American Royals by Katharine McGee

This was such a fun, witty and addictive reimagination of American history into an alternative world where General George Washington was crowned after the Revolutionary War, and there’d been an American royal family ever since. It didn’t use the plotline as such to really add something new to the political discussion, but it was a highly enjoyable, feisty and entertaining soap opera with so much drama that I was completely hooked from the very first page!

The story follows the three royal siblings Crown Princess Beatrice and the younger twins Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson, as well as their closest friends Nina and Jefferson’s ex girlfriend Daphne, and was told through their alternating POVs. There wasn’t that much of a plot to be honest, but more than enough drama nevertheless, with love triangles, secret relationships, scheming, jealousy and confusion, to keep up the suspense. I really enjoyed the different personalities of the characters (except one) and to get all of their individual stories. My favorite was definitely Beatrice and her struggles with everyone’s expectations and being forced into a life by birth, not by choice, and how she was raised to always put America’s best before her own.

“From now on, you are two people at once: Beatrice the girl, and Beatrice, heir to the Crown. When they want different things, the Crown must win. Always.”

I really appreciated how the not-so-glamorous sides to being royal were showed, and the discussions on gender inequality and sexism within monarchies. I think the story would have benefited from one less POV, to be able to go a bit deeper into the other three character’s stories, and if both Samantha’s and Beatrice’s romances could have been given some more building-up time. As it was now, we were suddenly told that they were in love, but didn’t really get to experience the awakening of the feelings. Especially in Samantha’s case it felt very unrealistic that one kiss would make her head over heels in love and certain that ‘he’ (keeping it vague to not risk any spoilers) was the big love of her life. I would have liked some more early interactions between them to make the romance believable.

But overall, this was a fun, fast-paced, highly enjoyable and completely addictive story that reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl in the way it was told. It’s not a book that will stay on your mind for long, but it was certainly good entertainment for the moment, and I can’t wait to continue this series!

Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Katharine McGee