I was told this book was a crossover of Young Royals and Red White and Royal Blue, and this novel is a perfect book for those who love those books/shows (AKA me). I loved this book. Winters had written some of the best banter I've read in novels like this, and I fell in love with these characters. The drama, the romance, the humor, all of it was perfectly balanced to create this book. I can't recommend it enough. Royal romance novels are all over, but this one was different. I found it was refreshing, and the characters were fun to read. Even though I could predict what was going to happen, Winters still threw curve balls at me and kept me engaged throughout the novel. It was a great book, and I highly recommend it to fans of royalty romance novels.

I liked the premise of the story. A prince that needed to redeem his negative reputation with his father and the people of his country. He was shipped off to LA with his older sister in tow to fix it. I liked the idea of helping out someone that was lost but banning them from home was a bit drastic. I really wanted to love this book. Yet, I couldn’t connect with his parents and Jadon in the beginning. I liked Jadon after he found his own niche at his new school. Luckily Jadon found love, new friendships, and his own identity. I really liked his love interest Reiss. He was a great and understanding person. Too understanding to be honest. The many side characters got lost somehow. And I wanted to know more about them since they seemed amazing. And the evil ex was cartoonish. Which was a bit disappointing. The ending though was perfect. Overall, it was a good representation of queer love relationships, self love and respect. Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved this YA romance that touched on so much important current sociopolitical discourse. My favorite part of YA romance are the coming of age journeys that the main characters navigate. This was so sweet and tender, I highly recommend it.

This book is like if Young Royals and Red White and Royal Blue had a kid, and if you liked those you'll most likely like this one. The premise is similar, but it's very diverse with queer, black MCs going to a prestigious private school set in Santa Monica, CA where they are the only black students amongst kids of the rich elite.

Prince Jadon (“just Jadon”) is sent to LA to reform his rebel image and try to escape the scandals in the press. He is annoyed that he can’t just be himself and he throws himself into school and meets a cute boy with pink hair on his way. His sister Princess Annika is the heir and Jadon is the spare and they have a close dynamic and she’s very supportive of him.

I liked the characters and the romance between Jadon and Reiss Hayes. Reiss is a local aspiring film student who works at his family’s cafe along the 3rd Street Promenade. They are cute together and it had some sweet moments. I like that it wasn’t a queer coming out story and that Jadon is accepted as a gay prince. The coming of age story is more about a Prince grappling with his purpose in the world and finding his own path separate from what’s expected of him as a Royal. I especially loved that it takes place in Santa Monica and the Palisades where I live, and I could picture the environment perfectly. I also really enjoyed the friend group.

This was my first Julian Winters book and the premise is cute, but the plot did feel a bit predictable and the writing and pacing of the story didn’t quite work for me. I thought Jadon’s coming of age discovery arrived out of the blue. The romantic conflict at 80% of the book felt rushed and the resolution came really fast as well. The redemption arc for the King, Jadon’s father, happened far too quickly. This pacing made these moments not quite as believable as they could have been IMHO because there wasn’t enough buildup or emotional suspense as compared to a book like RWRB. If you manage your expectations prior to reading and just read it for what it is you will most likely enjoy it!

3.5*

Prince Jadon is exiled to the United States after becoming embroiled in a scandal and losing the favor of his people. He attends school in LA and soon falls head over heels for Reiss, a stunning pink-haired film student.

I loved the premise of this book; it was a sweet and enjoyable read! I especially appreciated that both leads were Black, queer, and powerful. The representation throughout was fantastic. I also liked that Jadon's main conflict wasn't centered around homophobia or coming out, though these issues were still addressed.

While these are significant themes for every young queer person, it's also important to have stories where queer characters are accepted and loved, exploring other aspects of their lives. This book did that wonderfully.

I would have liked more discussion on the different social classes of Jadon and Reiss, and more development of Jadon's friends and sister—they seemed like such great characters that I wanted to see more of them!

Additionally, more background on the history of Jadon’s country and how it shaped perspectives, especially regarding outsiders like his mother, would have been great.

Overall, a really good read! I would recommend it to YA fans, queer romance fans, and anyone looking for more diverse stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC!

I’ve recently read a good amount of heavy and complex books so I was really looking forward to something lighter & the fictional royalty is a favorite trope of mine.
Things I liked: the advocacy work and message behind this book is powerful and important. This book addresses class, race, sexuality and the importance of standing up for what is right. This adds a layer of complexity that otherwise wouldn’t exist in a YA book like this.
What didn’t work: the character development and relationships between the characters felt incredibly surface level - at one point I thought - wait why do Jadon and Reiss even like each other?? It felt like there were so many loose threads and when the book attempted to tie them together, it just felt rushed and weird. I wanted to understand the cast of characters much more than I did. Overall the lack of in depth relationship building, pacing that both felt too fast and too slow, and closure that didn’t quite tie everything together in a satisfying way left me feeling like this book is kind of forgettable.

Prince Jadon isn’t perfect. And that’s kind of the whole point. He’s recorded saying some unflattering things about his country’s prime minister (with good reason, though nobody knows that), and he’s sent off to the US to show he can be the perfect prince his country deserves.

Except everything he does seems to land him in hot water anyways. It leads to questions like: When can I go home? Why can’t I be the perfect prince? Who am I, really?

I flew through this book; I absolutely loved getting to know the characters and how the history of Rêverie was weaved into the book. I also loved the underlying theme of this story: no one can tells us who we are– only we get to decide.

This story is about love, forgiveness, figuring out who you are, and standing back up when you get knocked down.

If you want romance between a royal and a regular guy, with some drama and coming of age feels, this is the story for you!

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

"...photographers screaming at my little brother while he makes out with a boy. So royal teen rom-com!"

This book is exactly the funny royal teen rom-com it aims to be. It is aware of its genre and uses every trope to create a fun, sweet read. The prince of a nonexistent country is sent to a posh American school because a video of him hating on his country's prime minister went viral.

The strongest part was Jadon's inner struggle of keeping people away so they don't get caught up in royal drama. He has to be proper, pretend to like his ex and deal with the fact that he has no true friends. He is 17, conflicted and lonely, but doesn't know that about himself yet. It felt like self-sabotage in a realistic way.

I would have liked a little more depth to the romance. Their interactions were sweet, but I felt like it went from "I met a boy" to "huge crush" to "true love" a little too easily.

This is a book more geared to a young group. It was cute, but I found it too bland for my taste. Sadly, did not finish.

Since this book was compared to both Red, White & Royal Blue and Young Royals, it was an immediate yes when I was offered an e-arc of Prince of the Palisades. And while I did see the comparison (I mean, it’s hard not to with the whole royalty bit), this book lacked the depth and the emotion of the other two. I never felt connected to any of the characters, especially the side ones, since none of them seemed to really have any substance. Plus, I was kind of disappointed that Jadon didn’t talk more about his home country of Reverie; I would’ve loved to learn more about this made-up place since, to me, it just read like a knock-off version of France. Things definitely picked up speed toward the end, but this one left me a bit disappointed.

Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Prince Jadon’s coming of age story is fantastic. Set post-coming out to his family, this story is about learning to love yourself and be yourself regardless of the pressures around you—and under intense social media scrutiny. He makes a charming connection with Reiss, who becomes his boyfriend as they learn to support each other. Fighting through high school politics and an ex that keeps popping up like a bad rash, Jadon gets to experience a more normal life with Reiss and that’s adorable.

My poor Jadon having the weight of the world on his shoulders, so alone, so lonely, all the adults in his life frustrated me to no end, everyone wanting him to be perfect, to be an adult when he was still a child. His parents specially made me crazy!!
Jadon and Reiss were so cute together though, loved the banter between the two of them!

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy. You can pick up Prince of the Palisades on August 20, 2024.

This was an absolutely delightful queer YA romance! I loved the development Jadon went through and how his relationships blossomed with old and new friends and loved ones. He and Reiss were absolutely ADORABLE together, with an incredible dynamic that showed why they worked so well together. This book was not afraid to explore important issues related to race, social justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and more. It just felt like a wonderfully modern twist on a classic 2000s movie ala Princess Diaries or The Prince and Me. 10/10 recommend!

This romance story was so sweet. I love that the Prince the whole time is really just trying to find himself especially under the medias eye and his whole country watching and judging his every move. His relationship with Reiss is the sweetest and not without drama but I love that he tries to protect him as best as he can from the media.

This book was adorable and so glad I got a chance to preread this title. I love Young Royals and Red, White, and Royal Blue, so I was so excited to get my hands on this title. I don't think it lived up to my expectations, but I still had a really good time reading it.

Julian Winters once again proved why he is one of my favorite authors. I could not stop smiling and laughing throughout the book. It was such a fun read, and I fell in love with all the characters. Each character had so much life and personality to them, so there were no dry characters. All the banter and character growth throughout the story were very well done.I love the development of Prince Jadon's journey and discovering himself. Julian Winters kept the journey messy throughout the novel, so instead of Jadon learning how to be perfect, it was him learning how to be himself with mistakes and all. Overall, this book is an amazing fast-paced read that I didn't want to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to review.

As the novel opens, we find Prince Jadon of the fictional Îles de la Rêverie in trouble: he was caught on tape saying some awful things about the prime minister of his country to the person he thought was his best friend. With a recently broken heart, the loss of his parents' trust, and a suitcase of designer clothes and shoes, he flees to California to hide out for awhile with his sister, Princess Annika.

Enrolled in school, he's thrown in with the elite, like the daughter of a political figure ... but his eye keeps falling on Reiss, a scholarship kid with pink hair and a film obsession.

This coming-of-age story is sweet and fun, all the things a YA romance should be. There are Easter eggs about other royal novels, especially in a Twitter thread I found super adorable. (I don't know that I've read enough to find them all, but I enjoyed the RWRB one!)

While the romantic conflict is short-lived, Jadon's main conflict is with his parents and how they view him, and I think that will be relatable for many teens.

If your bingo card needs a spot for "black, queer, royals YA novel," Julian Winters has your number!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. The story is quite enjoyable, funny to read even though a bit predictable. A perfect summer read

Once again, Julian Winters proves he’s a master at crafting lofty, exquisite settings. His prose is a sensory wonderland, and now having visited Santa Monica, I can assure you his descriptions are more than apt.

Prince of Palisades is a wonderful coming of age novel with notes of some of your faves like RWRB, but this story is all its own. Jadon and Reiss are cinematic and lovable from the very beginning.

The best part? All the lovely Easter eggs riddled throughout the novel that pay quiet omage to those near and dear to Winters. From Lío Min, to Becky Albertalli, to Adam Silvera, to Ryan La Sala, if you keep a keen eye, you’ll spot them all.

3.5*

Prince Jadon is exiled to the United States after finding himself in the middle of a scandal and losing the approval of his people. There, he attends school in LA and soon finds himself head over heels for a gorgeous pink haired film student named Reiss.

I loved the premise of this book and it was definitely a very sweet, enjoyable read!! LOVED that both of the leads were black, queer, and powerful. Super great representation all throughout this book. I really appreciated that Jadon’s main conflict throughout the book wasn’t to do with homophobia and coming out (although these issues are still touched on!!).

Obviously these are large and important themes in every young queer persons life, but queer people also deserve narratives and stories where they’re accepted and loved, and are exploring other facets of their life, and this book delivered.

I would have loved to have seen a bit more of a discussion on the different social classes of Jadon and Reiss, and some more development of Jadon’s friends and sister- they all seemed like such great characters I just wanted more of them!!

I also would have loved for more on the history of the country and how that has shaped and changed perspective of outsiders like Jadon’s mum.

Overall really good read! Would recommend to any YA fans, queer romance fans, and anyone looking for more diverse reads.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC!