American Royals

This book is SO MUCH FUN.

It’s set in an alternate American timeline where George Washington became royalty instead and follows the current royal family in Washington. Feelings about royalty aside (staunch small r-republican here) this makes for a great read. Yes it’s ridiculous. Yes it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure. But if you liked Crazy Rich Asians or Gossip Girl then you’ll love this. I hope it’s marketed to a YA audience though I think it’ll have some crossover too.

(Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

The world of royalty is fascinating and exploring the concept of royalty in America is a smart way of covering the topic. I enjoyed this more than expected. I thought it would be light and fluffy, an excuse to write about the rich and famous, but there was some depth to the story. In a world where the USA chose a monarchy instead of a democracy, she explores the impact on the personal lives of the royal family. The eldest daughter has the responsibility and strain of living up to expectations put on her, training as the future queen. Will she be able to follow her heart or fulfill her duty? The second daughter is wild and controversial, rejecting her constraints. And the third royal, a son, appears oblivious to any scheming and a bit naive.

It feels like the royals or Britain and Monaco have provided material for the characters, demonstrating the challenges they face. Overall the story is woven well and very readable. Like a compulsive soap opera I was hooked to see the fates of these likeable characters.

This book is Gossip Girl mixed with The Crown and I loved it!

Set in an alternate reality where instead of becoming the first President, George Washington became the first King of America, American Royals tells the story of the younger generation. After a change in the law, Princess Beatrice is set to become the first queen of America and the pressure is on to find a suitable husband and secure the future of the monarchy. Twins, Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson are trying to find a role for themselves after taking a gap year before going to university.

The young royals and their friends are beautiful and rich and glamorous. With chapters told from different character's, the reader sees the life of the royal family from both the inside and the outside. Love, duty, reputation and the conflict between public and private lives make compulsive reading.

Without spoiling the book, the ending
is perfectly set up for the sequel which is published in 2020 and I am definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

If America had a Royal family, they would be the American Royals. An enjoyable read for older teens (sex references, alcohol, relationships) about a fictional royal family which draws on British Royal history and etiquette. The relationships between key characters are well imagined, dealing with love across commoner/royalty divide, putting the Crown first, what it means to be Royal and gold diggers!
This reminded me of Gossip Girl, with the high class lifestyle, complicated relationships and the family life that everyone can relate to regardless of background.
I will recommend this to my older students and I look forward to reading the next instalment!

I feel as if i’ve been waiting for this book on a fictitious American royal family. There was an element of predictability but the story telling was so good I didn’t care. Love, scandal, a scheming villain, unsuitable suitors and torn loyalties. So much to love about this story. Can’t wait for the next one

Princess Beatrice is next in line to the throne, she’s going to be the first queen of America, and has been training for it all of her life. She’s pretty much perfect. Then the other two siblings, twins Sam and Jeff are more rebellious, because they can be. Sams best friend Nina doesnt tell anyone she knows the princess. It makes life easier that way. Then theres Daphne, Jeffs ex girlfriend. She wants him back.. He broke up with her but shes sure she can salvage the relationship. We learn so much about both Beatrice and Sam in this book, along with Daphne, you can get caught up in the politics, and frivolities of their world from all viewpoints.

This does feel so much like gossip girl. There was so many times I was expecting there to be a Serena or Blair moment, but luckily in situations where I thought It pop up, it never did, And I really like that.

Its hard not to compare to the lives of William and Harry a little. William being the future king with all his responsibility and pressure from the media compared to Harry, the Sparrow, who has been caught acting like a normal person, escaped to the military and frequently is refered to as the one ‘breaking protocol’.

I must admit I had a moment of panic when I realised I had almost finish the book, because I didnt know there was a second book planned. Thankfully on the last page theres a note telling you book two is coming in september 2020. I dont want to have to wait that long.

I adored this book - it was such a fun read and I was instantly obsessed with the fabulously glamorous world the American royals inhabited. The characters felt properly realised, and not 2D, and their actions were believable. And that ending, talk about a cliffhanger - I can't wait for book two.

Really loved this; good summer read, fun characterisations and a gossipy-best friend tone that makes it a quick read but one that I looked forward to coming back to.

What a lot of fun this was. Warning though, it's the first in the series so don't expect any resolution - and do expect to buy the second because it's Gossip Girl addictive.

What if, rather than becoming a republic, America had crowned George Washington as king? With no republic as an example would the rest of the world have kept their monarchies and how would America differ from the world we know today? In some ways, titles aside, very little. Technology, the education system, social media are all familiar, only there's a royal family in the White House. Oh, and the royal 21st century is far more inclusive than the republican one with African American and Native American ducal dynasties and no one batting an eyelid at married pairs of Dukes or Countesses. In one respect though the royal dynasty is very traditional. Up to the present day only a male could inherit the throne, and marriage is arranged to someone with the right background and credentials. Princess Beatrice is set to break the first of the traditions, but at just twenty one, the second is sacrosanct.

American Royal is told from the viewpoint of four girls; Princess Beatrice, heir to the throne and conscious that she always has to be perfect in every way; Samantha her youngest sister, the wild spare, Daphne, their brother, Jefferson's ex, ready to do whatever it takes to get back into his life and Nina, Sam's best friend.

It's all ridiculously camp, but in the best way. Daphne is still at school as she plots and schemes her way towards a proposal, poor lost Sam has only just left school and Beatrice has barely graduated College before she's given a list of suitors. The only sour note is Nina who plays the poor little me card a little too often for my liking. I'm not sure why the only daughter of a Government bigwig feels like such a poor relation all the time, or why she needs a College scholarship when both parents have great jobs and she is a terrible friend to Sam at least three times in the book. I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to be #teamDaphne but at least she has backbone behind that flawless, sociopathic beauty!

I'd have liked a little more of a look at the world outside the palace and to see more ways this alternate future influenced the last 200 odd years, but for a soap operaish YA romance, American Royals ticks all the right boxes and I can't wait for the next instalment.

This novel is set in an alternative reality where the USA has a monarchy instead of a presidency, so first off, what an excellent idea for a story ! McGee does a great job of making the royals a very likeable bunch - you can see some similarities with the UK royals but it is small enough that they are still their own characters. The story is well written and the plot is really interesting. All in all this makes for an addictive read; quite frankly I can’t wait for a sequel !

When being Royal, only means more complications.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, revolving around the Royal princesses and prince, at an important time in their lives.
Princess Beatrice is heir to the throne, she has spent her entire life being prom and proper, proving that she is the sensible choice. She is the first female heir, and will have to deal with underlying misogyny that flares up, even in this modern day. To try and make the transition as smooth as possible, she agrees with her parents' instructions that she should be married, so she can be seen to have the support of a man before she takes the crown.

Princess Samantha is the spare. She knows that she is not needed, so she lives her life to the max, bending or breaking every rule. Samantha is constantly frustrated that the media and her own family treat her like a walking scandal, whereas her twin brother is adored for doing the exact same thing. She is tired of being compared to her perfect older sister, and everything being about Beatrice. For once, Samantha finds something she really wants, only for that to be stolen away, too.

Prince Jeff doesn't get to narrate his own story, instead it falls to the two women in his life.
Nina is a lifelong friend of the twins, and she has always acknowledged that she is a nobody next to the royals. She has spent her life living in the shadows, and as she has gone to college, she has purposefully hidden her connection with the royal family. The problem is that, she is in love with Jeff, and he likes her too. Nina has to decide if that is enough to step into the spotlight and take on crazy media-driven world of the royals.

Daphne is Jeff's ex and she is perfect. She has the pedigree, she has the poise, and she has the love of the people. Everybody expects her to marry the prince and become the newest princess, and Daphne will do anything it takes to make that happen.
After all, isn't the prince the ultimate goal? Even at the expense of your own happiness?

It was so much fun to see how everything played out.
I thought the four narrators worked really well together, and it was really easy to slip back into their particular stories.
To begin with, I thought I'd like party-girl-Sam and nobody-Nina's parts best, but I was mildly surprised to find boring-Beatrice as my favourite, followed by conniving-Daphne. These characters were more than what they seemed, bound by duty and expectations - Bea wasn't as boring, and Daphne wasn't as heartless as they seemed.

I thought this was a stand-alone, and I was disappointed to find out it was a series.
In the second half of the book, some of the plotlines get a bit repetitive, and there was a point where it felt like everything could have been satisfactorily settled, but the author changed their mind.
I was disappointed, I thought it could have ended really strongly, and it was unnecessary to string it out any further. That being said, I will probably continue with the series.

This is honestly the perfect beach book. It's light, it's funny, its naughty - its everything you want for a bit of holiday escapism, or just something fun to read in the sun.

I completely agree with it being for both adults and teens, as theres nothing too inappropriate in it for teens, but its also not overly written for the younger. Maybe at the level of gossip girl, or a tiny bit younger than that - definitely not one for kids, but nothing inappropriate for teens, especially older ones.

I've somehow never heard of her other series, but after reading this, I will be getting hold of it as soon as possible. The perfect piece of escapism in a time where everything can feel a bit heavy and depressing. Yes, some might say its a bit silly, but I loved it, and would highly recommend.

The publisher, Penguin Random House UK Children’s, kindly offered me an advanced reader copy (ARC) of American Royals by Katherine McGee via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my humble opinion.

American Royals is such a fun book to read. It's told by 4 perspectives: Beatrice, the heir, Samantha, the second-in-line for the throne, Nina, Samantha's best friend, and Daphne, Jeff's ex. I don't usually enjoy books with so many POVs; 2 is more than enough for me. But the author did an outstanding job with creating a distinct voice for each girl. I always knew whose perspective I was reading without actually reading their name in the beginning of each chapter. Not only were their voices distinct, but the characters were extremely well-developed and fleshed out. What really resonated with me, though, is how relatable all the girls were. Beatrice with the burden of the world on her shoulders, Samantha who was always neglected, and Nina who strove for happiness. To be honest, I didn't care for Daphne at all. As a writer, I understand why they thought her voice was needed to be heard in the story, but I didn't like her character. However, the author managed to even make her a bit relatable. I also loved that their voices were authentic teen voices.

The world the author created was cool. It was a delight to see the changes she made to history. I loved how she showed the double standards regarding Jeff and Samantha and Beatrice and Samantha. But what I didn't particularly like much was the archaic notion of royals not marrying non-royals. This is a modern story, with current references to pop culture, etc, yet the book still featured this archaic notion. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden married our current Queen Silvia in 1976, when she was a German translator to the Argentine consulate in Munich. Our Crown Princess Victoria married her personal trainer. Prince William of England married Catherine Middleton in 2011. And Prince Harry also married a non-royal, Meghan Markle. Times have changed, and there is plenty of precedent. I don't quite understand why this story had to find a crutch in this archaic notion when it could have been more feminist and more modern. This is the major reason why I don't rate it with 5 stars. Furthermore, it's not diverse in any way. Books should reflect our society. Monarchy or no monarchy, no country consists only of white straight people. Representation matters, and we should do better.

Overall, it's a delightful book, and the comps are spot on. American Royals is Crazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl. It's a fun ride, and I can't wait to read book 2 that comes out in autumn 2020, according to my ARC. Very interesting world-building/alternate history. Extremely well-developed characters!! If you enjoy lighthearted YA contemporaries, you don't want to miss out on American Royals!

4 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Katherine McGee
Publisher: Penguin/Penguin Random House UK Children’s

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I requested this book, but I am definitely glad I did.

Imagine America with a royal family.
Imagine knowing you would be Queen one day.
Imagine knowing you would never be as important as your sister.
Imagine a life where you can't wear what you want, eat what you want, love who you want...

And all the ups and downs of being a Royal, with all the expectations on you.

We are introduced to the Washington family. This is America's first family, in a Royal way.

The King and Queen, and their three children; Beatrice, heir to the throne and on course to be the first-ever female monarch of the country, and in love with the wrong person, Samantha, one-half of the Royal twins, a Princess with a mischevious streak, and is in love with the wrong person, and Jefferson, the other twin, a fun-loving eighteen-year-old, who just happens to be a handsome Prince, fighting off the advances of many, yet in love with the wrong person.

A bit of a running theme there.

Forbidden love.

Connor, a member of the Royal Revere Guard.
Teddy, or rather Lord Theodore Eaton, a prospective groom for the Heir to the throne.
Nina, best friend to Princess Samantha and daughter of a Latino lesbian couple, one of whom happens to be a Cabinet minister.
Daphne, titled socialite, and daughter of a Baronet who has spent every moment of her life preparing to be a princess.
Ethan, best friend of Prince Jefferson, and holding a torch for someone.

It took me a little while to get into the story, but within a few chapters, I was hooked. My Kindle went everywhere with me, and I would whip it out whenever there was a spare moment to read a little more of the story.
I had my own thoughts on what the ending would be, and when it didn't pan out that way, I was teetering on edge.
How could the author leave the book like this?
Then the final page told me that American Royals was due out next year, and I heaved a sigh of relief because I really want to know what happens next!

Many thanks to NetGalley, and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 Stars

I’m always down for a good royal romance and I definitely did enjoy this one here, even though there were some things that, in my opinion, could have been developed a little better.
This novel is basically all about the characters’ feelings which is okay but following four main storylines all about the same thing, romance and relationships, can also become a little boring. The characters were all quite interesting but I would have really preferred to have some more pages dedicated to actual political/royal problems and their resolutions, maybe with some chapters from a general narrator, instead of a specific point of view.
Overall the characters all had their ups and downs, but my favourites were probably Sam and also Connor.
With this ending, I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, even though I don’t think there will be a lot of surprises relationship-wise because I truly believe that all the couples are pretty much set in stone by this point. Nonetheless, I’m still pretty excited to read the next book!

You know how there are certain things we shouldn't love, but we do? Reality TV, terrible sitcoms, trashy magazines? Well, this is my terrible sitcom.

Initially, I rated 'American Royals' three stars, but I have bumped it up to four because I sped through this book, hungry to find out even more about this crazy little world.

This book asks the question 'What if America had a monarchy?' Now, there are a lot of problematic issues that arise by this very question. As a pre-emptive review of this has pointed out, speculating that a monarchy was built on the backs of a mass genocide of people raises a lot of red flags. However, I don't think it's all bad, and I know I am coming from not only a place of slight ignorance as I'm not American, but of enormous privilege too. McGee has not erased slavery or the mass murder of Native Americans and taking of the land from the book- in fact, she highlights it on several occasions. Obviously, as I am not a person of colour or native American, I can't speak for the success of this, but I am very interested for others to read this book and provide their honest opinions.

Let's talk about some good things. 'American Royals' is essentially Gossip Girl with more ballgowns and diplomacy. I LOVED the main character Beatrice and related closely with her struggle of feeling like an outsider and having a huge weight of expectation on her shoulders. The structure of the American monarchy is almost identical to the British one and there are some similarities between Beatrice and the fictional portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Season 1 of The Crown. It's funny in parts and so stuffed full of drama that you can't help but be glued to it. It's compulsively readable and ends on such a cliffhanger that you'll be dying for the next book just to find out what's happening next. I'm calling it now: some TV studio is going to snap. this . up.

And for the not so good: this book is incredibly white and heterosexual. Ridiculously so, considering it's set in the 21st century. There's [I]some[/I] representation in here that isn't straight and white- one of the characters is Latina with two moms- but it's very minimal and none of them are main characters. As I already pointed out above, there's an issue with introducing monarchy into a country. Moreover, some of the historical background is just kind of...ridiculous? It's clear that stuff has been taken from real life- the mysterious crazy Aunt that they talk about is obviously a Princess Margaret pastiche- and the way they recount the history of the country is by taking the word 'President' and changing it to 'King'. I wish it was a bit more inventive- honestly, this book would have been amazing if it was just set on a fictional island with its own history.

In short, I actually really enjoyed this one. It's an easy read and has left me with such a desire to read royal romances now that I'm begging for recommendations. I'll be reading the second book when it comes out next year (if only to find out what happens next).

Really enjoyed this fun, lighthearted read. I would say that it is more YA than adult but don't let that put you off. Its really enjoyable! Thanks net galley for the copy in return for an honest review.

This was a great read, I really love how the characters and their stories worked together giving you so many themes and emotions to get involved with. I couldn’t put this book down!

With a description of Crazy rich Asians meets Gossip Girl I was all over this one!

The story of a fictitious American royal family full of secrets and torn loyalties. The fact there is a great story line here, the writing is brilliant which means you could find yourself finishing the book in one sitting (as I did). I now have been left with quite the book hangover and wanting more!

I really enjoyed this book and I’m very intrigued to find out what happens next in ‘American Royals 2’. I thought there was just enough drama to keep the reader interested and also surprisingly enjoyed all the historic references. The storyline also reminded me of Kiera Cass’ ‘The Selection’, highly recommended read for any teen.

This book made me laugh, squeal and cry. I'm not usually one for non-fantasy books but this one intrigued me, apparently cliché is my new guilty pleasure, and boy was this one cliché - I loved every second of reading it.

The story is told from the perspective of four different people. First we have Beatrice; she's the oldest sibling, and thanks to the law her grandfather changed she'll be the first Queen of America (whereas before it would have skipped the girls so that the oldest boy was the heir). Next we have Samantha, second in line for the throne and twin to Jefferson (only just older than him). Then we have Nina; a 'commoner' who has been best friends with Samantha since they were children. And lastly we have Daphne; Jeff's ex girlfriend who can't accept he dumped her, but she is determined to win him back for the title and not Jeff himself.

Not sure if you can tell by that summary but I do not like Daphne one little bit. She has multiple opportunities to redeem herself throughout the book but she's power hungry and will do anything to get what she wants. You can definitely see that it comes from her mother pushing her, but I don't think that excuses her behaviour at all. 

I know literally nothing about American history (history has never been my favourite thing to learn about, plus in school we only learnt about British history and Ancient Egypt). I feel like if I did know more about American History I might not like the book as much, but at the same time this book is very much an alternative universe and I think people should remember that this is fiction when reading it.

The book is pretty predictable with who is clearly going to end up with who, but I was still hooked on it and cannot wait for book two

Not being a fan of the Royal Family (even though I am English!), I wasn't expecting to love this book, however I was wrong! I was drawn in really quickly by the relationships between characters and their relatable situations, despite many of them being Royals.

The romances, friendships and familial relationships were all beautifully written, with many twists that I wasn't anticipating. It has been a long time since I read a book that made me want to do nothing else but read to find out what was going to happen next, one that made me laugh and also cry a little. As a huge fan of 'The Princess Diaries' as a tween, I loved the nostalgic tinge this novel had for me. I also found the concept of America having a Royal Family fascinating.

I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel, I'm not sure how I am going to wait a year!