The Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue in this sweet, light, easy and comforting queer royal romance. A perfect book for fans of Young Royals to read on the beach this summer! The Rules of Royalty is a dual POV story following American Jamie who on his 17th birthday finds out that he’s in fact the son of king in a foreign country, and Erik, the spare of the neighboring kingdom who is doing his best to live by the strict rules set by his grandmother.
It felt quite a lot like The Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue. Very YA, very sweet, very light and easy. Compared to RWARB it didn’t have the same intensity, nor the same chemistry and yearning between the two love interests, but I nevertheless rooted for Jamie and Erik together. They were truly adorable and good for each other. I think the story could have benefited from a little more drama and emotions. It was a little too much telling not showing at times and the way Jamie just accepted his new reality without any real meltdowns was perhaps not the most believable thing. But sometimes you just need a sweet, modern day queer fairytale, and Cale Dietrich sure delivered that! All in all, this was a sweet and entertaining story about two princes from neighboring countries finding support, friendship and eventually love in each other, but also heartbreak and the need to figure out what’s worth fighting for. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC, which I have voluntarily reviewed. Rating: 3.5 stars rounding up to 4 Get your own copy: Author links Add to Goodreads Author info: Cale Dietrich
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This book completely blew me away! It was such an adorable and sweet, but also so heart-wrenching and gripping, story about two boy band members falling in love with each other and having to choose between risking the band and their whole careers or being allowed to be their true selves. It was also a terrifying tale showing the harsh realities of the music industry, as well as a wonderful tribute to loyalty and friendship. I read this book feverishly in one sitting, hoping for the HEA the main characters so deserved, but fearing that the evil manager or the characters themselves would cause a train wreck hindering that. The story follows the boy band ‘Saturday’ and its four members Ruben, Zach, Jon and Angel, as they head off to Europe for an overseas concert tour together with their strict management. Everything in their lives is planned and arranged in detail for the personas they’ve been typecasted for; the clothing (even in private), their hairstyles, who they’re allowed to talk to, and what they are allowed to say or do. To live up the mass-appeal demands, Ruben has been forced to hide being gay since he was sixteen, Angel has been forced to change his name, Jon has been forced to play on his sex appeal and Zach has been stopped from writing music the way he wants to. Basically, they are treated more as products than real people. That is, until the pressure just gets too high, and Zach starts to question his sexuality, Angel starts taking drugs and Ruben just can’t take any more of his mother’s ‘feedback’ and lying about who he really is. When things get weird between him and his secret crush Zach after a kiss one night with too much to drink, the foundation for the whole band starts to crack.
This was such an amazing book! It didn’t shy away from the darkness and trauma and the problems with the entertainment industry, but it was also a heartwarming, sweet and adorable story about love and unwavering friendship. I rooted so for all the four main characters, they all completely stole my heart in their own ways. They were so complex and wonderful and my heart ached for them, especially Ruben and Zach struggling with new feelings for each other and for their right to be together in open, but also for Jon always coming second after the business for his father, and Angel for not getting the help he so desperately needed. And the friendship between the four of them was truly amazing. Even though they fought, they always had each other’s backs. I loved the writing style and how the authors made us reader come along the four main characters’ journey from insecure, closeted, troublesome kids to young men finding their path. I also really appreciated the authentic way in which the pressure and objectification within the music industry was explored, showing the abuse of powers, the constant supervision, control and staging, the exhausting working conditions, the homophobia and marginalization of queer artists, and how young celebrities are kept isolated and risk to lose their sense of who they truly are. There were some parts that were almost too heartbreaking and I wanted to scream at the horrible persons responsible for the way the band members were treated. But there were also so many parts with hope and joy, amazing character developments, a swooning love story and, most of all, the important message that you are beautiful and wonderful just the way you are All in all, I absolutely loved this book and recommend it with all my heart! It was such a powerful story about accepting and being proud of who you are, for wanting things and for being brave enough to chase after those things no matter how scary it feels or how hard it might make your life. It dealt with difficult topics in an honest and realistic way, but it was also such an uplifting, heart-warming, sweet and emotional rollercoaster for a love story! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this gem! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 5 glorious stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Book Depository Author info: Sophie Gonzales Cale Dietrich |
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September 2023
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