on the weekends and being satisfied with shopping at the one department store in town.

Someone who wasn't satisfied? The main character Jamie's fancy Hollywood cousin Milan.

Jamie Edwards has loved everything about growing up on a pumpkin patch, but ever since her cousin Milan Woods stepped out of Jamie's dad's old pickup truck and into a pile of rotten pumpkin guts, ruining her two-thousand-dollar shoes, things have really stunk. Making things worse, it seems that Milan is going to get everything Jamie's ever wanted -- the crown and the crush -- unless Jamie takes matters into her own hands.


The cover is super cute and so is the story. We pull for Jamie as she ties up her hair in pigtails, gives her family her all around the farm, pines over swoon-worthy Danny, and tries to understand why her own cousin won't warm up to her like most folks do. Since Jamie is super-likeable, we start out hoping that she does win the crown for this year's Pumpkin Princess contest; but as she gets caught up in revenge and a plot to send attention-stealing Milan back to California, we start to see some unfavorable similarities between the two girls. But by the end of the book, Jamie remembers who she really is and mends her relationships... while possibly starting a new one, too!


Kristina is a contributor to The Contemps and answered a couple questions about the book:

Me: As a country girl myself, I really loved the rich setting in this novel and found the pumpkin patch to be a refreshing and unique place to tell a contemporary story. Does this setting have any personal significance to you?

K: I started out thinking about the local pumpkin patch we have in town, but then I wanted it to be bigger and better and one that made people drive from all over to attend.

Me: I loved Jamie's reactions when her mom swaps her down home cookin' for Milan's fancy crazy-diet needs. Are any of those recipes real and have you tried any of them?

K: Happily, no.  :-)  I'm more of a Jamie than Milan. The chicken soup recipe that Jamie talks about on p133 is my mom's though and that's how I make it, too.

Be sure to check out Just Your Average Princess and give Kristina some love on Twitter and Facebook. You can also stop by her website and look around.

Praise for Just Your Average Princess:

This cheerful and heartwarming novel set in a small town will appeal to teens who enjoy YA chick lit. --VOYA

It was such a quick and cute read! The dialogue contained a generous amount of wit and snark. As a fan of both, it heightened my enjoyment of Just Your Average Princess even more. I really enjoyed Kristina Springer's style of writing as well as the cast of characters she created in Just Your Average Princess.  --The Fiction Enthusiast

Springer does an excellent job capturing the fall setting, and describing the pumpkin patch. So much so, that I found myself wishing I could find the place and go there! Overall, this is a fun light-hearted read that is sure to entertain. Definitely a perfect fit for the season.  --Melisa from Goodreads, Teen Librarian