3.5 stars for Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales.

When I saw Young Royals x Red, White, and Royal Blue I SPRINTED to Netgalley! I had such high hopes for this book but it fell short in a few aspects for me.

The things I loved:
1. How sweet the romance was! It was just UGH! It really encapsulated the feelings of having a crush and not knowing how to go about it. Something so sweet about young love.
2. The setting & supporting characters. The setting was amazing. I love a good academic/ boarding school moment- VERY young royals! The supporting characters were so dynamic and creative- I really loved some of them.
3. THE MENTION OF UNDERAGE DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE AND PREVENTION! This book handled a delicate situation with so much care it broke my heart in the best way. Thank you, Sophie Gonzales for writing about this topic with so much care! I wish more people spoke up about the effects of underage consumption.
4. The LGBGQ+ rep and openness within the writing. They had very real concerns, fears, and hopes and it felt true to the time. I found it comforting!


Now for some things I didn’t love:
1. The pacing- the book felt quite long for only being 352 pages. It sort of dragged a bit.
2. The conflict. I felt like it was a bit unnecessary- I don’t want to go into too much detail but it felt a little much.
3. The name of the country…Henland..I’m sorry this is so nit picky but I CANT😭😭 The politics that controlled this country felt quite confusing to me. I would have either liked more about it to fill in the gaps or less to erase it all together. Both would have made it easier to understand in my opinion.

Thank you Wednesday Books & Netgalley for the ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5

i don't read much YA, so i wasn't sure what i was getting in to regarding writing and character behavior in this book, but i was pleasantly surprised! both pov characters of danni and rose were written distinctly, and the writing style was easy to read and follow, and fit along with the demographic well. i liked the internalizations of both characters, and seeing their growth from both perspectives. i loved the LGBTQ representation, especially with our main characters, and their very realistically depicted fears and hopes regarding their sexualities and relationship.

i also liked the realistic displays of grief, conflict and trauma that are shown in all of the relationships, especially in regard to rose and molly. i feel like the ages of the characters and their maturity levels were well done, which was one of my early concerns reading YA. and though a lot of things read a bit juvenile, it's the point, and i enjoyed the point!

** some spoilers below, continue with caution! **

one major issue i had with this was that the politics of the world confused me. the story takes place in Henland, a fictional european country where people speak english (think Genovia from princess diaries), a setting which i found interesting overall. however, early into the story it's established that there are several anti-monarchy groups in the country, and that the royal family are basically symbolic at this point. but rose, the Henland princess, wants to do great things in her life and for her people, and assumes being queen will let her. but how? we basically never explore any of this, or why Henland, a majority-catholic country, is fine with having a lesbian crown princess when everyone in the entire book (who knew about rose's identity) was like, no, that's just not going to happen. it was all very surface level, "it's fine" resolutions, which is a bit disappointing. i think it would have served better to not include any of the political elements if they were going to be so easily resolved, or ignored altogether.

also, the extremely shocking situation surrounding oscar's death revealed at the beginning of the book. i was just surprised by the intensity of this, especially given that there was already so many heavy topics to be explored within other parts of the narrative, like coming out/being outed and the myriad difficulties surrounding that. i don't really know why *this* was the subject matter included, especially when there is little to no exploration of substance use/abuse outside of this incident. it just overall felt like a weird, strange lift from gossip girl (where an almost direct parallel incident happens at the end of s1, and DOES make sense given how those characters act all of the time) placed into a story without the structure to support it.

** end spoilers **

This is a super sweet and sometimes heartbreaking queer romance for fans who loved Red White and Royal Blue and Young Royals.

Rose is the princess of a European country, next in line for the throne, and Danni is an American living abroad and attending boarding school for the first time in her life. The two don't instantly gravitate towards each other, each has pretty set notions of the other before they meet, and are struggling with their own problems. Rose is in the midst of a scandal that has cost her some dear friends, while Danni is just trying to survive as a fish out of water with a lot of baggage from her last school trailing after her. The last thing they could have expected was finding love with each other, but it happens anyway.

This is definitely a book for yearners, and that's what makes it great. Rose and Danni are both very aware of who they are, but nothing comes easy in this relationship, even before the publicity angle comes into play. But it's clear on every page just how much they want to make it work, and their relationship is beautifully written. It's also very easy to love the characters surrounding them, especially Molly, who could have carried her own book just as easily.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled so hard to get into this book.

i thought the premise was good and i was very intrigued by it, but i just felt bored and kept putting it down, it took me so so long to finish it

First off, I would like to say I loved the way this book was a coming of age story focused on loving yourself, facing your fears, not being oppressed by the media or others opinions of you. Then, It was simultaneously able to tackle the much heaver topic of grief, and trauma of seeing your best friend die in front of you.
The characters were well rounded and complex. I really got invested in their lives, pasts, and the drama of friendship. Sophie Gonzales did a fantastic job of making the characters feel like teenagers going through a hard time and doing their best not to show it. In particular the way Rose went about hiding her emotions felt very real, as well as the way Dani described bullying from her past school which lead to her developing a fear of being misperceived. These things made it very easy for me to connect with the characters on an emotional level. I also appreciated how the author was able to make this a two perspective story while staying in the first person the entire time, it definitely made it more easy to fall into the story.
The plot was a little slow to start off with but by the time I made it about 30% through the speed had picked up significantly. (It’s important that you push through the first bit, I promise it will be worth it.) I can’t say too much without giving away the entire plot, but once the end rolled around I was so relieved that Dani and Rose got the closest thing to a ‘happily ever after’ one can hope for in their day and age. They absolutely deserve it and I just wanted to give them a big hug for being so brave.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me the opportunity to read this heart warming romance ahead of publication.

The pacing of this book was spot on, and made it easy to breeze through in 2 sittings. This was my first YA sapphic romance and it did not disappoint. The piano scene was one of my favorites throughout the book and felt really special. Both girls had solid character development but Rose's was the most special to experience. The sarcasm and banter were spot-on and made it all the more enjoyable, as did the dual POV (always appreciative of this). I definitely need to go back and read more of Sophie's books!

This is such a spectacular, special book. A shining new entry into the canon of queer royal romances! I loved seeing Danni and Rose fall for each other and how they each helped the other grow and change. I just loved this read so much!

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first read from Sophie Gonzales and I’ll definitely be back for more! The friendships of this book were beautiful and real, full of moments of joy and hurt and, ultimately, love. The romance that blossoms between Rose and Danni is lovely and warm. While the plot may feel a little idealized, I am more than willing to enact suspension of disbelief for this heartwarming story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly loved the concept and the cover, but unfortunately, the book didn’t really work for me. I just couldn’t get into the writing style, and everything just felt a little flat. That being said, I think a lot of readers will have fun with this story and enjoy the tropes and twists at the end.

What a beautiful book! Possibly Sophie Gonzales’ best yet? It’s funny and exciting and well-paced and there’s a real mystery in there, too. I do wish Gonzales would engage more deeply with the idea of abolishing the monarchy. Rose feels fully realized in a way Danni doesn’t––a recurring weakness in Gonzales’ work––though not enough to pull the reader out of the story. The narrative would also benefit from more time spent between the protagonists and their parents. Still, an absolute banger!

A delightful royal sapphic romance. A darker than expected take on a romcom that deals with difficult issues in a gentle but realistic manner.

Pros:
-bisexual rep
-slow burn friends to lovers romance between Rose and Danni
-the difference in trauma responses between Rose and Molly that led to a believable and understandable conflict between the pair
-exploring class differences and the power/manipulation of social media, parasocial relationships, and PR
-level of spice for a YA book

A cute story that addresses the stress parents could place on their children regarding meeting expectations, grief, and character growth that allows the characters to stand up for themselves. The entire time I was rooting for each of the different characters we met and fell in love with all the girls who were just trying their best given the circumstances handed to them. A well written story with some fun plot twists that thankfully get the happy ending that everyone deserves.

Actual rating: 4.25 stars

There are not many additions to the world of sapphic royal romance in a society where everyone wants the prince to bang the new boy in town. I am very familiar with queer royal romance and have consumed a fair bit of it, but never a lesbian centered story. Sophie Gonzales’ has filled her bibliography with queer romances that touch on many identities with a strong focus on bisexuality. While I have never read one of Gonzales’ novels until I stumbled upon Nobody in Particular, I had never been interested in branching into her works, they didn’t have the focus I want to see in queer romance typically. However, her style of writing is so beautiful, and the way she constructed the plot of Nobody in Particular was like nothing I have ever read. I might just have to dip my toes into an achillean romance to see what Gonzales does with her masculine characters.

One thing that I absolutely adored about this book was the pacing. Almost every major plot point felt right for where the characters were at in their lives, nothing felt too rushed. I was easily able to follow the story and keep up with the conflict that was introduced without feeling overwhelmed. Without getting into spoilers, I was also incredibly glad when a certain trope that almost every romance novel has now did not appear, and the part where that trope usually happens was focused on a bigger conflict for the characters. Thank you, Sophie, for your hard work, Jesus Christ.

Alternatively, though, I was a little underwhelmed by the characterizations of the characters and the main resolution of each of their flaws. Yes, I am fully aware that this is a YA novel so of course the conflict between a queer YA romance will be very childish. That is not my problem. I have an issue with the backgrounds of the characters. Danni’s past isn’t described all that much, so when names start appearing, I feel a disconnect from her. The main conflict that Rose faces is very serious, but it is not given the serious attention that I think it should be given. If there had been a bit more time spent with the conflicts of the main characters, I might have enjoyed this novel better. I also think that the friendship between Danni and Elanor is told rather than shown, and I could not buy that relationship at all.

The good highly outweighs the bad, though, and Gonzales has created a sapphic royal romance that will leave you wanting more of Danni and Rose long after you turn the last page.

i don’t normally read YA romances, however, this sapphic, coming-of-age story hit all the right chords (get it?? cause danni is a pianist? … i’ll see myself out).

Nobody in Particular follows our FMCs, danni & rose, as they navigate first loves, secrets, grief, royal drama, & boarding school. i went into this expecting a cute little palate cleanser, and while it definitely delivered on that, the story was also delightfully more complex than i originally anticipated. the second half of the book had me on the edge of my seat! and that plot twist!!!

i adored these characters - danni & rose seemed so authentic in their feelings for each other. the yearning!!! danni’s piano scene made my heart swell and i may have shed a few happy tears. rose’s character development was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. she changes so much throughout the story and i loved seeing that unfold. my only complaint is that i wish we could have seen her cope/heal more from past trauma.

the side characters in this story were just as well written as the main characters, especially molly. i liked that they each had their own solid personalities/emotions, actually played important roles in the plot, and didn’t feel like an afterthought.

i thoroughly enjoyed this novel! all of the royal drama & secrets kept me on my toes, while the sweet love story kept my heart melting!

thank you to netgalley and st. martin’s press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the pining, the secret romance, the boarding school aspect and all the side characters were great. It reminded me of books I used to read back in the day but with a modern twist. I didn’t see THAT ending coming with a particular character but it was satisfying seeing everything come together. My only “critique” and barely because I didn’t even realize until after I finished, I wish we saw more of Danni’s life. Something like going home for a weekend or a phone call here and there with her mom or Rachel would’ve been nice.

Princess Rose of Henland was involved in a scandal that affected her public image and relationship with her best friend. In an effort to repair her image, she avoids any distractions. Everything seems to be going according to plan until she meets the cute new girl, Danni.

Danni moves to Henland to attend Bramppath College on a music scholarship. As the new student, she’s concerned about being bullied by the wealthy students, but she befriends Molly, the ex-best friend of Princess Rose. 

The book description pulled me in, and it was an okay ready for me. It has all the angst and uncertainty that comes with the teen years, but I feel like the flow could’ve been better. The sarcasm was executed well and it had some funny moments. All in all, it was a cute and forbidden romance. 


I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an ARC.

I love this love story, and it was everything that I needed right now.

The dual POV (thank you!) and the light writing style kept me coming back to the book again and again. I loved Danni immediately but also quickly understood Rose and loved her as well.

I did not feel that this story was "too YA" at all, considering that I rarely read the age range anymore, I loved that. But understand that this book is perfect for that age range as well. The coming out story took me back to my own days in high school, how unsure of everything but also so over hiding everything at the same time.

The novel touches on several things beyond sexuality, including trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression; mostly without labeling anything at all so it was more seamless in my mind as to how it would be in reality.

The touch of parasocial relationships to not only Rose but also Molly, who is an influencer are quite timely.

This novel is quite sweet without being obnoxious. It will appeal to a wide range of people (teens and adults, alike).

I really enjoyed this novel very much. Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication.

One thing about Sophie Gonzalez is I'm going to love her books. 'Nobody in Particular' explores themes of identity, self-discovery, and the pressures of public life. The characters are richly developed; Rose's journey from a guarded royal to a young woman embracing her truth is particularly compelling. Danni's perspective offers a grounding contrast, highlighting issues of class and belonging. Their romance is tender and authentic, resonating with the intensity of first love.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book!

4.5⭐️
Wow, just wow.

I’ve always loved Sophie Gonzalez’s books and how well they represent bisexuality (I LOVED Never Ever Getting Back Together and Perfect on Paper), and this book was no exception!

I connected very closely with Danni, and Rose’s character development was just amazing. The story was a little far-fetched at points, but still overall believable.

Overall, I’m so glad I picked up this book, and you should read it too!!

3 stars. This author just isn’t for me. This is the second book I’ve read by her and the writing style doesn’t work for me at all. It feels so stilted. While I can acknowledge that there were some heavy things in this book I didn’t care because I was never emotionally invested in any of the characters or their story. The romance between Rose and Danni was fine. I did think that they had good chemistry but some of the drama felt a bit forced. Overall, I could see this being a hit with younger audiences or people who are already big fans of this author but for me it left me feeling pretty numb about it unfortunately.