Have you ever wanted to suspend disbelief and read Parent Trap in the form of gay twin brothers separated at birth? What about the Royal Family of Canada? Maybe a remake of The Prince and the Pauper but set in New York and full of Canadian puns? If so, this is the book for you.

Edward is the Crown Prince of Canada who is scared to come out because of scandal. Billy is out and proud and works on his family ranch, but longing to attend Juilliard. When the two meet, they discover they are identical twins, separated at birth. I was excited about this book at first, but as I read it I found myself not connecting to either of the characters. I had high hopes for it, but it ended up being just ok. It is an okay read, but not overly memorable.

Edward Dinnissen loves getting the royal treatment that comes with being Crown Prince of Canada. However, he has one very big secret he feels he can’t share – he is gay. Billy Boone is out and proud in his small Montana town, and while he knows he will always work his family’s ranch, he can’t resist auditioning for Julliard. When Edward and Billy meet by chance in New York City and realize they are twins, both of their lives are massively changed. Can they accept their new lots in life, or will everything implode?

This book if very out there, so if you are looking for something that could be considered realistic, please give it a pass. (I’m not just talking about the Canadian royal line that has been created for the book.) While the rest of the plot sounded interesting, too, I must admit that finding out why/how the Canadian monarchy existed was the main reason I checked out this book. There were parts of the book I liked and parts I didn’t like. Overall, I think I was disappointed in the book; it didn’t live up to what I had hoped it would be.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard for early access to the book, much appreciated! I think I wanted this book to be a lot of things that it didn't want to be, and it left me super disconnected from it. There are a few reviews that really want it to be Parent Trap, and that whole element just missed for me, mainly because it was found out so quickly and left behind. I had a really hard time connecting with either Edward or Billy, I don't think I particularly managed either, and the entire setting/plot element of the Canadian monarchy, I couldn't find my way past. I don't think this is a BAD book by any stretch. There was some good conversations to be had around the pressures of being a royal (pretty timely with Harry/Meghan's Netflix documentary, and Harry's memoir coming out soon, which could make a great tie-in reading suggestion), and around both coming out and being out in the public eye. And I did have some fun with the author's writing style and reference points. But there wasn't enough meat to it for me to grab onto and really say I enjoyed.

Well, this was certainly a book that I read.

As a Canadian-American with an unabashed love of fairy tale-style queer stories, this sounded like it was written for me. But, look, there are only so many Canada puns I can stand before I start to crack like the Rideau Canal in the first good spring thaw. I knew this book was asking me to suspend belief for a while, but there is only so much belief suspending you can do before you have to set the phone down and ask yourself, "Okay but why?"

Edward, Crown Prince of Canada, is living a life of luxury in New York City while he finishes his schooling and awaits his Investiture Ceremony. Everything is great, aside from the fact that he can't tell anyone that he's gay because of the absolute scandal it would cause for the Canadian and British Royal Families. Meanwhile, Billy is living his best life in Montana, out and proud and cowboy-chic with his loving mother and sister and jock-boyfriend. But when they meet by accident in New York City and discover that they are identical twins separated at birth, their lives will change forever.

I don't want to spoil the book; other reviews do an excellent job of discussing the details of why A Tale of Two Princes is so utterly baffling. Can you stand to read the word maple 200 times? Will you willingly read a book about the Royal Family of Canada that is set almost exclusively in New York City? Are you content with one lead who is utterly bratty and intolerable while the other has about as much personality as wallpaper paste? Or explanations for the existence of a Canadian Monarchy and switched-at-birth twin babies that are about the equivalent of "because" and a hand wave? This is a book!

Also a disappointing lack of mention of Tulip Festivals. Or Beaver Tails.

I don't know what else to say besides I LOVED reading this book. I am a sucker for stories like this one. This was a mix of The Parent Trap, Switched at Birth, Gossip Girl and Freaky Friday. All great movies and shows. The story-line was like every teen movie. You have an underdog, Billy, and a jealous, long lost twin, Edward. And all Edward wants is the throne back. This book is filled with undermining tricks and royal fun.
The characters were all interesting and I instantly cared about them. As the story went along, I kept growing to like them. Even Edward, because the author doesn't make him out to be the "bad guy" but just someone who wants what he was destined for. I understand that, and see where he is coming from. I bet the person reading this review right now, if you were destined by law to rule over a kingdom, and your long lost twin showed up and got everything, you would be mad. Right?
Even though this book was really fun, there is one problem that came up a couple of times. It was the writing. The writing in itself was fantastic, but there were points in the story where I was like, "Get on with the story." The descriptions though were vivid and clear, but sometimes a little too dragged out. But I understand, and decided to look past it, and really enjoyed the book as a whole.
In conclusion, this book is a perfect pick me-up for when you need something light and cheery. The beginning takes some getting into, but once the twins meet, it gets juicy and interesting. This book is a must read if you fall into any of these categories and are a fan of:
- Feel-good LGBTQ+ stories
- YA romances
- The Parent Trap, Switched at Birth, Freaky Friday, Gossip Girl

'A Tale of Two Princes' was a fun story with interesting characters that I could not help but love. There was good drama and mystery while showing the beautiful love of biological and found families.

A Tale of Two Princes is a queer mashup of The Prince and The Pauper with a sprinkle of The Parent Trap. Billy is a rancher from a small town in Montana who's been out for a while. But secretly, he dreams of leaving it all behind to study music at Julliard. Edward is the Crown Prince of the Canadian monarchy who is firmly in the closet because of his position in life. Hijinx ensues when the two unexpectedly meet in New York City.

As an adult reader, this book was fun but flawed. Once I put on my middle-grade hat (I think this book is miscategorized as a YA novel), the read became much more enjoyable. For example, what I consider poor world-building are most likely details that a ten-year-old cares nothing about. As an adult, I'm taken out of the story when seventeen-year-olds stay at a Hilton in New York City sans chaperone. I doubt that sort of thing would even register with a young audience. I want to know why Canada instated a monarchy; a middle-grade reader will probably take it at face value that a Canadian monarchy exists.

The events in this book are often outrageous, but there is also a certain authenticity. The characters respond to things in ways that make sense based on who they are and what they've been through. Edward's feelings about being replaced are valid and understandable, especially given his initial role in upholding the monarchy. Billy has been given the freedom to be who he is, partially because he wasn't famous. While Billy was undeniably more likable as a character, there was a certain relatability to Edward. Most readers won't ever experience what it's like to be royalty. Still, the feeling of trying to find your footing while being your authentic self is something most have experienced at one point or another.

The pacing is good, although the argument could be made the ending was a bit rushed. I thought the "Maple Rules" were a great way to clue the reader into royal expectations without being pedantic. I liked that the supporting characters were diverse without feeling forced. The author did an excellent job exploring identity language and changes that might take place during that self-discovery.

All in all, this was a good read with a touch of humor and a great message about being true to yourself.

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

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

First thing first, the marketing was misleading. They're BROTHER and this book feels like a modern Parent's Trap for me. But, well, that's fine. I am enjoying this book so much, eventhough sometimes the comedic parts aren't really funny.

2.5 stars.

I love the premise of this book, and there are quite a few incredible moments surrounding dealing with grief and working yourself to the bone to try and forget about it, but overall this wasn't one of my favorites.

The idea of a Canadian monarchy was kind of fun, but ultimately it lost me because I didn't understand a lot of what they actually did or why they fled to Canada to begin with. The relationships between the characters delivered some really shining moments, but then at times they would backtrack and take away from the growth we'd see them have previously and that was a bit frustrating. Edward was especially prone to do this and it really frustrated me. This story also felt incredibly long for me.

Pax and Neel were REALLY fun and I loved every time they were on the page, however. The writing style is easy to read with humor peppered in, but this one just wasn't for me.

Eric Geron's A Tale of Two Princes tried to do what Red, White and Royal Blue did with their story and characters, That is to say, Geron's work tried to live up to Red, White and Royal Blue's lovable characters and all-around hilarity. Unfortunately, it did not. I wasn't able to get through the mess of this book. Editor, where are you?

I am one that likes to go in books blind meaning I don't read the synopsis on the back of the book. I thought this book was something other than it was based off of the title but...I was not disappointed. Kind of a modern day Parent Trap but also spoke on a lot of issues that the LGBTQIA+ community still face today. Blood is thicker than maple syrup!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. Two gay princes, separated at birth? A Canadian monarchy? It all sounded very fun in theory. However, the characters felt a little flat to me, the relationships weren’t entirely believable, and the resolution felt very rushed. And just.. so many maple references! I’m from Vermont, so I get the maple love, but this seemed excessive even to me.

I did like some of the wordplay, though. “HeirHeads” as a term for fans of the princes was a particular favorite.

This is admittedly one where i should have read the description better, because the cover read romcom to me but then i was like "WAIT THEY ARE BROTHERS WHERE IS THIS GOING AM I SUPPOSED TO LIKE THIS???"

So, update, it isn't a romcom.

That said, the book was... fine? The characters were okay but i think there were just too many of them to actually develop them appropriately (at least 12 of them who are supposed to have pretty clear personalities), so everyone seemed pretty flat. The story was okay. I loved the amount of queer people in it but it was a little hard to keep track of who knew what and why.

It's not that i really WANTED this book to be longer, but it would need to be to effectively do all the things it tries to do. I guess i might recommend instead to do less? There were a lot of points where i felt like they introduced part of a plot too early so i spent a long time not being that into the book because i was just focused on why they hadn't wrapped it up, and then they would go back to it 50 OR TWO HUNDRED pages later.

All that said! I liked it fine.

I think the premise of this was fun and cool and different, but the execution of this was just... not good. I wish it were, but it really wasn't. It truly was a massive letdown and quite frankly, a wholly unnecessary and odd book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the eARC copy of this book.

Boy, does this book take you on a journey! Told in dual POV, we meet two young men. Edward, the closeted crown prince of Canada, and Billy, out and proud cowboy and Edward's long-lost identical twin brother--who happens to be older by a few minutes. When Billy's true identity is discovered, he becomes heir to the throne, much to the chagrin of Edward, The Firm, and the people of Canada. Edward, angry he's no longer heir and still stuck in the closet, begins pranking his brother to turn the tide of public opinion against him. But as the two become closer, and Edward begins to fall for Billy's best friend, he realize his acts of sabotage and deception may not be the best course of action.

The biggest flaw of this book is its length. It's way too long, especially for a light-hearted YA novel, and takes forever to get to the point of Billy discovering his true identity. A hundred pages could easily be cut but skipping to there, to the good stuff. Generally, the book could do with a great deal of streamlining. There's just too much packed in. Setting that aside, there's small things here and there I'd change, but once you suspend disbelief and accept that there is a Canadian monarchy and a long-lost twin, it's a pretty fun read. While there is romance, that's not the focus. It's really centered on the relationship between these two brothers and the future of the fictitious Canadian monarchy. Think American Royals meets It Takes Two meets Love, Simon.

Thanks to Inkyard Press for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars - 6/10

As a Canadian, I found this really hard to get through. The depiction of Canada with a monarchy is not justified by any discernable anti-colonialist sentiment. The depiction of Canada made it painful to read. I really did not like this book unfortunately

A huge thank you to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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If you grew up loving The Parent Trap and the royal family, then this book is for you! Edward and Billy are identical twins born to the King and Queen of Canada, but when Billy is accidentally sent to grow up in Montana as just a common cowboy, Edward (the younger twin) is raised as the Crown Prince. Jump forward seventeen years and the boys find themselves running into each other (literally) on the streets of New York and it'll take more than just looking alike to get Billy ready to wear the crown of Canada. Add in the stress of being gay while being the Crown Prince, the stress of being closeted while being the Crown Prince, the homophobia inherent in the Firm, jealousy, and some well-timed pranks, and you have the recipe for chaos.
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The Canadian royal family is a branch of the British monarchy in this fictional world, and Geron could have tried to disguise the names, but the family tree made my laugh with the familiarity of Queen Eliza, Liam and Caroline, Harold and Mataine with their children Alfred and Olivia. More than just a look at life as a royal, this book also approaches what it means to be queer and how there is no one correct way to be out. I really enjoyed Billy's best friend, Pax, and their arc with both Edward and Billy. I had a great time reading this book and recommend it to all.

4.5 stars rounded up

I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Princes! Eric Geron does a fantastic job at bringing Billy and Edward to life in this twins separated at birth tale with a royal twist. The author did an incredible job at character development, as well as humanizing the characters. Edward starts off as a bit of a villain, but Geron writes him in a way where he still comes across as likable, and readers are able to feel sympathy towards his character.

I wanted to like this book. The premise seems very fun. I was just frustrated by the actions of all the characters. Billy was incredibly naive and the other characters did some terrible things to him. The newness of the monarchy took away from the story. Why not just make it old? It was all too unrealistic for me to suspend my disbelief. (SPOILER) How do you forgive your friend from keeping the fact you have a twin brother from you? A whole family that you don't know! Billy is a better man than me i guess.

I absolutely adored this book, which I'd describe as Red White & Royal Blue meets The Holiday Swap but with slightly less romance and more found family. Plus, like Parent Trap vibe, too. The comps really don't do this one just because there's not a ton of books this one. The writing itself was very fun, cute and compelling that had me dying to keep reading. It reads quickly and I'd take at least three more books in a series just because that epilogue did not satisfy my hunger for more. I mean, yes, it was a good ending, but I'm so invested in Billy and Edward's stories.