Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Washington family is in a crisis. Queen Beatrice is in a coma following her accident, Princess Samantha has gone missing, seemingly run away from the royal life, so by default, Prince Jefferson is currently ruling the country. For Daphne Deighton, who has tricked her way into becoming Jeff’s girlfriend again, it’s everything she could have wished for. But after a long and tense wait, when Beatrice does wake, things are far from all right. Some powerful people in the country have always wished for a King to rule America and a still healing Beatrice finds her reign under threat.

Reign has been on my TBR for ages now of course, ever since American Royals series was confirmed to be a four book series. I received this eARC very late, only over the weekend in fact along with a few others, hence why my posting schedule is completely haywire for this week and the next – I needed to squeeze in multiple ARC reviews around my pre-planned blogging schedule so as to not upset it completely for the next two months. Plus, I have a vacation planned in October during which I’m attempting to schedule posts in advance, so it has been a rather hectic week on the blogging front for me.

First things first, this review contains mild spoilers, it’s impossible to talk about this book without bringing up a few major points. I wasn’t a huge fan of the direction book 3, Rivals, took, so as eager as I was to know how this finale would play out, I was equally eager for the series to end because I was all for it being wrapped up as a duology. Nonetheless, I tried to go into this book with an open mind, not take it too seriously and just sit back and enjoy the drama that was certain to unfold.

And it certainly delivered on expectations there! Between Sam’s troubles after finding out what has been going on since she ran away, Daphne being blackmailed by a mysterious person who seems to know everything she’s done, Nina trying her best to finally leave Jefferson in the past, and Beatrice’s woes after waking from her coma, there was plenty going on and in drew me back into the story immediately like I read Rivals only yesterday.

This book was well paced and the writing easy to follow, making this a very engaging read. The pages seemed to fly by and I didn’t even realize I was nearing the end of the book until the last chapter. Reign had the same four narrators as the previous books: Beatrice, Sam, Nina and Daphne, and all four of them were given equal page time in this installment, making the narration itself feel balanced as a whole.

Sam has had the most interesting arc of the four main characters by far, and it is the situation she finds herself in in this book that really drove home how much personal growth she went through from book one.

Daphne was pretty much Daphne, scheming and manipulating to climb as high as she can, but her arc did take an interesting turn as she finally started to look beyond power and prestige. For a character I’ve disliked since she was introduced, I liked her story best in Reign, shockingly enough, though i’m still a little disappointed that she didn’t really have to face the consequences of her actions.

Nina had the least going on in this book, but her arc was refreshingly normal – when she did make a re-entry into the main storyline, it felt forced and out-of-character for her and I wasn’t a fan of that particular plot twist and how it played out.

As for Beatrice, her arc turned to one of the tropes I dislike most – memory loss. What was the point of her arc over the last two books, learning to be queen, her relationship with Teddy and more if one plot twist was basically going to undo all of it? Essentially, most of this book was her trying to remember everything that recently happened while also fending off an attempt at a coup by her own government which was interesting from the political intrigue standpoint, but not particularly riveting otherwise.

Reign introduced new love interests for all four characters, which in my opinion was kind of unnecessary because there was plenty going on without complicating the plot further, especially given that only one of them ended the story with something concrete in this aspect.

The way this book ended was surprisingly sweet and a whole lot tamer than I expected. Most of the shocking reveals and twists happened well before this point, so the ending was almost gradual and done in such a way that left me with a very satisfied feeling about the series as a whole. While not really a happily ever after for everyone, I liked where the story left each of the main characters and their paths forward, even if they were a little open-ended.

Overall, I think this was a great conclusion to the American Royals series and I’m glad I picked it up. So if like me, you weren’t too impressed by the last book or two in this series, I would highly recommend reading Reign regardless as it brought the series to a fitting close and was a very entertaining read!

What a delightful end to this series!

The American Royals series is filled with drama and fun and plenty of interconnected story lines. I loved how the series ended and was very satisfied with how all the story lines played out. Hard to talk about this one without spoilers as it's the fourth and final book, but the character development was good and the alternate history where America has a royal family is well done.

The last book in the series.

I read the first three (and a half) books of the series within a month last fall, so it was fun to be re-introduced to the characters I had come to love. Even Daphne. Without spoiling anything, this final book of the series did them all justice and gave them all a clear, happy path forward.

I’ve loved the American Royal series by Katharine McGee since it was first published. I was initially drawn to the interesting concept of America having a royal family and quickly became enchanted with the characters.

Reign is book 4 of the series and the finale. It was bittersweet to read the book. I was excited to read more about my favorite characters and sad to see it end. This book gives you exactly what you want- love, friendship, family and royal drama. You get to read how the story plays out for your favorite characters and some new ones are introduced. I loved seeing how the characters have changed and grown throughout the books. Overall I enjoyed the book and am happy with how things turned out. If you haven’t read this series yet I highly recommend it.

I loved getting the chance to read the conclusion to this series. From the start, I was fascinated with the concept of how the world may be if America became a kingdom, rather than a democracy. The series has not disappointed and this conclusion was the epitome of perfection. I enjoyed getting to see the journey these characters have gone through in this final chapter - Beatrice was particularly interesting with her storyline, and I enjoyed seeing her fall in love with Teddy and come to terms with her position all over again. It was also nice to see the progression these characters have made - leading to the most satisfying ending. My only wish is that we would see the story from the male characters' points of view. While I prefer to have female narrators and protagonists, in this case it would be interesting to see their viewpoints throughout the series - might be a great idea for a bonus chapter or novella!
Thank you to Random House Children's for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review! I cannot wait to purchase several copies for my students!

This was a bittersweet read for me because I have been reading this series for years and while I was glad to get a conclusion to the Washington family’s story I was sad for it to end. McGee wraps up everyones storylines and doesn’t leave any loose threads which was very much appreciated. I can’t wait to read whatever McGee comes up with next!

The final book in the American Royals series picks up right where the third book left off with Beatrice in a coma. As Jefferson steps in as temporary ruler, it becomes clear that some people in the country would prefer he remain on the throne even after Bea wakes up. Daphne meanwhile has tricked Jeff into proposing and is preparing for a royal wedding. While Sam had gone to Hawaii to be with Marshall, she returns when she hears about Bea's accident only to find out she's been stripped of her title and she has to figure out her place in the family while also learning what it's like to not be royal. Lastly, Nina is getting used to her first year of college and meets someone who might just help her finally stop thinking about Jeff. Overall, a satisfying conclusion to the series filled with schemes and political agendas as the characters all decide what is best for their future, even if it means changing paths completely.

Reign by Katharine McGee is the conclusion to the American Royals series. What a ride this series has been over three years. I love that we get resolution to Beatrice, Nina, Daphne and Samantha's stories. As the book opens FYI SPOILERS RIGHT HERE Beatrice is in a coma. Samantha has run away to the kingdom of Haw'aii with Marshall. Nina is living her life in college. Daphne has claimed to Jefferson that she's pregnant. Yes, lots of drama from the jump. Let me tell you, that kept me engaged and interested. All the stories play out and resolve though and get neatly wrapped up.

I love a good series closer. Reign does an excellent job ending the series -- it is dramatic and juicy. I liked that my conceptions about different characters changed. I found myself surprised and shocked and unable to predict one twist in this book. Also, this book does take on things like patriarchy -- particularly with Beatrice and Samantha's stories. Daphne also really has a lot of growth and felt so morally grey to me eventually -- I appreciated the depth. Finally, Brittany Pressley narrated the audiobook of American Royals: Reign and truly does it to perfection. She is PERFECT for this series and I am so glad I listened to all these books because what an experience. The audiobook is 12 hours and 49 minutes but the time just absolutely flies while you listen.

This was a truly satisfying conclusion to this addictive and melodramatically fun series.

If you’re looking for an angst filled series, I can’t recommend this enough. McGee’s fantastic descriptions felt so completely visual that it almost felt like I was watching it instead of reading.

This was a cute and fun series and I’m sorry to see it come to an end, though I think the material has run it’s course.

This last was probably my least favorite of the series, but I think it provided a mostly satisfying ending, and placed each of the characters where they needed to be even if it didn’t mean a fairy tale ending for several of them.

I continued to struggle with the shift to a sympathetic POV for Daphne as I have in previous books. It’s a bit of the old Blair Waldorf problem, but what can I say, I just don’t like bullies.

In the end I mostly just wanted things to work out for Beatrice and Sam, and I think McGee gave us what we needed there.

Overall, a clever concept for a series that held up well through all four books. I’ll happily read whatever McGee gives us next.

The Book American Royals IV: Reign finishes up the American Royals series in a satisfying way. As Bea, Sam, Nina, and Daphne face different challenges, they ultimately become more confident in themselves and in their roles in the countries. The romance is well-written in a way that does not take away from the agency of the female characters. Ultimately, I would recommend this as a fun book that also imagines and considers different alternate realities of US politics.

Katharine McGee wraps up the American Royals series with her latest book, Reign. I am so glad she chose to continue the story and give the readers closure for these fascinating characters. I couldn't wait to jump end to see what would happen woth Beatrice, Samantha, Jefferson, Nina, and Daphne. If you have already started the series, which I hope you have, it is well worth your time. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

I have been a huge fan of the American Royals series since the first chapter. I love that Katharine McGee shares the various perspectives of the female leads throughout the series. I was beyond excited to get my hands on the final book in the series, Reign, and could not wait to start reading.

While I wanted to love this book as much as the other ones in the series, I found myself having a hard time staying interested in the story. Whereas I devoured the other books in 2-3 days, this one took me about 2 weeks to finish., Overall, I still really enjoyed the book and I was glad to finish the series to see how the life of the Washingtons unfolded.

The way I’m obsessed with this series. I just…these girls. All going through so much—even Daphne though I still can’t stand her lol. This was the perfect finale to this series, with all the drama, secrets and lies, love and loss. It was utter perfection.

I can’t believe that this series is finally over, and that despite the rough and rocky time we’ve had that it honestly all ended up in what I think is about the best possible way. I’ve often likened this book series to Degrassi if it were about American Royalty, and this book was that in just about the best iteration yet. The drama is maximum but I felt that this book was able to have a lot more character depth (in most cases). There were some elements that were still a little bit repetitive, but all of our main characters managed to be so distinctly different from the people that we met when this series first began. This is definitely one of the best books in the series and was a great callback to so many people and elements introduced all across the series!

As I’ve said, I think that one of the best elements of this book is how satisfying the ending was. When looking at all the major players from this series, I can honestly say that I think I’m happy with where everyone ended up both as an individual person and with most of the relationships. It was a sometimes frustrating journey to get there, but the end goal was more worth it than I imagined. I have especially loved getting to see Beatrice’s growth throughout the series, even as sometimes arguably the most “boring” character, she manages to shine both in the plot and in the way she’s written!

If you’ve been a fan of this series, or you’re looking for a guilty pleasure series with a fun concept and the drama of a 2010s teen show, this is definitely worth checking out!

A stunning addition to this series. Fiercely funny and politically aggressive, with a healthy scoop of drama and romance.

This was the perfect ending to a series I have loved since it started. I loved every chapter and how it all tied up in the end. I would love to have more stories like this one. If you are a fan of this series or thinking about picking it. Don't worry it ends well and happy~

Now, I can’t be held responsible for remembering everything from the three books I’ve read over the past few years, but they are so good! Katharine McGee even wrote a novella prequel that you need to read too!

I can tell ya that the last book — REIGN, out Aug. 29 — is a brilliant conclusion that gives you the best out of all your favorite characters, plus the drama you’ll know and love from the first three books.

I'm a huge fan of this alternative twist if America had a monarchy series. Think American royalty meets Gossip Girls. Totally addictive series.

In this final novel, a lot of loose ends are tied up. Beatrice has woken from a coma with no recollection of the previous year. Sam and Marshal have fled America to Hawaii. Nina is still numb after the obvious betrayal of Prince Jeff who is now engaged to her arch nemesis Daphne. Ethan is still in the picture as well. Secrets, lies, and courtly intrigue. What isn't to love?

What I really loved about this series is how well-developed all the characters are. Daphne is the 'mean' girl of the royal court with a humble beginning, but her vulnerabilities are shown so she's not just a one-dimensional person. Her dream of becoming a crowned Princess is finally within her reach, but she finds that her heart really isn't with it. Plus, she can't deny who she really feels strongly for.

Nina's character is fleshed out more too. A new guy shows up that she's attracted to and when she finds out Jaime is in fact another prince--this time a Canadian prince-- she's caught off-guard and is leery of his true intentions.

Sam's impulsiveness and thinking outside of the box end up having her lose the title of HRH. She finds this hard at first, but a friendship with a former helper at the palace helps her with learning to be independent on her own. The scene in the local Costco where a young girl named after her is cute and shows how much Sam wants to see life outside of the confirms of the palace.

The one character I wanted more of had to be Prince Jeff. We see him mostly through other character's eyes. His relationship with Daphne is complex and built on a lie. I can see why Nina has a hard time accepting him rushing off to Daphne and not really being honest and upfront with the 'whys'.

Satisfying conclusion to the American Royals series. Royalty meets Gossip Girls with all the intrigue, drama, and romance. I'm sad to see these characters go!

A fun conclusion to the American Royals series! I was anxious to see how the author would wrap up the many lose ends that Rivals has created, but I am quite satisfied.