I enjoyed reading this novel and immersing myself in this alternate version of the US with these memorable characters. I loved how the book only alternates from the female characters point of view. However, I did not enjoy the ending. It felt rushed and left too many ends untied. It's not that I was necessarily looking for a happy ending - just one that didn't practically beg for a fourth novel. It makes me question what the plan is for this series - will it just go on indefinitely?

The DRAMA! While I’ve loved the four POVs in the past, it began to feel a bit more crowded in this installment. I feel like we never truly got to flesh out Beatrice’s storyline. That being said, Rivals was more enjoyable fun from the Washingtons and crew and I NEED a 4th book to find out what happens.

SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE 2ND ONE. I am obsessed with Katharine McGee. I met her at Blue Willow Bookshop and have loved her ever since. American Royals was one of my favorite all-time books! I will have to admit that the second book in the series was completely disappointing to me but, Rivals has been everything I wanted it to be. I really hope she'll be able to bring us a fourth book! I will definitely be recommending this to my students!

I adored the third installment of the American Royals series! So fun and so drama filled, and that cliffhanger... sheesh (though I'm so excited that means there's a 4th coming). I'll definitely re-read this series because it's been awhile since I read the first. Loved it!

I have mixed feelings about the third in the American Royals series. This is the first of the three that I read instead of listened to, and I think that for me, this is a better fit for an audiobook than a read. Maybe because as an adult reader that doesn't normally gravitate towards celebrity or royal drama and tabloid focused stories, it works better as "an easy listen" than something I actually want to lie in bed and read at night. If you are in the mood for YA romance filled with drama, lies, and secrets focused around fictional American royalty... you really can't get any better than this! I do find the world-building in this series to be really fun. The fictional history of all the royal families in this story continue to expand in the third book.

What I liked best in this one was the feeling that all the alliances were changing and some of the shifts made more sense than I would have thought. We get a new side to many of the characters. And while I am not normally a cliffhanger type of girl, I couldn't help but love this one! So even though this wasn't a brilliant choice for me right now, I do plan to continue this series, but I am more likely to choose an audiobook next time!

Katharine McGee is a MASTERFUl storyteller. I cannot tell you how pleased I am that I have been lucky enough to read each of these incredible, unique, and absorbing stories. I loved every single thing about this book. It was familiar and also freshly new at the same time with the things I have come to adore and admire or despise about these characters but, at the same time, I felt as thought I was seeing them for perhaps the first time in new angles and in new lights. This story is fabulous and absorbing, yes, if you have read the previously published books in the series. It is, however, equally as beneficial, mesmerizing and entertaining if you are new to this glittering, royal world. I cannot tell you how much I love this world and this story. It is something that I know will be such a huge, dynamic and mega-hit for a long time with my patrons. Thank you for this opportunity. I am in awe!

Whoa... All I can say is that I hope there is a 4th book in the works. I have really enjoyed this series and was super excited to receive a E-Arc of American Royals III: Rivals. This book picks up where Majesty left off, you are still following the lives of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina and Daphne. With the unlikely pairing of Nina and Daphne working together due to a new threat to both of them. I really enjoyed the growth in all the characters, this feels like a coming of age story but in such a shorter time span. I also think the idea of America having a monarchy very different and enjoyable. The pace of this book was pretty quick with each chapter leaving you some what hanging on what happens which I really enjoyed and kept up my interest. If you haven't read the first two in this series, I hope you start soon so you can be ready for Rivals when it releases May 31st!

I was SO excited to hear there was going to be a third American Royals and even more excited to get an advanced copy. The third book in this series brought us the same joy and angst of the previous novels with a little bit more maturity. The struggles that Beatrice face are similar to ones we would experience in the "real world" and i think they are relatable. However, I felt like some of the relationship "conclusions" were not what I wanted to have happen and I felt frustrated with the conclusion. I am hoping the series continues because I have to know what happens next!

I was very hesitant about reading this installment after reading the second one. Rivals was a very quick read and left me with an "OMG what the heck" at the end. It tied up some loose ends without being too predictable. I would reccomend to those looking for a quick and easy read.

Such a great installment of my favorite series! Highly recommend to others! Thankful for all the storylines and the ending - OMG. Can't wait for book #4!!!

Excellent book! The third installment of this series is easy to read and hard to put down. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!

Ahhhhhhhh I absolutely love this series and author. It’s great that she makes every book it’s own story and almost like it’s a stand alone. Please please make #4!!

Rivals (American Royals III)
Katharine McGee
YA Fiction
400 pages

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! 💛

So there are cliffhangers, and then there’s what Katharine McGee insists on doing to us with the American Royals series. I’m all for an open-ended ending, but these stories seem to always end in the middle of the main conflict of the book. As far as our 4 MCs go…I loved Samantha’s storyline in Rivals, hers was the most relatable in my opinion. I felt Beatrice’s storyline was just meh…kinda boring. Daphne’s + Nina’s had action and drama, but I just dislike Jeff so much and I can’t believe these two smart, confident women can put up with his consistently noodley behavior. This definitely wasn’t my favorite book in the series but will I read the inevitable fourth installment? Yes 🤷‍♀️

👑 YA Contemporary Fiction
👑 Multiple POVs
👑 Short chapters
👑 Royal family storyline
👑 Explores duty vs desire, legacy, sacrifice in relationships
👑 For fans of The Princess Diaries

#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqpfiction #randomhousekids

Out of all 3, this would be my least favorite of the series for a couple rasons 1. It felt like the plot stalled until the last 1/4 of the book (and then we get a cliffhanger) and 2. There was not as much romance compared to the other two. This feels like a bridge between books 3-4. I expect book 4 to be a wild ride. This was the calm before the storm :-)

So, I have some conflicted feelings here.

First, I will start by saying that I am 33 years old, and I am certainly outside the demographic intended for this book. I am so beyond the age of these characters that I frequently am shocked by the way they act, as it has been so long since I was at that age. So, as a reader far outside the demographic, this book was not for me. The characters are flat, conniving, and dramatic. For me, the 33-year-old reader, this book is about one star. But this brings me to ...

Second, remembering the reader I used to be, I loved this book. My high school self would have eaten up this series. I would have LOVED it. The concepts of a royal house in the United States would have tickled me. The author is clever in the way she has divided the United States up into royal provinces with royal titles galore. I would have loved Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson, would have even loved our anti-hero Daphne, and would have thought Nina was Miss America.

So, I have a hard time rating this book. Would I recommend it to high school kids? Yes. It's fun. It isn't literary, but I just want kids to read. Books like this get high school girls reading. Would I recommend it to adults? Hard no. And in fact, I have given this series three tries now (book 1, 2, and 3), and even if book 4 comes out, I believe I am done. It's been fun, but with each passing year, my tolerance for high school drama apparently grows lower and lower.

I don't even know where to begin. I am obsessed with this series. I devoured the first two books. Majesty left me angry. But that's because I didn't know Rivals was coming. I first heard about American Royals on bad on paper podcast and was fascinated by the idea of the states having a monarch. I love the character of Beatrice. Or maybe Samantha more. It's hard to say. I think the first book is the best and this one does an amazing job wrapping them all together. For some reason, I am not a fan of Teddy. But Katharine McGee is an excellent writer!

I love the characters of the Washington Family. This is the continuation of the story with a focus on Daphne the evil character and her battle with Nina and society for her spot beside Jefferson the Prince of America. This time Daphne and Nina team up to protect Jefferson but how will that end? Then you have the continuation of Sam and her role that she is just the extra. Where does she fit in here? And then we follow Beatrice as she takes on her role as queen without the guidance of her father. And then there is Teddy who loves her for her, but how does the role affect there relationship. And be prepared. Like the other books, this in just ends!!!!

As someone who really enjoyed the first two books I was excited about this book. While the second book wasn’t perfect I enjoyed it. I think royalty not always getting to be with the person they want and having to give that up for the crown is a reality for some royalty and I liked that some of the couples didn’t get happily ever after even if I wanted them too. With that being said I was excited to see where this book would go. There were a lot of twists that I didn’t expect and the last couple chapters of the book I could not put down. Throughout the book there were many things I did not see coming which made it great to read. After the way the book ends I need a 4th book. This book was 4.75 for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and and Random House for this Arc.

I was obsessed with the first two books in this series so I was SO SO SO excited to get the opportunity to have an early ARC of this one!

I really enjoyed seeing how Beatrice was able to manage as queen and the dynamics with Sam as the heir. Character development in this one was spot on and I fell in love with the characters even more. Nina and Jeff though? My poor heart cannot handle it.

Forth book better come out soon!

This author definitely redeemed themselves from the second novel in this series with this, a truly great installment in the fictional world of American royals. I didn’t have high hopes going in but this story really grabbed me in a way the second novel couldn’t. The characters seem more intertwined with each other and are finally achieving character development I think we’ve all been waiting for since the first novel in this series.

I will be eagerly waiting for the next installment in this epic storytelling of the Washingtons and their inner circle