Nobody in Particular is a cute sapphic romance and an interesting take on young royals.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this read. It's so heartwarming to read and the intimacy was tasteful and appropriate for YA.
I really enjoyed the setting and the supporting characters.

This was really cute, and there was some great character development and growth, but I think the story was just a little slow, which was a shame because I'm usually very entertained and love all of the authors previous books.

Young Royals meets Red, White and Royal Blue.

American teenager Danni starts boarding school in a British-style, made up European country where Princess Rose also attends. The two quickly meet and start to fall in love, but the future queen cannot be a lesbian, so the two have to keep their relationship a secret.

This book has the usual plot points and issues you’d expect from a royal-commoner romance, but Sophie Gonzales puts her own twist on it that keeps it fresh and entertaining.

This was Sophie Gonzales at her best. The teenage angst, the high school drama, the messy break ups. I loved every minute I spent with Rose and Danni. And if you like sapphic romance and high school drama, definitely pick up this book.

Unfortunately had to DNF at 43%

It isn’t a bad story, and I wouldn’t be against coming back to it in the future, but I think for me right now I couldn’t get my teeth into it.

I enjoyed the characters, rose was incredibly fun and interesting and danni had plenty of merits too, but I couldn’t get along with the story and found that it lulled a lot for me

Other readers will probably enjoy this immensely, but I fear I’ve perhaps outgrown this kind of story <3

⭐⭐⭐
Rep: Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Sapphic Romance

💗Sapphic YA Romance
🏫Boarding School Setting
👑Crown Princess x Scholarship Student
👫Focus on complicated friendships

"Being in a relationship that doesn't work out is life. Getting into a relationship you know won't work is masochism"

"You don't look fine, " says Eleanor, "You look pale."
"I am pale"

"And how long has Rose been queer?"
"Since birth I would imagine"

"Your life is bigger than Danni, and hers is bigger than you."

What I Liked
1) I really loved Rose's character development as she definitely is a character that grows on you. I love the trop of the love interest being really guarded but then letting the MC in.

2) The romance in here was swoon-worthy and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this. The banter between the characters was to my taste and I loved seeing the moments between them when they were truly emotionally vulnerable. However, I do think that the author was trying to make us believe in forever too soon. This is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals (you'll see what I mean further in my review) but obviously in one standalone book, the romance isn't as developed. So, in Young Royals I am rooting for them to give up everything for each other but in this book it's just way more unbelievable as we haven't had enough time of seeing them happy as the conflict was so quickly introduced.

3) The way this author handled trauma and the use of drugs and alcohol underage was really responsible and I think a lot of teens could feel themselves represented in these characters.

4) I loved how the female friendships in here were complicated and didn't feel surface level. I love when romance books explore friendship as well.

5) There was a scene where a character is kissed without consent pretty forcibly and I liked how the author took that very seriously and didn't just laugh it off as a drunken moment like a lot of other author's would.

What I Disliked
Ok, so usually this is where I give out a list of what I disliked. However, I only have one problem with this books but its a major one: this is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals. I knew this going into the book but I thought it would be a new spin on the story but a lot of the plot beats felt very much the same. The author's note does say this book was written before Young Royals was even a thing but it didn't get picked up because publishers believed there was no market for it. I've said this for years, but if Young Royals had been sapphic, it wouldn't have got more than one season. Therefore, I'm glad that Young Royals' success has created a space for more diverse takes on these tropes to be published but I think the author should have done a full rewrite, not just a few changes, after the show came out because there is just too much similarity. While I was reading, I couldn't help but compare between the two and to me Young Royals is a masterpiece (like its my favourite TV show ever) so it was just unfair to this book as I think if I read this before watching the show, this totally would have been 5 stars.

Summary
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't watched Young Royals or is looking for a story that feels very much the same. I just don't think this book did anything new to become a new favourite.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hatchette Children's Group and Sophie Gonzales for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF at 40%. I have loved reading Gonzales' books in the past, and I was really excited for this one. It was a strong start, but I just got so bored partway through that I lost all motivation to read it. I might come back to it in the future, but for now it's a DNF.

3.5 stars for me! Definitely one of my more liked sapphic reads. I really enjoyed the character development from all characters. You had Danni who basically starts as a grey mouse but blossoms into a confident person who sees her own potential. Then you also get Rose who seems like the mean stuck up princess at first but who has the softest heart and basically just wants to be seen as a person. The book has a realistic touch especially because Henland is a Christian country and as someone who was raised Christian herself in a very conservative area, I completely could feel their struggles and worries of coming out. Especially Rose as she had all that pressure on her shoulders her whole life. I didn’t fully agree with some parts of the story, hence the rating being 3.5 but it was a book that I enjoyed and will definitely recommend if you’re looking for a sapphic romance that is cheesy but not too much and feels like something we can personally relate to.

This was such nice, comforting read, with an adorable love story to root for.

I definitely agree with the Red, White, and Royal Blue x Princess Diaries comps, they do hit the spot. And I honestly don't think I have much to say on this one other than that it was a solid 4-star read for me.

I have no complaints about the romance. I did really root for Rose and Danni in the end, and found their love story believable. I appreciate when the author does add in that 'yes these two want to be together forever, but we are also acknowledging that they are teenagers that may break up' especially near the end of the book when *spolier alert* loads of people were worried they were about to risk their future when opening up about their relationship. But no, that is not the case, they are standing up for love. All love, not just their own.

On that note, I really appreciated that certain questionable actions the characters take were discussed and just not brushed aside and accepted. We love when characters have to take account for their actions. Though, I will say, the story is a predictable one despite this. It is easy to figure out who is the 'bad guy' and what the outcome will be. The hints are right there.

Is this Sophie Gonzales best work ever? I am not sure. Is it a wonderful story that made my heart turn into mush? Yes. I am 100% for this getting published 10 years after it was first written. This story deserves a space on your bookshelf.

This was so adorable! It’s a pretty simple romance with minimal angst and it would normally have been a three star read for that alone but I found Danni and Rose so effortlessly charming and lovely that I can’t help but give this four stars.

The book was a lovely feel good read, with a great cast of characters I loved and Rose especially was my favourite. She made me laugh out loud more than once 🤣 definitely my favourite book of Sophie’s that I have read yet !!

Sophie Gonzales is one of the best YA authors writing at the moment and Nobody in Particular is another phenomenal read! If you want a unique Princess and the Pauper story; an adorable teen romance; sapphic pining; and two main characters as wonderful as they are flawed, this is the book for you.

Both Danni and Rose are amazing, and as the book is told in dual POV, you are really immersed in their minds and get to truly be along for the ride. In particular I loved how this dual POV emphasised the importance of class, and intrinsically it is woven into who you are, especially when at a school that values status as deeply as this one. And as a former scholarship kid, I officially deem Sophie Gonzales the Queen of Scholarship Kid Stories as, between this and Perfect on Paper, she never fails to encapsulate the nuances that come with that unique experience.

As the Author's Note at the beginning of the book states, this book has been a very long time in the making, and yet I feel it has landed at exactly the right time for readers. It expertly dives into difficult topics like drug misuse, alcohol, social media, journalism, and belonging, whilst never feeling heavy handed or preachy. And whilst those important topics are central to the plot, everything comes second to the incredible romance.

I urge everyone to give Nobody in Particular a read - I can guarantee you will care deeply for Danni and Rose, and be rooting for them the entire time!