Although the cover of American Royals by Katharine McGee is a bit too “girly girly” for me to pick it up in a bookstore myself, I immediately felt happy when I found the book in my book subscription box of October 2019. The illustration and the summary on the back promised princes and princesses, with a considerable dose of glitter, glamour and, of course, drama. That at least promised an entertaining read and indeed it was!

Update: Check out my spoiler-free review of the entire series here!

What if…

the American people had offered Washington a crown? That’s the start of this first romantic book in the American Royals series. The story explores in a fun but believable way an alternative history of the United States and the “House of Washington”. The popularity and the (relatively) modern ways of the monarchy show a lot of similarities to what we are used to seeing about the English Royals on the television.

At the centre of the story, we find three royal siblings, loved by the people and heavily discussed by the tabloids: heir to the throne Princess Beatrice and the twins Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson. Beatrice, having been forced into the corset of being first in line to the throne her entire life is a somewhat stiff but clever and determined young woman looking to balance her own dreams and her role as future monarch. Even though she does not yet wear the crown, it is already a weight she has to carry alone: after all, how do you prepare yourself to be the first ever female ruler? Her sister Sam, however, doesn’t think twice about protocol and rules. Her older sister and twin brother are before her in line for the throne, so why should she not live her life to the fullest? And then there’s Jefferson, the handsome prince, revered by the people and adored by girls all over the country.

Changing point of view

As I mentioned earlier, this book definitely makes good on its promise of intrigues, gossip, and luxury. The style is fluent, recognisable and entertaining. It’s once again a story filled with impossible loves, my absolute favourite type of romance. I especially appreciated the change in perspective: each chapter is told by another character and this is not limited to the royal children. I might even have preferred the non-royal characters like Daphne, Jefferson’s ex who aims to reclaim his heart and her rightful place in the monarchy, and Nina, Samantha’s best friend who also adores the prince.

Are you looking for a fast-paced and entertaining read with a youthful “glitter and glamour” vibe? Then this could be the series for you. I loved reading it and the second part, Majesty is already impatiently waiting on my TBR-nightstand: a well-earned five out of five gemstones, Katharine McGee:

Age category: Young adult, suitable both for a younger teen audience and for adult readers.

Trigger Warnings (click here, may contain spoilers)

Very mild. Warnings for drugging.

Do you want to discover more?

If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores.

Amazon.nl: Paperback English Edition

Similar to this

The second part of the duology, Majesty was published in September 2020, so no need to go to Glitter & Glamour rehab just yet! Update: The review of this book is part of my spoiler-free review of the entire series, which you can check out here!

If you like contemporary YA-novels, I highly recommend The Opposite of Falling Apart by Micah Good. This story has nothing to do with royalty, but it’s similar in the sense that it’s about the difficult balance between the image you have of yourself and the way other people perceive you. It’s about being anxious, brave and daring to let yourself fall in love. Moreover, it’s simply spectacular. My review can be found here.

It’s still on my TBR-list, but who hasn’t heard about Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. This romantic comedy tells the story about two young men, the First Son Alex of the USA and Prince Henry of Britain who have to stage a fake friendship in order not to threaten American/British relations.  Described as “outrageously fun” by Taylor Jenkins Reid (author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) , this is definitely something to check out if you are into royal romances. Edit: In the meanwhile, I’ve published my review here.