Unfortunately this book was archived before I got chance to read it, so apologies I can’t write a full review.

Royalty, drama.. Intrigue.. Like.. Sometimes a girl just needs a story like that and this one sounded perfect. But was it?

Long story short? Yes, definitely!

I adored the overall story and setting. I've always been intrigued by stories about royalty, even more so when it's set in worlds I could see myself living in. Which was, of course, exactly the case with American Royals. Royalty, a palace, court drama.. And let's add how a lot of us, at some point in our lives, dreamt about being royalty ourselves. I know I did? I was looking forward to losing myself in this book and.. boy, did I!

Character-wise I couldn't complain either. There are four different POV's, which means you'll definitely click with at least one of those characters. On top of that, the author succeeds perfectly at making their voices unique. I never felt like I didn't really know who's POV I was in and.. that's a huge plus!

The cast? Diversity galore! Not in the usual sense of me using the word, but more as in.. Beatrice is the future queen, Samantha is her younger - and wilder - sibling who's allowed to go loose. Then there's Nina, a commonor, yet Sam's best friend. Daphne, our fourth POV, is part of one of the more upstanding families. Seeing their different views on the world they're living in was interesting and entertaining - at times. Sometimes it was quite depressing as well.. I guess we forget how little freedom royalty has?
In any case, this kind of diversity added a lot to the story and the different POV's. You get to see all sides of things which makes American Royals so much more interesting to read. You're able to see both the dark and light.

For the story itself, I already mentioned I loved the court drama and there's definitely plenty of that going on. Some things you feel like facepalming yourself over, but other things.. It simply feels like it could all genuinely happen in real, royal life. I think that's what I liked about this book most?

Or maybe it's how Nina has two moms so there's also queer rep involved? Yup. That might definitely be my most favorite part of the whole thing.


I only have one minor thing to mention in this review and that's how.. I sometimes felt like there was some depth missing relationship-wise. Some things just.. happened.. I didn't always feel the sparks, the fire, the passion and that's something I was honestly looking forward to. Especially since I'm set on feeling while reading a book and this one simply didn't hit me in the feels like I wanted it to.

4 / 5!

It might not have hit me in the feels like I expected it to, but there are some huge pluses to this story as well. If you like royalty and court drama, you should definitely pick this one up!

Thanks to Penguin Random House Children's and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was bamboozled by the cover on this one. I thought it might be like Crazy Rich Asians but it's more like that horrible sequel to The Selection series with the bratty daughter.

There's way too many POVs to be able to get to know any of the characters and I didn't care about any of them. It also reminded me quite a lot of Red, White and Royal Blue which I also really disliked.

Just found it all a bit shallow and soulless. Not for me.

Putting aside my new-found and irrational British patriotism, this story about America’s royal family reads like Gossip Girl crossed with The Queen. Ish. We’re diving into the lives of Princesses Beatrice and Samantha, Sam’s friend Nina and Daphne, the girl who wants to get with the Prince. Whom Nina has slept with. Oh, and Sam wants to get together with the guy that Beatrice is dating, whom she doesn’t really like at all…
As you can tell, it is a lot to be getting on with. But that makes it fun. Whether it’s finding out more about the history of this new royal family, or hanging out with Sam and Nina- who seem like a lot of fun, to be fair- getting to untangle the royal and not-so-royal lives of the people in the book makes the pages breeze by. Plus, there’s the added excitement of plot twists galore: though you can see most of them coming, that doesn’t make them any less delicious to read.
Top bit: the friendship between Sam and Nina, which is very cute. Watching the royal family through Nina’s eyes is a lot of fun- ski resorts and posh parties- as is reading about Daphne’s scheming. She is 100% the Blair Waldorf of this story, and probably my favourite character as a result.
Not so hot: For a story that seems so keen to promote LGBT+ people and relationships, none of the four protagonists are actually LGBT, which read as a little bit off to me. Sure, the girls are all entangled in each others’ love lives, but an LGBT character could easily be fit in, and would have made the book feel a little less flat-footed. Next time?

I absolutely loved this book. Is it truly a 5 star read? Arguably not. But after not being truly engrossed in a book for a while I loved every minute reading this.
It's quite often compared to a soap opera in other reviews and they are exactly right. All the characters have messy relationships with each other. There are secrets, lies, scandals and I cannot wait to read the next one.

American Royals follows the modern-day lives of America's royal family—the House of Washington. A perfect mishmash of what we know of British royalty with a distinctly American twist, American Royals was SO MUCH FUN. I haven't had this much fun with a YA contemporary in a while.

Following the POVs of four women entangled in the palace, American Royals was something else. I couldn't get enough of the clever world-building, the hate-to-love-it cliched drama, and the Gossip Girl-level scheming. Nina's window as a Hispanic woman attempting to follow her own path was my favourite part of this story, seconded by Beatrice's stoic exterior/mad mess interior dynamic.

I'm torn on how I feel about this book. I found it enjoyable and fun to read, even emotional at times, though of course it is very dramatic. It bears the hallmarks of any teen movie from the 2000s. I was very much reminded of curling up to watch the Princess Diaries, The Prince and Me, My Date with the President's Daughter, and so on. It's over the top, it's a soap opera, it's also incredibly entertaining to read. I probably would have loved this more if I was still a teenager. So, I think it's important to reiterate that I am NOT the target audience. As an adult, I am more critical of some of the teenage romance and clichéd Disney-movie tropes. But there's no denying that this is an incredibly addictive read.

Some of the earlier ARC reviews I read were very critical, even outraged at the portrayal - or rather, complete lack of - America's darker history of slavery and colonialism. However, by the time I got approved to read this book, there were small parts of the book where slavery was addressed. Though the author obviously doesn't get into the details of it, this is still a teen drama. Perhaps something was reworked based on reader feedback? If this is true, then good on PRH and McGee.

I did actually like the various POVs, though the voice weren't very distinguishable in the text. My favourite was definitely Beatrice, the future Queen of America (unfortunate heir to the throne). Some of the other voices and characters were a lot more tedious in a woe-is-me kind of way. I did like that the book features some POC main characters, as well as very normalised LGBT* relationships, which I found rather refreshing. There is a lot of description of the kind of dresses and clothes people are wearing, how shimmery and perfect their glossy hair is, and how lavish their lifestyles are -- but, I suppose, what else would you expect from a book with this kind of a glossy cover?

I enjoyed it, enough to want to see where it is going to go next.

Oh my. I LOVED this book. I don’t know why, rightly or wrongly I didn’t expect much when I picked this one up. Boy was I wrong.

The concept was fabulous and the characters were so well developed! The book explores lots of different characters and their relationships and perspectives. It explores family and love and friendship. I felt a real attachment to them all and found the ending very moving!

It is told from multiple points of view that not once got confusing! The writing style was easy and a good pace for me.

I would recommend this book

As a fan of Katharine McGee’s The Thousandth Floor series, I was eager to read American Royals and see whether it would be as glitzy and as treacherous as her previous books, and it didn’t disappoint.

Written in McGee’s typical style, the story is told from four different points of view which gives us an insight into the plans and motivation of all four girls.

We have Beatrice, heir to the American throne and the girl who will become the first ever Queen of America. Her sister Samantha, the wild child “spare” who doesn’t seem to play by the royal rules. Nina, Samantha’s ’commoner’ best friend and Daphne the ex-girlfriend of Samantha’s twin brother, Prince Jefferson.

All four girls find themselves in the spotlight for different reasons and none of them truly feels in control of their own lives but in the glamorous world of the American royal family, all of them know that the Crown comes first.

Now this book is not going to be for everyone and will never be considered a classic work of literature however if you are looking for some fictional escapism and good old fashioned back stabbing fun, then look no further. The story is full of cliches and doesn’t break any new ground as far as this genre is concerned, but what McGee does is bring these cliches to life and execute them brilliantly!

The characters are multifaceted and flawed in their own ways and even Daphne (who is a piece of work btw) has her moment of clarity.
I did see glimpses of The Thousandth Floor characters in these girls: Beatrice is reminiscent of Avery, Samantha reminded me of Eris and Daphne definitely brought to mind Lida! For me that wasn’t a bad thing as I really enjoyed those characters however I know that might put some people off.

Overall I loved this unique idea of changing American history and switching from a President and First Family to a King and Royal family. I loved that so much of the royal traditions we’re taking from our own British monarchy and adapted to suit the American culture.

The ending of the book left me wanting more which I always think is testament to a great read - 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 5)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Random House UK Children’s) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

First things first, I’m very happy there’s another book after this one!
The book is told entirely from the perspective of four female characters; Beatrice (Heir to the throne), Samantha-Sam (the spare), Nina (Sam’s friend, and also happens to be in love with Jefferson, Sam’s twin brother), and Daphne (ex girlfriend of the prince will do whatever it takes to get him back). They drive the story with their ambitions, loves, secrets, and how they all intertwine. There are many secrets yet to be revealed and I can’t wait for the next book!

i did not finish this book, it did not connect with me the way i hoped it would, so i have not posted a review i have done a promo post instead

*3.5 stars!

It took me a while to get fully into it (the first 50% of the book) but after that I couldn’t stop reading! I have to admit I skimmed a certain POV because I was just too annoyed by the character, but otherwise I was very surprised I managed to finish it so quickly! It even made me tear up a few times.. Really curious about the sequel!

When I was just out of high school, I was obsessed with the Gossip Girl TV show with Blake Lively as Serena and Leighton Meester as Blair, this TV show was the most stylish drama of my youth. It was actually my high school boyfriend who introduced me to the show, I remember that we watched some episodes together.

Much later, I’ve watched a couple of episodes of another TV show, called «The Royals» . Basically, again the drama infused story about the royal family showcasing all the luxury but also the lack of privacy that comes with that life.

«American Royals» is a perfect mix of these two shows, following the lives of royal children - Princess Beatrice, the eldest and the heir to the throne, and Princess Samantha and Prince Jeff - the twins who are always loud and in trouble. Every family, especially royal, needs a couple of troublemakers.

1 - I picked it up hoping to get a fast-paced addicting drama, and that’s exactly what I got. This isn’t my usual type of book. The last time I read something so scandalously dramatic was probably the Selection series. And we all know how addicting it is!

Lately, I’ve been experiencing these “almost reading slumps”, when I’m not exactly in a reading slump yet, but I can already feel it approaching. As a cure, I needed something quick, fun and entertaining and that’s what «American Royals» is like.

2 - There was so much drama! To the point where I just wanted to roll my eyes every time someone mentioned the words “privacy” and “choice”. I could list this as something I didn’t like but I actually… kinda… enjoyed it?! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It felt like I was binge-watching some episodes of a soap opera. Where I didn’t really care about the characters but at the same time I couldn’t stop and pull myself out of the story.

3 - We read the story from multiple points of view, all of them had a certain appeal and represented different struggles:
- Beatrice and her path to the throne;
- Samantha who is struggling to be the second, the “spare” and is trying to understand who she really it;
- Nina - Sam’s “commoner” friend. It was interesting to see how the royal way of life could affect those around them; and
- Daphne, the privileged young woman who’s been climbing the social ladder from a very early age.

Daphne's pov was by far the most entertaining.

4 - This book is very long for what it is - almost 450 pages, and we still got the cliffhanger ending! Why?! I was so not happy about that. I know that there will be at least one more book - American Roayls 2, but I needed at least SOME arcs to come to the end! Otherwise, I was left feeling like I wasted my time reading these 450 pages because I didn’t get any closure at the end.

To be fair, one of the plotlines/mysteries was revealed at the very end, but I already suspected what it was anyway, so the author just confirmed what was already kinda obvious.

5 - It wouldn’t be fair to this book to complaint about romance when I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. But I just can’t stand love triangles. «American Royals» doesn’t really have a LOVE triangle, but there are a lot of triangles, squares and other geometrical figures in the relationships.

Fair warning, this book has a lot of POV characters. It takes a lot of work to make this many voices distinct from one another, and the author never managed it here. Not sure why the hell we've included Daphne as a narrator - she's odious and predictable and boring, even compared to the rest of the cast.

There's so much subterfuge and sneaking around that will inevitably come out in a big dramatic way - this book is very trashy, of no real merit at all.

It's very readable trash though - the third person narrative keeps you informed about who we're currently following simply through repetition of their name, so I was never confused about who we were tracking at that moment in time. The writing is decent, with no horrendous choices in phrasing or grammar. And there's usually something going on with the plot that keeps you reading until the end of the chapter at least.

I'm just left disappointed after reading. What was I supposed to have got from this book? It's a bunch of rich and privileged kids reacting like soap actors to every situation, making drama for themselves and others and pitying themselves when things inevitably went wrong.

The world wasn't especially well written or planned - everything was the same except every country had monarchies instead of democracies. As if there wouldn't have been more wars as a result of something as drastic of a change worldwide as that. As if no one else would invent democracy like the author is trying to imply America single-handedly did.

Well, this completely threw me. I got froth, romance and gala balls, but with an unexpected amount of substance!

I found this whole novel strangely addictive. I was expecting something more akin to Princess Diaries-style fluff (which is enjoyable at the right times) but instead ended up with something that had a bit more ... substantial.

We have Princess Beatrice, heir to the throne and obedient to the Crown and to her parents in every way. Samantha and Jefferson are twins, sharing a relationship and closeness that Beatrice will never be able to have, as well as a freedom away from the throne that she may never be able to enjoy.

We also meet the 'common' best friends of Sam and Jeff - Ethan and Nina - fairly regular people who have become part of the royal circle, whether they have been dragged in, or made their way there.

And finally there's Daphne, Prince Jefferson's ex. She is delightfully scheming and kniving - making her both the most fascinating and the most empty character. I would love to see more of her development.

As a non-American, I enjoyed some of the little pointers to American history and the names that went with it. I don't doubt that it brushed over some of the darker aspects of American history or issues in American society (a slight nod to slavery at one point, references to some native American duchies. Very few mentions of people of colour - apparently one Latina character is enough to balance this???) and I think that risks losing some readers.

To be honest, I don't know if this novel would actually work as well for an American audience. I'm British, we have a royal family (for better for worse), which people find more accessible through shows like The Crown. Our royal family is simultaneously a joke and a point of pride and, by growing up in Britain, we are oddly used to that dichotomy.

Yet to me, American Presidents seem to be treated as royalty, which meant that, for me, there was little leapt in imagination between a presidential family and a royal family. I enjoyed that speculative element. Perhaps it would have been a safer bet to have an imaginary royal family?!

There were a few things I didn't enjoy - 4 men + 4 women = 4 relationships, right? And only bad girls actually sleep with a man (good girls stay pure). And I think raising the ages of all of the main characters would have made this a lot more relatable and poignant - much of what they were saying fitted with an older age bracket, even if some of the concerns and problems became more relevant with issues of a monarchy.

But THAT ENDING. It was not what I expected, and that totally redeemed the whole story for me. I can't even talk about it because it's too spoilery.

But because of THAT ENDING I can't wait to read the next book. I suspect this may be a very personal choice. But I truly enjoyed it.

This book was such a fun, quick read (I devoured the entire thing during a day at the pool!).

Katharine McGee has created an incredible cast of characters, royals and commoners alike. As a devoted follower of the British royal family, I feel that the portrayals of the American royal family were accurate depictions of what it would look like if America DID have a royal family. And the storylines were just so fun!

This book has everything: romance, scandal, sabotage, a Royal ski trip! It's a must read for lovers of The Royal We, Royals (the TV show!), Red, White, and Royal Blue, etc.

My only criticism? I felt like a bit too much was left hanging at the end - I would have liked a bit more resolution at the end of the first book; regardless, I look forward to following the American Royals on further adventures! Bring on the sequel!

2, 5 stars

This was an interesting and entertaining read, but with a lot of problems....

I liked the different approach the book took with modern day American royals and I loved the references to many major royal scandals/moments. The abdication of King Edward, how his brother died as a king from lung cancer, the reluctant queen, princess Margaret relationship with a commoner. So the book was like reading the crown with teenagers and their problems. The main characters were Princess Beatrice, Princess Samantha and Prince Jeff, Nina (Sam's best friend), and Dafne the main antagonist and Jeff's ex-girlfriend.
Despite the fact that it was an easy and enjoyable read, the book had a lot of issues.

Firstly, the characters were 17-21 and the majority of them should have been 25 plus to make their characters believable. The way they were thinking, speaking, their problems and the romances would feel more real if the book wasn't YA.

Secondly, most of the characters were really annoying. I liked Nina, mostly because she was normal, smart and loyal and actually felt like a 18 old with celebrity friends.. Beatrice seemed very nice, but we didn't actually get to see anything with substance of her and Jeff and Samantha were totally forgettable. Dafne, was a good antagonist but she was like a mean girl from Gossip Girl.

Also, I feel like the book should be a little shorter and I didn't like that in the end, nothing really happened and this is going to be a series. In fact, the whole book had potential, but the scenes we got to see were not that right ones. For example, Beatrice was going to be the first queen of America and she is described as a girl with remarkable character and abilities, and instead of showing us how she takes part in helping her father with ruling the country, we only saw her miserable because of a fixed engagement. Samantha and Jeff were the ''wild'' kids who took a gap year to travel the world and we saw nothing of their trips. Sam and Nina were best friends all their lives and we never saw them together, except from two scenes, or any flashbacks from their childhood, except for the day they met each other...

As for Daphne, I actually think she was one of the most interesting characters, but she wasn't treated right by the writer. I would like to learn more about her childhood, more of the bad thing that happened between her and her friend, more of her thoughts and needs, but we learn in one scene the bad choice she made and the rest of the book was her pretending to be nice and thinking of how beautiful she is and deserving to be a princess.
It was a book interesting enough, but it could have worked better as a contemporary romance, with less drama and funniest scenes.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange with my honest review.

Is it autumn 2020 yet, when the sequel will be released, as I really really want to read it?

There is so much left unsaid in this book that I need to the next book already, and just hope I can remember key things a year later!

I loved getting to know this American royal family. We get chapters focusing on four main females,,,

,,,Princess Beatrice who is first in line to the throne and will be America's first queen. She needs to commit to the crown over personal wishes, which can cause a romantic dilemma

... Princess Samantha who is Beatrice's younger sister, and just feels like she only exists as a spare, and I couldn't help but feel for her at times.

.... Deidre who was Prince Jeff's girlfriend, until they split up and she is determined at all costs to get him back, no matter how dirty she plays

... commoner Nina, who is Samantha's best friend, and may just be interested in her brother Jeff, although she has major reservations

These are four determined young women who know their mind, and are determined to get the men, and position they each want.

I enjoyed getting to know all of them, even if I couldn't help but feel sorry for three out of four of them, their lives may look wonderful to the outside, but in the palace walls thing are not always as they seem.

A really entertaining book, that I just wish could have gone on for longer, as I need to know what happens next.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

An entertaining read about a fictional American royal family, an enjoyable and fun read, imagine if George Washington became royalty rather than president and this book is about his modern heirs, reminds me a bit of crazy rich Asians, it was that fun and entertaining, a far fetched but highly entertaining and addictive read.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

*4.25 Stars*

American Royals is the story of a new generation of royalty that might have happened if George Washington had became king instead of president. It's told through four points of view. Beatrice is the first daughter of the King and will be queen one day, Samantha is the second daughter, it considered a "spare", Nina is Samantha's best friend and Daphne used to date the Prince, Jeff, Samantha's twin.
A lot of shit happens.

I looooved some of it and overall, I was insanely invested. The prologue actually put me off and I wasn't sure about the whole thing but the characters got me into the story. I loved Sam and Nina so much. I just got caught in the drama and couldn't put the book down. It was so well done, all of it. I felt everything, the happiness, the love, the desperation, the sadness, the anger. I cried a lot but I also felt so much anger, Daphne was one of the most maddening character I've read in a while. It was as captivating as it was hard to read. Still, this whole story took me away and I cannot wait for book 2. I need happy endings for my babies.