Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - American Royals

American Royals by Katharine McGee is an alternate history story of America if George Washington had become a King rather than a President.

It is a really interesting premise for a story, telling the tale from four very different points of view - Princess Beatrice, the heir, Princess Samantha, the spare, Daphne Deighton, ex-girlfriend to Jefferson, the youngest child of King George IV, and Nina Gonzalez, daughter of a cabinet minster and best friend to Princess Samantha.

It is full of teenage angst and romance, with lots of characters and plots crossing over each other, as they each try to figure out their place in their rarefied world of Royalty. I was a little disappointed with the ending although I appreciate that this gave it a lead into the next book in the series.

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for the 52 Book Club Summer Reading Challenge 2024, for prompt 12, gymnastics rings, jewellery on the cover.

Content Warnings

claudiajanette's review against another edition

Go to review page

fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Fun read with elements of Princess Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Red White and Royal Blue. There are a lot of characters/plots happening simultaneously, which is both a pro and a con. I like Beatrice the best, and as the book went on I found myself more and more engrossed in Daphne’s storyline. Samantha annoyed me at times, I wanted to see more growth from her. I’m not sure if I’ll finish the series or not - but I’m leaning towards reading the next book because there are a couple plot lines I want to see resolved!

Content Warnings

gem114's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Holy cliff hangers! There is zero resolution of anything at the end of this book.

With that said, I did enjoy the story and the fun thought experiment of imagining the United States as a monarchy. I’ll read the rest of the series happily.

Content Warnings