Quinn and Sprout live with their mother, aunt and grandma. They see their father every other weekend. Quinn tries to make it all work and makes numerous excuses for her fun-loving yet distant father, until she discovers something about him. His house is filled with “trophies” that he has stolen from the many women he has married and divorced. In an impulsive act, Quinn reaches out to her stepsister, Frances Lee, and the 3 sisters together embark on a journey to return the trophies to their rightful owners. On their journey, the girls discover much about what true love really is and isn’t.

High school girls (and their moms) should read this book. It’s one of the best books about dating (even though it’s a novel) that I’ve ever read. Without being preachy or condescending, the characters, both old and young, share what they’ve learned about true love and men who are worth loving. Some examples:

* “This is who he is, who he will always be, and no amount of your love is going to change that.” p. 69
* “When it comes to relationships, second thoughts should be promoted.” p. 139
* “Love is never unsafe.” p. 176
* “A relationship–it shouldn’t be too small or too tight or even a little scratchy. It shouldn’t be embarrassing or uncomfortable or downright ugly. It shouldn’t take up space in your closet out of a guilty conscience or convenience or a moment of desire. Do you hear me? It should be perfect for you. it should be lasting. Wait. Wait for 100 percent.” p. 312

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

The Hoffman women have absolutely awful luck in the man department. At least that is what Quinn concludes after analyzing her mother, Aunt Annie, and Gram. All have their fair share of failed relationship experience, stories of young girls in love only to have their hearts shattered by unfeeling men.

After Quinn is spectacularly dumped, over the telephone, she develops her own jaded view of men. Daniel seemed so nice - polite, responsible, and respectful. But like mom says, it's the nice ones that you have to watch out for. They are apt to turn around and cheat on you when you least expect it.

Who can blame Quinn for her bleak outlook? She doesn't exactly have a role model father figure in her life. Her real father, Barry, vanished when she was younger and has only recently appeared back in her life. Now Quinn and her little sister, Sprout, visit him on weekends, where they eat takeout, play video games, and meet his younger girlfriends.

It is only after he dumps his latest conquest, Brie, whom they refer to as "the cheese," that Quinn uncovers a startling truth about her father. He has stolen something from every woman he has ever been involved with - and not just their hearts. Barry has the most prized possessions, from an African mask, to a statue originally belonging to Humphery Bogart, from each woman adorning his house. A twisted tribute to his womanizing ways.

In a karmic quest, Quinn, Sprout, and Frances Lee, the half-sister she hardly knows, set out to return the items their father stole from the women who loved him. Sure, Quinn's mom thinks that Quinn and Sprout are in Disneyland with their father (an advantage of having divorced parents is the ease of lying), but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

It sounds crazy, but Quinn desperately hopes that this adventure will help her get to know her father a little better, and understand why he is the way he is. Even if he is completely narcissistic, inconsiderate and over-confident, in the end, he is still her father.

Just because a person is bad, doesn't necessarily mean that they are all bad, right? ( )

Quinn's mother, grandmother and aunt all bad mouth men, particularly her father who has been with too many women, and taken something from each of them. Quinn sets off on an adventure with her older half sister, younger sister and a boy. Thrown in are stories of relationships from each of the women who have been hurt by Quinn's father. Overall this was a great story with a lot of good relationship advice in a non-confronting form. I think this would be a great book for teen girls who enjoy romances. ( )

In many ways, The Secret Life of Prince Charming is a book every young girl should read, before we fall in love (or "love") for the first time. There’s actually a lot of good advice in this book about character traits that maybe one should be wary of when choosing a mate – and really, they’re not traits that are exclusive to men. And along the way, there’s a sweet story about a teenaged girl who’s trying to figure out her (mostly absent) dad, and maybe finds a little love of her own along the way. I enjoyed the story, especially Quinn’s and Sprout’s reunion with the half-sister they’ve never had the chance to know, Frances Lee. What I didn’t enjoy was the way little vignettes (I suppose is a good way to describe them) from the older women in the story would show up randomly in the middle of a chapter. They really interrupted the narrative without adding anything to what was currently happening. I feel they would have been much better placed at the beginning of chapters or in-between them. But overall, I enjoyed this read. ( )