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.

This books was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me!

This book was a fun romp that made me sigh, cry, bite my nails in both anxiety and second hand embarrassment and laugh out loud! Basically I went through all the emotions. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, the plot and the author's writing style. I started out almost disliking the main characters, but as the story went on the author did a wonderful job unraveling their layers and endearing them to the reader.

Read this if you think a Eurotirp and Armageddon movie mashup sounds like blockbuster gold! I love a disaster movie (Twister, Volcano & Armageddon are just a few of my personal favs) and this book was right up my alley.

This book would make a perfect summer or vacation read so add it to your TBR!

The Prince & The Apocalypse was such a fun read! Combining royal teenage romance with an end of the world adventure dragged me in and had me turning pages until the very end! A wonderful romantic read for teens!

This was a fun book. I liked the main character, but struggled liking the prince. The backdrop of an apocalypse was fun, and I about died at the ending. It actually felt like a cheat ending, unless there's another book in the series. Then I'll let it slide.

This book is literally a rom-com meets the apocalypse and I loved every second of it.

Wren Wheeler is a textbook example of a Type-A personality: she seeks control in her life, she plans out her schedules to the second, and everything in her life has to require a plan. Theo, Prince of Wales, is not a Type-A, but every second of his life has been controlled by the monarchy... until the apocalypse happens.

The two join forces in getting Wren home to her family before the world-ending comet hits by any means necessary. This includes a roadtrip across multiple countries, endless descriptions of beautiful scenery, and some downright swoon-worthy romance.

Suffice to say, I really enjoyed this book. There were parts of it concerning mortality and death that were rather sad and horrifying to read, but I applaud the author for being able to keep a light tone throughout the novel in spite of that.

The cliffhanger has me REELING and I can't wait to read more!!

I need to know if there is going to be another book. The ending left me shocked and I need to know what happens next.

This was an amazing YA book. When I first read the premise I was wondering how this book would play out and I was a little of unsure of it. I am glad to say I loved it. It is a YA contemporary novel but it deal with some heavier topics as well. At times it was a little cringey and cheesy but it made me smile. It's a very fast pace book which will keep you on the edge of your seats.

I loved the characters and the banter that Wren ad Theo had. I wish the book was longer, I wish there was more of them. This is honestly one of the best YA books I have read in a while, it had everything I wanted in a book and left me wanting more. I would recommend this book to anyone that was looking for a cozy romance really witty banter and twists and turns!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc! I am so glad I read this book.

What if the apocalypse was…fun?

“The Prince and the Apocalypse” asks and mostly answers that question. Kara McDowell has written a YA romance centered around an apocalypse and a Prince of England who just wants…not to be one. (Hmm, too soon?)

I was able to handwave away the apparent conviction of people showing up to work during an apocalyptic event with “well, it makes the plot go”, because really, I don’t think anyone would be going to work. McDowell’s world is much better behaved, which is certainly refreshing. And cliffhanger ending? I’ll be looking for the sequel!

Charming and well paced, with engaging characters, “Prince” is worth a read. I would say older tweens (mention of past sexual encounters/alcohol use and one non-explicit sex scene) all the way to adults. I was given a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The apocalypse, but make it swoony. That's what you get with Kara McDowell's new YA novel, The Prince & the Apocalypse, a story about finding first love at the end of the world.

How would you spend your last days if you knew an impending apocalypse was headed your way? If you're high schooler Wren Wheeler, you spend it desperately trying to find a flight home to Chicago from London to no avail. Wren, a meticulous Type A planner, was on a disastrous class trip to London when she missed her flight, leaving her stranded in London. The reason for missing her plane ride home? Oh, she was just helping the Prince of Wales, Theo, escape the grips of his family and hide out where no one can find him. You know, nothing serious.

Getting booked on another flight should be no problem, except it has just been announced that a world-ending comet is headed straight for Earth. Suddenly flight after flight is cancelled, and by the looks of it, Wren will be spending her last days on Earth in London. But suddenly Wren remembers that Prince Theo promised her a favor for helping him disguise himself from the public eye, so she calls it in. Before she knows it, Wren is traversing across Europe with Theo in attempt to reach Santorini, where the Royal Family has a private jet that can take her home. The catch? Theo can't be recognized, so Wren will be doing everything in her power to protect the Prince as he tries to outrun his legacy.

The Prince & the Apocalypse is an absolutely adorable teen romance! You might not think that a story about the world ending would be cute, but McDowell pulls it off. Even though Wren and Theo face the apocalypse in this heart-pounding romance, they never lose hope that humanity may just be spared its fate. And if so, what does that mean for the relationship budding between this unlikely pair? Well, you'll just have to read The Prince & the Apocalypse to find out! Warning, this book ends with a huge cliffhanger!

This story is a generally clean romance aside from some sporadic swearing. Although the story requires readers to suspend disbelief on several occasions, it is still a lot of fun. Wren, our take-action heroine, admirably puts her heart and soul into protecting her Prince, and stops at nothing to get him to Santorini and herself on a flight home to her family before the world ends. Prince Theo, who is battling the demons of being the heir to throne, shows that even young men born carrying the world on their shoulders can still be vulnerable.

Fans of Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End will love this book!

This was a fun and cute romance revolving around an impending world-ending apocalypse. The MC finds herself in an exciting and harrowing adventure with a handsome prince and romance ensues. Quick and fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. (my first arc ahh)

The Prince and The Apocalypse is a romantic comedy that takes place during the end of the world - a time and place that might slightly inconvent for falling in love. The story follows Wren, a high-school student on vacation in London, who is having a less-than-perfect trip until she meets Theo, the British heir himself. Theo is a mysterious, sarcastic, and angsty character, but unfortunately, despite my initial hopes, I didn't find myself fully invested in the book. Wren's decisions and actions as a character made my feelings for her and in turn the book complicated, and the ending left me unsure how to feel. However, there was one character that I absolutely adored. The bestest dog Comet.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this book!

There is plenty that I enjoyed from this rom-com centering around the apocalypse.

Things I liked:

- Comet, the apocalypse dog. He was a great side character that kept the story lighthearted.
- Eleni, the side character in Greece. She was adorable.
- The European locations.
- The fresh idea on a rom-com. I can confidently say that I had never read a rom-com that took place during the apocalypse before.
- Adventurous and always had something happening.

Having said that, I struggled a lot with some character choices and parts of the plot. Having read all of Kara McDowell’s other books, I felt like this one didn’t share her same reading voice and I missed that.

It was a quick read, and entertaining but wasn’t my favorite.

Damn did I love this book. It's very cute, and very readable. I really enjoyed Wren and Theo, and the escalating intensity of their road trip together. Some of Wren's particulars of speech/habit are things I loved and felt like I was the perfect audience for (like that the monarchy is a human rights violation in Chapter 1), but might bug another reader, but I loved them, and enjoyed hearing her mention Chicago so often (even though a lot of the things she mentions about loving in Chicago seem really touristy, but I also always want more books that take place in Chicago).
This book really picks up pace as you read it (the "will the comet be stopped? Of course it can't be stopped" seesaw never really stops) and I ended up binging the second half in a weekend very easily. It's a super cute New Adult book, and it is not spicy at all (It's very PG, but it's also very sweet).
Also - I am in actual pain from the ending, and the McDowell saying she can't provide any answers yet is agony inducing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: depression, ablism, family tensions, apocalypse

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f new adult
-road trip romance
-forced proximity
-it's the end of the world
-virgin hero

This book was just fun. What would you do if the only person who could help you see your family before the world ends is the Prince of Wales? This book had the right amount of bonkerness, laughter, hope, and just well the world is ending so why the heck not? Wren was so relatable, wanting to impress her family. Stranded in a foreign country she takes a chance and calls up Theo to help her get home.

I am trash for a road trip romance and so enjoyed the journey. The stress of will Wren make it home, the world ending only days away, the adventure of it all, and how softly and sweetly these two started to fall for each other. A dash of car theft and the world's sweetest pup, I was turning the page wondering how the heck it was all going to work out and just on the adventure with them. The world was falling apart around them and somehow this book was so filled with hope and finding acceptance and joy in your life. And just the things you would do for the people you love at the end of the world.

Steam: 2

I really liked this book, very amazing. The characters were the top thing I liked about this story. The attraction chemistry between them was pulling. It will keep you reading from the beginning.

<b>ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.</b>

<i>"What did we burn."
"My future, I think."
"Oh good. As long as it wasn't anything important," he says dryly."</i>

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC. This book has skyrocketed to my favorite of the year and I am pretty sure it will remain untouchable.

When selling this book to my friend, I said "Don't Look Up" meets "Red, White and Royal Blue" and "They Both Die at the End". I will not be saying whether or not Wren and Theo die at the end for obvious reasons, but based on my instant reaction from 1/30 when I finished this, I think you can take a guess.

Friends to Lovers, Only One Bed, Different Castes, The World Is Ending. Tropes galore and I ate each and every one up. Wren and Theo's banter was top tier and I couldn't stop laughing throughout. The book does touch on darker themes of regret and loss but it challenges them in ways to remind us as readers what truly matters. You see a full range of reactions to the imminent end of the world and it had me reflecting on which one of them I would have. I thought I was one and by the end, I learned so much from others that impacted my hopes.

I truly hope Kara decides to continue this story, as I would love to see so much more. And even if she chooses to leave this story here, I can now add a new "instant buy" author to my list.

I really enjoyed this title. Wren is a little straight-laced bundle of perfectionist nerves and Theo is just a dang cinnamon roll boy. Comet the apocalypse dog is precious. All I've gotta say otherwise is I really, really want a sequel!

I really enjoyed this entertaining story about Wren, who is trying to make the best of a senior year trip to London that has not lived up to her expectations until she happens to run into a guy that is in need of some help hiding. Add in the fact that the end of the world is expected in eight days and you have Wren on a desperate search to get home. This throws Wren and her new friend, Theo, into some interesting circumstances. A fun read that promises hope of a sequel. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.