American Royals Kindle Edition

Katherine McGee’s American Royals is an enjoyable book to read and certainly keeps you wanting to know more and is hard to put down. The book is based on the theoretical idea that America had established a monarchy instead of a democracy. The American royal family, the Washingtons, are the center focus of the novel and the whole nation adores them. The book focuses on the point of view of four girls who are all intertwined with the royal family in some way. Beatrice is the heir to the throne and America’s first future queen. Beatrice’s younger sister Samantha, also known as Sam, is a twin to her brother Jefferson, but she is older by a few minutes making her the “spare”. Samantha has always felt underlooked and has felt invisible to her parents as she is just the spare to the throne. Beatrice will always be superior to her and she knows that there is nothing she can do about that, so Sam tends to act out and get in trouble frequently, desperately seeking her parent’s attention. The media shows Sam as an irresponsible nightmare, and although her brother does the same rebellious things, the media plays it off as” boys will be boys”. Sam’s best friend Nina, is a commoner, and another focus of the story. The two of them met when Nina’s mom was interviewing to be a chamberlain for the Washingtons. Sam saw Nina waiting for her mother and the two clicked right away. Daphne Deighton is the other girl the story follows, Daphne is the stereotypical, perfect candidate to be a princess, she is perceived to the world as kind, caring, beautiful, and comes from a wealthy and high-status family. Daphne is determined to become a princess and will do anything to be with Prince Jefferson. Jefferson and Daphne dated for three years before breaking up and she will do anything in her power to get him back. One of the story’s main conflicts is Beatrice’s love life. Beatrice has always been a well-behaved princess and done all the right things, so when her parents tell her she needs to get married, she listens to them and looks through a list of approved bachelors. She finds a boy, Teddy, that is very kind and of well status and chooses him to date. Although she likes Teddy as a friend, she is secretly in love with her bodyguard, Connor. She knows her parents would never approve of this so she has to keep it a secret from them. To add to all this drama, the boy Beatrice is dating, Teddy, secretly likes Beatrice’s sister Samantha and Samantha likes him too, she becomes very jealous of Beatrice and Teddy’s relationship. Sam knows that she cannot be with him as he is on the path to be the future King Consort. This all in my opinion was a little too dramatic and cheesy and the whole Connor and Beatrice romance was very cliche. Then there is another love drama between Jefferson and Nina. Nina has had a crush on Jefferson all her life and they finally start dating, but of course, they have to keep it a secret. When Daphne finds out from Jefferson’s best friend, Ethan, Daphne loses it and sabotages their relationship. The story is filled with secrets, family drama, and many twists and turns. The only problem for me was that the “plot twists” were so predictable. It was so obvious what was going to happen at the end and nothing truly surprised me. All the love triangles and dramas were completely obvious and it was very clear from the start what would happen, for example with Connor and Beatrice and Nina and Jefferson. I liked how each chapter was written about each different character, but I wished it was narrated by each character instead, so I could understand what they were thinking. I also wish that the next book has chapters from the point of view of different characters, such as Queen Adelaide and Prince Jefferson. The ending of the novel was a complete disappointment, as it leaves you on a cliffhanger and leaves everything unfinished and the drama unresolved. I understand that this was done on purpose, to get the reader to purchase McGee’s sequel, but I wish there was a little bit more clarity and maybe a hint as to what would happen in the next book. Although there were some things, I did not like, overall it was a pretty entertaining story, and I read it very quickly as it is easy to lose track of time while reading it. McGee writes the novel in an easy flowing way, and she makes it is simple to follow everything going on. I liked the idea she had about Beatrice and Samantha wanting each other’s lives. I thought this was very interesting and funny because they both thought the other person had it so good and easy when they did not understand the complexity of each other’s lives. All of the girls the reader followed throughout the story, were all very different which I enjoyed. Although the author tried to create the reader to feel sympathy for Nina when I just could not. Nina was a very annoying character in my opinion as she was always looking for pity and took her friends for granted. Daphne on the other did not annoy me as much as she probably should have. I understand that Daphne was portrayed as the villain and a horrible person, and I know that she was, but I couldn’t help but understand why she felt the pressure to be apart of the royal family, as both her parents pushed her so badly and made it very clear that she needed to be with Jefferson, no matter what it takes. She had a lot of pressure from her parents, and they are a true reflection of why she is the way she is, competitive and scheming. Not to justify that is a valid reason to give her friend sleeping pills in her drink. Her parents pressure for Daphne to be perfect caused Daphne to do some awful things, like sabotaging Nina’s dress, and sending pictures of Nina and Jefferson to the paparazzi; I agree these are cruel things to do and do make Daphne an evil person, but she was a very interesting character and I enjoyed reading her chapters the most out of all the girls. She has a very interesting and had a deceitful personality that leaves you hooked. Samantha was a great friend and surprised me a lot throughout the novel, unlike the other characters who were not as dynamic. In the beginning, I thought she was irritating and ungrateful, but she becomes more likable throughout the later chapters, and in the end, you feel bad for her due to her parent’s neglect. Beatrice was a very boring character, I always thought her chapters were the driest. Her romance with Connor was so repetitive and I feel like I have heard their forbidden love story a million times in other books and movies. Beatrice is not a relatable character like the others and her chapters were very redundant. I felt as if I could somewhat relate to some qualities of the other characters, but could not with her at all. I hope that in the next book she has some new, more interesting storylines and we see different sides of her personality. Overall I would recommend this book. This book is targeted towards a younger audience, but I think this could also be a good read for adults. If you like the show The Crown and Gossip Girl and the movie and book Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan, then I would assume you would enjoy this story as well because it is all about wealth, drama, and status.

This was a fun, easy read. If you’re a ya fan this is a novel concept and thoroughly entertaining. I’ve already passed on a recommendation to friends who have agreed. Post up in a hammock with an iced coffee and you won’t regret spending an afternoon with this one.

What would America look like if instead of a democracy, the first settlers from Europe continued the Monarchy? American Royals is set in modern day in that very scenario.The Washingtons are fairly new to the royalty scene in comparison with other royal families around the world. But what they lack in history, they make up for in style, class and wealth. King George, the 11th American King, is a fair and kind King. Next in line is his daughter Beatrice and she will be the first woman in American history to take the throne.Beatrice is seemingly perfect. Groomed for the throne her entire life, she knows what to say, how to behave, and how to appear at all times. Her entire life is monitored closely by the media, her family, and her country. Living in her shadow are her younger, twin siblings - Jefferson and Samantha.Samantha’s security code name is Sparrow and she feels every bit the Spare. Jefferson is handsome and beloved, if not solely because he is the Prince. But as second in line and another woman, Samantha feels that her existence is entirely useless. Accordingly, she acts out by wearing wild clothes, not conforming to proper royal etiquette, and being her own person.Recently graduated from college, Beatrice’s parents start pressuring her to marry. As Beatrice has never so much dated before in an effort to keep her reputation pristine, it comes as an unwelcome shock when her parents present a portfolio of several suitors deemed worthy. Beatrice is to meet these men at the upcoming Queen’s Ball - it feels more like she’s preparing for an interview than an engagement.At the Queen’s Ball, Samantha catches the eye of a handsome young man and lures him into the coat room for an illicit make out session. Shortly thereafter and not wholly unexpected, Sam’s new beau turns out to be there as a suitor for Beatrice.Filled with romantic messiness and love triangles, family drama, backstabbing, but also beautiful relationships, American Royals was a fun and engaging read. I thought the premise was incredibly unique and loved how McGee modernized a monarchy. It was interesting how she tied historical traditions of Royalty with modern day important topics like same sex relationships, issues surrounding class and race, and treatment of Native Americans. I definitely recommend this fun book and I’m looking forward to an upcoming buddy read to discuss! Can’t wait for the next in the series .... talk about an ending!

The usual relationship problems with miscommunication and no communication but tied in with Royal etiquette and expectations. A roller coaster of hope and disaster. I am not quite sure when I actually started caring about the characters, but it was probably near the end.

As a fan of Katharine McGee’s The Thousandth Floor series, I was eager to read American Royals and see whether it would be as glitzy and as treacherous as her previous books, and it didn’t disappoint.Written in McGee’s typical style, the story is told from four different points of view which gives us an insight into the plans and motivation of all four girls.We have Beatrice, heir to the American throne and the girl who will become the first ever Queen of America. Her sister Samantha, the wild child “spare” who doesn’t seem to play by the royal rules. Nina, Samantha’s ’commoner’ best friend and Daphne the ex-girlfriend of Samantha’s twin brother, Prince Jefferson.All four girls find themselves in the spotlight for different reasons and none of them truly feels in control of their own lives but in the glamorous world of the American royal family, all of them know that the Crown comes first.Now this book is not going to be for everyone and will never be considered a classic work of literature however if you are looking for some fictional escapism and good old fashioned back stabbing fun, then look no further. The story is full of cliches and doesn’t break any new ground as far as this genre is concerned, but what McGee does is bring these cliches to life and execute them brilliantly!The characters are multifaceted and flawed in their own ways and even Daphne (who is a piece of work btw) has her moment of clarity.I did see glimpses of The Thousandth Floor characters in these girls: Beatrice is reminiscent of Avery, Samantha reminded me of Eris and Daphne definitely brought to mind Lida! For me that wasn’t a bad thing as I really enjoyed those characters however I know that might put some people off.Overall I loved this unique idea of changing American history and switching from a President and First Family to a King and Royal family. I loved that so much of the royal traditions we’re taking from our own British monarchy and adapted to suit the American culture.The ending of the book left me wanting more which I always think is testament to a great read - 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up to 5)Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin Random House UK Children’s) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

This book is not the kind of book I usually go for but hey it was free so I thought it would pass the time! And I really enjoyed it! If you can get over the fact that in this world America is a monarchist state and does NOT appear to be a constitutional monarchy like the UK then the grafting of the modern day on to a traditional monarchy isn’t too difficult to believe for a while! Some things grated. The author didn’t always appear to know much about royal protocols ,or perhaps to me as a Brit who has always had a monarchy, they were simply too different and appear rather gauche. Other things too. For example, a point was made about the king having crowned himself( unlike the UK where the Archbishop of Canterbury crowns the monarch). The Russian Tsars always did this so nothing remarkable there unless to emphasise that in THIS society (unlike Imperial Russia) an official, state sponsored Church/religion plays no part. Rarely if ever the case in reality! But all that aside, it was a great escapist and quite romantic read! And, yes, I’ll read the next one!

I really liked the idea of this book: how would the United States look like, if they had a monarchy instead of a democracy. Unfortunately, this is only a weak backdrop to a really kitsch teenage love story. The writing is good and it's a quick read, but didn't give me much and seems quite immature.The story is about the three kids of the royal family and their aspirations and their love live. Beatrice as the first born child will inherit the crown as the first ever queen. So she has been trained all her life and is a well-behaved princess. Her two siblings - twins - are not bound to the same level of scrutiny, so they life an easier life, going on trips around the world for leisure and such.Beatrice is supposed to pick a future husband from a bunch of esteemed bachelors, but she's secretly in love with someone else, her sister is having a fling with the guy she's supposed to be married to and her brother is torn between an old flame and a new girl. All of them are always head over heels in love, dying without the other, every touch tingling and every kiss the best in the world. This for me is just a bit too kitsch and makes it sound like a teenage love story and nothing more.Another annoying aspect is that none of the story lines are resolved at the end of the book and you're basically forced to read the second book in the series as well to get any kind of closure (and who knows, there might be a third).I don't think I'll read the second instalment, I feel I can already guess what might happen and not sure I'm interested in those soap opera teenage kitsch story lines.

It’s ok, simple read, but I found myself coming across numerous similarities to the British royal family, their lives and family members. It was difficult not to avoid comparisons! A bit disappointing as was expecting more from the reviews.

Upon starting the book I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it and wondered if it would be a predictable chick lit. However there were many twists and turns and I found myself engrossed in the story. When I got to the end and found myself left with a Cliffhanger ending I was gutted to realise I have to wait until the sequel is released next year. This is one of the books I'm most looking forward to reading when it comes out!Fans of the the Asian series Crazy Rich Girlfriend will really enjoy this take on an American royal family