This was a fun read! Not my fave title from this author, but very enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing, and the fact that the book blew right past the planned twin-swapping and moved quickly into the next stages of the plot was unexpected (though I could have used more hijinx in that regard). Overall super fun and I will be recommending it to patrons at work.

This book made me feel so warm and cozy. I really enjoyed Edward’s POV. There’s something… familiar about him and his experience, even though I have never been a Royal chased by paparazzi or have the pressure of the whole world watching.

Got an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

It hurts my heart to rate an LGBTQIA+ book soo low. The synopsis hold a great potential but the execution was poor. I was excited getting an arc but left disappointed.

As always, I won't be uploading my review in any other social media and review websites because I hope a lot of people can have access to more queer books. Maybe it's a me problem that's why I hope other who might like this get the chance to pick it up without my review being known in other websites.

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less than a minute ago
A Tale of Two Princes by Eric Geron
A Tale of Two Princes
by Eric Geron (Goodreads Author)
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Read in July 2022
thank you netgalley for this <3
BUT let's talk about how this had so much potential but? IT DIDN'T HIT the spot like, at all
not a single character was likeable? how is that possible? i just didn't have empathy for anyone here?
except maybe poor Billy, also Mack. I just don't get how woohoo new kid you're now the prince plot line like at all? so the person who was literally groomed to become king just can't now because a person one minute older showed up?
and don't let me get started about eddie, very backstabby no me gusta (but i get it, kind of)
Didn't care for pax and they're supposed to be the only nb representation, they felt barely 2d so welp.
Basically this had "how do you do, fellow kids" energy
Over all, it was not a bad read at all, it just felt? Rushed somehow i disliked the fast pace, but the premise was there and i enjoyed it so 3 stars!!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I very much joyed reading this book! Edward has been preparing his whole life to be the Crown Pince of Canada but when he bumps into Billy his long lost twin brother all his future plans change! Billy has lived his whole life on ranch and figured his lot in life was to taking over running one day but know he has a new family and new responsibilities! Can the two of them handle the adjustments to their lives? Can they learn to care for each other? Edward is also deeply in the closet while Billy is out and proud, can they survive the jealousy and frustration they have with one another? I like both Edward and Billy from the start and enjoyed getting to read from both their perspectives! Edward is smart and sophisticated and Billy is kind hearted and caring! I also loved the supporting characters, Mack, Pax, Fi, and Neel! The more books I read surrounding royals the more I realize how difficult that would be! Both boys worlds are changed upside down, some good some more of a struggle. I feel like there were times when Edward got shafted a bit but I also think he had the most growth for me! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it town! Closeted and long lost royals, backstabbing, and humor are all in this book along with many other things! All of them make this a can’t miss book! I can’t wait till this comes out in January to get the physical copy! Eric Geron wrote a fantastic book!

I should've known better than to pick up a novel about a made-up Canadian monarchy, but...

Anyway, to start off, the characterization of antimonarchists as conservatives is just like, have you never read any British history or watched the news? The existence of the Canadian monarchy was also just so confusing and ill-explained. If you're gonna write a book about princes, just make them from a country that already has them!

Secondly, the characters. Neel was the most interesting of the bunch and I honestly would've much rather read a book from his POV. Edward was petty and annoying and not in an "unlikeable but interesting" way, more so in a "stop acting like you're five years old" way. Billy was just so, so bland. Fun fact: you can make nice guys interesting! Fi didn't have a personality beyond being in love with Edward and even that didn't make much sense. Pax was a little all over the place but at least entertaining.

The plot was between "I'm literally about to DNF this book" and just mid depending on the point in the book. The way St. Whatever, the private school the main characters attend, was described is honestly laughable, as someone who lives in New York. Everything Edward did pissed me off and Billy's whole "I'm not good enough for the Crown" thing got boring very quickly. I skipped so many pages.

Some of the drama was entertaining, but most of it was, again boring and unrealistic.

The writing style felt very middle-grade and a little cringy. Edward and Billy's POVs were literally indistinguishable from each other.

I was gonna give this a 2, but then I raised it to a 2.5 because I did manage to make it to the end, and then I raised it to a 3 for doing a good job with the QPOC rep.

I was incredibly disturbed by this book's pro-monarchy sentiment that was to the point that one of the mc's saw it as a good thing when a teenage anti-monarchist protester was swarmed by a group of fans of the monarchy. I won't be recommending or handselling it.

I really expected to love this one, so I'm super disappointed that I didn't. It had a solid premise, but I didn't love any of the characters. In fact, some of them really bugged me. I know that Edward was scared of losing the only thing that made him special (in his eyes), but the way he treated Billy was horrible. I wouldn't have forgiven him, and I'm amazed that Billy did. The romances were cute, and I liked the side characters, bug the main characters left a bit too much to be desired

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review