User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
TWO DISAPPOINTED, ANGRY, TIME-CONSUMER, MOOD-KILLER, WORSE THEN YOUNG AND RESTLESS EPISODES STARS!
When NetGalley rejected me to send this book, I gave the same reaction every time when I get rejections. I threw myself on the floor, punched the rug and gave my ugliest cries! Even my neighbors were scared that a wild animal escaped from the zoo and jumped in from our window. When I said I was the wild animal, they only shrugged. I think I should move sooner!
And after reading this book, flashbacks of my rejection moments appeared on my mind and I started to hit my head against the wall several times!!! Why did I waste my precious tears? Why did I terrorize my neighbors who are still thinking I’m a crocodile! Those tears were real, you mean people! Anyways, I’m so pissed off my wasted precious drama queen moments, I should save those acts for later rejection from a producer!
Let’s turn back to roasting the book! I was expecting a witty historical romance, not the worst version of day time soap operas and telenovelas. I felt like somebody locked me in a room and forced me watch the worst 1000 episodes of Kardashians because the book’s characters have so many similarities with them. Samantha could be great Chloe, Nina could be marvelous Courtney and Beatrice could be an amazing Kim because their life stories, their dramas and their conflicts are so unreasonable, illogical, and obnoxious just like reality show stars.
I think I donated my several IQ points and now I turned into a regular Hollywood blonde who is suffering from too many plastic surgeries, wiping her dripping saliva, hiding her mimic- less face under a big sunglasses, collecting the calories of diet cokes she has been drinking daily!
Only I liked the villain, Daphne who should slap all these characters and get control of the story. She deserves her own book! Her detailed schemes and her highly organized vendetta plans took my interest. Atta girl!
So this big was more painful then:
Listening to Miley Cyrus songs (Poor girl! What an extreme waste of local cords!)
Watching Fox news
Cooking anything in the kitchen (Correction: This is the most painful thing for my husband see my efforts to burn more foods.)
Indecisive people standing in front of me to order ice cream and trying at least 10 different tastes, ignoring the growing line reminds you regular DMV line (total nightmare isn’t it?)
People talking in the movies and giving spoilers
Reunion of Beverly Hills 900210 casting
The sum of all these things I listed might be equal to my suffering from this book. If you have high pain tolerance, be my guest and start to read this one. But my suggestion to you, pick up a better book and don’t waste your time for nothing!
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Rating: really liked it
Omg, I'm living for the drama. I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW
Rating: really liked it
American Royals is one of the worst books I've ever read. It makes no sense, the characters are selfish brats, the drama is terrible and problematic, and the writing is bland.
🚨THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.🚨The concept of this book is that George Washington was crowned King of America after the Revolutionary War, and the US has been ruled by Kings ever since then.
First of all, the Revolution was, you know, fought to
get rid of the monarchy, so why is Washington suddenly a King?
And it seems rather disgusting to me that this cringy, sickly sweet romance is built off the back of terrible crimes like slavery, which this so-called "perfect" royal family would have been responsible for. Does this ever come up? No.
Beatrice is the future Queen of America. That's all she's known for her entire life. She was born and raised for this position. Every day of her life was geared towards her future job. There's an insane amount of pressure on her, especially since she will be the first Queen of the US. (Can we talk about how ridiculous it is that a royalty romance has a woman in power and never in the history of the actual US has that happened?)
She was the only character I sort of tolerated. She knew what was good for the country. Most of the time. Sometimes. Until she literally threw away her future for some random buff dude, but I haven't gotten there yet.
I liked her in the beginning. She was good at keeping her feelings inside for the good of the nation, which was interesting to read about, and she had some common sense, unlike everyone else in this book.
I don't really know where to start with the awful drama and terrible love triangles (yes, love triangle
s). It was... a lot.
Beatrice has to marry royalty, so she gets set up with this guy named Teddy, who seems pretty decent if a little bland. However, she has a bodyguard named Connor and she's in love with him even though there's basically no on-page buildup, so she's very conflicted. She gets engaged to Teddy and then
breaks the engagement during the celebration because Connor proposed and she's
in luuurrrv. Being the leader of a nation is difficult work. You can't marry some random commoner just because you're in love, because they won't know how to run the country. I sound really old-fashioned here, but it's true. You need someone to help you be the best leader you can be. Someone who has prepared their whole life for this. Someone who actually knows what they're doing. Not your tuff bodyguard, no matter how silky his hair is.
To make things more complicated, in comes
Princess Samantha, Beatrice's younger sister, and the worst character in this book besides Connor. She is
in luuurrrv with Teddy after she kissed him once in a closet. They haven't really talked or whatever but that doesn't matter because she's in love.
She proceeds to hold this against Beatrice, blaming her sister for "taking everything that's hers" even though Teddy technically isn't "hers" and Beatrice has a list of like five guys to choose from and Teddy was the best option. She just can't realize that Beatrice has this pressure on her and that her choices will always be limited, no matter what. Samantha, on the other hand, has freedom. And yet she keeps moaning about how she'll "never be able to make a difference," even though she's one of the most influential people in the world. Or, she has the possibility to be. But no, she's jealous of Beatrice because her sister gets all the attention and blah blah blah. She's physically incapable of not being a selfish, spoiled brat. She refuses to look from the eyes of anyone else, and she victimizes herself
constantly. I'm so tired of her.
"You're talking about advocacy, not policy-making or governing," she cut in. "Which means being a glorified cheerleader. Throwing a bunch of fancy parties and asking people to donate to my cause of the week? I don't think so."
Advocacy is important, which is what she doesn't realize. It's vitally important. If you're in a position of power like she is, you can bring attention to various causes and actually make a difference while Beatrice is tied up in the process of law-making.
And then she says that she's somehow entitled to Teddy, just because they made out in a closet:
"You can't go through with this," Sam insisted. This was much bigger than a single kiss. "Teddy, you can't marry Beatrice just because your family expects it of you."
Sam, sweetie, you can't tell Teddy what to do, and it is not "much bigger than a single kiss." How is it much bigger than a single kiss. You don't know each other, honey.
And then there's this cringe-worthy dialogue that made me want to crawl in a hole:
"That's all you have to say for yourself? I can't believe you would do this to me!"
"Do this to you?" Beatrice gave a puzzled frown.
"I like Teddy! I've liked him since the Queen's Ball. And I met him first."
I mEt hIm fIrSt
What is this, preschool?
Well, great. Congratulations. You have a crush on your sister's fiance. Can we move on?
They didn't get to play the victims here. Not when she was the real casualty of the engagement.
Can you stop? No one cares that you have a little crush. No one cares because
Samantha has freedom and Beatrice doesn't. "I really liked him, you know? I still like him. I get that Beatrice has to marry someone, because she's the future queen, and that her choices are limited. But couldn't she have chosen someone else?"
*face-palm*
Sam's eyes blazed. "Then go make them different! Get unengaged to Teddy so you can both move on with your lives!"
I love how Sam is asking Beatrice to ruin her life just so Sam can get her crush back.
It literally takes Beatrice telling her sister that their dad is dying for her to let this go.
Here's a quote that made me wheeze out loud:
Beatrice was stunned by her sister's maturity and wisdom.
HA HA HA.
That's because she's so immature and stupid all the time that whenever she shows a lick of sense, everyone is astonished.
Sam constantly says that everything is always about Beatrice, and yet she makes everything about herself.
Teddy is boring and bland. He has no personality other than being "a nice guy" who "respects women." Why is there so much drama over him? Just throw him and Connor in a ditch somewhere and live your lives as independent women. (This should be a fanfic.)
He makes bad jokes:
"I'm really glad I don't wear skirts," he joked. It made Beatrice want to burst out laughing.
He compliments her bagel-retrieving skills:
"I thought it was cool of you," he added softly. "That you went to get bagels yourself, when you clearly could have sent someone."
Speaking of
Connor... Actually, let's not speak of him. He's the second worst character and I hate him with every bone in my body. He has this
absolutely annoying habit of calling Beatrice "Princess" instead of her proper title because qUiRk and it's so cUtE.
No.
He's an overprotective jerk who thinks Beatrice owes him something. He's toxic and instead of realizing she could never be with him and letting her go live a happy life, he blamed her and continually reminded her of her "betrayal."
He says stuff like this:
"I would never do anything to hurt you."
...and then proceeds to hurt her.
He blames Beatrice for his own feelings:
"You proposed to him, Beatrice. How do you think I felt, watching you do an engagement interview, and with someone like him?"
"Teddy is actually a nice person," she couldn't help saying, which only made things worse.
"Oh, so now you're defending him?"
He proposes with a Sharpie and says this:
"You can't marry Teddy Eaton."
Last I checked, Beatrice was her own human,
Connor. She rejects him because that's literally the only smart decision to make, and he continues.
"You're really doing this," he said heavily. "You're really choosing him?"
"I know what you are. But I'm not sure I know who you are at all. The Beatrice I know would never ask this of me."
If the Beatrice he knows would throw her entire future away just to marry him, he knew a rag doll.
And then Connor resigns because it's not like he needs money or anything as a commoner.
In the end, Beatrice calls off the engagement because she "wAnTs tO bE wItH cOnNoR." Sam assumes Beatrice did it for her, naturally, because the world revolves around Princess Samantha.
"I can't believe you would do this for me," Sam managed at last.
(I'm almost at the character limit and I still have multiple characters left to destroy.)
Nina is Sam's best friend who may not be Sam's best friend. She and
Daphne are fighting for the love of
Prince Jefferson, Sam's twin brother. Daphne is calm, calculating, and clever. She knows what she wants and she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She was my second favorite character because I could actually tolerate her sometimes. What I couldn't tolerate was the ridiculous girl-on-girl hate and the justification of cheating with "tRuE lUrV."
When the only reason Jeff likes Nina is because she doesn't call him Your Highness and she's "not like other girls," that's when things go downhill.
"I like the ways that you're different. I like that you're smart, and ambitious, and that you call me out when I'm wrong. That you talk to me, and not to my titles, the way everyone else does.
First of all, Daphne is leagues smarter than Nina will ever be, and since when has Nina been ambitious? I don't even know what she does for a living. English? I don't remember. She doesn't have much of a life outside of Jeff.
All the relationships, of which there were too many to count, felt like instalove. And this wasn't always because they actually
were instalove--although Sam x Teddy counts. It's usually because they were developed off-page and in the past, making the build-up seem very sudden. It was astonishingly annoying.
There's no emotional depth to these characters. They're bland stereotypes used for the purpose of drama that wasn't even good. The entire book was so unbearably predictable that I literally guessed the ending as I was reading the beginning.
American Royals summarized in a sentence from Nina's own mouth:
Because despite the whirl of action that seemed to affect the characters, nothing much had actually happened.
Also, a meme created by yours truly:
0.05 stars
Rating: really liked it
EDIT: Nov. 3, 2020. It's been over a year since I last updated this review and I am STILL getting messages for it. Is Katharine McGee or her agent paying their bills or something?
I'm really interested to know where in my review did I say the author wasn't "allowed" to write it? She's allowed to write it but I'm also allowed to think the book's premise is shitty and offensive. Like what point were they trying to make, exactly? I'm so confused.
"I must remind you, this is only the premise." Why would I need reminding when this has been
THE ENTIRE POINT of my review? That I'm only criticizing the premise? It really does seem that my theory of people on this cursed website sharing one single brain cell is proving to be true.
EDIT: Oct. 8, 2019. This is not the most liked review for this book anymore, but a Good Samaritan took the time out of their day to send me this message and inform me of my account settings!
I read my review again after they sent this message and it literally says 'has commented
or messaged me', rendering their message completely pointless because my point still stands as anyone is allowed to message me even if we're not friends. But hey, they're the first ever person to send me a message about this review so let's all give them a round of applause for not being a pussy!
I love how they passive-aggressively called me 'angry' and 'unpleasant' but did not include any rebuttals about the actual points I made in my review. Why do privileged people always go on the defensive when someone brings up uncomfortable but important topics and frame other people as 'angry' or 'over-emotional'? It was never my intention for this review to be one of the most liked ones--Goodreads simply has this phenomena where a negative review about a book that has mostly positive reviews is treated as a novelty, but I like to think people liked this review because they either agree with me or at least understand the point I was trying to make.
As I said in my reply to them:
Why does not reviewing books I haven’t read apply to me if I don’t like the premise but don't apply to people who LIKE the premise and are excited to read it? They haven’t read the book either so why is no one calling THEM out and telling them it’s “”good practice”” not to review books they haven’t read? I didn't give this a rating because I didn't want this book's average rating to be affected by my review because I AM aware that I haven't read it. Also, what the fuck is the point of a synopsis and/or premise if not to help me form an opinion before I read a book? I was criticizing the premise of this book; I never talked about the writing style or the characters or the actual plot. Get a grip, holy fucking shit.
You know what they say--only hit dogs will holler!
EDIT: This is now the most liked review for this book on Goodreads and... I don’t really know how I feel.
There’s still a part of me that has doubts when it comes to reviewing (or in this case, complaining about) books I’ve never read. But this review has been up for 3 and a half months now and so far, nobody who has read it or was involved in the production of this book has commented or messaged me to let me know I’m wrong. So this book is probably gonna be as shitty, insensitive, and history-erasing as I think it’s going to be. 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
———-
Am I the only one who thinks there's something
deeply fucked up about a monarchy in a country that was colonized and stolen from its native people?
One of the reasons why European countries, some Asian countries, and some African countries still have monarchs is because those countries were never successfully colonized. They gave George Washington a fucking
crown? The point of the Revolutionary War was so that there was
no monarchy. How are you going to have a King and Queen of America in the 21st century while knowing that land was stolen from Native Americans? What the actual
fuck?'And their country was born of rebellion'.
YOUR COUNTRY WAS BORN OF GENOCIDE AND SLAVERY. Just because Alternate History is a genre doesn't give you a pass to write what seems to be racist, revisionist bullshit.
Anyways people on this cursed website AND publishers who buy shitty ass books with racist premises all share one single brain cell.
Rating: really liked it
Well. This didn’t go very well.
I love a fun, fluffy, romance-y read. I love royalty tropes. I love Ragtag Groups Of Quirky Teenage Friends. I even love...some drama. And when I picked this up, I thought I would either get that or a big heaping cereal bowl of disappointment.
Maybe my expectations have been irrevocably made too high by Red, White & Royal Blue, but...boy oh boy did I get the latter.
It also could have been my fault for not realizing this was the first in a series. I was like...WHERE is the PACING. WHY is this so SLOW. WHEN is ANYTHING going to HAPPEN.
The plot didn’t even really start until the halfway point, and plot is a strong word. So is start, for that matter.
Which, I mean. Kinda makes sense, because the story is being stretched out over multiple books. But not really.
I can’t pretend to know what will happen in the next book(s), but I want to say: AT LEAST the events of the second one should have been included in this.
For my own sanity and well-being.
Because legitimately nothing happened until the book was almost over.
And now my brain is broken.
This was not helped by the fact that there is not one, not two, not even three but FOUR. PERSPECTIVES.
FOUR OF THEM.
Which is bad even if you’re invested in a character or two, or all of them (if you can even imagine), but is a neverending hellish cycle of suffering if you dislike them all.
And boy oh boy did I dislike them all.
Folks...these are some horrible people.
They are SO. AWFUL. To each other. They don’t care about anyone else, only their own ambitions. They act without thinking of others and they hurt each other accidentally or on purpose and the whole entire book is just mean careless people making other mean careless people feel like sh*t.
And that’s not even the worst part.
Even more terrible…
This was not like other girls-y and girl hate-y as hell.
And I don’t care about any of the 3-4 ships, and I hope all of them perish.
(I know that sounds mean but remember they’re fictional and therefore it’s fine.)
Bottom line: ACK!!!!
This is such an unpopular opinion.
---------------
pre-reviewit was the second option.
review to come / 1.5 stars
---------------
tbr reviewthis book seems RIDICULOUS.
which is why i'm either going to enjoy every second of it or hate it with my life.
Rating: really liked it
like gossip girl without the flavor
Rating: really liked it
this story reminded me exactly of KMs other series,
‘the thousandth floor.’ which is to say, i had fun reading this.
this isnt as drama-filled, but the heavy cast of characters and how their lives intertwine and mix with each other is very on-brand for KM. i know some people may complain about the length, especially because there essentially isnt a plot, but i didnt mind it. i had fun and enjoyed reading about each of the characters and their relationships with each other.
like i said, there really isnt much going on other than character interactions and some slight world building, but i think a pretty decent foundation is laid for what i hope to be an entertaining series.
↠ 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
"From now on, you are two people at once: Beatrice the girl, and Beatrice, heir to the Crown. When they want different things, the Crown must win. Always."
Katharine McGee's
American Royals is an entertaining, soapy romp built on a terrific concept: when the Revolutionary War ended, the American people offered George Washington a crown, and he accepted. The House of Washington has remained on the throne for more than two-and-a-half centuries, and America is as obsessed with stories about the royal family as other countries with monarchies are.
Princess Beatrice is next in line for the throne. Thanks to an edict from her grandfather, the crown will now pass to the oldest child regardless of gender. Beatrice will become the country's first queen regnant, a role she has been preparing for her entire life. But while she's always been the dutiful daughter, doing whatever has been expected of her, whatever her parents have asked her to do, the closer she comes to the moment she'll rule, the more she wonders whether the sacrifices she has had to make were truly worth it.
When her parents tell her it's time she choose a suitable husband (read: a member of the nobility) she prepares to be the dutiful daughter as always. But then she realizes her heart wants to go in a different direction, and then she can think of nothing else. Is her choice either to ignore her heart and find someone she someday
might fall in love with, or follow her heart and disobey her parents—and risk losing the throne? The choice she must make impacts more than just her, and she knows she's bound to hurt someone in the process.
Her younger twin siblings, Jefferson and Samantha, have it a little easier, since they're considered "the spares" with Beatrice as heir to the throne. Both struggle with their identities—what are they expected to do if they won't rule the country? Why does it really matter what they do?
Even more than that, however, both siblings have their own romantic struggles. Samantha, who has always been the carefree, impulsive one, is in love with the one man she cannot have, and Jeff, despite the intense attention from a beautiful and suitable young woman who is determined to land him, is in love with a young woman who wants nothing to do with the scrutiny that would be aimed at someone dating a prince, no matter how much she loves him back.
I was hooked on
American Royals from the first few pages. McGee has created a compelling, fascinating story that reminds me of all the reasons people are so fascinated by stories about William and Kate, Harry and Megan, and Charles and Camilla. Nothing particularly surprising happens in the book but it's just so well-told, with healthy doses of melodrama, that I couldn't put it down.
There is one character in the book I absolutely loathed, and of course, you were supposed to feel that way, but I honestly began skimming the sections where she appeared after a while. But other than that, I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that the ending didn't quite feel complete, since it was merely setting up McGee's next book, which is due out in the fall of 2020.
If you find yourself unable to turn away when the news media covers the latest news about what Princess Kate is wearing, or a trip that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are taking, if you woke up super-early to watch one of the royal weddings,
American Royals is definitely for you. Can't wait for the next book!!
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.
You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
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Somebody was comparing AMERICAN ROYALS to CRAZY RICH ASIANS, and I think to do so is really unfair because CRAZY RICH ASIANS tapped into a lot of dialogues about race, class, and culture that AMERICAN ROYALS doesn't really do. Oh, it
tries, but if anything it's just a thought experiment designed to write yet another frothy story about
princesses. And if that's your cup of Earl grey tea, more power to you, but I think it's dangerous-- and disappointing-- to build AMERICAN ROYALS to be anything other than what it is: mindless fluff.
AMERICAN ROYALS takes place in an alternate universe where Washington did agree to be America's new King, leading to a lineage of
nouveaux royales called "the Washingtons." There isn't really a plot-- it's entirely character-driven, and most of that character development revolves around drama, drama, drama. Dating, marriage, secret relationships, catty mean girls, and revenge, oh my. This has more angst and big misunderstandings than your favorite K-drama. And just like a K-drama, the interactions between the characters make up all the story line.
I'm including a brief summary of character bios that contain **very light spoilers**
👑 = royal
⚪️ = common
🎩 = rich and upper-class but not part of the royal family
👑
Beatrice is the heir to the crown. Everything is riding on her to be the perfect American princess. In the eyes of her family, it seems like she can do no wrong. All that's left for her to do is marry well and make her parents proud... but the true love of her life isn't someone her parents would approve of.
👑
Samantha is the spare and the prodigal wild child. She's spent her whole life in her big sister's shadow and always feels like she can do nothing right. She's in love with a handsome young noble named
Teddy, but to her horror and heartbreak, Teddy is one of the suitors in her sister's lineup.
👑
Jeff(erson) is Samantha's twin brother, and Beatrice's younger brother. He also has a wild streak, but because he's a boy, he gets away with a lot of the things Samantha does not, and everyone just says he's sowing his wild oats. Many girls hope to snag him and have him make them a princess, but he's not too socially keen and has two girls fighting over him: a gold-digger and a childhood friend.
👑
Teddy is one of the noble lords Beatrice might marry. It seems like he's Beatrice's top choice, but he's actually in love with Samantha. It's not clear how far he'd go for power, even at the cost of love.
🎩
Daphne is Jefferson's ex-girlfriend and a self-made noble. She's spent her whole life molding herself into princess material and is determined to snag her ex back at
any cost. But she has some very dark and sinister secrets under her designer belt that could wreck everything she's strived for.
🎩
Ethan is Daphne's friend and accomplice, and would like to be
so much more. He knows all of her secrets and has the power to ruin her,
but he'd rather she date him instead.
⚪️
Connor is Beatrice's bodyguard. The two of them are attracted to each other, but they can never be... or can they? *I Will Always Love You* intensifies in the background.
⚪️
Nina is the daughter of the royal cabinet minister and childhood friend to Samantha and Jeff. She is also in love with Jeff, but he's a stupid mcstupidson and doesn't realize that his ex-girlfriend is playing a long con to get him back. Nina isn't prepared for fame or infamy in the slightest, and when her romantic ventures with Jeff break the news, she isn't prepared for it in the slightest.
Now you know the backstory, and if you think those are spoilers-- NOPE, not really. That's just everything you need in your toolkit to understand this 400-page drama fest and why these characters continually make stupid decision after stupid decision. I won't lie and say it wasn't entertaining, because it was, but 400 pages made this book seem
really long without much in the way of plot, and it ends on the biggest cliffhanger ever, so by the time you get to the end THERE'S NO CLOSURE.
I think if you're a fan of Meg Cabot, K-dramas, and drama for the sake of drama, you'll probably like this book. But don't go into this book expecting a heavy plot or serious topics. It's pure froth, and while that might not be my cup of tea, you may find that it could quite possibly be yours.
P.S. All the heavy winking at "wow, isn't monarchy so much better than the utter chaos that would be an American democracy?" got really irritating. Monarchies have their own problems, hierarchically-based caste systems being one of them. So don't get high and mighty with me, book. Just don't.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! 3 stars
Rating: really liked it
American Royals is a fun and frothy novel as one would expect from the blurb. It reimagines history so that George Washington became the first king of America...the background detail of expanding upon this alternative history is a little lacking though. I would have liked a few more nuggets of info about the how and the why America came to be ruled by a monarchy.
The story is told from a number of different viewpoints which was enjoyable but it also meant that it was quite hard to ever truly engage with one particular character and their storyline as the book kept flip-flopping from PoV to PoV too frequently for my personal taste.
I probably enjoyed Beatrice's story the most as it was interesting to see how her life was dictated by her (mis)fortune of birth as she is heir to the throne and is due to be the first ever ruling queen.
Samantha's story frustrated me the most. I felt she was quite a cliched character with the stereotypical chip on her shoulder at being the forgotten Royal sibling.
Nina's story was quite engaging as it was interesting to have the "commoner's" take on the royals.
And I did enjoy Daphne's story as the villain of the piece as she was just fabulously over the top with her schemes and vendettas.
What was disappointing however, is how every story is dictated by paint-by-numbers romantic plot lines. It's easy to see where ultimately this story will finish up with every character happily paired off no matter how illogical their romantic plot line is/will be. I'm also not a fan of the ending. Because this book felt like quite a long read and ultimately the story went no where except to a cliffhanger-style ending and therefore is reliant on its sequel to finish out the tale.
Overall this was a fun read but I do wish this was a standalone rather than a first in a series.
3.5 stars
*An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Penguin Random House UK Children's, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
For more reviews and book related chat check out my blog
Rating: really liked it
AMERICAN ROYALS was a concept I was excited about because, for all the royalty romances out there, we've never had one that reimagined, and rewrote, American history to fashion them with royalty (or at least I’ve never seen/read one!). Beyond that, however, I didn't really know what to expect. My guess was drama, politics, and many things in between.
It's definitely drama. Politics, not so much. This is all drama. It's like
Gossip Girl on steroids in some ways, I think. Maybe. I only watched like two seasons of that and it was a long time ago and okay maybe I should move away from this comparison.
Princess Beatrice is the eldest, the heir, set to become the country's first Queen. The laws have changed and the monarchy is looking to be more progressive in regards to inheritance with women not being passed over for just having the bad luck to be born first but female. Yay! But only in that one way. Welp. Commoners are still not eligible for marriage and lo and behold isn't that who Beatrice finds herself falling in love with? All despite trying to still adhere to the law, to tradition, and find herself an actual suitable match her parents, and the country, will approve of.
Then there's her siblings, twins Samantha and Jefferson. They have a commoner friend, Nina, with whom they grew up with. Who is trying to keep the royal and regular sides of her life separate. To distance herself from the twins after an event that happened the night they graduated high school.
Sam, who is everything Beatrice isn't, who is directionless, troublesome, and Jeff who is beloved by all. And who dumped his longterm girlfriend, Daphne, even though she has no intention of staying dumped.
This book is a lot. I thought I was actually enjoying it at first, despite some of the nastier drama, but honestly I think I kept expecting something of this book that it wasn't. And that's on me. I was feeling leftover heartwarming RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE feelings and I thought this was going to be more rom-com, maybe, or just.. fuzzier. But it’s not.
AMERICAN ROYALS is definitely more in line with a soap opera, or reality shows (no shade! but I hate them), while still being clever enough to be riddled with the strangeness of the reimagined history, historical figures, and different way of life. As weird as it was, I sorta liked it, but it might be weirder for actual Americans who actually care, or are patriotic, about it all. I think this book will be a love or a hate; you'll love the drama or you won't, you'll love the alternate universe feel or you won't. And while I definitely didn't hate it, I just didn't love it.
I couldn't find myself feeling much for any of the characters or their various plights or plots; I never lost myself in this story or world, I was always keenly aware I was just reading about them. The only one who got much of a reaction out of me was Daphne. At first I just hated her, felt icky about her, but more and more I had to kind of admire her. Not for good reasons. But hey, at least she inspired a reaction.
I might read on, as it's definitely not a standalone, but I'm not sure I'll be clamouring for the sequel with the kind of curiosity I had about its predecessor. Mostly I'm just hoping it's not a trilogy and everything wraps up in two books. Guess we'll find out.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Rating: really liked it
4 stars 
What if America had a royal family?
This book was a drama-fest and I couldn't get enough of it. It's one of those stories you don't want to put down because it's so entertaining.
American Royals takes place in a world where America has a royal family instead of a democracy. The Washingtons' have been in power since the start and this is their family's story. This follows a few characters, the first being Beatrice who is next in line for the crown. The next is her sister, Samantha, and her brother Jefferson. It also follows Sam's best friend and Jeff's love interest, Nina, who is a commoner. As well as Daphne who's Jeff's ex that is trying everything in her power to get him back.
I know it sounds like a lot, but it really was easy to follow. Even listening to the audiobook, I never was lost or confused. There was, however, a lot going on. My favorite storyline was Beatrices. Mostly because she has a romance going on with her bodyguard and that troupe is one of my favorites. Not all of these characters are likable. In fact, most of them aren't in a lot of ways. But I was still completely invested in what was happening and what direction things were going in.
The way this ended has me asking a lot of questions and dying for the next one to come out. I can't wait to see what happens with these characters now. Totally a guilty pleasure read but I loved it!!
Rating: really liked it
Come for the concept, stay for the drama. This was a near-perfect
blend of Gossip Girl, modern day royalty, and drama.Concept: ★★★★★
Drama: ★★★★ 1/2
Pacing: ★★★
Romance:★★★★
What would have happened if George Washington had accepted the offer to become America's king? As our history books state, he said no, and the Presidency was created.
But what if...
American Royals follows the modern-day lives of America's royal family—the House of Washington.
A perfect mishmash of British royalty with a distinctly American twist, American Royals was SO MUCH FUN.
Beatrice Washington is the first born, and the first woman chosen as next in line for the throne. An 18-year-old with her life planned out down to the man she's supposed to marry, she secretly dreams of being allowed the freedom of choice in the land of the free.
But what's a princess to do when the whole world is watching? Samantha Washington is one part of two—her twin brother, Jefferson Washington, is America's heartthrob—and Sam's the mess up. Known as the spare,
Sam realizes that the only way to carve her mark into history is to be the loudest, the worst, the most—anything and everything that Beatrice isn't.
What's a spare to do when all she wants is to make an impact? Nina Gonzalez is Sam's best friend and the daughter of the royal court's Chamberlain. She's grown up in the halls of the palace all her life, and Sam and Jeff are her closest friends.
It's not her intention to fall in love with the prince, but when one night crosses the line, will she take the plunge and risk the wrath of the American people to be with her knight in shining armor?
Daphne Deighton was born to be a princess. Scraping her way to the top with a smile on her face and steel in her eyes,
she was Jeff's perfect porcelain girlfriend until it all came crashing down and Nina stole his heart. What's a girl to do but take things into her own hands?
Following the POVs of these 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 scheming.
Nina's window as a Hispanic woman attempting to following her own path was my favorite part of this story, seconded by Beatrice's stoic exterior/mad mess interior dynamic.
This series is going to make a splash, and I can't WAIT for the next book.
Thank you very much to Penguin Random House for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars - (Buddy read with Heather
I. Loved. This. Book. Talk about addicting! American Royals reimagines American history as if George Washington had accepted the title of King and in present day America, we're still being ruled by the monarchy led by his descendants. This book has a lot of perspectives, but I felt fully invested in each and every one of them. If I absolutely *had* to pick a favorite, it would be Samantha, also known as the spare. Samantha is a Jefferson's twin sister and as neither twin is inheriting the throne (that honor goes to their older sister Beatrice, the soon to be first Queen of America), they have a bit more freedom to wreak havoc. In addition to Samantha and Beatrice, we also get perspectives from Daphne (Jefferson's ex-girlfriend who's thirsty for the title of princess) and Nina (a commoner, and Samantha's best friend since childhood). This book combined so many of the things I love most- royals, romance, imaginary politics, crown jewels, and tons of scandal! Since American Royals is on the longer side (it's 448 pages) I was expecting it to take me a while to read, but I finished it in 3 sittings and while I wasn't reading, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next. I'm basically DYING for the second book and I could definitely see myself re-reading this one!
Rating: really liked it
I had seen low ratings for this book, but hadn't read the reviews, so I had hoped that I could find some enjoyment from this book but I did not.
In an alternate history, George Washington became King after the American Revolution was won. Centuries later, House Washington is still on the throne. Now, Princess Beatrice is first in line for the throne and will be the first Queen, but her parents are pushing her to get married.
This book is a disaster. First, the world really isn't explained well at all. Why did the United States become a monarchy after they were fleeing one? How in the world would Beatrice be the first Queen? Just why. All of it is a big fat why. Some of it might have been pieced together if there was more focus on the royalty aspect, but there wasn't. The royalty was all just a ploy to have these forbidden romances and nothing more. There are other ways to have forbidden romances that would make a lot more sense than this.
The romances themselves were a nightmare. I couldn't get myself to care about any of them. All of the characters were so messy and this really felt like some TV soap opera more than anything. There was so much cheating throughout this it was awful and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Also, for having a bunch of forbidden romances with royals and not one of them LGBT?? Come on. That would have made this better... maybe.
There are multiple POVs in this book, Beatrice, Samantha, Nina and Daphne, but each of these girls only exist to talk and worry about the guy they like. That's it. There was no discussion about their royal duties or whatever else they were struggling with. There was no forming bonds whether it was family or friends. Nothing. They were solely concerned about their love life. It's infuriating to read. Women are more than the person, in this case guys, they like, but each of these characters were only reduced down to that. There worth was based on the guy. For a book set and written in modern times, it all felt incredibly old-fashioned.
Because the characters were all reduced down to their romantic life, none of the characters stood out. They all blended together, the women and the men. Each character was the same. The romance was the only thing that mattered in this story. Not the world-building or the character building, it was simple the romance and even that went up in flames.
I had hoped to find something positive from this book as I was writing this review, but unfortunately, I came up short. This book is a complete mess that has left me baffled and feeling like I should not be picking out books in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.
