This was a fun alternate history book of what would have happened if America was a monarchy. Now I love the British Royal Family but that’s only because I am not British. That would make me mad if I was. So I think an American Royal family would be terrible but this was still an entertaining book and a quick read.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019! I loved The Thousandth Floor. I also thought that it was fascinating that this story also touched on the topic of what would happen if George Washington became king. However, this novel was very hard to follow with the viewpoints of many characters. This book would be more enjoyable if it solely focused on Beatrice and Samantha. Still, this novel was entertaining with sibling rivalry, romance, and drama! I recommend this for fans of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series!

I was really excited when I first learned about this book. A monarchy in America? Sign me up. I couldn't wait to read this, but unfortunately I just had a lot of issues with this. It didn't hit me with the cutesy romance(s) I was looking for. Going into this know that this is the first of a series...that was my huge mistake was not realizing this was just going to end on a cliffhanger situation. Ughhhh I know that's my own fault though for not knowing that. Having said that I don't believe I will be reading anymore from this series in the future.
Having said that, I really loved this idea of America having a King (or Queen) and I loved reading about that. Basically take how England is with the love of the Queen and the patriotism and just the (overall) adoration of the Crown and bring that to America and it's so fun! With that idea alone, I was ready to give this a 5/5. After that though, I didn't really like anything else about this. The characters are all really unlikable-which is not always a bad thing in a book. But for a contemporary romance I'd like to at least root for one of the characters. The drama was over the top....even for royalty, there was a disconnect between the characters and their chapters. I don't feel like it all flowed smoothly together, and none of the characters stood out to me. They were all so selfish and petty, and dramatic and it just went on and on with no real evolution to the story. And this was unnecessarily LONG.

The only part of the character development that I actually enjoyed was Samantha and Beatrice's relationship. But that's it. That was the only thing that developed over this almost 500 pages that I liked.

*2.75/5

My Rating: 3.5 Stars!

Mostly a fun read, imagining a royal family for America and getting an insider’s view of how truly human and flawed they are with their rather “unroyal” behavior behind closed doors and even in the eyes of their “people.” A bit of a soap opera, tangled webs of desire, duty and deceit abound as Katharine McGee takes us into the world of the AMERICAN ROYALS.

From George Washington I to the current day George, there had always been a king, until now when Princess Beatrice is being groomed to be the first queen. As her younger brother and sister live their lives in her shadow, the family intrigue grows when hearts become entangled in affairs that can never be allowed.

From the typical sibling squabbles to the fawning deceivers, who can be trusted? Some beautifully quirky and fun moments, some heart-wrenching moments and moments that will leave readers scratching their heads. This family is as real as any commoners, all while having to keep a regal public persona.

I really enjoyed most of this tale, but the part of the conniving teen got to be a bit much, the nastiness too over the top and the hopes that love could conquer all too questionable for me. The cliffhanger at the end was definitely unexpected. A nice read, a fascinating concept, but maybe just a little too fluffy for me in parts that deserved more pages.


I received a complimentary ARC edition from Random House Books for Young Readers! This is my honest and voluntary review.

I had been looking forward to reading this book for months, and it did not disappoint! I LOVE this book and I can't wait until it's available so I can tell everyone to read it!!! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book! I'll have a full review closer to the publication date at kaitplusbooks.com :)

I was not a fan of this book and dnf it in the end. I think there's just way to many characters and point of views that I'm confused on what the actual plot was suppposed to be. I found it a flawed interesting idea for there to be American Royals. Because after the revolutionary war why on earth would be want to be ruled by a King again.

Intriguing premise for a story! I don't follow any Royals but I still wanted to read this after reading the blurb. I enjoyed the book. I felt very Gossip Girl-ish (which I enjoy). I didn't agree with every decision the author made but I still found it very enjoyable.

Posted to Goodreads: In an world where the United States has a monarchy a young crop of royals must deal with their personal issues. Beatrice is the first in line to throne but is feeling stifled under her family's expectations, Samantha is the spare and is struggling to find her place in the world, and Jefferson is the youngest and has found himself stuck in the middle of a vicious love triangle. Can these three young royals find their place in the world while still meeting the country's expectations.

I liked the idea of this book however the narrative voice didn't quite work for me. I never felt like I really got to know any of the characters enough to actually care. _Plus, the surprise cliffhanger ending felt unnecessary because the rest of the plot lacked development. If this was a television show I would have loved it but I wanted a little more character and plot development from the book.

My summer of royal reads continues, I see, and I was so elated to receive a copy of this title in advance. The summary had me hooked so quick and within just the first few pages, I knew I would be unable to put this novel down -- and I was right. I practically swallowed it whole. While I approached the concept of an American monarchy with a bit of trepidation, it was the characters and their respective romances which really kept me hooked. Their stories were filled with both joy and heartbreak at every turn, and watching each character grow in their own right was a real treat. I'm already eagerly anticipating the sequel, as I need my hands on more of this story immediately. For any fans of The Selection, I urge you to run to your local bookstore on September 3rd -- this is the perfect read if you're looking for those same vibes again.

Though I felt like the prose sometimes became bogged down by the multiple narrators, it drove forward, for the most part, at an impeccable pace. It flowed really well. However, it also covered a lot of ground very quickly, and while that led to a feeling that the plot was rushed in places, it also set the novel up perfectly for a sequel (especially with that cliffhanger -- oof). Is it predictable? Sure. But is it also an enjoyable read? Absolutely. Tropes are fun to engage with and I expected to here, and those elements didn't disappoint. I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking. If you're looking for a solid royal romance, this is one.

My one major complaint was that the language felt tone-deaf at times, namely when it was attempting to slyly refer to the America that could-be in this novel; that is, the American democracy we actually live in. It felt so contrived. Considering the current political climate and all that we know about how history really went down, I thought that a little more attention given to the way those bits of prose were actually written would do the novel well. I have no problem with revisionist novels most of the time, but there are a lot of massive, ingrained problems associated with monarchy, especially one which apparently thrives in modern times. Sure, this was a fun read. But the novel tackling those issues head-on instead of skirting around them would only add to this story, not detract from it. America's history is dark and bad and uncomfortable to confront, but our stories become all the more strong when we do. We can't ignore that America was built on the backs of colonized Indigenous peoples, and we shouldn't want to. I hope to see these issues addressed in the sequel (and I have a feeling I will).

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I don't think it's pretending to be anything that it's not, and while I have problems with the revisionist history, the truth is it's not trying to be about that. It's just telling of royal romances which happen to be set in a hypothetical America. I look forward to watching each character's story further unfold in the sequel.

Man oh man. I don’t even know what to say about American Royals. I was expecting so much from this book and I was let down H A R D. The premise of an alternate America sounded so good. However, this is basically her previous series in a new setting.

Beatrice - Next in line to be Queen of America
Samatha - Sister to Beatrice, the spare
Jefferson- Twin to Samantha, ex of Daphne, has feelings for Nina
Nina - Best friend of Samantha, commoner, in love with Jefferson
Daphne - Ex of Jefferson, America’s Sweetheart, will do anything to get Jefferson back

These characters came off very one dimensional. You never really got a chance to care for them or see them for anything other than their shallow personalities. Besides the characters being a letdown, the plot was quite boring. Everything that happened here was predictable and not very memorable. I think this book being over 400 pages is too much.

What I realized is that maybe I’m not the audience intended for this one. I don’t like tons of drama in my books. Especially unnecessary drama. This is equivalent to if Gossip Girl was about a royal family.

All in all, this was a miss for me and I really don’t see myself picking up the second book. If you are a fan of drama and enjoyed McGee’s last series, then you might enjoy this one.

*Will post to blog closer to release date.

*Spoiler free, 3.25 stars*

I'm drawn to royal stories right off the bat. If has something royal to it, I want to read it. This book was no exception. I honestly thought it was an adult book for awhile, since the synopsis reads like one. The synopsis also made the book sound very confusing haha. I couldn't quite get a grasp on what they plot was or what was supposed to be happening? It kind made me put this book on the backburner, but one of my friends read and loved it, so I was more interested in giving it a chance.

This was actually my first Katherine McGee book! I know her other books are pretty popular, and after reading this one, I can see why. She's a fantastic writer. This book full of gossip and what hides behind the glittery dresses of the royal family. She someone managed to write all that in a way that didn't feel cheap. It almost felt fluffy, even though this book is filled to the brim the angst. I really enjoyed how she wrote the world and how the built the characters. It turned out to be a lot less confusing than I thought haha.

I honestly think this should have been an adult book, or a new adult book. Beatrice, one of the main characters, is 21. The main characters who have POVs are on the older side of 18. This book would have been fantastic as a new adult book. It would have been a great way to sort of bring about that category. I'm sure there were reasons for keeping it YA, but I just think it would have worked really, really well if it was bumped up. I feel like some things could have been fleshed out and feelings could have been more deeply explored.

What really drew me to this book in the first place is the fact that, in this world, America is a monarchy. That is such a cool and unique idea. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting it to be modern day, just with royalty as our government. But they way it was done was so fascinating. Politics aren't a huge focus, but it was still so interesting to see how our world could be different, how different our government could be if things went just a bit differently. Plus, the jokes about how ridiculous a democratic government would be were cheesy, yet hilarious.

I'm usually not the type of person who likes angst, but WOW does this book do angst really well. I actually found myself liking and falling into the drama of the royal family. There were so many amazing tropes packed into this book, that it sort of just made my heart squee. So much pining, so much forbidden love, so much kissing. It was really great.

Though, I did feel like some of the complications and struggles sort of just looped around and around. The same problems came up and it seemed like the same conversations were being had, just using different words. It didn't seem like there was a lot of growth happening, despite a few small areas. It got kind of repetitive and it started to wear on me.

The characters are actually a lot less confusing than the synopsis makes them seem. I actually really liked them all, expect I'm not sure how I feel about one. I liked her enough, though I'm not quite sure why she was a narrator. I think it added something to the book, and gave it another viewpoint that was valuable, I just didn't like her. She was conniving and manipulated, and sort of just mean overall. I didn't really like where her story went. I did like everybody else though! They were cool. There might not have been a lot of emotional growth, they all had their own pains and struggles. I liked seeing how they differed and how they interacted and how they viewed someone was so different from what they were actually feeling.

This is actually the first in a series. A duology it looks like, but I'm not 100% sure. The ending was spectacular. It wrapped things up in such an amazing way. The last scene kind of left me a little breathless. It worked so well for the situation and it wrap up the book. It should be very, very interesting where the next book goes. I think there's a lot of unravel and I'm interested to see what sort of route it takes.

Perfect for fans of E!'s The Royals, The Royal We, and pretty much anything and everything royal, American Royals is a crafty novel in which George Washington was not the first president, but the first king of America.

I really wanted to like this one, but ultimately found that I did not enjoy the simplistic writing style. The concept of a royal family for the US is really interesting, and has so much potential, but it was just a little obnoxious to have the background presented the way it was. I wanted a little more creativity. I think I will recommend this to some of my students, however; I think some would enjoy this one regardless of the writing style and plot weaving.

I couldn't get through this one. I got about 30% in and gave up. The premise itself is flawed and pretty tone-deaf. There were too many "She couldn't imagine a world where the people in power were voted in" type of asides. It reminded me of the Gossip Girl era of YA - which, don't get me wrong, I read and devoured like fun, mindless candy - but it felt really out of place in today's world. I actually quite enjoyed McGee's last series but acknowledged its issues. Will I think this book have an audience who loves it? Certainly. This one wasn't for me.

Well, that was a soap opera! I’m not into royalty the way a lot of my friends and fellow readers are, but this idea was very intriguing. How would our country look today if we had a monarchy reigning?

We do get some idea of that, I suppose. But not much. Instead, this is a focus on the personal relationships and lives of the royal children.

It seemed straightforward but definitely angled toward the dramatic very early in. I still really enjoyed it. All the sneaky romances and the conniving villain.

I did like that it points out how being in line to rule a country means you forfeit aspects of your life that we take for granted. Not necessarily being able to marry who you love out of duty, for example. Or how you’re expected to behave. We forget how important our freedom to choose can be.

I had issues with every character at some point. Nina, being a ridiculous pushover, ready to give up at the snap of someone else’s fingers. Sam, being mad at her sister for doing her duty. Beatrice, being selfish in her choice of relationship(s). And Jeff, for just being a typical idiotic boy. He was actually very bland and my least favorite character by far. As much as I hated Daphne, her parts of the story were the most interesting. As was her clandestine relationship...which, I’m not gonna lie, is the one I’m rooting for.

Anyway, this is a fun contemporary. It’s definitely soap opera material at times. And the ending is predictable. I look forward to continuing though, because there’s a lot more story to tell. And a lot of loose ends and broken promises to be mended.

This book was hard for me to get into, but worth it. The first few chapters were too much. I think most of that was because of the perspective changes. I really liked Beatrice as a character and even after just one chapter I was sad to switch away from her.

That being said I really did enjoy this book. I loved all the historical tweaks taken to turn America into a monarchy as opposed to a democracy. I did in some ways enjoy the many different perspectives, however I would have liked hearing from one of the boys, particularly Conner but Jeff would have been nice also.

What I truly like about this book is that it shows that people in the spotlight are very different from what they seem, even to their closest family. This book really shows the struggles that this royal family had to deal with, often so privately that they couldn't admit it to themselves. Not only relationship issues but family issues as well. I also truly respected the character growth in this book. The 3 royal children are at a crucial point in their lives, where they are trying to decided who they want to be, and how they want to be known. Its very defining and I thought Katharine McGee did a wonderful job allowing them to grow and develop.

I feel like the cover may have been misleading. I did not expect the book to be as serious as it was. Really the funniest part was in the pro log, when it was discussed how silly a Democracy would be. However that tone didn't continue on through the rest of the book. Most of it was quite emotional and serious. With some loving, and happy moments filled in.

All of that taken into account, I was drawn to this story, I enjoyed the characters, and I am invested in what paths they end up taking. I did like this book and I look forward to the next one.

Title: American Royals
Author: Katharine McGee
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Note: Review to be posted to Goodreads closer to publication date on August 19, 2019 and on retail sites (Barnes & Noble, Amazon) upon publication date, September 3, 2019.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever binge watched a season of a completely addicting TV show (like Gossip Girl or The O.C.) and been hooked until the final credits roll? American Royals was the book equivalent of one of these teen dramas for me, with a delightful royal twist. With so many royalty themed book releases of late, McGee’s latest book is a standout addition filled with relatable characters, swoon-worthy romance, and of course, lots of drama!

American Royals introduces an alternate version of America, in which George Washington became the country’s first monarch instead of the first President. McGee’s story begins years later, where we meet George’s royal descendants in this version of modern day America. Told from multiple POVs, American Royals intertwines the stories of Beatrice (the heir apparent), Samantha (the spare), Nina (the commoner), and Daphne (the social climber).

As someone who often struggles with reading books with differing POVs, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the alternating narratives in American Royals. Beatrice’s chapters were easily the highlight of the book for me. The royal heir storyline is frequently told in today’s entertainment; however, McGee made Beatrice’s story feel fresh and emotionally authentic. Plus, her forbidden romance was hands down my favorite romantic storyline in the book.

Based on the plot description, I went into American Royals expecting a quick, lighthearted read. This expectation could not be farther from the truth; the plotlines in McGee’s latest book were melodramatic enough to rival a soap opera, and at times, really packed an emotional punch. I was surprised to find myself reaching for my tissues several times, especially towards American Royals’ dramatic final pages. With Katharine McGee’s addictive writing, lovable cast of characters, and descriptions of snowy royal escapades, this book would be the perfect choice to read while snuggled up by the fire or to take on a winter getaway!

My only critique is that it took me awhile to really embrace the concept of an American royal family based on the United States’ real-life foundation in democracy. In addition, at times, the royal customs of McGee’s American royalty felt too reminiscent of the British monarchy.

That being said, I definitely cannot wait to get my hands on book two of the American Royals series. Okay, I’m off to watch The Princess Diaries: A Royal Engagement and Harry & Meghan for the millionth time!

American Royals wasn't all that great. This author has written many books before this one and yet this felt like a debut novel. Barely any research was done for this book, and it was obvious; the world-building was quite possible the worst I've ever seen in a book. The characters weren't the best and the writing seemed kind of droning. The small amount of diversity in the book seemed to only be there to please readers. The only slightly-retainable aspect was its drama and even that's being generous. Definitely wont be reading the sequel.

Loved this twist on U.S. history set in today's world. Characters and their motivations were realistically drawn, you would find these teens in any high school or college. Kudos to McGee for paying close attention to the historical details, deftly weaving them into the narrative rather than trying to explain it all in a prologue. I was invested in the characters from the start, and the ending left me waiting for the sequel. Great selection for upper MS and HS libraries.

Absolutely loved this book -- such a fun read and can't wait for the next book in the series. I liked how the story was told from multiple characters perspectives and we got to see a different side of the royal family. While I can't say I was a big fan of the cliffhanger ending, I'm looking forward to following this series as it continues on.