Whenever I read, (or view), anything by Paul Rudnick I realize I absolutely wish I was a gay man and could be his very best friend in the whole world. I'm realistic enough to know I'm too old to be of interest to him romantically but would so be happy just to hang out with him, eating chocolate of course, and awaiting his next bon mot. I fell in love with him in the early 90s and have been loyal ever since. It was with great excitement and anticipation that I picked up Playing the Palace. Mr. Rudnick did not disappoint me. Event Planner, well, assistant, Carter Ogden meets a prince and anything else I could tell you wouldn't be necessary. Just know there were moments when I actually heard myself snort out loud - how often does that happen reading a book I ask you? I genuinely tried to share why I thought a line so funny with my husband but it just didn't work. It made me wonder do I need to reassess my whole life - should I have taken another path, should I have not taken the vaccine? But then, like Carter, my new hero, I hear the voice of RBG advise me, "stop being you and just be yourself!" Paul Rudnick you are genius and I love you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This unfortunately is a DNF for me at 42%.

I truly hope this book has some changes made before publishing because it is a fun premise. It, unfortunately, starts in the wrong place, almost info-dumping about the MCs ex without bringing the reader in. This is a theme throughout the book. Despite being broken up with his ex for a while the MC is constantly thinking about him, comparing Edgar to him.

While I was excited to read a royal romance, this reads as if written by someone who's not familiar with the royals at all. Edgar is stiff, too stiff, and his dialogue was difficult to read. That they went out for dates instead of staying in didn't make sense. Then they jumped into a relationship, after barely spending any time together. This book is closed-door but has a brief chapter explaining that the sex is amazing without showing it or building up any sexual tension.

A lot of telling rather than showing, I couldn't push through. I didn't feel the connection with the characters at all. The MC didn't see Edgar as a person, rather as a prince and was a bit rude to him.

Rating: 1 (the MC was too mean and this didn't fit with the trope at all)
Steam: 1

This isn't RW&RB and it shouldn't be, that'd be weird. That said, I think it works quite well as a read alike and I thought it was pretty fun.

It’s like Schitt’s Creek meets the Royal Family. Charming, heartwarming, and hilarious (and for those of you wondering, distinctly different than Red, White, and Royal Blue). A true rom-com. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

I've got to be honest. I couldn't finish this book.

I really tried. I finished 30% and felt I had read enough to give it a chance before throwing in the towel. There's too many books out there and too little time to waste time on books that aren't enjoyable.

I was really REALLY excited for this book. I mean--a royal romance? A GAY royal romance? A gay royal romance between the crown prince and an American? What's not to love. As a HUGE fan of Red, White, and & Royal Blue, I was, of course, pumped for this one, and so excited when Berkley provided me with a copy for review. But... it didn't live up to expectations. To be completely blunt, it reads like fanfiction. Kind of mediocre fanfiction. The first 20 pages have nothing interesting going on (I think ten of them are the Jewish MC praying in a church?) and then BAM we have the world's most contrived meet-cute and the MC and the prince are almost kissing within five seconds and the prince takes things public two dates later. Just the pacing, and one-sidedness, and overall vibes of this book were not keeping me invested. Maybe I had too high an expectations. But I can't say I recommend it, as I had to DNF.

Thank you to Berkley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2 stars - 3/10

Let's get this out of the way right off the bat: no, 'Playing the Palace' isn't a 'Red White and Royal Blue' ripoff. The only thing the two really have in common is their American guy/British prince pairing (and the blush pink of the cover). Instead, 'Playing the Palace' is a witty and sometimes laugh-out-loud rom-com that's like a Hallmark movie but much better and much truer to what real millennials sound like and act like.

The plot itself is pretty basic romance stuff: party planner Carter is a Certified Mess fresh off a breakup with a cheating but charming ex. When he coincidentally crosses paths with Edgar, the openly gay Prince of Wales, they immediately have a spark and quickly fall for each other. The spotlight isn't kind to Carter, though, and despite the love and support of his delightful friends and Edgar's quippy staff, Carter keeps making one public misstep after another.

Author Rudnick is a screenwriter and playwright, and it really, really shows - and I mean that in the best possible way! The dialogue is the star of the show here, packed with delicious quips, memorably ridiculous lines that capture the particular, fast-paced, referential cadence of overachieving, self-aware twentysomethings. Supporting characters (particularly the brisk, deliciously bitchy, and occasionally shockingly decent Queen Catherine) fill out the world of the story, but the focus never strays from Carter and Edgar. It's a warm and funny rom-com that hits all the right points on its way to a modern happily ever after.

Review Posted on GoodReads (February 25, 2021)
Review linked.

3/5 stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sending me an E-ARC for an honest review.

This book was so cute. I always love a good "Royals" trope romance and this book was so much fun to read. I really liked all of the characters and I loved seeing more Royals Romances with LGBTQ+ characters and romances. My only issue with this book was the writing. I didn't connect as much as I wanted to with the writing.

Overall, I thought that this was a cute story. It wasn't amazing, but was still such a fun read.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

Thanks to Netgalley.com for giving me this Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I got through this book relatively quickly. I was excited because I have read Paul Rudnick's work before and I was excited to see how he'd create this world. Overall it was a solid book. The protagonist was likeable and I could even understand his inherent urge to self sabotage to a point. But then I look at his loud rambunctious Jewish family and I'm like...seriously how can you not believe that you deserve happiness? At first I was all for Prince Edgar and again the author did a decent job with explaining his childhood trauma and why he's a bit gun shy in relationship, again to a point, and then he keeps popping up saying I've changed my mind let's do this! I think it would have conveyed better if we got his POV instead of it focusing on Carter. The Queen was hilarious, but I did not understand why she didn't have people to do the cock-blocking for her instead of standing out in the hallway for most of the night. The event that took place (you know the one that results in the main couple breaking up for some time before they finally have a conversation and everything is fixed) was completely out of left field to the point that I thought I missed a chapter or three! The author then did a flashback in the middle of the drama completely taking me out of what was actually happening presently! And that part about them having a conversation and figuring it out...yeah didn't really happen. We got a Queen saying the prince is sad, fix it. And a valet giving his sad background story via a video message to the both of them saying fix it and we then get a press conference by Edgar asking Carter to marry him...after months of radio silence since a very public blow up on live TV! Not to mention the fact that we have on record that they spent about a month in total together before that blowup! SMH

Like I said I was excited about this book. I figured it would be a nice commoner meets royalty and they hit it off over a period of time (read years) they of course have a few trials and tribulations and then they overcome it and get married. (Kind of like the LGBTQ+ version of The Royal We, only in their late 20s when their frontal cortex is developed) in the end it reminded me of a lifetime movie, one of the bad ones that you love to hate.

I thought the book was enjoyable fluff but felt a little too derivative of something like Boyfriend Material or Red White and Royal Blue. Sometimes the situations seemed implausible (sneaking out of the palace?!) like it was from a 2000's romcom.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Playing the Palace is perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue!! It's the story of The Crown Prince and that guy from New York! The only thing I didn't like about this book was the constant time jumps. Other than that, Prince Edgar and Carter's romance is a very heartwarming story. If you're a fan of Alex & Henry, I highly recommend picking this one up!

For fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue, Playing the Palace satisfies the royalty/commoner romance itch. The development of the relationship between Carter and Edgar felt very rushed and the second half of the book was full of antics that started to strain belief. There were funny moments and I enjoyed the characters but I was left wanting more.

I would actually rate this like a 3.75, because the book had me changing my opinion of it so often.
Like many others I requested an advance copy of this title because the cover reminded me of Red, White, and Royal Blue. I went into it knowing it wouldn't be the same, and trying not to compare them because that wouldn't be fair.
The first thing that I really loved is that Edgar is just an out prince, there's no plot point about not being able to come out or dealing with family not accepting you. It's refreshing to find a story where its just normal and something the world accepts. There are discussions of what that means and how one presents themselves, but I want more stories where being gay isn't the problem to get over and this was a great start!
The problem I had with this book is for all the things I loved about it there were things that just seemed random and threw me off a little bit. The pacing was sporadic in that they would meet and there was like instant amazing chemistry and then like 2 weeks or a month goes by. That happens a couple times and then like boom they're madly in love and doing all this crazy stuff. Like I didn't feel we got to see the relationship blossom, it was just there. Also if you hate cringe worthy embarrassing moments then you're going to be uncomfortable because there are a lot of them. I'm the type of person who has to pause embarrassing moments on a show or movie and prepare myself for them, so while reading I had to skip forward to see how they ended just so I could go back and read it through. Finally I thought the breaking point of their relationship, the thing that created the hurdle they had to get over, was far fetched. With everything they had presented us, it was such a nonsensical way to create angst.
Having said all this I still really loved the book and you bet I still stayed up until 2 am to finish it when all the end plot was going down. There were times I thought things were too cheesy or characters were portrayed a little stereotypical, but then I thought about how I love cheesy Christmas movies and this was right up that alley. Kooky characters, crazy hi-jinks, and romance. So even though I wasn't head over heels obsessed with this book, I still loved the story.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy for my unbiased review.

Loved it! The perfect choice for when you want to curl up and devour a novel in one sitting. A must-read for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue.

This book was a delight! There will be obvious comparisons to Red White and Royal Blue, which I think makes sense, but I found this book to be even more laugh out loud hilarious and great in different ways that RWRB. Carter's voice is delightful - he's so funny and charming. Edgar is sweet and lovely. I will be recommending this book constantly!

This is a perfect treat of a novel! This is not a genre I usually read but clearly I need to start. Carter is an adorable neurotic mess and I loved every minute of his missteps. Edgar managed to be charming but not a caricature and the Queen! Oh the Queen is the absolute best part. I finished this in one sitting, couldn't put it down.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a nonbiased review!

Yes, yes - it's easy to tell that this book is following in the footsteps of titles such as Red, White, and Royal Blue and Boyfriend Material. But if publishers want to give me more queer romances with royalty, I'm not going to be the one complaining! This book isn't going to blow your mind, but it is cute and fun and is a nice way to spend an afternoon. If you enjoy throwing on a light romcom and sitting back with a glass of wine and some popcorn, this book will suit you well. I do wish that the publishers (and sometimes the book itself) had avoided leaning into the whole Red, White, and Royal Blue thing. Unfortunately, while this book is fun, it's no RWARB, and I think it suffers from the comparison.

A note: After I finished writing this, I finally realized who actually wrote it and a lot of things make sense. I think this book would have been much more successful on screen.

This was pretty terrible. Like many others, I couldn't help but make the comparison to 'Red, white, and Royal Blue'. However, there is not much to compare. This book was really hard to suspend belief for. It was ridiculous. There are many other superior books with similar themes that I would recommend over this one.

I enjoyed this M/M romantic comedy featuring an event planner from New Jersey and the Prince of Wales, both of whom have relationship issues which contribute to misunderstandings and problems along the way. The large cast of secondary characters add a great deal to this story, including a lot of humor.

I was unable to get into this book. I tried to give it a fair shot but I struggled to care about the characters and the pacing felt off - too fast, then too slow.

While I appreciated a story about out and proud characters where being gay isn't the central issue, this book just missed the mark. It felt like a typical romcom and the author decided to capitalize on the love of all things royal by calling the love interest Prince. There was some witty banter and A+ representation all around, but over I would not recommend.
2.5 rounded up