LOVED this story. it's such a unique story that is taken from somewhat real life events. I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author!

Quick, witty read about teenagers at the end of the world. Wren was a fantastic narrator, and paced the book at just the right pace. Theo was a fun travel companion. Thankd Netgalley for providing the E-Arc! Now, to hold my breathe for a sequel.

Suspend that disbelief, y’all, and join the unlikely pairing of an American tourist, trying to get home from England, with the heir to the English throne, trying to escape his home, as the clock counts down to the apocalypse in this delight of a book by Kara McDowell.

I LOVED it.

It’s all about fate, love, and the end of the world as they travel across Europe on the way to his favorite place and to the plane that can take her home. They find humor and pockets of joy, bucket list experiences, love and what really matters along the way.

I devoured this book and hope you will, too.

I received an advance copy from Wednesday Books and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This book had a fun concept and was easy to jump into straight away. But the voice feels a bit young for my audience. Still, that ending has me ready to see what happens in the sequel!

This book was a fun read and an interesting plot overall. Definitely a fun adventure. I felt like the British references/sayings were a little over done and over the top. Also the mention of social media like TikTok took me away from the story and didn’t really feel necessary to have in the book. I enjoyed the chemistry between Wren and Theo; they were a good balance for each other. But what a cliffhanger though! I can’t wait for the next book and excited to see where this story goes next!

Such a fantastic book! I loved it. It was so fun and the cliff hanger left me screaming. Such a perfect rom-com!

This book was a weird writing blend between middle grade and young adult that confused me. I love an apocalypse story, but I think this one was a lot more of a summer travel romance read than anything else. The date, location, and itinerary at the beginning of each chapter was a great addition. I also really appreciate that this is a stand alone with a cliff hanger rather than one milking out a sequel. Overall, a middle ground read.

Thank you to netgalley and publisher for this arc!

Wow what a ride! Loveddddd this book! Theo is soooo adorable swoon and really like Wren too! Need more of them especially after that ending!!! Felt like I was all around Europe with them on their adventure too! Loved the writing style it was fun witty and I devoured the book in one sitting! Am excited to read more of this author and hopefully this turns into a series?

I loved this book. I'm a sucker for royalty and a commoner romance. It was a bit over the top but it was a super cute YA novel. The characters were loveable and the plot had points where I was screaming. I hope the author writes more books because this was a fun little read.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a contemporary YA romance with some common themes on it like a school trip gone bad and royalty hiding in disguise. It was an ok read for me but at points the plot seemed just a little stretched for me.

The Prince & The Apocalypse follows the wild story of Wren Wheeler as she coincidentally runs into the heir to the throne outside of a closed pub as he's hiding from the palace. When she finds out that the world is ending and she has no way to get home to her family in America - Wren calls the crown prince to cash in the favor he owes her. Their journey takes a ridiculous amount of twists and turns that left me on my seat the entire time I was reading this book!

I genuinely loved reading this. The chemistry between Wren and Theo was incredibly well written. The writing encapsulated all of the feelings you think you would feel if a giant comet was careening towards Earth. This book's post apocalyptic feel and the urgency of every moment in the book was incredibly well done. Reading the ending of this book at midnight and reading the way that I book ended? I immediately wished I had another 300 pages so that I could stay with these characters just a bit longer!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kara McDowell for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

... and I feel fine.

The Prince & The Apocalypse is in the "life-changer" class of books. It hits at the moment when this generation is watching & shaping & dreading what comes next. And we are fighting to be seen, heard, live, have a seat at the table, exist while it all goes to shit.

Wren & Prince Theo are going through some shit. Their world is shutting down as news of a world-ending comet is headed towards Earth breaks. An unlikely, or perhaps fated, encounter has them stike a deal to assist eachother navigate this new hellscape. Wren needs to get home, and Theo desperately needs to escape his.

Its never really about the end of the world though, is it? Its about clearing out the noise of outside influences and finding your own truth. Wren & Theo are facing the choice between who they were and who they want to be.

The journey from normal to the end of the world was suspenseful and heartmelting. I appreciated every small tender moment that Wren & Theo created to ground themselves in humanity. Sharing their life stories, rescuing a dog, advocating for equity. I love these characters in their entireties.

The suspense of impending doom was ever present. If you're here for the chaos, yes, it was dreadful. And the end of the world is the perfect setting for making everything and nothing as important as falling in love.

Such a wonderful read. Reading this gave me hope that the end of the world may be devastating but its not the end of life. We support eachother. We respect ourselves. We endure. We choose love.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A fun lil YA read! There’s a lot going on in this book- it’s an apocalyptic tale about a girl desperately trying to make it home to Chicago as a comet barrels toward earth, all while helping the prince of England (or is it Wales?) fly under the radar and avoid the public eye. It’s absurd but fun!

This is entirely my own fault since I knew this from the premise, but unfortunately this book was just too ridiculous for my liking. I’ve liked Kara McDowell’s previous books, but this was just not for me.

Loved this!! I thought that this book was written so well. The development and dialogue of the main characters, Wren and Theo felt really natural and not at all forced. The way there was other stuff happening besides just the romance was great, and the plot really worked. But the ending!! I’m begging for a sequel.

Theo was such a sweet character who felt very well developed, and I felt like he had a strong backstory. Wren was really well written too, but sometimes the decisions she made had me pausing with my reading to just process. They could be soo bad sometimes. Such a great rom com though.

first off, the ending of this book had me screeching and I NEED more. this was incredible. if you love end of the world high stakes, road trips, forced proximity and insane chaotic comedy, you need to read this. wren and theo are EVERYTHING to me and I need more. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me!

This is probably the 10th YA royal novel that I’ve read in the last few years, but it’s the only pre-apocalyptic one! The premise is wild, but it worked. It took me a while to accept the apocalypse, but somehow that old “willing suspension of disbelief” kicked in & I was on the tube trying to outrun the world and its end with Wren and Theo. I have quite a few students who will love this one. I keep writing in my reviews that I teach in an area where book banning is running rampant. Without offering any spoilers, I will say that this will probably ruffle a few feathers, but it would fit easily in the PG to PG-13 realm in Hollywood.

I requested The Prince & The Apocalypse on a whim, because the cover really caught my eye, and the premise seemed like something I hadn't seen before. I'm so, so glad I did, because this turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I absolutely loved the relationship between Wren and Theo, and it really built up into a real connection despite taking place within a one week timeframe. McDowell balances the impending apocalypse with the levity of teenagers having control over their lives for the first time - and falling in love. I don't want to say too much because I think the story is more fun to go into blind, but I'm going to be thinking about this story and it's ending for a long time.

However, I will say, if you're looking for a serious book, skip this. The point is to be fun, and it requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. I've seen some people complain that it just wasn't believable in their reviews, which I found funny because the book is obviously not trying to take itself too seriously. If you're looking for a fun, fast read (seriously, I couldn't put this book down), definitely try picking this up. If you're even considering reading this at all, I'd really recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Apocalyptic/end of the world books are my favorite types of books. The Prince & The Apocalypse is the first one I read that was sweet, charming and made me smile the entire time.

Wren Wheeler went to London after high school graduation with a detailed itinerary. Her well plotted trip did not go as planned and on her last morning in London she meets the missing heir to the throne, Theo. After they meet it is announced a planet destroying comet is racing towards earth in eight days. They strike a deal that if Wren helps Theo get to Santorini, he will get her a flight home to Chicago.

This was my first time reading Kara McDowell and I look forward to reading more of her books.

If you love YA with romance, royals, and the end of the world then this is a must read! It was a wild ride and I flew through reading this book. The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger at the end. Now I want the next book asap! But if you want an exciting book with romance and life and death stakes read this.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.