Level: YA
Recommended Age: 16+
Genres: Romance, Drama
Tags: Diversity, Fake relationship, Royalty, Sisters, Social media
Mature Content:

  - -Moderate sexuality: Multiple kissing scenes, partial nudity, allusions to sex, examples of sexism.

  - - Mild violence: Brief use of fear.

  - - Mild language: Minimal swearing and some use of threats and blackmail.

With the death of the king, Beatrice is now America’s first queen. With juggling a new crown, an engagement to someone she doesn’t love, and a congress who doesn’t want anything to do with her until she’s married, being queen is off to a rough start. Princess Samantha is now the heir, not the spare. And while she’s not ready to completely give up her wild ways, she may have found a new partner in crime to keep her company. Meanwhile, Daphne and Nina continue to get tangled in each other’s drama, with one running from the spotlight and the other brutally vying for it.

These four characters are just as full of life, love, and sucker punching decisions as they are in American Royals, and put a whole new twist on your classic American sweetheart.

Review:

The royals are still recovering from the death of their father, and America (specifically congress) is adjusting to having their very first queen. Beatrice has always done everything she’s supposed to do, and she goes on a beautiful journey of discovering what kind of queen she wants to be. She just wants to make her father proud and show the world that her country is as strong as ever, even if it means burying her grief. Bea has such determined composure but she’s young and heartbroken and understandably human. She shows true strength and the importance of taking responsibility for your actions.

Sam also grows up a lot, and I always love her wounded antics, but I really appreciate her sister moments with Bee. Stories with sisters are the best, especially when they show such different personalities. Beatrice and Samantha are so different, and have opposite approaches to stress and grief. But they love and rely on each other, even when they can’t agree on anything. Sam is a fiery force of nature who isn’t afraid to shake things up, and someone that Beatrice desperately needs. Everyone needs someone like Sam in their life, who while doesn’t always make the best decisions, always stands up for her loved ones.

And of course, it’s always fun to see what scheme Daphne will hatch up next, she has nerves of steel and a heart like Davy Jones. She’s a great villain, with redeeming moments mixed in with her standard blackmail and manipulation. I’m curious to see what happens with her character if this series continues. She’s a great example of how some people are their own worst enemy.

American Royals is full of whirlwind romance and drama and scandal, and ultimately heartbreak. This sequel really impressed me with the way it handled all the relationships. Instead of getting stuck in the idea of people only having one great love, and only one chance to fall in love, it explores the possibility of healing and moving on. People can fall in love so many times in life, sometimes even while still getting over someone else. The relationships in this book are healthier and more mature, except for Daphne of course since she is a delightfully single minded and self-sabotaging. But this genre doesn’t usually make way for this sort of dynamic in relationships and the author had to have taken a serious risk in mixing things up so drastically. She might lose some fans, but the changes create more depth to her characters.

This is a fun read, especially during a stressful election year, and the ending is absolutely perfect. This story is so helpful for young girls navigating life and figuring out who they want to be and how to get to that person. We’re all flawed, even royalty!