American Royals
£5.70
The New York Times Bestseller
‘An addictive Jilly Cooperesque saga’ Guardian
‘A fun, fast-paced read packed with drama, scandal and romance’ The Sun
Crazy Rich Asians meets The Crown in this completely addictive modern-day royal romance.
The Washingtons have ruled America for almost 250 years.
They’re gorgeous, fiercely famous and the beating heart of the most glorious royal court in the world.
But behind the glittering ballrooms, elegant gowns, and seemingly perfect public personas lie forbidden romances and scandalous secrets. Together four young women will navigate gossip, drama, and the eyes of the world upon them.
There’s everything to play for – but there can only be one queen.
This is the story of the most famous family in the world.
This is the story of the American royals.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (1 Sept. 2019), Penguin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2298 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Not Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 401 pages |
by Lauren
“Who said anything about forgetting? The point of forgiveness is to recognize that someone has hurt you, and to still love them in spite of it.”
The Washingtons have ruled America for almost 250 years. They’re gorgeous, fiercely famous and the beating heart of the most glorious royal court in the world. But behind the glittering ballrooms, elegant gowns, and seemingly perfect public personas lie forbidden romances and scandalous secrets. Together four young women will navigate gossip, drama, and the eyes of the world upon them.
I loved this book. It was a rollercoaster of emotions from the start. I saw a review saying it was similar to “Gossip Girl” and I’d have to agree. The drama doesn’t stop, the love stories, the heartbreak, the cheating and lying! From one chapter to the next, it’s completely page turning!
However, the last chapter had me sobbing. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I’m about to crack open the second book and I am so excited to see what happens next!
by Dee Healey
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.
by John K.
I know a lot of people won’t agree with me but Daphnee was the best character
Yes sge did terrible things but you can’t help admiring what she did. For me she was the only character I reallyg was intrested to see ho things turn okut. I also feel sorry for her because her mother is forcing her to do this and she is alredy hiding tghings because of well off she is. I just hope in the next on himari wont ruin it for her
by Mavii
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.
by ZhuZhu
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.