Better than the second book.. Really enjoyed reading about these characters again. I can’t believe it ended in another cliff hanger but that just means we need a fourth book

Rating: 3/5

Did I just read the same book as the first two? A book that dragged in the middle, didn't totally accomplish anything but we had a major cliffhanger. It always feels like we stop in the middle of these books and they are 400 pages.

The drama got old fast for me, it stopped being entertaining when it became drive by the women being spiteful and attempting to one-up each other. I was feeling like I was back in High School and then I remembered they all pretty much are that age. I think this is why I don't read YA generally.

I did however enjoy the redemption arcs and then ending was a great set up for book 4. Will I read book 4? Probably, but I won't be rushing to read it.

I was so excited when NetGalley gave me the chance to read an Advanced copy of this book. I love this series. I have listened to the other books a few times since getting them. They are easy when I need a good, light read. This book continues on the story. The gap year is over, and relationships are changing. Misunderstandings are all over the place. The ending surprised me, and all I can say is there better be at least one more book!

I really enjoyed books one and two of this series, but I was content with just two books. This third installment felt like too much of the same thing, and I couldn't get into it, either in print or on audio.

This was fun! The end was kind of unexpected and I do think maybe there doesn’t need to be another book after this, but it’s still fun to read. I do however feel like the characters make all this progress and then at the end of the book it all goes away and they’re right back where they started, which does get frustrating after a while. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people looking for an easy read!

Hmm... I liked this better than the second book in the series, but I'm not sure I liked it much more. I really liked the first book in this series, but I'm not sure it's significantly improved since then. I will say that I really appreciated seeing Beatrice do more politicking - which is what I wanted to see from the start of the series, like what does it really mean for America to have a monarchy and how does that affect the rest of the world? We got to see more of that in this one which is points in its favor. I also throughly enjoyed Daphne's point of view this time around. There's a lot more to her than the surface shows and that was fun to dive into. Will I read the 4th book because of the MAJOR cliffhanger to end this one? I'm not really sure, but I guess I've got plenty of time to decide.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ugh I know I said I hated the last one, but still, when I saw this one coming out I had to read it to redeem the last one. And of course, I didn’t really like this one either. And it’s all because one character. Every single time. But I keep reading because I don’t want to leave off when they get it all.

I can’t lie to you, if you hate or even at the very least don’t like drama, this is not the one for you. There is nothing about this that’s not drama filled lol Like so drama filled I forget that this is actually an alternate history kind of thing. I don’t think I’ve ever even thought about it until just now. I don’t think I’ve ever even cared to fact check or see what was different. Now of course, I’m about to go and look at everything. Because there is no effing way all this crap actually happened and McGee just made it more modern. Because Lawd if it is, what were people even doing back in the day if they really were doing this? lol

This one is also still super fast paced. I remember putting it on like 2.05 because I wanted to get through it so quickly. It doesn’t even have anything to do with it being a good story, it’s just the words are easy and the people are messy. Definitely something that will keep you interested. I found myself like eating up her words while I was doing everything.

The characters were all the same. I still hate one of them and they still got everything. And then there’s the one character who actually deserves everything, who doesn’t even bother to go for it. And then there’s the character who is my favorite who (in my opinion) just ruined her whole life, but then gets the chance to see what she’s been missing. Like I said, this book is alot lmao

This series is going to kill me. This one ends on another cliff hanger. And this one is a big one. Because it then causes a chain reaction to everyone. All of them end up with some sort of craziness. So basically every character has a cliff hanger and y’all already know how I am about those. I still feel like they’re annoying lol

I’m going to say it again…. I can tell from the ending there’s going to be another one, but I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m invested now, but I hate almost everything and everyone about this lol Everyone still except Beatrice. And yeahhhhhhhhhhhh…… Anyway, I’ll see how I’m feeling later on.

Thank you to Random House for the advanced reading copy of the book; thoughts and opinions of my review below are my own.

American Royals 3 was deliciously soapy and I loved it! Multiple POV (Queen Beatrice, Princess Samantha, Sam’s best friend Nina, and Prince Jefferson’s girlfriend Daphne) really wove a great story. Each approach a turning point towards the end of the book, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I gave up at about 35%. I just couldn't find myself caring about these character. I quite enjoyed the first two books. Perhaps it's where I'm at, but I was quite bored with this one.

Rivals, by Katharine McGee, is the 3rd book in this series and I was so glad to get my copy. I did read the first two books and this followed along pretty well. I think that you would have to read the first 2 to follow, it really doesn’t read as a stand alone. The start of the book has Beatrice as the Queen, she didn’t get married and she has to come back from her trip that was supposed to be her honeymoon and settle into the life of a Queen. Princess Samantha is in a new relationship and trying to figure out her new role as a royal. Nina and Daphne keep fighting over Prince Jefferson and there is a new royal on the scene causing trouble for them all.
This is a light hearted, beach read. It has a good storyline and I really like the characters. The concept itself, of America having a Royal Family because of how the country set itself up after the American Revolution is very interesting. This was a 4 star read for me. McGee has a way of writing that I really like and look forward to her next book. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review.

The series is getting good but I gotta wonder how it ends. And I wish the author would go deeper with the characters and plot. But I'll keep reading no matter what!

BOOK REVIEW ‘RIVALS’
…
★★★★

I binged this whole series in a week. I did not know that RIVALS was the 3rd installment in the series and couldn’t go in blind. I am now one of those fans that is NOT OKAY with the cliffhanger endings. Each books ending is set up knowing there is a next! Spoilers: 4th installment is coming, when is the question. Each book has the POV of Beatrice, Sam, Nina, and Daphne. Each book definitely has it’s leading lady but I found Rivals to be my least liked of the so far trilogy. I shockingly found myself speed reading through Beatrice’s POV, mainly due to the actual details of the foreign monarchies.

Also, I am totally #TEAMCONNOR I stand by Beatrice and Connor and am not a fan of Teddy. I know I know. I am beyond excited to see how this plays out. Maybe Beatrice escapes into the country with Connor (wishful thinking) and maybe Jefferson realizes he needs Nina by his side. If you have been sleeping on this YA series - you must pick it up! You will fall in love with it and wish America didn’t have a democracy LOL.

I ADORE this series and this book is no different- I absolutely devoured this book and cannot wait for the fourth and final book, especially since this book ended on a cliffhanger. What I loved most about this is that it had all the drama, romance, and parties that we expect this series to have, but it expands the world even further. I will say there is lots of triggers for this book including: mentions of a death of a family member, car accident, and racism so to be mindful of that going in.

Many thanks to Random House & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I am a sucker for this series, truly. I love Beatrice, Sam, Jeff, and Nina so much. And I love to hate Daphne for sure. However, I did enjoy how McGee concentrated more on Nina, Jeff and Daphne this time as I felt their stories were lacking in Book 2. I did feel this installment moved quite a bit slower than the first two so I'm hoping it ramps up in Book 4, which I need ASAP after that cliffhanger.

A slow beginning - and middle - and an ever-expanding catalogue of new characters made for a very difficult start to this book. Between juggling all the new names and wondering if they're going to be normal people or backstabbing politicians who I will ultimately end up hating by the end of the book, I was almost distracted from the main conflicts which seemed tedious in comparison. The main plot of the book builds slowly and hits the ground running only at the last possible minute.

This book definitely picks up in the most CW-Drama way in the final 15%, and it's all the messy relationship entanglements, lies, deceit, and heartbreak you could ask for from this series. Three books in I'm not expecting wildly complex stories, though McGee does touch on racism and the complexities of female friendships, which I did very much enjoy. The conversations about interracial relationships - especially when there is a heavy power imbalance - are important and I'm glad the conversations were had, even if they weren't quite as nuanced as I would have hoped. The female friendships in this book are just as messy and eye-roll-inducing as always, complete with another Regina George-esque villain to take Daphne's crown as the once universally irredeemable character, since miss Daphne gets a bit of time to reflect and redeem herself here, at least for a little bit, and that alone was worth the read.

American Royals III: Rival by Katherine McGee is a great addition to the series. I have throughly enjoyed following the stories of Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. This one was a slow start for me but I quickly became engaged and remembered why I love the series so much. I don’t read too much YA but I will continue to read and recommend these novels!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s publishing for my digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

So many feelings! This book was just as good as the previous two, but oh that cliffhanger ending! I’m over here wondering how in the works Daphne will get out of her mess and what will happen to Beatrice. Of course, it’s cliff hangers for everyone, so I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

AMERICAN ROYALS III: RIVALS • Katherine McGee • Pub Date: March 31, 2022 • ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Now was it smart of me to request the third book in a series that I had not started reading yet? Probably not, but boy am I glad I did because this has been a wild YA ride.

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: The third book in the American Royals series tests everyone's loyalty to the crown…and their own hearts. Relationships will be tested; strangers will become friends; and rivals will become allies.

Due to this being the third book in the series, there will be spoilers here! Do NOT continue reading if you do not want spoilers for the first two books of the American Royals series.

I think the best way to review this book is by addressing each individual character's storyline separately. I'll use Goodreads' synopsis of each character's plot line to preview the storyline, then give my thoughts on the execution, and how the third installment impacted the character's arc as a whole. I’ll also add now that this book does not end the series. There will be a fourth book!

Princess Samantha is in love with Lord Marshall Davis—but the more serious they get, the more complicated things become. Is Sam destined to repeat her string of broken relationships…and this time will the broken heart be her own? I have always enjoyed Sam’s storylines. She is my favorite of the royal family! I am also very happy she has found love, and I appreciated that we got to see how finding love is not always enough. There are still going to be complications, mishaps, and heartbreak. Seeing Sam work through that was important, though also a little less fun than Sam's normal chapters.

Beatrice is representing America at the greatest convocation of kings and queens in the world. When she meets a glamorous foreign princess, she gets drawn into the inner circle…but at what cost? Like the preceding two books, Beatrice’s storyline was boring. She is undoubtedly the most uninteresting character to read about, which is a shame given that she has the most dramatic role in the series. Her newfound friend is at least a little more exciting though so this improved her chapters of the book. I also enjoyed that the world of this series was expanded by Beatrice’s storyline, adding some spice in the form of international monarchs. Overall though, I am still annoyed that the entire Beatrice/Connor storyline had such a buildup only to give way to the flat, anticlimactic pairing that is Beatrice/Teddy.

Nina and Daphne have spent years competing for Prince Jefferson. Now they have something in common: they both want to take down manipulative Lady Gabriella Madison. Can these enemies join forces, or will old rivalries stand in the way? ALL HAIL QUEEN DAPHNE. I maintain that she is the best character in the American Royals series, and her storyline in the third book only solidified that. Also, the friendship between Daphne and Nina was something I didn’t know I needed! What a treat. Also, I think that those who struggled to like Daphne in the previous books will find her much more palatable in this installment. Nina also became more enjoyable to read about in this installment.

Now you may be thinking: What about Ethan and Jeff’s storyline? Well, Ethan did not have one. I am choosing to ignore the fact that Ethan went completely MIA. I know Majesty was not well-received, but to just completely ship Ethan off and pretend like he was not just a main feature of this series was a little bit of a weird vibe, but I am accepting it and moving on. As for Jeff? Let’s be honest, this man is a filler character. The only real characters in this series are our leading ladies. The boys are just used to cause drama between them and push the story along.

As I wrap up, I would be remiss to leave out the fact that this book’s ending was INSANE. Due to the ending alone, I have no choice but to continue on with this series and pickup the fourth book.

TL;DR: The first book is still the best. The second book is still the worst. The third book is solid. It cleans up some of the mess that the second book caused, and tries to bridge the gap to what will hopefully be a great fourth book.

I love the freshness of this third book in the American Royals series, the world expands with introductions to a slew of new international monarchs, we get to see Teddy and Bee struggle with his lack of role in the monarchy, and we get a very unlikely team up between Nina and Daphne! And the ending!!!! The author went full soap opera, and let me tell you... I did not mind. I'm already so excited for the fourth and final installment of this series.

I felt invested in the characters in this series after the first two books so was excited for the next installment and from the ending it looks like we have at least one more book to look forward to in the series. This book brought the drama which is putting it mildly. It was great to get caught up with the characters we have gotten to know and love and an addition of some new characters as well like Louise. This book will definitely have readers questioning their opinions about characters we had already formed opinions of from past books. The reason I continue to enjoy this series because the premise is so unique and allows readers to ask the what if questions about America's history and how things could have been so different.

The one issue I had with the book is I felt like the language and content is getting to be a bit more than I prefer to see in a book categorized as YA.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.