This was lovely and witty and complicated and inspiring. The characters were all so specifically individually fleshed out and interesting

At first glance, Jadon has everything he could ever want—he's second in line to the throne of Îles de la Rêverie, he's out and proud, and he wasn't so much born with a silver spoon in his mouth as born with a platinum spoon in his mouth. At second glance, he's stagnating: sent away to live in LA for a year, feeling misunderstood by his family and perhaps and isolated as a Black boy in the US. He doesn't want to make connections in the US; he wants to go home. But there's a pink-haired boy who intrigues him...

I'm a sucker for royalty fiction—something about the wish fulfillment, I think. It's still rare to find that sort of princess-fantasy* book with characters who are not all white and American, or white and British, or white and Generic European, so I was fecking delighted to see that this one features a prince who is Black and from a (fictional) African country. (This literally doubles the number of Fictional African Royalty books I have on my shelves, which—given the sprawl of my shelves—is appalling.) It's also delightful to see a fictional royal who is out and proud without issue; probably helps that Jadon is the spare rather than the heir, but (as important as coming-out books can be) I am well and truly over books where all the conflict boils down to homophobia.

Jadon's a tough nut to crack, though. At one point he describes himself thusly: "'I'm kind. I'm angry. I stand up for what I believe. For the people I love. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying.'" (loc. 3761**) It's a nice moment, and a nice thing to aspire to—but I don't think it's accurate. I think at this point in the book, Jadon has stood up for what he believes once, or one and a half times (the incident with Barnard half counts, because although Jadon refuses to back down, he didn't know he would be on the record when he ranted in the first place). He's figured out some of what he wants to stand for, but it's deep, *deep* into the book before he even starts to understand that he has not, historically, been a very good friend. And as sweet as Reiss is (he's a great love interest), part of me thinks that if Jadon doesn't know what it is to have a solid two-way friendship, he's probably not in a place to have a solid two-way romantic relationship, either. He's beginning to grow by the end of the book, but this feels very much like the beginning of his journey.

On the off chance that there is a follow-up book with Jadon's sister Annika, I'd love to see it take place in Îles de la Rêverie—would mean the chance for a lot more world-building, hopefully distinct from the rough (say it with me) princess-fantasy worldbuilding of so many fictional European countries.

*This is a gay YA romance, and while there is a princess in the book and I would very happily read a book from her perspective...this isn't actually a princess-fantasy book. But that's my alternative name for my Goodreads "kings and queens" shelf, so...let's go with it.

**Quotes are from an ARC and may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This book was an absolutely wonderful read. Winters has a way of creating amazing characters that are complex and endearing, and this book was no exception. I was immediately pulled in by Prince Jadon and felt fully invested in the outcome of his American adventure. Even the side characters won me over quickly. The plot was simple and straightforward and borderline predictable, but not in a bad way at all. It was comfortable and cozy and fun. The story flowed well and the pacing was spot-on. I never got bored or distracted and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Reiss and Jadon were adorable together and it was easy to root for them. I also loved the various sibling dynamics throughout the book. Honestly, this book was a total win for me.

I always think I have a firm stance against friends to lover but Julian Winters proves me wrong every time. This book is really fun and fast paced once you get into it and I had a really good time with this book and the characters. You can see how much everyone grows and learns throughout the course of the story. There was a fun cast of characters and I really loved our main crew.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc!!

This book is DELIGHTFUL. Fans of royal romances need to pick this up and squeal over all the delightful drama and romance in this book. Julian Winters always aces these very fun, yet very heartfelt young adult romances and I am so glad to read them. Highly recommend.

This book was an adorable adventure in the world of a Rebel Royal. Jadon and Reiss were the characters we needed and I loved their romance! It also made me really happy to read about a mostly minority group. It made my heart so full to read about Black queer people living life and being true to themselves. It was a very sweet story and I loved it!

After Prince Jadon has the worst night of his life, with tabloids all over the place, his father sends him to America to help him change for the better. There he finds real friends, and learns what being a Prince should be compared to what his parents want him to be.
If you liked Red White and Royal Blue as well as the Princess Diaries, I think you would enjoy this book. It was the perfect blend of royalty and politics and drama, and such a fun time. I feel like there aren’t that many books like this, especially not with main characters of color, so I’m especially happy to know that this book is coming to shelves soon and going to influence so many young people and make them feel seen.
Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

Absolutely loved this one! Perfect for fans of Red, White and Royal Blue. A Black Prince is thrust into LA teenager life as a way to learn how to better represent his country after a social media fallout at home. Along the way, he discovers who he truly is and what he stands for as well as falling in love with a boy from Santa Monica. Fun, thought-provoking, engaging and a funny - a perfect summer read! LGBTQ+ themes and characters.

Wow, just wow. This was a really cute story about finding yourself in high school. I don't really see the connection to Red, White, and Royal Blue like the description says. The only similarity (in my opinion) is an LBGTQ+ prince. And even then, Prince Jaden is already out and had a previous boyfriend.

This is truly a finding yourself story when Prince Jaden is sent to America to improve his image. There are ups and downs.

The Prince and the commoner once again meet in Julian Winters fine novel Prince of the Palisades. I enjoyed the storyline and appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish in terms of diversity and equality. The main characters, Prince Jaden and Reiss, are well-developed. Other characters not so much. The King and Queen could have been given more attention and depth. But, all in all, a pleasant and fun tale.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I had a fine time reading this book - I was (and still am) in a reading slump so I don’t think I gave this the attention and energy it really deserves. But, despite that, I would say that this is a charming story with a great concept. I really enjoyed being in Jadon’s perspective and was invested in his personal growth throughout the book. The romance was sweet, if a tad bit rushed. My arc, on e-book, clocks in around 280 pages and I almost wished it was a little bit longer just to really give the main relationship, and all surrounding dynamics (Jadon’s friendships, his relationship with his parents and sister) a little more room to breathe. I wish some of the supporting characters were a little more defined - there are a lot of them. And while I think the most important ones stand out, sometimes everyone who wasn’t Reiss or Jadon, felt a little “blurry” to me. I do just want to give a little shout-out to the moments where Jadon and Reiss talked about the importance of consent when it comes to sex - there is a lack of that in a lot of books, especially YA novels, and I really appreciated it.

I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for a romance-centered book where the internal struggles of the main character are the main drive of the story. It has a good balance of angst and sweetness and makes a great quick & light read. This was my first Julian Winters read, and I’m excited to explore all of his current and future work!

Wow, this was such a great book! I didn’t realize how much I needed a story like this until I was fully immersed in it.

Jadon’s parents are the king and queen of Îles de la Rêverie, a small island off the coast of Africa. When a drunken tirade of his goes viral and causes an outrage, Jadon is sent to California—where his mother grew up—to try and rehabilitate his image.

The palace hopes that some carefully crafted public appearances, along with attending a private high school, might show Jadon in a more favorable light. But no matter how hard he tries to be the prince he believes the people of Rêverie want, the more mistakes he makes. If he doesn’t clean up his act, he may be forever banned from returning home.

Things get even more complicated when he falls for Reiss, a pink-haired, movie-loving, aspiring film student. Reiss isn’t necessarily impressed with Jadon’s arrogance, but he can see the vulnerability and hurt in the young prince, and sees how much more comfortable he is when he is being himself and speaking his own mind.

This has glimpses of Red White & Royal Blue, but it goes beyond a sweet romance. This is a powerful story about being your authentic self and speaking out, even if it might not be what people want from you. It’s also a thought-provoking commentary on racial disparity, how young Black people have to act a certain way to be accepted.

I really loved everything about the story, including Jadon’s royal guard, his sister the crown princess, and the palace liaison. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Viking Books for the advance copy; the book will publish 8/20.

As someone who gravitates more towards sapphic fiction, I greatly enjoyed this M/M romance. The characters were likeable, the writing poetic at times and overall a fun early summer read!

This. Is . What. I'm Talking. About. When. I. Say. We. Need. More. Diverse. stories. I ate this up. Give me more more more more more more more.

Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters

Prince Jadon of the Iles de la Reverie is banished to California until he can get his act together, per order of his father, the king. He goes to American high school, falls for a pinkhaired dude obsessed with filmmaking, and has self realizations about things I won't spoil.

I'm not sure you can tell from my summary. This was fine. This was epically fine. If I read this 15 years ago, I probably would have liked it a lot more. I like a lot of things that it does more than I like the product, if that makes any sense. There's a number of things in here where yes, we need more books that do these things, and for that I applaud this book. Let's normalize having a "let's talk about sex before we have sex" talk - for adults, teenagers, everyone, I don't care who you are, everyone should do this. Let's admit that sometimes adults are wrong and that teenagers are owed apologies, because teens are not less worthy of respect just because they're young.

Like I said, there's a number of things in here that just come down to the fact that this is how we should treat people. So in that sense, I just think this wasn't the book for me. But if you like YA about royalty, teens coming into their own, teens fighting for causes they believe in, this is one heck of a book for that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I separated them out into pros and cons:

Pros:
The description of the book is “Young Royals meets Red, White and Royal Blue”; I enjoyed both of these, and I liked the aspects that “Prince of the Palisades” had in common with these two. It was nice to see the Prince and his lover overcome their challenges, and the supporting cast was well described.

Cons:
I felt that something was not quite right about the plot; I didn’t really believe it. The Prince seemed a bit too traumatized by his upbringing, and I found his father’s behavior odd, switching from totally disapproving to 100% supportive, which didn’t really make sense.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC version.

This was very sweet, but also very predictable and read on the younger side for YA. Teen readers looking for escapist, fluffy royal romance in a contemporary setting, especially featuring Black and LGBTQIA characters, should enjoy this. Those looking for emotional depth and swoony romance might enjoy it a bit less.

thank u to netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of prince of the palisades in exchange for my honest review :)

this was such a joy to read! i was absolutely sold by the cover alone, but after realizing that the story revolves around a young black royal trying to figure out his place in the world, i knew this would be good one. it's not everyday we get 2 queer characters of color, and i was so, so happy to see that.

the secondary characters were written beautifully, and i loved seeing how they played a role in jadon's life. i need to know more about both annika and ajani PLEASE. the moments of self-reflection that jadon experienced were very relatable to my teen self, and honestly, at times, my adult self as well. the emotion in the writing felt so real that i sometimes felt like reverie was a real place and that jadon + fam were real royals lol. and of course, seeing jadon's struggles with his father hit close to home (as it always does).

this was such a wonderful book with tons of queer and black joy, and i felt honored to read it. more books like this, please.

'Prince of the Palisades' does an effective job showcasing the complexities of being a black teen royal and how all of those issues combine until Jadon reaches his breaking point of self reflection. The diverse cast of characters bodes really well for representation in a lot of areas, but I do wish that there was more development with and resolution of the secondary characters who shape so much of Jadon's time in LA. The overall story is enjoyable, if a bit predictable, but Reiss and Jadon really shine in all of their scenes together. Annika is also a standout in every scene she's in. One of the best parts of the narrative are the conversations revolving consent intersecting with communication. Overall, a light teen read with some serious topics effectively explored.

Thank you so much, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Jadon is the prince of Îles de la Rêverie and when someone recorded an outbrust against the Prime Minister, he's "exiled" to America with his sister Annika, in order to clean up his image. But comforming to his parents' idea of "perfect" is hard and Jadon struggles to maintain a careful crafted image of himself, without opening himself up to anyone, in his new high school, with new people to impress.
Except meeating a cute pink haired boy changes everything, pushing him to struggles between a careful image of himself and what his parents expect from him...or being himself and falling in love.

I loved reading Prince of the Palisades. Jadon is a complex MC, struggling to be himself, truly being himself and facing his parents' and nation's expectations of what a prince have to be. Being in a new school, missing his home, fighting against people's expectations and his own desires
are the themes of the whole book and Jadon growing up, embracing himself in all his facets, desires, dreams and wants.
I loved the relationship he has with Annika, Reiss and his parents and how strong is his desire to be home and be himself, while also figuring himself out in what and who he wants to be.
The relationship with Reiss is sweet and funny and I loved how the author dealt with Jadon's and Reiss' desires, dreams and futures.
I would have loved a more long ending, but overall it's a very cute and funny book!