OMG this book was so good. I read it in a couple of sittings because I couldn't stop reading.

I feel like it ended in a cliffhanger, so I am hoping that there is a book 2 in the series.

What I love:
- I loved that the characters were older in their late teens.
- I loved all four point of views and how the story was developed.
- I loved Daphne she was such a fun a villainous character
- I loved how the secrets unfolded throughout the story

Yes, it was strange to imagine America as a monarchy but I think the author did a great job world-building.

The ending left me wanting more which makes me excited if this is a new series.

I will be posting a review on What to Read Next on September 11, 2019.

This book was not for me. However, if you like Gossip Girl or loved McGee’s other novels, this book will be for you.
The latest book from the author of “The Thousandth Floor”, gives an alternate American history. What if when George Washington won the American Revolution, he decided to take the crown for himself. What if George Washington became the first King of America? In this alternate history of America that is just what happens and Beatrice (the heir to America), Samantha (the spare), and her twin brother Jefferson or Jeff are America’s royal children and the next generation to take the spotlight.
The amount of angst here is astounding. If I had known this was from the author of “The Thousandth Floor” I may not have picked it up. This is a gossip girl style of novel and is not for me. Even in my teen books I have little patience anymore for girl on girl hate and cattiness. It just seems petty and out of place. The synopsis and cover of this book, hooked line and sinked me. The cover is gorgeous and cute. The idea of an alternate American timeline with royalty sounded amazing! It just wasn’t for me. However, if you love gossip girl or The Selection by Kierra Cass, this could be a great read-a-like.
The biggest problem I had with this novel was with just how white it feels. America’s history is a violent and bloody one. If Washington had taken the throne after the American Revolution, then slavery would have already been firmly grounded into American history and the destruction of the Native population would have been on going. But instead of exploring these topics, we get bits and pieces about how history might have changed but the focus of the novel is love interests, girl on girl cattiness, and drama. But maybe that’s the point. Without America being formed with democracy, the equality of people would never have been on the table.
Will teens like this novel. Yes, I can think of several teens that will like this kind of novel and it will check out from the library. If you have a teen population that enjoys McGee’s other books this might be a purchase for you.

I absolutely adored this book! A delightful reimagining of America as a monarchy. I loved all the characters— even loved hating those I was supposed to hate!— and their joys and struggles felt familiar yet fresh. I can’t wait for Book 2!

What the heck?! Yes! This was so cute and sweet! I loved this idea of this and ever teen girl is now gonna be dreaming of this!

I love a royals story, but have concerns about the premise of this one. The fact that it completely erases any mention of what happened to Indigenous peoples when the revolution happened concerns me for the implicit message it sends. It's an entertaining read, but not sure I can avoid the concerns. At the same time, the ending made me want the next book to know what would happen next, the way a good romance book should.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but honestly I just don't think I mesh well with the writing style which is really unfortunate.

Recently I’ve fallen into a book slump. Nothing was really catching my attention until I started reading “American Royals.” This is the first book in a series about the American royal family (yes, America is a monarchy) and is told from the narrative of 4 different female characters. At times I find multiple narrators frustrating but I think in this case it added more to the story. All of the narrators were not created equally, some were multifaceted and you saw a lot of character development, while others fell flat for me. Princess Beatrice and Princess Samantha were by far my favorite characters. At times I even thought about skipping ahead to their next chapters. Both of the Princesses are multidimensional. There is a lot more to them than meets the eye and that is examined throughout the book. The other two narrators are Nina and Daphne. Nina is the best friend of Princess Samantha and love interest to Samantha’s twin, Prince Jeff. Nina is your typical college student who just so happens to have a mom who works for the King and is best friends with a Princess. Although Nina is supposed to come across as the girl next door, I did find her to be too self deprecating and even bratty. She has a lot going for her but is the first one to tear herself down and what’s the deal with her wanting to keep her oldest, best friend a secret? Next there is Daphne, the ex-girlfriend of Prince Jeff and your typical evil villain. While Daphne’s story was interesting, it was also predictable. There wasn’t as much character development for these two characters, especially Nina, and I wish there was more. Hopefully the next book in the series will round them out better.

This story reminded me of a mix of “The Princess Diaries” and “Gossip Girl”. There is royalty, drama and romance. One of the big differences for me between “Gossip Girl” and this story is that although there is a lot of forbidden romance there are no steamy parts. There are some descriptions of kissing but the few times that sex is directly mentioned it is glossed over. I personally would have liked more dirty details, especially since I think this book is more for people in their 20s (all of the characters are college aged) than teens. I did think that some of the romantic relationships were unnecessary and took away from the heart of the story. There was almost too much forbidden love for me. Ultimate this book is about showing how complicated people’s live are, especially for those in the public eye.

I found “American Royals” to be a quick, intriguing read. This book is perfect for people who love watching and reading about the royal family. I would also recommend this book to those who like romance without all the details. I think both teens and adults will enjoy this book. I would not recommend it to history buffs, they might have a hard time getting over the concept of America having a royal family.

I think you can sense a theme of what kind of books I’m drawn to. I’ve read a lot about royalty, presumed royalty (like Alice Roosevelt in American Princess), and fictional royalty. When I saw the cover of American Royals by Katherine McGee, I knew I had to have it.

If you liked The Royal We (which is one of my favorite books to reread), I think you will really enjoy this. I read it pretty quickly, in two days, and am looking forward to the possibility of a sequel. However, if you’re tired of the classic “heir and spare” dynamic, maybe skip this one, because it’s discussed A LOT.

American Royals focuses on a future where George Washington became the first king of the United States and in 2019, his descendants are still ruling. Beatrice is the heir to her father’s crown and thanks to a law passed by her grandfather, she will be the first Queen to rule in her own right and NOT have the crown inherited by the eldest male heir. She’s under a lot of pressure to be perfect, to make the people love her, when all she wants is to be loved for who she truly is. Her twin siblings, Samantha and Jefferson can what the please which has landed them all in quite the sticky situation.

This novel is also multi-perspective. I’m not always the biggest fan of this style; I think it can be done really well but I always form certain allegiances to characters and I can get bored or impatient if we doin’t revisit their perspective enough. I love Beatrice and found her perspective the most interesting! Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect to Nina. Sometimes I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say or represent as the “commoner”. I didn’t feel like she was 100% relatable, especially since she wanted to hide her friendship with Sam. Nothing makes me sadder than an unequal friendship. Daphne is bananas as the villain and made me so angry, but it was fun anger since I can’t imagine a real person being such a social climber. But those people exist!

I personally think the concept is really clever and a fun “what if” to play with. Do you ever wonder what the United States would be like today if George Washington HAD accepted the nomination for King? I think about it all the time.

This writing is fun and engaging and typical of a YA/Adult Fiction book. I enjoyed this book, it’s a really fun read and a fun topic especially if you love all things royal. Which I definitely do. All in all, a four star read for me! Thank you to Random House for the advanced e-copy!

Princess Beatrice has always known what she will do with her life. It's her destiny to one day become Queen Beatrice and rule America, just as her father did before her, and his father before him, going all the way back to George Washington. Her younger siblings, twins Samantha and Jefferson, are less sure of how their lives will go, and question whether, as the "spares" anything they do really matters any way. All anyone seems to care about is who they will marry, though that has issues of its own.

So, twist of "what if America had royalty?" is cute, but it doesn't really impact the story, which at heart this is your basic princess YA book. Will the Princess follow her heart or her duty? Will a social-climbing schemer get the man, or will he stick with his true love? What if your best friend falls in love with your brother? Nothing here is especially new, but it's a well-done example of the genre. Romance lovers will enjoy this.

American Royals is the story of the Washington family, the descendants of George Washington (aka George I, first king of the United States). Beatrice, the Princess Royal, is set to become the first Queen Regnant of America, after her grandfather decreed during his own tenure as king that the firstborn child, regardless of gender, would ascend the throne from then on. In this alternate America, however, there are still trolls who are sure that a woman isn't fit to lead, so Beatrice's father encourages her to marry so as to ensure stability when she ascends the throne. Of course, the heir to the throne can't just date any old person, so a list of suitors is compiled. While Beatrice struggles with her love life (or lack thereof), her younger siblings, twins Samantha and Jefferson, are drifting in the world. Beatrice has her life planned out for her, but they're just the spares- what are they good for?

The book is fantastic. Let's get that out of the way immediately. If you're a fan of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan or The Crown on Netflix, you'll love this book. It's told from the perspectives of each sibling, plus Nina, Samantha's longtime best friend (and a commoner), and Daphne, daughter of a baronet, Jefferson's ex-girlfriend, and schemer extraordinaire. It perfectly encapsulates the trapped feeling celebrities, particularly young ones, have described- the incessant paparazzi, feeling like your life isn't your own, every move you make or outfit you wear being scrutinized and judged. Samantha is reminiscent of the real-life Princess Margaret, also a spare who was unsure what to do with her life, so turns to parties and alcohol. The only negative thing I would say about this book is that it needs more resolution. Very bad things are done to people in this book, and there is no comeuppance, no aha moment, no sign that anyone will ever even know the details. There's one moment where a villain is drunkenly confessing all, and I was desperately hoping that the person with them was recording everything on their phone to take it back to the people who needed to know, but nope. I suppose this all could be addressed in a sequel, but honestly, I hope there's not a sequel. The book stands well alone. I just needed bad guys to pay!

I just couldn't relate or empathize with the characters. The premise was an exciting one but it was executed in a way that kept me compelled to continue reading.

This was a fun book with a very unique and interesting twist on American History. What if we had created a new monarchy instead of a democracy. The characters are all likeable, and even though they are mostly royals, their interactions with friends and family are relatable. While I disagree with this book being labeled Young Adult, I do think it will have appeal for both young and older readers. The dramatic scenes and twists will entice readers to want to keep checking back with this planned series.

I have honestly never clicked request so fast on a book before. I love alternate takes on history, especially those that reimagine things in a more harmless way (yes, I'm shaming you over there Man in the High Castle). The whole idea of America having a monarchy is so weird to me and yet this book does it so well. There's a lot of nods to American history but they're tweaked a little to make a monarchy possible. I also loved all the nods to democracy that were both making fun of the monarchy but also our current democracy.

The characterization in this one is stunning. I was startled that the first four chapters were from four different people and honestly I was about ready to throw in the towel, but I'm so glad I didn't. All of these women are strong voices to this narrative and their lives are interwoven. It was fun seeing how two characters reacted to the same thing or how the actions of one affected another. It was really important that we only got female points of view when this book is about the fictitious first queen of America. Not all of these characters are good or likable but they're all important and have real struggles.

This book has a backdrop of romance and vying for boys hearts but it's about so much more. It's about learning to love and trust yourself, how to put your friends first and realize when you're being dense or a horrible friend. It's about female empowerment and what women face when they're in positions of power. It's about love and what you're willing to do for those you love. It's about family and duty. But above all else, it's about how to go on when everything is falling apart around you.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Books for Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Thanks to Random House Children's for providing this title both as an eARC via NetGalley and as a physical ARC at the Texas Library Association conference.

This book imagines a modern America with a royal family who trace their lineage to George Washington (King George I). The book follows the perspectives of Beatrice, the princess royal who is in line to be the first queen regnant in the U.S, Samantha, her "spare" younger sister, Nina, Samantha's lifelong best friend who is a commoner, and Daphne, the Prince Jeff’s ex-girlfriend, a minor aristocrat. The plot is well-trodden. Daphne has to decide between being a woman and a royal, her sister Sam chafes at the idea that she is superfluous when she has such a perfect sister, Nina is worried about what it will mean to be so close to the royal family, and Daphne is desperate to claw her way into the inner circle. Of course, no one is in love with the right person.

I was very excited about this one - it is a good time for royal takes since Meghan/Harry and Wills/Kate have reignited the royal fervor. This is a serviceable take on a US and world alternate history in which monarchy remained the dominant form of government. The worldbuilding wasn’t deep - don’t come here for a super detailed alternate history (particularly galling in the context of U.S. history was an absence of discussion about the history of slavery and the civil war and of treatment of Native Americans - as far as I remember, both these topics were absent from the book). Besides the mentions of actual royal figures, the world felt pretty unchanged. The American royal family as portrayed here did have a lot of commonality to stories from the British royals. I liked the characters for the most part, though I am not sure anyone read as the age they are.

Here’s what I didn’t like. First, as I mentioned, the plot and character development falls into tropes you can see in everything from Netflix’s <i>The Crown</i> to the <i>Royal We</i> to the <i>Princess Diaries II</i> movie. Heavy is the head that wears the crown and all that. Sometimes this book was still really fun, but there isn’t a lot of new ground here. This book is also marketed as really catty (which I didn’t see until after I’d finished it). There is a mean girl, Daphne, and the sisters do have conflict, but I don’t think this girl-vs-girl stuff had to be front-and-center in the marketing because it is more nuanced than that in the book and the conceit of an American royal family seems to be enough. Also, for a book with romance plot for each of the main characters, this book is pretty sex-negative. The characters are on the older side for YA - Sam is 18 and Daphne is in her 20s, but the only character who is explicitly sexually active (mild spoiler) kind of fits the villain role. After reading the new Jenn Bennet recently, this really stuck out to me. I also didn’t know that this was the first in a series and I found the ending of this one to be pretty unsatisfying even for the first of a series- know going in that this is not a standalone. Finally, as a university librarian, I had to laugh at some of the descriptions of Nina’s library job - maybe in this AU, the Library of Congress system was never invented, but universities in the real world have collections mostly in the LC classification. Also, Nina, as a shelver does not have to worry about “cataloging” books into their correct section. She only needs the number. This was a pet peeve, though, and won’t bother most readers.

Bottom line, I obviously had issues with this book, and some were serious, but I did enjoy reading it until the unsatisfying end. This is the kind of book I want to be a show on the CW - cast some cute people and I am in for like at least 6 seasons. I enjoyed these characters and I honestly wasn’t too mad about the well-worn ground it covered, but if you haven’t read the <i>Royal We</i>, pick that up before this one for sure.

I could not put this alternate history with George Washington becoming king instead of president. I have no idea how I'm going to wait for the next book in the series when this one isn't even out til September. It was so fun.

If you're in the mood for drama, romance, and scandal, look no further. Don't get me wrong, this book is mind candy, but it's mind candy at it's most delicious. Warning: there are unresolved plot threads at the end, but the cliffhangers didn't feel cheap. I do wish that the worldbuilding was a bit more rich--McGee clearly had fun with the alternate history angle, but it just didn't feel different enough from the United States of the present for the book to be exceptional. Also, I find it a bit distasteful that nobody ever mentions native Americans, even in the context of the violence of the British colonizers being swept under the rug in favor of a more "honorable" origin story for the founders. But, again, it's mind candy, so how much can you expect?