ARC Review: American Royals

Author: Katharine McGee

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Genre: YA contemporary

Release Date: 09/03/19

My rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

“What if America had a royal family? If you can’t get enough of Harry and Meghan or Kate and William, meet American princesses Beatrice and Samantha.

Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown.
Two girls vying for the prince’s heart.
This is the story of the American royals.

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American. And their country was born of rebellion.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

The duty. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded–and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history.”

This book was so much fun! It lived up to and exceeded all my expectations I had for it. American Royals is one of those stories that feels impossible not to fall into. The amazing writing, unique character dynamics, and the messy royal drama make it easy to get absorbed into this alternate America. I couldn’t get enough of the story and I am SO EXCITED (and completely impatient) to get my hands on the sequel next year. I didn’t even realize this wasn’t a standalone until I got close to the end and was begging for more. 

My favorite part of this story was the characters. Hands down. They were a masterfully crafted, unique, and funny group of people that I loved. Their different personalities are really what made this story come alive. There is truly a character for everyone in this story. An heir to the throne working herself to pieces, rebellious twin royals, a commoner swept into all the palace drama, and one of the most purely cunning (and definitely Slytherin) characters I’ve ever read. There are some characters that I just wanted to hug and others that I loved to hate in the best way possible.

Oh, and did I mention the messy relationships? I am such a sucker for messy relationship dynamics and this story had me hooked. The messy sister relationships and forbidden romances had me feeling SO MUCH.

ALSO, a little character side note, this story is told in four POVs and it was everything. The story is told from alternating perspectives of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. The voices of these girls were incredibly interesting and I don’t think the story would have been as amazing as it was had this not been an aspect of it! Their unique perspectives and understandings of the royal world add a lot to the story.

The royal drama in this book was addicting. I was immediately hooked and felt myself drifting further into the story the more I read. The plot was tons of fun and a complete whirlwind. American Royals is a quick read, despite it’s page numbers count, that is difficult to put down. I would highly recommend picking it up if you’re looking for something fun or need help breaking out of a reading slump.

Overall, I think this may be one of my favorite books of 2019 so far! There’s still a lot of reading to come this year but it is safe to say that I adored this book. It was fun, emotional, and impossible to put down. I would highly recommend you preorder it.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) of American Royals from a giveaway hosted by the author on her Instagram. I was NOT sent this copy in exchange for review. Opinions are my own.