I loved American Royals and then was very disappointed in Majesty's ending, especially since it was touted as a 2-book series. So I was surprised (although excited) to get another shot with Rivals. I think I'm still confused about what my expectations should be for this series given that this one also ends on a cliffhanger. I'm not sure if this had to do with book deals or what but it feels like the series and messaging have been mismanaged which is confusing for fans. I think my expectations would've been different if I'd known what to expect rather than having a bait and switch about the status of the story arcs.

I am fully immersed in this series and really enjoy the political twisted tale! I recommend this book to Y readers and adults. It's that appealing!

I am seriously in love with these characters and this series!! Someone needs to make this into a Netflix show STAT!! Picking up where book two left off we see Beatrice come into her own as a ruler while Jeffery continues to be torn between Daphne and Nina (who shockingly become allies against a common enemy in this book). Samantha falls even more in love with Marshall only to discover theirs is a relationship that may never be without serious sacrifices.

Full of high drama and three dimensional characters trying to follow their hearts while living in the royal spotlight. Perfect for fans of the Royal we series by Heather Cocks. Be prepared for another shocking ending!! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!! I cannot wait for the next instalment in the series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

American Royals !!! was a fun and easy read. It needs to be said that this book would not be as good if it was read out of order. I liked a continuation of the characters that I have gotten to understand and know. I will say that I would really appreciate a POV from Jefferson or the former Queen (mom to Samantha and Beatrice.) I look forward to reading the next installment of the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Although I did not like this installment as much as the first two, I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. I especially loved Nina's and Daphne's plotline and character arc, but was sad to see some of the progress of some characters was made completely undone in the end. Still, I cannot wait for the next book.

Great addition to any library! Belongs to series: American Royals. If you are an American Royals fan, this is a must read! Katherine McGee shines in this book. Beatrice is now Queen, and daunting tasks are on the line.

This series remains consistent for me, no matter which Royal is the focus. As the third installment of this series, it felt on par with the other books, but the build for the fourth book (yes, hi, book four is coming!) has me most excited. This was definitely one of the better cliffhangers!

As for our three royal siblings, each have grown tremendously since losing their father, each in their own respective ways. As they’ve aged, they’re learning more and more about not only themselves, but the world around them. You know, as one typically does each trip around the sun. Because of that, I think the themes of sexism and racism were well done especially when young readers get ahold of this one.

As for our side characters, we’ve got a new gal named Gabriella and she can honestly kick rocks. Each scene with her made me want to scream because she takes mean girl to a whole new level. I’m pretty over Daphne although she had some bright spots, and to be honest, I needed more Teddy.

It was cute, predictable, and everything I expected from this series.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

Content warnings: infidelity, toxic relationship, death of parent, racism, drug use, fake pregnancy (ugh)

American Royals III : Rivals by Katherine McGee brings back the drama and fun of the first in the series, with more shake up of the couples and friendships. The inclusion of the League of Kings conference added some great world building (one of my favorite aspects of the book), seeing which countries were kingdoms (Flanders and Hawaii were two I was surprised about) and the drama among the monarchs and their heirs. But I don't know if it was my mood this week or the book but I wasn't picking it up every chance I got. It was an enjoyable read and I adore the series, and it got a solid 3 - 3.5 stars from me. The ending is a definite cliffhanger, so I'm looking forward to Book #4 (title unknown) and finding out what happens. Nina and Jeff better end up together! Thank you to Random House Children's for the e-ARC. Book is out now.

I am absolutely obsessed with this series and the third installment did not disappoint. There were so many unresolved storylines from Majesty, that I had to read some blogs to catch myself up on what happened, but the author did a good job of calling back to things from the last two books with context to help make sense of it all. I’m so glad we hopefully won’t have to wait as long for the fourth book! While Rivals was a slower burn for me in the beginning, by the 70% mark I couldn’t put it down. The character growth of Rivals was more nuanced and complex, which helped tell a stronger story, but ultimately explored the idea that while people can evolve they don’t often fundamentally change. I also appreciated that the characters in this book were taking more risks that felt true to themselves and their story rather than just going by what history has told them. The ending was a huge shocker and left me on the edge of my seat waiting for book four. I can’t wait for the next chapter in this fun series!

This series is a favorite of mine and no matter the time that passes when I pick up a new book in the series I am able to just pick up right where I left off with the royal family. I loved the storylines in this book and can’t wait to hear more about the family in the future.

I'm not typically one to live for drama, but I LIVE for the drama of these books. There is just enough drama that I'm not frustrated by any means . . . mind you, there are a number of times where things could have been misconstrued and characters interpret things the wrong way and all hell breaks loose (which of course still happened anyway) . . . but that's what I like about these books. It's not ridiculous drama. It's not over the top. It's drama that I can live with and I know that if the characters actually talked to each other, things could be somewhat worked out.

If you made it through that first paragraph congratulations. I have no idea what I'm trying to say in it. If you made any sense of it, props to you.

Fact of the matter is, I really enjoy these books. I don't know why, really. I find them exceptionally predictable, full of miscommunication tropes that drive me bonkers, and one too many love triangles, but the premise is just so FASCINATING. I love this alternate universe where the world, most notably, America, is governed by monarchs, not Presidents. I would absolutely hate if this was real life, but I really enjoy exploring that reality in a modern, drama-filled way that really needs to be like an alternate reality drama TV series. I'd watch the heck out of it!!

Like the author, I don't think I expected to be three books into this series (let alone four!!!) but here we are. I actually wondered near the beginning of the book if any parallels would be drawn to Princess Diana's life and woooooooweee yeah we're gonna go there. I hate that this ended on a cliffhanger, but I'm already dialed in for the fourth book. Cannot wait to get my hands on it.

I missed this series entirely and one of my students recommended it to me as I had purchased all of the books for our library. I loved it and the latest installment really is a fantastic way to resolve all of the conflicts among the characters. If you enjoy reading about the Royal Family, watch The Crown and regularly read People magazine- I recommend the entire series. It is great for all teen readers and I know many adults will find it fun. I binge read the entire series on the beach and could not put them down. 5/5 - could not put this book down

I have loved this series ever since reading American Royals back in 2020. This third book was nothing short of everything you can hope for some secrets, drama, love, and one heck of a cliffhanger!!!

“Maybe growing up meant letting go of the desires that no longer fit you, and discovering new ones buried in layers of yourself that you hadn’t known existed.”

How lucky are we to get another installment of the Washington family drama? Rivals is packed with the Gossip Girl-esque theatrics we’ve come to expect from Queen Bea, her siblings, and their friends (frenemies?). Each character is kind of thrown out of their respective comfort zones, and they find themselves seeking consolation or guidance from unexpected places.

Beatrice finds herself spending more and more time with France’s princess, who is the closest to age and life experience to her than anyone else in her life. The pair form an unlikely friendship during a meeting of the world’s kings and queens, but how authentic is the friendship?

Daphne + Nina = friends? Whaaaat?

Prince Jefferson is his typical aloof and slightly douche-y self. Am I the only one who doesn’t love him?

Princess Samantha is still going strong with Lord Marshall Davis, but is their relationship doomed?

This was fun, but I definitely wanted more. More closure, more character growth. I love the Royal family concept, and am totally invested in finding out what happens next, but I’m looking forward to getting some HEAs. Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for a review copy.

Another delightful addition to the American Royals Series, I was very curious to see where Katherine McGee would go with this book, since the last one ended on such a final note. However, the book picked up beautifully and the characters continued their growth as monarchs and as teenagers.

Maybe it had just been a while since I read the second book, but this one was disappointing. I know the characters are young, but so much of it just felt incredibly juvenile. Beatrice and Nina stayed the most consistent to me, but Daphne, she is all over the place. It's getting old that she is this two-face character. I guess the point is to show that manipulative people can dupe even those in the highest power, but I just want to shake Jeff the whole time. I felt very little for these characters this time around and wish the author would go a little deeper with some of them, they all are so superficial still. While a good cliffhanger, the ending was predictable.
All in all, I originally felt like this series had promise. But now I think the next book needs to be the last.

Beatrice, Queen of America, has returned from her "honeymoon" with Teddy to host her first major international meeting as Queen, the League of Kings. As the summit begins, the eternal light of the league is extinguished as Beatrice receives it setting up an ominous beginning. As the League of Kings continues, Beatrice befriends Princess Louise of France while unintentionally distancing herself from Teddy. When Teddy leaves the League of Kings, Beatrice realizes her need and love for him, but will it be too late?

Meanwhile, Jeff and Nina are at King's College together. Although Daphne was also to be a student there, her father's shenanigans left the family unable to afford college, but Daphne is too proud to admit that, so instead she spins a "gap year" to focus on charity work. Gabriella Madison, returned from France, is also at King's College, causing problems for both Nina and Daphne. Soon, this common enemy, brings about an unlikely friendship between these two rivals, but nothing can be as good as it seems.

Samantha, as Beatrice's heir, is learning her new role in the family. While in Orange, at the League of Kings, she spends more time with Marshall and his family and quickly learns that the future she envisions for them may be impossible. With the help of Aunt Margaret, Sam learns that love can overcome duty, but how will her choice impact Beatrice and the Washington family?

Rivals is the perfect continuation of American Royals. Each member of the Washington Family is growing in ways not seen before. Beatrice is learning to trust herself, while Sam begins to accept her new position in the family while questioning her future. Jeff is now the crazy, college guy torn between the past, the present, and the truth. Daphne is still conniving, but nothing compared to Gabriella Madison, recently return from France and Daphne's nemesis. Nina is still lovable, trusting, Nina, but now, through an alliance with Daphne, she finds friendship and deception all around her. American Royals is one series that gets better with each new title.

I’m completely obsessed with all things American Royals and I was SO excited for book three! It immediately hooked me back into the storyline and at first I loved it just as much as the others. However (trying to keep this review spoiler free), in the last 25% of the book everything went downhill. I felt like there were too many tropes and plot twists thrown in that it just felt hard to keep up with, and there wasn’t a satisfying end to the story. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

If you’re a fan of this series, you might be asking yourself, is Book 3 the point in the narrative at which poor Beatrice finally gets a break? And the answer, unfortunately, is no.

Poor, long-suffering Beatrice still has absolutely no luck at all at anything. I was so excited when she finally made a friend until…well, you’ll see.

As usual, things go notably better for intrepid Sam and human golden retriever Jeff, the dim, unobservant Nate Archibald of this particular universe. Sometimes I think of him as the villain, based purely on how he treats Nina and his infuriating stance that all women should just be so darn nice to other women, even the ones that have done something terrible to them because of, well, him.

Anyway, Jeff is a dolt, but it’s part of what moves the plot for the series, so I have no objection to it narratively. This is such a fun series and it’s actually getting better as it progresses. Thematically I still prefer the Thousandth Floor books, but McGee has done an equally good job of characterization and plot propulsion here, even if the world building isn’t as rich.

This series still feels like a better quality, more likable and less gross version of those awful Royal We books, and I’m so excited that it will continue on to a fourth installment.

Rivals by Katharine McGee Book Review

Rivals is the third book in Katharine McGee’s American Royals series. The series as a whole attempts to answer the question, in a juicy New Adult novel form: What would happen, in today’s modern world, if George Washington was the first king of America rather than the first president? 200+ years later, what would become of his and (Queen) Martha’s descendants?

This devotedly character-driven novel follows the love lives, ambitions, and friendships (but mostly love lives) of newly-crowned Queen Beatrice, Princess Samantha, girlfriend-of-Prince-Jefferson-and-daughter-of-a-baron Daphne and the happily untitled, non-royal ex-girlfriend of Prince Jefferson and BFF to Princess Samantha, Nina.

What’s so great about this series is that each character’s described reality feels plausible through McGee’s clear descriptions of how they walk through life. It also feels a bit like reading the Eloise at the Plaza books for the first time — too exceptional by nature of the circumstances to seem at all relatable. It’s not a series where I pause often to ask: “Well, what would I do if this were me?” This third book takes that up a notch and is truly about what the title says it’s about: rivals.

Ultimately, Rivals was, as was the whole American Royals series, a total romp of a read. That said, I was repeatedly frustrated by the petty rivalries that made up the plot of this third installment. The characters that, throughout the rest of the series, I was most sympathetic toward, succumbed to the worst versions of themselves. There were so many moments when friendships — alliances! — started to bloom and then fizzled out due to overly dramatic and yet minor misunderstandings.

One of my fave authors YA authors Victoria Aveyard shared on the First Draft podcast an incredible rule of fantasy writing (and I’m paraphrasing here): You get one unbelievable thing. Everything else has to adhere to that one unbelievable thing. In that vein, I am satisfied with the way Katherine McGee adhered to an America-as-monarchy plot with vivid detail. The only thing that dissatisfied me was perhaps intentional; the rivalries brought out the worst in the characters, which is a pity to see. Even so, will I read the fourth? Of course.