I hope these American Royals books never end! I became hooked (surprisingly) by the first book in this series and now two books later, I still can’t get enough. “Rivals” picks up where the majority of the main characters are in new relationships and trying to figure out these new dynamics and new milestones in their lives. This third one in the series is juicy like its predecessors while also touching on timely societal considerations as well. Can someone please option these books into a TV series?! “Rivals” like the others, was fun, mostly lighthearted, and easy to read. There was definitely a parallel to a real life royal family that we know and love. I did think that some of the story involving Beatrice’s interactions with all the other dignitaries was rather unnecessary and the least entertaining part, but that’s really my only issue with this book. And just like the first book, “Rivals” ends in a major cliffhanger where I am now counting down to the fourth installment. 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

I have enjoyed all the books in this series, and the third one is no different. I love the character development we see in this book and the twists and turns! Definitely sets itself up for 4th book!

I LOVE this series so much! I couldn’t wait to dive in to the book and read more about the girls. I was pleasantly surprised at the departure this book took. Instead of focusing on romance, sisterly love and friendships were the most important relations in this book. The storylines for each of the girls added more depth to their characters and relationships that weren't there in the other books. Spoiler: this book ends on a cliffhanger.

4 1/2 stars

Wowza. This series always seems to keep me guessing. I adored the first book, was on the bubble with book two and am back in love with the series with this one. It's a YA series as the main characters are young adult and college age. This means that sometimes their decisions can frustrate me, but I have to remind myself it's representative of their age.

This book gives us Queen Beatrice at her first major gathering with other royalty...The League of Kings. This is her opportunity to establish herself as a monarch and gain the respect she's been craving. It also addresses her relationship with Teddy and where they are at in trying to find their way through their new roles together. We see a lot of Bea's insecurities in this book and how they impact her decisions.....good and bad.

Princess Samantha continues her relationship with new beau, Marshall who is a future duke. Something that could definitely complicate their future. Then there is the continuing drama surrounding Prince Jefferson who always seems to be clueless about the machinations occurring around him. Shockingly, we see Nina and Daphne unite to battle a common enemy in this book. Will these two actually become friends?

A great deal happens and you're left with a stunning cliffhanger at the end. I'm now eager for book four. I need to see how this all plays out.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I haven’t read the first two books in the series, but was able to pick up the Threads of the story well enough. I liked Beatrice the best. I thought she was earnest and eager, albeit lonely and stressed out. I thought Daphne’s and Nina were made for each other. Both had their own agenda and were willing to use people, including each other, to gain for themselves. Jefferson is a clueless male. Gabriella makes a good villain.
It’s a decent read, although the idea of America having a monarch is just strange.

I absolutely love this series. Bea, Samantha, and Jefferson are such great characters with so much depth. I root for all three of them.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review*

I was super excited to dive back into this series and this book delivered! It wasn’t very plot driven which allowed for a very slow paced story, but it made up for it with great character development. Then, when I thought all the loose ends were tied, we’re left with an ending that will definitely mean a fourth book!

After reading this book, I am HOPING there is another one- what a cliffhanger ending!

As always, this series has lots of glittery drama and romance, which I enjoy.. But what I love best about these books in the alternate history of America as a monarchy. . I would love for the author to expand on her reimagined world where every country is a monarchy. I am so intrigued how world history would have played out in this scenario.

This is such a fun series! I love the drama, mean girls vibes, the humor, and the royalty aspect!

This is the third in the series and you definitely need to read the other two in order to enjoy this book. The characters have really developed and I loved that this one took a deeper dive into Daphne, the villain we loved to hate. I also really enjoyed that we got some new characters like Gabriella who was just truly awful and Louise who was a fun and complex character.

Much of the novel takes place during the League of Kings. I was intrigued that all of the royals from around the world could just up and leave their responsibilities for an entire month and it made me wonder how often this conference takes place. Reality aside, it made for a great setting for more parties and of course, more drama.

I also enjoyed that Jefferson was now in college and was starting to experience life outside the palace. I wish we could've seen more growth with his character and it frustrated me a bit how naive and childish he is made out to be.

It was nice that Beatrice finally found some happiness with Teddy and it will be interesting to see how that relationship plays out as she navigates her new role.

I really enjoyed that this book tackled some deeper themes of racism and sexism. Previously, not much had been made of Nina's ethnicity and I thought it was important and well done how she discussed it in this novel. Marshall's character also really blossomed from the party boy to a much more significant and serious part of the book.

However, as much as I love Marshall and Sam together, their relationship just moved too fast for me. I understand that things are much different for the royals, but the fact that they are already discussing their future so seriously just seemed unrealistic and unnecessary. It also felt a little weird that Sam's history with Teddy was completely ignored and Bea's history with Conner was totally downplayed and criticized.

Overall, this was a super fun read and a great installment in the series. Yet again we are left with a major cliffhanger so it's obvious this series will continue and you can bet I'll be picking up the next one!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

While this book was well written, it just wasn’t for me. Clearly I’m in the minority as this book has a large platform of fans. I’d still suggest others check it out but I wasn’t feeling it. The characters didn’t really feel all that deep and I never found myself invested in the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars. The third installment of American Royals follows Beatrice as she comes into her role as queen, Jeff navigating college, Sam finding love, and Daphne and Nina partnering up to defeat a common enemy.

As with the previous books in the series, there is plenty of drama, friendships, scheming, and heartbreak. I was a little disappointed as it didn’t seem as heightened as the previous books (or maybe I’m just a little bored of it by now). The final chapters end in dramatic fashion which leads me to believe we will get a fourth book, but I’m concerned we will never get closure with this series.

Overall I enjoyed it and seeing new sides to our characters as they face different challenges and grow into adulthood. The series is perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, and I recommend reading in order instead of as a standalone so you have the context to understand the characters and what’s going on.

I enjoyed this third installment of the American Royals series. I think my biggest complaint was that some of the plot lines felt like they were being recycled. But at the same time, I loved Beatrice and Sam's story lines and how this book pushed each of their characters to further growth and self-realization. Katharine's writing is always enticing and I got pulled back into this story so easily. I really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced in this story and how they impacted our favorite women.

They’re back!!! Like many, I enjoyed the second book of the American Royals series but felt it lacked closure. It ended without a wedding or a coronation. Thankfully, American Royals III: Rivals gives us another opportunity to visit the American royal family and their friends. There are new alliances and friendships as well as new secrets and betrayals. Fans of this series won’t be disappointed!

This book had the character development and evolution that I expected in the second book. I was happy to see Beatrice settling into her new role as queen. Despite her new challenges, Daphne is still the mean girl we love to hate. Nina is back to book one form with her bold “I don’t care” attitude. My favorites of this book are Samantha and Marshall as they deal with highs and lows in their relationship due to media scrutiny. Overall, I liked how each character tries to live their life on their own terms.

I appreciated the way this books touches on some timely issues like leadership, the difficulties of a person of color dating a member of the royal family, and the challenges of being the man behind powerful woman.

The ending brought good news and bad news. Here’s the bad news first — it ends in a cliffhanger. What’s the good news (or great news from my perspective)? We’re not done with this series yet. I’m all in for book 4!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this voluntary review are my own.

What if instead of George Washington becoming America’s first president he became the first King? This is the premise of the YA American Royals series. I feel in love with the series in the first two books and was thrilled to have a third published. It’s YA but I love it as an adult. This book picks up where the last left off so it’s best to read the series in order. The King of America has died and Beatrice is now Queen. It’s a heavy weight to carry for the young royal as she balances responsibility as Queen with a normal teenage life of falling in love and finding herself. I loved this book and the continuation of the series! The characters are engaging and play their roles very well. I’m looking forward to a fourth book as this book ends with a perfect setup for another book!

I loved American Royals, I thought it was so fun and fresh. Majesty was a disappointment. I didn’t like that the first book was basically flipped on it’s head and ignored.

But I needed to read Rivals.

And I’m so glad I did! This had the magic of the first one, and certainly made up for the second.

I still think some things in the second ruined where the first story was headed, but this was great! And that ending…

I was thrilled to receive a copy of the newest installment of the American Royals series. It was great to catch up with all the gang again to see where things had taken each of them. But once again, we are left wondering what will be next and with no word on whether there'll be another book, I really hope Katharine McGee decides to keep writing! This soap opera style series has me addicted!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC of this!

I had mixed feelings about the earlier books in the series but really wanted to know where this was going. I’m so glad I read it, I think this was definitely the best of the series! Nina and Daphne “teaming up”, Beatrice and Sam dealing with the realities that being royal affects their love lives with Teddy and Marshall, Beatrice stepping into her role as Queen and trying to make friends, the whole thing was excellent and kept me engaged the entire time as I binged through the book. If you want drama, this is the book for you!

Thank you for the chance to preview this novel! Our customers are so excited for this release next week. We have pre-ordered for the store. I have really enjoyed this series and look forward to more from this author. A great addition to our YA section!

I rarely DNF a book but this one is just not working for me. The first two of this series were speculative fiction with a little bit of a YA feel. We got lots of details of how this new America ran and some drama in these young characters lives. I've decided to stop reading this book after reaching 25%. So far it reads like a teen drama akin to Riverdale or Pretty Little Liars, there is little depth and just vapid in-fighting amongst the glitterati. I checked other reviews before making this choice which is tough for me, I generally don't like to leave a book unfinished but it seemed from other reviews that the tone I am not enjoying is pervasive throughout. I just can't push forward when there are so many books waiting for me.

I'm not going to post a review publicly since I did not finish and I am only giving a star rating below because Netgalley requires me to. I hope the publisher will consider me for other ARCs in the future and understand that I am choosing to keep these negative thoughts private because I did not complete the read. I think had I pushed forward, I would have ended up in a very uncomfortable position where I would have to post negatively about a well-established author whose work I generally enjoy and respect.

Thank you for the opportunity to try this novel.

I was so glad to hear there was a third installment and I know that many in our library and teen readers will be too. However, I didn’t love this one as much as the first two. The story felt a little forced at times but for those who are big fans I think they will love it.