Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales is another absolute win from one of my favorite authors! I’ve loved Sophie’s books for years, and this one proudly earns its spot on my shelf right next to the rest.

If you’re like me and have a soft spot for the “royal falls for a commoner” trope—this is your moment. Rose, a disgraced princess trying to rebuild her image, and Danni, a talented scholarship student with a heart of gold and a gift for music, are the kind of pairing that just works. Their chemistry is undeniable, their banter is fun, and the emotional depth behind their relationship had me turning pages like mad.

The Bi rep? Chef’s kiss, as always with Sophie’s stories. It’s nuanced, authentic, and just there in the best way—never a big dramatic plot point, but always beautifully woven in. I loved that this was an upper YA story with all the sweet, funny, dramatic, and genuinely emotional moments that come with messy first loves and high-stakes secrets.

There’s palace pressure, forbidden feelings, friendship drama, and one very charming slow-burn romance. These two are seriously so cute together—I was rooting for them the entire time.

A solid 4 beautifully queer stars from me and a brand-new YA favorite! 💖👑🎶

This one was tough, because I LOVE Sophie’s books and I’ve read almost all of them except one I think? And she says in the authors note that this is one of her first books, except it was turned away back when she was shopping it because they said there wasn’t a spot for it (publishing is nonsense 🙄) but since then there’s been a TON of similar books. So now it’s been published and it’s hard to not compare it to those other books.

I felt like they were trying to add things in that were slightly different to try and separate it from books like RWRB (not YA), Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters - both amazing books, Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (I haven’t read but it’s on my TBR), and I’m sure a bunch of other books I’m not aware of.

There Rose’s friend that died of a drug overdose that felt so out of place in this, Danni is a talented musician which adds nothing after a certain point in the book but we needed some reason for her to be at this school with rich people and royals and she had to be on a scholarship.

I didn’t NOT like this, I think it’s just unfortunate that it came out now instead of earlier, and I also feel like the author’s writing has grown so much with each novel she’s written that this just didn’t feel like her best.

If you’d like to start with this author, I recommend her other novels Never Ever Getting Back Together, Perfect on Paper, and Only Mostly Devastated.

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

NOBODY IN PARTICULAR was SO cute. i had so much fun with this one! the boarding school setting gave the story this perfect little bubble, but it also made the characters feel a bit older and more independent, even though their emotions and drama were very much high school (in a good way!!). i don’t usually gravitate toward royalty romances, so this was such a fun change of pace for me. the added pressure of being in the public eye, having to keep secrets, hide feelings, and worry about what counts as a “scandal” added so much tension to even the smallest moments.

there was a bit of a lull in the middle, and the conflict was resolved a little quicker than i expected, but it all still worked for the kind of story this was: sweet, dramatic in a teen way, and ultimately really heartwarming.

honestly?? you could pick this one up for the cover alone because LOOK AT IT.

I really enjoyed this. The romance was believable and the plot had twists I didn't see coming. I appreciated how a number of sensitive topics were handled by the author. The characters do read as very young, perhaps even younger at times than they are. It was slow to start and felt a little too long for the kind of story this is. However, overall, a very good story!

Sophie Gonzales is an auto-buy author for me and this book did not disappoint. I highly recommend for high school library collections, young adult readers, and anyone who enjoys the royal/regular trope. All the stars.

This book sort of had a nostalgic, Princess Diaries feel but make it sapphic. This was one of the sweetest YA romances I’ve ever read. I loved Rose and Danni and the relationship they had. They both had great character arcs. Just a great book all around.

4.5 stars
Nobody in Particular is a sapphic, royal x commoner, contemporary romance. The story is similar to others that have been told before, but what sets it apart is it's heart. Although the romantic plot of Nobody in Particular is very much an escapist fantasy, the story has depth. There are discussions about mental health, queer identity, homophobia and grief. So while the romantic in me devoured the plot, the critic in me really appreciated the topical themes. I'd recommend this book to any YA romance reader, but especially those who enjoyed Red, White and Royal Blue.

Commoner x Royal romances are amazing, and I'm glad I was able to read this one! I loved, LOVED the ending of the story. I did struggle a little with some of the high school-ness of the story, which honestly shows how well Gonzales wrote the book, as I'm an adult and not in high school. Actual high schoolers will absolutely see themselves in this book.

my first by this author, and i’m glad to say: GAY GAY GAY GAY!!! not only is this full of vivid, beautiful writing, but did i mention it’s gay? i adored rose and both of the girl’s arcs as they came together, and thought the chemistry and romance was spectacular, especially for a YA where these elements often feel muted. heavily recommend for anyone wanting sapphic royal romance!

Really wholesome book. I appreciated the lack of smut in this book as it makes it easier to add to my classroom! I like the messages of being true to yourself and responsibilities beyond ourselves but that at the end of the day we are only responsible to ourselves. I liked that none of the characters were really that corrupt or mean to each other!!

Danni gets to go to a boarding school and is “no body in particular” due to her class but that doesn’t stop danni being the new girl from America.

We learn about Molly and rose’s past which OOF crazy, do look up trigger warnings.

Of course Rose and danni hit it off but since rose is royalty it makes it difficult (Ross is a lesbians and danni a bi sexual,) <spoiler>especially when a certain “Prince Charming” is making things difficult along with roses family</spoiler>

Normally I’d find comfort in this sort of rom-com with rather predictable events and characters, but I ultimately do not like one of the main characters and find it hard to root for their relationship. The serious subject matter doesn’t have enough romance or humor to balance it for my taste. While I’ve read and reread other Gonzales titles (If This Gets Out, Only Mostly Devastated), this one was okay but just wasn’t for me.

I thought this one was cute while also dealing with some darker topics. I liked the two main characters but Rose did take some warming up to. Having the book be dual POV helped a lot with that. There were some moments were I was pretty annoyed with Rose and her old friends because they were avoiding talking about the issues from their past. If everyone would just communicate it would all work out! Overall a good read with cute moments and annoying moments. If you like boarding school and royalty romances then you should check this one out.

content warning: homophobia, forced outing, death by overdose

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Nobody in Particular is the first book I’ve read by Sophie Gonzales.

It is very well written and hit the spot for a queer royal romance. The characters are well developed and three dimensional.

I would recommend this romance for anyone hankering for some royal romance.

This was such an enjoyable YA sapphic forbidden romance, featuring a disgraced princess and a musically talented scholarship student thrown together in an elite boarding school. We get yearning, slow burn, grief, awkwardness, and some wonderful character growth.

Danni is the scholarship student, enrolled at Bramppath College in the fictional kingdom of Henland after being ruthlessly bullied at her prior school. Rose is our beautiful and sarcastic princess, trying to repair her reputation after a scandalous tragedy. Rose takes Danni under her wing, complicating her pr situation as rumors begin to spread about their relationship.

I really enjoyed the communication between characters in this, and the complex relationships fleshed out with the side characters. I loved Rose’s development that went from suppressing her feelings due to grief and royal expectations, to just letting herself experience and honestly putting it all out there with everyone in her orbit.

I had to let go of realism a bit with how it all was resolved, but it did make this story such a hopeful, enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the gifted book!

I love Sophie Gonzalez to the moon and back. Her first book gave me all the feels and so I was very excited for this one. I think she does characterization so well. Nobody is perfect in these books and it really shines as giving depth to her story. She does psychic yearning so well. I genuinely look forward to everything she publishes

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Content warnings from reviewers on Storygraph: Graphic: Outing, Drug use, Alcohol; Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Bullying; Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Miscarriage

Nobody in Particular is a YA sapphic romance set at a boarding school. The story is told from two points of view: Danni and Princess Rose. There are complex dynamics with friendships in this novel, and I loved how the author tackled some difficult subjects. The characters actively work through hard things which is another positive of this book. I also appreciated the fact that this book takes place for about half the school year instead of an insta-romance.

There’s enough tension in the plot in this medium-paced story to keep the reader engaged. I loved the LGBTQIA element. One of the young ladies was royalty. In some way, this reminded me of the American Royals series a little bit.

Overall, a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to the Young Adult audience.

Ugh, I really don't want to talk about this book. I absolutely ADORE Sophie Gonzales' books, and the synopsis sounded right up my alley. However, I really did not like this, sadly enough.
It started of fine enough. I did really like the set up. I also quite liked the banter between Rose and Danni. The personal storylines for both of them also just seemed very dramatic but interesting as well. It was all set up for a good time for me.
However, when we actually get into the romance this book started to go downhill for me. I think the romance was just extremely underdeveloped. Their feelings for each other came completely out of nowhere. Considering this book does kind of have a forbidden romance vibe but all that tension was undercut by the fact that the romance just came so out of nowhere. How am I supposed to believe that these two would give up everything for each other when 2 pages ago they didn't even have any interest in each other? Huh?
That definitely didn't get better as the book went on though. It made the characters just read EXTREMELY overdramtic and quite self centered as well. They really got on my nerves in the second half of this book, and I went from just being underwhelmed to actively disliking these books. I ended up rolling my eyes so much, and even some logic with plot twists and such just didn't make any sense to me. It was so full of holes. I also hated the way Molly was treated in this book. She honestly made A LOT of great points but because they were just slightly critical about our main characters/their relationship she was gaslit into being the bad guy. It got on my nerves so much. Anyway, I hate to say that I disliked this book. I really did not want to. However, it just sadly is the truth for me.

Dani is an American just beginning her term as the new girl in a boarding school in the European country of Henland. Rose is the Hennish princess. They do not get along. Until they really really do. But Rose’s ex-best friend claims Dani as her new bestie, and there’s paparazzi stalking the princess and her acquaintances around every corner because of a scandal that changed all of their lives – and not everyone wants Rose to be forgiven. Dani has to find her place in this new country and choose to either fight her growing attraction to royalty – or give into the drama that comes with it.

This a cute, sapphic romance with a side of friendship, serious, and very royal dynamics. I really enjoyed Sophie Gonzales’s Never Ever Getting Back Together and was excited for another contemporary YA romance; while Nobody in Particular didn’t grip me quite as much as that one, it’s super easy to read and I found myself getting quite invested in the romance aspect. Dani and Rose are stubborn and endearing and it was quite easy to root for them to overcome their plethora of obstacles so they could be together.

There are a couple darker topics lightly touched upon here, and I do think there’s just enough focus on them for a YA, even if my twenty-something heart would have appreciated a bit more depth where they are concerned.

Overall, this is a great contemporary installment for YA audiences with some much needed representation and just enough ooey-gooey feelings to make you believe in the good of humanity for a moment.

Content warning: underage drinking and smoking, homophobia, drug overdosing, death.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4/5 stars

✧ Sapphic
✧ Forbidden romance
✧ Boarding school setting
✧ Themes of identity & acceptance
✧ TWs: outing, bullying, homophobia, substance abuse & overdose

When I saw that this book was essentially Young Royals but sapphic, I knew I had to read it! The premise is very similar: a closeted princess falls in love with the new girl at her boarding school, and must contend with hiding her true self for the sake of her country. I definitely wouldn’t call this a rom-com—alongside the very sweet romance, the story focuses a lot on themes of identity, duty, and homophobia, and has quite high stakes. Overall, I thought that this was hard-hitting in all the right places, but was also filled with so much heart and love.

In this story, we follow two POVs: Princess Rosemary (or “Rose”) and Danni Blythe, the new scholarship student at Bramppath boarding school. Both are dealing with their own past trauma, but as their friendship blossoms into something deeper, they must also figure out how to navigate a romantic relationship where neither is out as queer, and one is the future queen of a Catholic country. Outside of their romance, I really enjoyed seeing each of their characters develop throughout the story, as Danni comes out of her shell and Rose learns to accept her emotions. The romance was intense and all-consuming in the way that a lot of teenage first loves are. One of my biggest issues with the book, however, is how quickly they started their romantic relationship after having very little build-up of their feelings for each other. Once they were together, though, I loved how they were able to stick together through the turmoil associated with their relationship and support one another.

The themes of queer acceptance, coming out, religion, and healing explored in this story were really well done. They were handled with realism, but also grace, which I believe is an important balance, especially in a YA novel. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, mostly because of the slightly rushed romance and also the slightly uninteresting setting (although I’m mostly a fantasy reader, so this opinion is pretty biased). Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy your romance books with a little bit of substance and stakes, but is still a fun reading experience!