Gossip Girl meets The Crown in this deliciously addictive new series. I devoured this in one sitting and cannot wait for the sequel.

Very rarely have I chosen a book and as you read start thinking 'who on earth dreamt this up?!!!'  Talk about an utterly confusing book, well fairy story really!   It felt really much like the author couldn't decide if it was supposed to be set in the 21st century or back in the 18th century!  The language used in it was equally as confusing, using modern day phrases/references but standing out like a sore thumb because of the storyline.

Whilst I kind of enjoyed the premise, I found that I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Even though this wasn't right for me, I can say that I could definitely feel the buildup on certain topics and it showcases with a degree of sophistication. I only wish I related to the characters or the storyline more. 

I really wanted to dnf at the 50% mark. I felt like I was trudging through this entire story and I wanted to be able to love it as much as my GR and book reviewing buddies did. I can say that there were a lot of filler chapters in my opinion.

Imagine if the Americans had a Royal Family....how they would act, the illicit romantic interludes, the intrigues. If you imagine all of this you probably will not fall far short of this story. It was interesting but a little tedious on times. However, if you have nothing better to do , then by all means it is one way to waste a few hours!

A world where instead of becoming President, George Washington was made king. How would present day America look with a royal family? And how do the family cope with all that royalty has to offer them?
American Royals by Katherine McGee explores this fun premise with the predictably you expect, but still retains its sense of fun.
If you can get on board with the fairytale dystopian premise, then American Royals is a lot of fun to read. Beatrice, the eldest daughter, is primed for becoming the first female monarch. With the pressures of being Queen edging ever closer, her personal bodyguard Connor, keeps her safe.

Her siblings, carefree twins Samantha and Jeff have just returned from their jet-setting trip abroad post high school graduation. Sam’s best friend is Nina, a commoner who had grown up in the palace, as her mother worked there. Jeff’s ex, Daphne, the ambitious aristocrat is still hanging around, with secrets of her own.

The King and Queen come to Beatrice, suggesting now is time for her to find a husband. But all is not what it seems.

I would have liked to have seen more depth. With each chapter jumping between different characters, it was hard to build a strong connection to all of them. The ones I liked the most I think were Nina and Beatrice. Nina is one of the few non-royal characters, and was kind of the readers way in to the story. She made a nice contrast between royal life and normality and I would have liked to have explored that more. Beatrice, the future queen, was a great character, but I felt she played things quite safe. She felt isolated from many of the other characters. While she was the one ‘in the spotlight’, it would have been good to have explored her past and feelings further. 

I believe a sequel is in the works, which will be a nice opportunity to do all the things it may have missed out on in this one. Ultimately, this book is a teen melodrama. The plot strands may be cliche and predictable, but all the romance and the drama is still so much fun to read. Gossip Girl meets The Crown, I would love to see American Royals on TV one day – this story feels made for a teen drama!

A great book about if there was a royal family in America and how they would act ! I really enjoyed this!

This was a cute, romantic read about what America could look like if it won the Revolutionary War. I enjoyed it but I don't think this book or series is really for me, unfortunately. The romance felt a little repetitive, and being British I didn't enjoy the kind of... elbow nudging about a monarchy being the better option for a country. 

However the book was fun and dramatic and, if you're looking for an easy read with lots of romantic drama, this is definitely for you!

I didn't realise this was a YA book but nonetheless, I really enjoyed it! Lots going on (maybe sometimes too much) but all in all a great read, in fact it's quite an addictive read. Looking forward to the sequel as so many unanswered questions!

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What if America had a royal family? As soon as I heard about American Royals, my interest was piqued. I love stories that rotate around the upper classes and see them as a kind of window into a world that is completely closed off to me. However, I had a special interest in the idea of an American monarchy because I couldn’t help but consider the American-ness that would surely come into their brand of royalty.

Due to a change in the law, Princess Beatrice is due to become America’s first reigning queen when her father dies. Her whole life has been leading up to this destiny and as such, she is America’s sweetheart. However, she is starting to have doubts as to whether she is really up to the job and all that it truly entails. As Beatrice is next in line to the throne, no one really pays much attention to her younger sister Sam, who is quite happy to do as she pleases until she finds herself falling for a man she really shouldn’t. Sam’s twin brother Jefferson’s handsome face and irresistible charm makes him a winner with every eligible young woman in America but with both his childhood friend, quirky college student Nina and his socialite ex-girlfriend Daphne interested, who will he choose?

Her grandfather’s final words are what spurs Beatrice’s decisions for her entire narrative. The divide between the real Beatrice and Beatrice the Princess grows steadily as the book progresses and in turn, I could feel myself being torn apart in each of her chapters. Although Beatrice and I inhabit totally different worlds, I could understand her sense of duty to her family and the fact that she had to make certain sacrifices in order to follow their wishes. This is something I’ve had to do in the past but walking through it with her alerted me as to how devastating this truly is. It reminded me of some regrets of my own and I was just constantly willing her to make the right choice for the real authentic girl she is.

There were several points in the book which touched on the inherent sexism and misogyny within society -even a society which is finally accepting a female monarch. It was most apparent when comparing how the media and public treated Sam and Jeff. I really appreciated these little nods to reality as they increased my sympathy for these insanely rich and privileged people and made them more human. It reminded me of the pressures they’re under to remain perfect and the daily injustice they face. It’s particularly unfair for the royals, as they haven’t chosen fame -they were merely unlucky enough to be born into it. 

I also smiled at the little comments that imagine America as a republic, which of course it is in our world. Thinking about the state of America -in particular the state of women’s rights- at the moment, I couldn’t help but sigh and shake my head. I may have even whispered to the book ‘I’m afraid we were always screwed’ at one point (because that’s not weird, right?). However, could a queen like Beatrice have improved or even stopped a Trump-ravaged America? When I think about my own country, which has both a female monarch and a government, and the current face of our politics, the verdict sadly points to no. 

Nina and Jeff’s relationship provided the much needed cutesy, upbeat chapters that both Beatrice and Sam’s lacked. Despite it being clear that they were made for each other, their relationship was never a done deal due to the differences in their backgrounds and again, society’s expectations of who Jeff should date. Nina is the daughter of the Latina Minister of the Treasury and she has been best friends with Sam -and consequently Jeff- since she was six years old. Therefore she is considered a commoner and not suitable royal family material. I’ll be honest and say that Nina wasn’t my favourite character. I didn’t like that she felt the need to hide her friendship with Sam from her college friends just because she wanted them to see her in a certain light. However, she was a grounding force for both twins and I certainly shipped her with Jeff much more than I shipped him with her love rival, Daphne. 

Daphne’s part in the novel -a meddlesome ex with an apparent desperation to better herself- struck me as very Crazy Rich Asians, which is a series I adore. The little sly digs and devious ruses that are concocted in Kevin Kwan’s books always have a somewhat wry vibe to them which was missing in American Royals but Daphne’s chapters were still enjoyable nonetheless. She is the beautiful daughter of a wealthy, well-regarded family whose mother is desperate for her to rekindle her romance with Jeff and elevate them to royal status. There were a few quick glimpses of Daphne’s home and family life and they provided insight as to why she did the things she did. 

Daphne's friend Himari is in a coma for the entire novel. It’s only towards the end that we find out how she got there but it’s clear from the start that Daphne genuinely cares about her. However, she has been raised to compete against other girls as evidenced by her mother’s words here. This then prompts Daphne to launch a vendetta against Nina, who is also vying for Jeff’s affections but there is a sense that her heart isn’t really in it. Much like Beatrice, she feels torn between who she has always been told she should be and who she really is. The more time I spent with Daphne, the more I liked her whereas the opposite seemed to happen with Nina. I’m sure that wasn’t McGee’s intention but I just found Daphne to be a much more interesting and overall, more likeable character.

As I neared the end of the book, everything started to go wrong and there didn’t seem to be enough pages left to resolve everything, which is what I’d been expecting. No one was with who they were in love with, so many tensions were still floating around and when I did finally finish it, I was left reeling and quite shocked that things had apparently been left like they had. However, I’m delighted to learn that this is the first book in a series. I would have been fuming had it been a standalone with that ending!

American Royals is a fun, YA read with a healthy dose of political and social commentary. There are some incredibly shippable romances, a huge amount of frustration and a lot of very well fleshed-out believable characters. Is it a little silly? Of course it is but it’s perfect light escapism!

Royal romances have really kicked off in the year of 2019, and I am saving them up because they're great to read during readathons. American Royals relies on the premise of: What if George Washington accepted a crown instead of Presidency? 
In my notes, I pinned down that the premise relies on my suspense of disbelief because I didn't feel like I could believe Washington would have ever taken the crown, in relation to why America fought to become independent from Britain. 
The writing wasn't anything special, and very bland. The characters felt flat and more like trope caricatures. There's a cheating plot-line that I wasn't a huge fan of. And the 'scandalous' nature of the book felt trivial and not very exciting. This book just was not for me.

A cracking premise for a good trashy read & it's packed with plenty of scheming, plotting and illlicit romances. Very enjoyable nonsense. Hopefully set for a sequel!

I would categorise this as a romantic comedy. Very funny in places, the battle to be at the top was comical at times but still believable. A witty quick read.

I love the cover for this, but I don't love the reality.  This has a great premise and loads of potential as a soapy alternate reality saga type story but the execution doesn't follow through.  The characters don't feel quite well developed or rounded enough - the main royals all come across as varying degrees of annoying/obnoxious at various points and the every-girl heroine is Too Stupid Too Live at various points as well.  The villain is incredibly cartoony - and although her big plot revelation was incredibly obvious, there was another character involved in it who didn't get anywhere near enough time/development for the reader to understand what we're meant to be thinking about him.

But most importantly, this doesn't fulfil its end of the bargain with the reader in a major way- but the sell on this on NetGalley didn't mention that it was the first in a series, and it really, really should have. Amazon and Goodreads have this categorised as romance BUT there's no HEA or even HFN here - which means (say it with me everybody) it is *not* a romance.  There is no resolution here for *any* of the leading characters, its all left hanging and that is not a satisfactory ending for a romance novel at all - because that means it is NOT A ROMANCE.

Being a future Queen looks glamorous. But what happens when you have to put your duty to your country over the love of your life?

In a parallel universe where George Washington became a King instead of a President, America is still ruled by its descendants. And, for the first time in American History, there won't be a future King, but a future Queen. Beatrice has been raised to be the first Queen regnant of America. But that means her husband will also have to be of noble blood. So, what happens when she is forced to find a suitable husband, when all she wants is to be with a commoner?

Meanwhile, Beatrice's younger sister Sam has always felt like the "spare" one. The one that will never be a Queen. The person without person. When this wild-mannered girl meets Lord Teddy Eaton, she finally falls in love. But he's her sister's choice for a King consort. And thing are about to get even more complicated!

Part romance, part drama, and a hint of comedy combine to create American Royals. It's a story that strongly resembles a romantic drama you'd watch on TV - and it has exactly the same appeal. Narrated by four different women, the story unfolds through various angles, giving us the thoughts and feelings of each one as it goes. 

The story is packed with romance, and the trouble that - of course- comes with it in these stories. Relatable? Probably not that much, except if you're actually royalty, or a "commoner" in a relationship with them. Nevertheless, it's a quick, amusing read that doesn't tire the reader. It's also the perfect book for fans of romantic stories with hints of drama, as well as for those who are amused by alternative Princess stories.

I'm so frustrated as I really wanted to love this book and it has so much hype, I can totally see why it is loved but I just couldn't get into it and It just wasn't for me at this time. I think if you really enjoy learning about royalty and you have a passion for the royals then this book is for you! If you liked The royals or Red white and royal blue then pick this up!

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.