Sophie Reads YA: American Royals

Waiting On Wednesday: American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee

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2019 New Release challenge

ARC Review: American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee

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American Royals
Series: American Royals #1
Author: Katharine McGee
Published September 3rd 2019 by Penguin

Goodreads 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.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book was one that I knew as soon as I heard about it that I needed. A modern American monarchy, with two sisters dealing with all that entails, and their friends and love interests playing integral roles in their lives? Definitely a book for Sophie! After the American War of Independence, rather than becoming President, George Washington became the first King, and his descendants still occupy the throne. The current Washington king has three children, Crown Princess Beatrice, Princess Samantha, and Prince Jefferson. Each of the royal three have their own issues caused by their lofty position, and this book explores how they navigate the turbulent times in their life. Beatrice is being groomed to one day become Queen, and it's time for her to settle down, or at least decide on who she wants to marry. However, the only person she could love is her secret service bodyguard, Connor, who isn't suitable to the role of Prince Consort. When she thinks she finds someone who could fit the bill, it just happens to be the person that her sister, Samantha, is falling for. Samantha finds it difficult being second billing to her sister, and to most of the country, she is the party animal princess, who people think they know, but she's actually completely different. When she meets someone at one of the balls she's forced to attend, who just seems to understand everything she's going through, she thinks she's sorted, but like I've already said, she really isn't.

The other Washington, Prince Jefferson - Jeff to his friends - would've been heir apparent a few generations ago, but now third-in-line, he has a bit more freedom. His ex, Daphne, has been groomed and pampered her whole life to marry a prince, and will not accept that they are through. However, Jeff has moved on, and is falling for Sam's best friend Nina, who isn't from their circle, but instead the daughter of Minister of the Treasury, and basically a commoner. Her relationship with Jeff is so good, but if anyone finds out, it could ruin her, if Jeff won't stand by her. She's also plainly made an enemy of Daphne, which is not somewhere anyone would want to be.

I just adored that this book was written in multiple PoV, with each of the four leading ladies having their own arc, and chapters. I've seen some reviews that say the number of PoV's made it a bit confusing to get your head around what was happening, but, for me, I found it improved the reading experience, as you got a lot more of the backstory and foreshadowing, as you would've done with only one or two. The plot was surprising at times, too, not all predictable, but I will admit I found some of the cliches a tad annoying. However, that's something I just expect with contemporaries these days. The ending was out of the blue, though, and so fantastic that I am desperate for book 2 - I wish I hadn't read this book so far before the official release, and I hope I'll be lucky enough to be approved for a proof of book 2!

Dates Read:

April 18-21, 2019

Rating
5 Stars