Please tell me this is either an attempt at tongue-in-cheek humour, or it's targeted readership is 10 to 12 year olds. The writing style is stodgy and infantile, the characters shallow and as one dimensional as a sheet of paper (and almost as exciting) and the story is fairy tale. Unfortunately it lacks the Brothers Grimm bite.

I would rather chew off my own leg than read any more of this drivel. I have up at the 20% Mark for the sake of my sanity, eyesight and my leg.



My thanks to Netgalley for a free download. I now know how truly dreadful this is, and will avoid anything else by this author

I highly enjoyed American Royals, it was a good kind of trashy. Filled with binge-worthy drama such as scandals, drama and royal gossip that keeps you hooked. There were so many moments where I struggled to put my kindle down while reading.

I loved all of the characters, especially when I read about their backstories, I love when we get to see proper back stories of  characters in a book. There was your typical sibling squabbles which is what you tend to expect to see in a book. I personally don’t like seeing picture perfect families, but this book kept the family in the real world. The family is as real as any commoner, all while having a regal public persona to keep up.

The writing style was very good in American Royals, I found it an easy read where the story just flowed perfectly. And let’s not forget the romance, who doesn’t love a good romance which gives you some heart wrenching moments.

Surprisingly got sucked into this story and needed up really rooting for some of the characters. Usually not the biggest fan of 3rd person POV but it didn’t annoy me as much as I thought it would. Good read

Although it's a very predictable story, I totally fell for the drama and relationships that happened here. Liked the various POV, four in total. It's fast paced and gripping, same vibe as her other book (the thousandth floor) teen drama, gossip girl, rich people style. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down and had to read all the way through the end. The only thing I disliked were the characters, not all of them, but the vast majority. It's not a book I will bring with me forever, but definitely it's something to read when you're feeling a bit down or to get rid of a reading slump. I will probably keep reading the series

I am a sucker for royal books. This year had us blessed with a lot of great stories surrounding royals, so I am a bit disappointed with this one. I feel like it's my fault, though. I didn't know that this was going to be a series but thought it was a standalone and for that, the story just moved way too slowly. The action doesn't really start until the halfway mark and then nothing is really explained and instead it just moves from action to action without discussing the consequences or impact of them. I also had a hard time finding a character to connect to because they felt a bit superficial. Still, I think I'm going to continue with the series because I did really enjoy McGee's first series.

Katherine McGee is a writer based in Houston. You might have read her Thousandth Floor trilogy, which I haven’t read but looks like an interesting premise. It’s set in a New York hundred years in the future, where men and women grapple with the same issues we do now, but in a setting of futuristic, shiny innovation and genetic enhancement. 

“American Royals” is, be warned, the first of what looks like a series of books, It’s built on the idea that the Washingtons were crowned, not founders of the government. It’s a really interesting idea, and makes for loads of opportunities for new characters, new takes on the familiar, which seems to be Katherine McGee’s speciality. 

The story unfolds from the perspective of four different women, and it’s testament to the writing that I never got confused about whose chapter I was reading – given that they’re all roughly the same age and two of them are princesses, it could have been tricky to  differentiate.

American Royals

Beatrice and Samantha are princesses, along with their brother Jefferson. Beatrice is set to be the first ever Queen as the laws have recently changed to ‘allow’ women to ascend to the throne. Samantha is struggling with feeling like the ‘spare’ child, and in this way the two are separate in their issues, driven apart by their own feelings of shortcomings. 

Meanwhile, two girls vie for Jefferson’s attention and Sam’s best friend, commoner Nina, tries to balance college life with her palace alter ego. 

I really enjoyed this book – the descriptions of the balls where detailed enough that you could tell what was happening, without lingering too much on the dresses that it got boring.  Being introduced to the Duchess of Ohio or the Ensign of Dallas was pretty fun, and it definitely satisfies America’s craving to have a monarchy. It does exactly what it sets out to do – tell a story about different people in a compelling way, offering an escape route from the real world, for a few hours at least. 

My only criticism is that the next book isn’t out until late next year – that’s so long to wait to see what happens next!

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the platform, and to publishing house Penguin Random House for the copy.

I honestly just could not get into this book.  I felt that the writing style was poor and I couldn’t engage with any of the characters as it didn’t feel like any of them had any personality.  I was looking forward to this title so it was a bit disappointing.

This was a book that I couldn't put down and one that I found to be so unique in terms of it's content! 

The thought of America having a royal family hadn't even crossed my mind, until I read American Royals and it opened my eyes a lot, especially with regards to the standards and rules a royal family has to abide by. A lot of research must have been done into royalty and I commend the author for that.

The way the story was told, also stood out to me. As it was told through four perspectives I got a feel of what life was like for the heir to the throne, the spare princess, the wannabe princess and the girl next door type. This certainly added to the feeling of originality that the book had and I don't think it would've had the same effect if it was written through the eyes of just one character.

The ending was incredible and I am literally dying for the sequel...NOW!

Loved this. Couldn't put it down - kept returning to it after work and on the daily commute. Fun, full of melodrama, addictive, unique and light of heart. Excellent escapism.

My favourite young adult novel of the year (and I voted so in the Goodreads awards!) Simply stunning storytelling. Highly recommend.

I quite enjoyed reading the book, I do think the Americans could have gone this way quite easily looking back on some of their dynasties such as the Kennedys. However, the book does not wrap up all the stories, so we do not know what happens to everyone. If this is just the first book in the series, it would have been nice to know....

I was really expecting a book that was like Royals, or Red White and Royal Blue. Instead I got something like a bad tv show. Which is something I would watch while folding laundry, but I honestly don't think I want to read the rest of the series if it's going to be similar.

I genuinely didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as what I did, but here we are! Very amusing in some places and I enjoyed it overall :)

I heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book - and I was extremely apprehensive. However I absolutely loved it. I became invested in the characters immediately and loved the multiple POV! I enjoyed the plot twists only issue was I found the ending a little rushed but it was left on a cliffhanger, I can't wait to read the sequel! I have the biggest book hangover after this!

I honestly loved this book. I would rate this a 5 out of 5 because it grabbed my attention from start to finish.

American Royals is a fun read that is perfect If you're in the mood to get out of your head and into a world full of royal drama. This is completely different to Katharine McGee's other series The Thousandth Floor  which I loved, check out my review if you haven't yet. As much as I loved Katharine's other books I have to say American Royals is my favourite by far. The drama, the fame, the friendships and did I mention the Drama?

American Royals is told from a variety of different narrators that all have their own set problems and fun which makes the novel even more interesting. It can be confusing at first but it does allow for you to be inside the head of key characters. My favourite probably had to be Nina maybe because she reminded me of myself and my least favourite probably Daphne even if I did like her at times.


If you're looking for a fun read full of twists and turns and a fan of Gossip Girl and The Royals then I would highly recommend picking up a copy of this book asap as its awesome

Loved it!! Fun and frolics and a little bit of insight into the power of country over self... imagine a world where America didn’t have a president but a monarchy instead. Some great lines about the nature of the monarchy and the horror of a Presidential figurehead who assumes absolute power (how prescient, given that this book has been 5+ years in the making)

All in all, a fun read about love, responsibility and siblings! Although a YA read, it is accessible to all who are looking for a different read this summer. 
4.5* Would make a great holiday read.

I absolutely loved it! It was full of drama, and who doesn't love royalty?

Princess Beatrice has a lot of weight on her shoulders, she knew what her role is and she needed to play it well. She didn't realise she would fall in love along the way... Princess Samantha is the "spare", she's reckless but not incapable of love. She got caught in a web of love and betrayal that she didn't know who to trust anymore. Prince Jefferson is the one every girl wants, but he seems to have eyes for only one.

Add all these characters together, and you don't get a love triangle, but something much more complex than that. I really hope the main characters all get what they wish for. But at the end of this book, we're left hanging, and I need to get my hands on the next book as soon as it's available!

My bad! I requested the book thinking it would be bitchy, entertaining, sarcastic take on contemporary monarchies but what I got was a bunch of pretty basic “love stories” of a couple of imaginary royals and their aides. Not inspiring if you are a bit older than late teens.
Note the target market: 12+. I didn’t :(

Could probably work for young girls, but in all, honestly, I read better books for teenagers.

With many thanks to the publisher and @NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This was a fun and quick paced read. I really got invested with the romance and the drama that surrounded the Washington family. This is one alternative history that I really got behind and could see how it was planned out by McGee. My favourite characters was Nina and Beatrice as they felt the most real when compared to the rest of the character. This story packs a lot into it and for the most part it works really well with my only criticism being that at times it could be a little soap operay.

Another book Sophie loved over summer was YA novel American Royals by Katherine McGee. In this alternate history version of America, when George Washington was supposedly offered the role of king after the Battle of Yorktown, he decided to say yes and over 200 years later, the Washington family still rule America atop an expansive court of nobles and aristocracy. Seemingly, most other things are the same. The teens all still use social media, attend frat parties, and deal with hurtful gossip, but there are some occasional references to alternate history elsewhere in the world.

The book alternates between the POV of four women. First is Beatrice, Princess Royal and heir to the throne, then her younger sister Samantha, the “spare” and the twin sister of Jeff, the first male heir not to usurp his older sisters in the order of succession. The third POV is Nina, Samantha’s best friend and the daughter of the Minister of the Treasury, and finally, there’s Daphne, a minor aristocrat and Jeff’s ex-girlfriend who has built her entire life around eventually marrying the prince.

All the characters in American Royals are balancing duty versus personal feelings and trying to toe that line when the two come into conflict, which they frequently do. It was interesting to see how each character had their own problems, but all were interlinked so decisions made by one person had immediate repercussions for everyone else. Sophie was also particularly impressed with how much character development took place during the book, particularly regarding Samantha, who was probably Sophie’s favorite of the four.

Fans of The Crown will no doubt see strong similarities between Elizabeth/Margaret and Beatrice/Samantha, although these characters have a new and modern feel of their own. Still, fans of that show and novel series like The Selection will devour this and Sophie is already looking forward to the sequel.