Mia's informal narration through her journal invites readers to become part of her world. The use of a confessional teenage first-person voice is welcoming. As narrator, Mia willingly reveals various sides of her personality. She can seem serious and depressed at times. Her humor, though, is the novel's primary tone. She is prone to sarcasm, puns, and exaggeration. Words appearing in all capital letters emphasize her outrage or joy about situations. Cabot often uses one-word interjections or incomplete sentences which make Mia's thought and speech processes more realistic. The abstract algebra problems she attempts to solve reinforce Mia's sense of mathematical despair.

Mia never speaks pretentiously or formally. Ironically, she does not seem like a princess. At times, she appears more ordinary than extraordinary. Although Mia's life is charmed, neither magic nor supernatural elements are involved. Readers can identify with Mia. Because Mia strives to do...