This book is cute, exactly what it says on the tin. But to enjoy it you have to suspend your disbelief beyond human comprehension.

There really is nothing to hate about this book, it can be very enjoyable but it was not much for me. I found the characters boring, and the extremely low stakes of the book made it so I couldn't feel that their character arcs were meaningful enough to feel something for them.

(It was also overwhelmingly plain in the approach to culture, which is something that as much as I tried, couldn't get past when this fictional's country language seems to be Spanish, my native language)

To me, many could enjoy this and love this, knowing this is exactly what it says on the tin, a sort of Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue in a world where the stakes are as low as they can get.

THOUGHTS

I mean, this book is exactly what you think it's going to be: a fluffy royal romance. Which isn't a bad thing at all. It is what it promises, and that's that.


PROS
Cute: These characters might not have out-of-this-world chemistry, but they sure are cute together. They compliment each other well. And I really like that their mutual attraction isn't something that they lie about, at least not to themselves. They both recognize they're attracted to the other; there's no denying that attraction. There's no fighting against it, except externally.

Max's Music: I adored the side plot with Jaime's best friend and her music aspirations. I enjoyed the struggle these besties faced as both of their lives change. I enjoy the way that they have to figure out how to live with each other now, in their new reality. It was a nice side plot to have, something bittersweet and lovely brewing in the background.

Support System: Jamie doesn't head off to Mitanor alone. His parents, those who adopted him, come right along with him. And when he's got questions and concerns, they're good sounding boards, even if they don't exactly have experience in this particularly royal arena. And I loved that they're there for him, that he's got this kind of support, because supportive parents are so rare in YA.


CONS
Royal Objection?: I get it. There has to be some tension. There has to be some reason why Jamie and Erik aren't just a couple as soon as they hit it off. But this reason just didn't make sense to me. You're telling me the objection to this match from these royal families is really this strong? Sure, Jamie's an American, but he's also a prince, so... I just didn't get it, and every "reason" given felt a little lackluster to me.

Breaking Escapism: Royal romance like this is purely escapist literature, right? Nobody's picking up a romance like this looking to really dig into the nature of royalty and wealth disparity, right? Like, we get that. But that's all real world stuff, not the reason we're reading a book like this. So when Erik whines about his problems, we're right there with him. We don't need him to justify himself. We don't need him to acknowledge that he's so much better off than most of the world. We know that; we don't want to linger on it. Every time that sort of fourth-wall was broken, the real world reality of royalty and obscene wealth brought in, well, the whole point of the book faltered. Because the point is to escape into fluffy romance, and engaging with a question as big as wealth disparity is... not escapist in the slightest.

Character Integrity: I don't know. Jamie doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be fully okay with a secret relationship. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be totally okay with his whereabouts being shared on social without his permission. And the fact that he lets these things slide, even when he expresses reservations about this stuff earlier in the book, just feels inconsistent. There were plot reasons... but there should be character reasons, too. Consistent ones.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries will like diving into this life of an American royal. Those who enjoyed Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue will love stepping into this queer royal romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC! On his seventeenth birthday, Jamie Johnson discovers that he is a prince. His mother was from a noble family and fell in love with the prince of her country, Mitanor, but she always longed for a "normal" life. Before she passed away, she made a request of her best friend to raise Jamie away from the rules of royalty until her was old enough to decide for himself. Now he has a new royal family and sets off on a summer vacation to meet his father and see if he wants the life of a prince. His father also sets him up with a friend/tutor in the ways of royaly, Erik Lindstrom, the "spare" prince of a northern European country. Erik is struggling with his role as his family wants him to appear settled by dating a determined partner. Jamie and Erik connect (mostly via text) but when they meet in person sparks fly. What follows is a blend of My Fair Lady meets the Princess Diaries. It's uber sweet and readers will root for Jamie and Erik!

This was a very cute book, low stakes, somewhat unbelievable, but that’s always the case with fake royalty and made up countries, but sometimes that’s just what you need, low stakes and happy endings. Erik and Jamie were so cute together and I really liked that there was no misunderstandings and they all worked through their feelings.

◇I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.◇

I went into this book unaware that it was YA but after learning such news, this book made way more sense in terms of writing. It was a cute little read and definitely easy to finish. My main concern was the lack of chemistry I felt between the MCs. Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cale Dietrich, author of The Rules of Royalty, was a new find for me on NetGalley. The engaging cover caught my eye, and I was lucky enough to receive an early release. On the plane ride home from California this weekend, I dove in and read the entire novel. A boy turns 17 and learns his father's identity... the king of a small country nestled between Spain and France. Alternating chapters, the second son of a royal family in a nearby country is asked to mentor the new prince. By lucky, he's also gay and thus their love story begins.

What I love best about this book - it's not a trope! I assumed there would be immediate conflict, or a story scandalizing their connection... but it's just a slowly growing relationship that begins with a a favor and ends with love. I adore both the characters and their families, tho the queen got on my nerves a bit. The author, rightfully so, ignores all the reasons why this could never happen, and instead leans into the tenets of a fairy tale.

I enjoyed being up close to watch this relationship build, and while it's hard to prove why love should win in a book when you've only a few hours in the read, this one does a remarkable job. I think I shed a tear or two while reading it, mostly because I'm a sentimental fool who secretly (not so secretly) learns to live the life of a romantic hero?

My only issue... and not quite that big, is they are so young. At 17, do you really understand well enough yet to choose your life partner? It's possible; I'm just a bit pragmatic (jaded?) and doubtful. Doesn't take away from this being a feel-good, entertaining book. And now I'm checking out the author's backlog to decide if I want to read more or just keep on going with future releases. Any fans out there want to help me decide?

This book is, like a gender-swapped "Princess Diaries" meets "Red, White & Royal Blue" and "A Tale of Two Princes." It's completely adorable, full of compelling language that leaves me so intrigued to continue reading from chapter to chapter. This book, told in dual points of view, reads quite quickly, and my God, these two boys are just like the ultimate sweeties. Like, it was just too damn cute all-around. I couldn't put this book down, making it one of those polish-off-in-a-day-book vibes. Plus, the characters were just so authentic and relatable, if you excuse the whole prince of a foreign country bit. It's so precious and adorable, and just, like, a wholesome queer, YA royal romance. What more could you want?

The Rules of Royalty is like The Princess Diaries if Mia Thermopolis was a gay 17-year-old boy. I thank God every day that I lived long enough to write a sentence like the previous one.

If you're into YA queer romance with a royalty trope, this one is for you. I didn't realize exactly HOW YA it was going to be, but that's on me.

<i>Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.</i>

This was such a cute read! I wasn’t expecting it to be so enjoyable with such lovable characters.

The story is told in alternating perspectives of the hidden Prince of Mitanor, Jamie Johnson and the spare Prince of Sunstad, Erik Von Rosenberg. Where one has lived as a prince his whole life, the other is informed on his seventeenth birthday and whisked into the royal lifestyle. As Erik is tasked with tutoring Jamie to become acquainted with the royal lifestyle, their feelings start changing and decisions must be made to get the future they desire.

Honestly speaking this is a very happy book. The drama in this book mostly revolves around Jamie and Erik’s relationship and every other drama is resolved cleanly without much hassle. It probably doesn’t have the most realistic representation but I liked its fluffy tone and overall warmth. There also aren’t any villains in this story. There are only people who care in their own way and those who make mistakes as humans. Jamie and Erik don’t hold them in any negative light which shows just how understanding and kind they are.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the communication between Jamie and Erik. They were both clear on what they wanted, knew how they were acting and communicated this to each other. There was no unnecessary drama between them. It was heartwarming to read about such a healthy relationship even if it was instant love that developed exponentially over a few days.

The writing in this book is quite easy and simple to follow. I enjoyed how the characters’ backgrounds, personalities and other facts were weaved into the story. That said, it was sometimes hard to differentiate between Erik and Jamie’s voices. They sounded too similar but maybe that’s what love is. I hear love changes people similar to their significant other.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable read. This may not have had the most realistic or believable approaches but I loved it nonetheless. It’s simply romance with an innocence and I enjoyed how everyone was accepting and kind. It’s definitely a good read when you’re in a slump or need a pick-me-up!

I enjoyed the plot, liked the book's premise, and didn't mind the swapped perspectives because it was done well. I was excited about the YA romance inspired by The Princess Diaries and read the book with my teenage godson. I loved that Jamie and Erik's family and friends were supportive of them especially as they're hitting adulthood. I would have liked a tad more from King Alexander & Queen Maria because Jamie's birth story along with his bio-mom deserved to be told a bit more, no doubt it would have had a tremendous impact on Jamie. Jamie's friends also could have been included a bit more because they seem fascinated, especially Max!

It would have been a 4 star read but the last chapter and epilogue felt flat and rushed for me. ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read! I loved this whole red white and royal blue vs princess diaries vibe going on. Thanks to the team at net gallery and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Seventeen year old, Jamie, just found out that he is a prince of a small (nonexistent) European country. Since, he does not know how to be a prince, his father, the king, asks the spare prince of a neighboring country to be his mentor. Erik is the perfect prince for the job and he could use a break from his family’s strict control of his life. Of course, romance blooms between the two as they try to figure out their roles as spare heirs. This is just a really sweet young adult romance. While not super well written, the author does excel at demonstrating the yearning between the two. This was just a nice read. I received a digital copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I absolutely adore "suddenly royal" stories, and this one did not disappoint! Coming of age stories that show non-traditional people in familiar plotlines (with a twist!) are so important in this day and age.

Ugh. I was so ready to love this. It’s like a mix of Red, White, and Royal Blue and Boyfriend Material (two of my faves).

Unfortunately, this fell way short for me. There were a couple major issues I had with it. One was that I felt like this book couldn’t decide if it was middle-grade or YA. I guess it’s a subtle difference. It felt like young middle-grade in writing style, but pushing YA with some of the themes/actions.

My biggest issue, though, was the dual POV. Normally I don’t mind this. However, the way it was done in this book took away any tension (which is one thing that would have made this book a little better).

We basically get both characters POVs for every scene, so there’s no tension, no aching; we know they are both growing to like the other one, struggling with those feelings and whether or not to act on them, and pining. There was no mystery, no tension. To me, it just made the book, unfortunately, rather boring.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy (ARC)!

I fully saw the covers of this book and my mind automatically jumped to Red, White, and Royal Blue . I read the summary and still had the same idea but I loved RWRB so I decided to delve in. I want to say sorry because this story is its own. It was labeled as young adult which I usually stray away from but I really was in the mood for something easy and simple. This story delivered that in spades. This was literally gay princess diaries and heaven knows, I love that movie so my interest was at an all-time high. I did enjoy the story simply because it was simple. It was very light-hearted and digestible which was something I needed at the time. I would have loved more angst and tension but that is just a personal preference on my end.

I was intrigued by The Rules of Royalty's marketing blurb as Princess Diaries meets Red White and Royal Blue, and it mostly delivered. Erik and Jamie bring some nice sparks, and having a dual POV gives readers a better understanding of each character's motivations and personality. I particularly enjoyed the chapters from Erik's POV--maybe it's because I'm a Scandiphile and the culture of Sunstad is more relatable to me than either Jamie's diner-food-and-punk-rock American upbringing or the Mitanorian festivals and ceremonies. Or maybe he just felt more mature, where Jamie seemed (perhaps intentionally) a little like a kid who has been given run of the candy store.

However, my main issue with the novel is that Jamie is just plain annoying, and a few minor characters are one-dimensional caricatures. Maybe because the first chapter seems like it got skipped in edits (disobeying the cardinal writing rule of "show don't tell" in describing Jamie's friends and a major background info-dump), if you can get past that into Erik's POV the writing dramatically improves. But Jamie's chapters remain a little stiff and I had a hard time empathizing with him, and his conflict with his best friend Max over her music career was predictable and gets wrapped up way too neatly. Erik is a much more nuanced character, though his fake "boyfriend" Sebastian is a cardboard cutout of greed and vanity who I am glad gets the boot almost immediately.

Despite these flaws, this is an engaging, light read with a happy ending for both main characters.

4/5 stars.

Two princes from neighboring countries fall in love and must decide what to do. sweet quick read. I read in two afternoons.

I've really liked Cale Dietrich's writing, particularly If This Gets Out with Sophie Gonzalez. Dietrich is very skilled at characterization; he knows how to make his characters multi-dimensional. He makes his characters believable. He knows how to make lovable protagonists that readers invest their energies shipping. Even the background characters and villains tend to have color and spice.

The premise of this book is going to draw the rather intense fan base of Young Royals if the word about this book gets out on TikTok. The premise has much in common with Young Royals in that a prince and a person who grew up a commoner meet and fall in love. It's also not a knock off of Young Royals or The Princess Diaries in the sense that Jamie learns he is actually a prince. He embraces the role and is quite good at it. He becomes even better with the tutelage of Prince Erik. The two have amazing chemistry and fall deeply for each other with all the intensity of first love, despite the facts that they are forbidden to be a couple and Jamie's adopted family and friends are expecting him back in the States,

I enjoyed getting to know Erik and Jamie and seeing how they'd fit together and overcome obstacles. I expect many Young Royals fans will make this book their comfort book and comfort characters.

And yet... I think Dietrich's editors let him drop the ball somewhat. Gen Z readers are pretty sophisticated and ... indulged. This book requires a great deal of world building, specifically creating two believable small European countries from nothing. The book needed more thoughtful detail here, and some readers are going to expect it. . A palace and a garden and a climate like Spain wasn't quite enough to transport me somewhere else, especially when they all sounded pretty American at times.. . Also, Jamie's relationships with his newly discovered biological families feels rushed.

Still, it's a great premise and a good read. Most YA queer lit readers will love it. It's good. It just had the potential to be more.

Absolutely stunning! Such lovable charcaters. This story tugged at the heartstrings for sure. I love the way the storyline played out and I'd love to read more. This was my first book by this author and I can't wait to read the others. Love the royal storyline. Highly recommend!

Amazing book wil definitely recommend to friends and family. Love the character development and plot line