The YA version of Princess Diaries, the pacing of The Rules of Royalty was fantastic! My only wish was that Jamie and Erik were more differentiated as characters -- their narratives blended together in such a way that it was sometimes hard to tell their experiences apart. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The Rules of Royalty gave me gay Princess Diary vibes, and I was absolutely here for it. This was just so lighthearted and fun, and both Jamie and Erik were adorable.

This was such a fun rom com! Kind of in conversation with The Princess Diane's but with a queer twist. The romance is well fabricated and the characters jump off the page.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of the Rules of Royalty in exchange for an honest review!

Jamie Johnson, local wallflower and introvert, is overwhelmed to find out his mother has been keeping a big, royal secret from him: he’s actually heir to the throne of (fictional) Mitanor, a vague European country that might as well be Genovia. His overly (almost suspiciously) kind father invites him to spend the summer in Mitanor, and inducts a neighboring prince to come and show poor Jamie the ropes. Erik, the second son of his own prospective fictional country, is more than happy to spend some time away from home and tutor Jamie. There are plenty of rules for royalty, but falling in love usually isn’t one of them.

The particulars come second here to the romance: an easily built, charming, and syrupy love story, with two delightful leads who might as well sign their hearts away in the first third of the book. There’s minimal conflict or angst to speak of, beyond the relatable experience of growing up confused about your identity. The royalty lessons are a movie we’ve seen before, but it’s pleasant to be on the page with Jamie and Erik, and despite the influx of LGBTQIA+ books pouring out these days, I never take for granted the experience of reading one.

Sometimes you just want a dumb smile on your face and a book that reads like a cozy blanket, so pick up this comfort food and have your happily ever after.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: December 10, 2024

Adorable, dual-POV, queer royals YA romcom. Lighthearted with lots of sunshine, this dialogue-heavy, teenage angsty, strangers to crushes read is a fun escape!

This book really captures the devastation of being seventeen and in love and feeling like your current feelings will be your only feelings EVER, and not knowing what to do with them when things go awry.

The only difference is....they're having to go through all this on a royal stage.

I liked this one. It's very YA, as they're 17, and their fears and choices reflect that. Don't expect adult angst but what's available is very realistic when you factor in their age.

If you liked 'If This Gets Out', you'll probably like this one too.

8 year old me who was obsessed with The Princess Diaries is a very happy bunny right now.

This was cute and reminded me of the Princess Diaries, but the writing was incredibly bland and stilted and didn't have any depth. It all felt very surface level. Also the two leads were written so similarly that it was hard to remember whose POV I was reading and I had to keep going back to check who it was supposed to be. They also felt very young - far too young to be having hookups. Neither of them drew my interest at all. I had a hard time caring about any of it since I didn't care about the leads and ultimately gave up around 20%.

I'm actually a little confused because I've enjoyed Cale Dietrich's books before. This one was just a miss for me.

*Thanks to Wednesday Books for providing an early copy for review.

I ended up DNF-ing this book. While the premise was promising, I found the characters' voices too similar to engage with either one and the author's habit of telling rather than showing to read too middle grade for me.
That said, I am always happy to see queer stories told by queer authors! Based on other reviews, this is a heartwarming love story that I may give a second chance in the future.

This was the first solo book I read by Cale Dietrich and even if I loved the one he co-authored with Sophie Gonzales, I didn't know exactly what to expect.

3+

And I wasn't disappointed! You might think we've already got enough stories about common guys discovering they are princes. Nowadays, there might be even more than girls turning out to be princesses despite the clear influence from The Princess Diaries. And yes, this really made me think of Cabot's series, but in a way that in a nostalgic way, that this could be what that book would have been if written in the present day. And for a queer public. And with a male main character. And with a prince being the main romantic interest. And... Okay, there are so many differences, and yet I kept thinking of the sensation I had back then.

Despite being very enjoyable, a recommendable read, it's still not a superb book. I liked the couple, I liked the characters, but I guess I needed more to make it more unique. In a good way, as in if I wanted more of The Princess Diaries, it felt like reading fan fiction. I do like it, but it lacked that special point that made it The One. I also thought the resolution, as realistic as it felt considering we're not even talking about royal families of existing countries, was a little too simple after all the anguishing. A lot of teenager problems are just like that, too many hormones driving us crazy, making the world seem to be over for us, I do understand that. It still felt like they could have done more work to get their happy ending. Or just done that sooner.

This is great for you who want some YA romance involving princes so you can forget about the world for a second—it is a quick read, after all, that will entertain you so much you won't feel time pass.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Such a cute story! Jamie and Erik are very likable but I the story took place in a matter of a few weeks, there isn't much room for character development or even to see their relationship grow. It's an easy read with a HEA.

I loved how Jamie and Erik found a way to be together!

Jamie Johnson never expected to find out on his seventeenth birthday that his mom actually knew that he was the son of King Alexander of Mitanor because his birth mother wanted him raised away from court. King Alexander invited Jamie to spend the summer with him at Cristalia Palace to learn more about being a prince from Prince Erik of Sunstad.

Prince wanted the summer of tutoring Jamie in being a royal to get away from his family trying to arrange for him to date someone they approve of. But meeting Jamie makes him realize that he wants to date someone like Jamie because he wants to be in love and not an arranged relationship.

I really liked how Jamie and Erik became friends before Erik decided to follow his heart and make sure his family knew that he was in love with Jamie.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very light, fluffy read without much by way of drama or sadness, so if that's what you are looking for, look no further. Jamie is an American who learns that he is actually the son of a King, while Erik is the spare in his family's line, and is asked to serve as the mentor for Jamie. Quickly, the two develop feelings for each other, despite Erik being told that he can never date Jamie by his grandma, the queen.

I'm a bit more of a drama hound so I was hoping for a little more of that. I would have also liked to see more of Jamie with his family, especially his dad, stepmom, and brother since none of them had met before and yet seemed to fall into a family dynamic very easily. This is definitely more of the Princess Diaries route than the Red White and Royal Blue, but it's a light and sweet read.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is cute, exactly what it says on the tin. But to enjoy it you have to suspend your disbelief beyond human comprehension.

There really is nothing to hate about this book, it can be very enjoyable but it was not much for me. I found the characters boring, and the extremely low stakes of the book made it so I couldn't feel that their character arcs were meaningful enough to feel something for them.

(It was also overwhelmingly plain in the approach to culture, which is something that as much as I tried, couldn't get past when this fictional's country language seems to be Spanish, my native language)

To me, many could enjoy this and love this, knowing this is exactly what it says on the tin, a sort of Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue in a world where the stakes are as low as they can get.

THOUGHTS

I mean, this book is exactly what you think it's going to be: a fluffy royal romance. Which isn't a bad thing at all. It is what it promises, and that's that.


PROS
Cute: These characters might not have out-of-this-world chemistry, but they sure are cute together. They compliment each other well. And I really like that their mutual attraction isn't something that they lie about, at least not to themselves. They both recognize they're attracted to the other; there's no denying that attraction. There's no fighting against it, except externally.

Max's Music: I adored the side plot with Jaime's best friend and her music aspirations. I enjoyed the struggle these besties faced as both of their lives change. I enjoy the way that they have to figure out how to live with each other now, in their new reality. It was a nice side plot to have, something bittersweet and lovely brewing in the background.

Support System: Jamie doesn't head off to Mitanor alone. His parents, those who adopted him, come right along with him. And when he's got questions and concerns, they're good sounding boards, even if they don't exactly have experience in this particularly royal arena. And I loved that they're there for him, that he's got this kind of support, because supportive parents are so rare in YA.


CONS
Royal Objection?: I get it. There has to be some tension. There has to be some reason why Jamie and Erik aren't just a couple as soon as they hit it off. But this reason just didn't make sense to me. You're telling me the objection to this match from these royal families is really this strong? Sure, Jamie's an American, but he's also a prince, so... I just didn't get it, and every "reason" given felt a little lackluster to me.

Breaking Escapism: Royal romance like this is purely escapist literature, right? Nobody's picking up a romance like this looking to really dig into the nature of royalty and wealth disparity, right? Like, we get that. But that's all real world stuff, not the reason we're reading a book like this. So when Erik whines about his problems, we're right there with him. We don't need him to justify himself. We don't need him to acknowledge that he's so much better off than most of the world. We know that; we don't want to linger on it. Every time that sort of fourth-wall was broken, the real world reality of royalty and obscene wealth brought in, well, the whole point of the book faltered. Because the point is to escape into fluffy romance, and engaging with a question as big as wealth disparity is... not escapist in the slightest.

Character Integrity: I don't know. Jamie doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be fully okay with a secret relationship. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be totally okay with his whereabouts being shared on social without his permission. And the fact that he lets these things slide, even when he expresses reservations about this stuff earlier in the book, just feels inconsistent. There were plot reasons... but there should be character reasons, too. Consistent ones.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries will like diving into this life of an American royal. Those who enjoyed Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue will love stepping into this queer royal romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC! On his seventeenth birthday, Jamie Johnson discovers that he is a prince. His mother was from a noble family and fell in love with the prince of her country, Mitanor, but she always longed for a "normal" life. Before she passed away, she made a request of her best friend to raise Jamie away from the rules of royalty until her was old enough to decide for himself. Now he has a new royal family and sets off on a summer vacation to meet his father and see if he wants the life of a prince. His father also sets him up with a friend/tutor in the ways of royaly, Erik Lindstrom, the "spare" prince of a northern European country. Erik is struggling with his role as his family wants him to appear settled by dating a determined partner. Jamie and Erik connect (mostly via text) but when they meet in person sparks fly. What follows is a blend of My Fair Lady meets the Princess Diaries. It's uber sweet and readers will root for Jamie and Erik!

This was a very cute book, low stakes, somewhat unbelievable, but that’s always the case with fake royalty and made up countries, but sometimes that’s just what you need, low stakes and happy endings. Erik and Jamie were so cute together and I really liked that there was no misunderstandings and they all worked through their feelings.

◇I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.◇

I went into this book unaware that it was YA but after learning such news, this book made way more sense in terms of writing. It was a cute little read and definitely easy to finish. My main concern was the lack of chemistry I felt between the MCs. Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cale Dietrich, author of The Rules of Royalty, was a new find for me on NetGalley. The engaging cover caught my eye, and I was lucky enough to receive an early release. On the plane ride home from California this weekend, I dove in and read the entire novel. A boy turns 17 and learns his father's identity... the king of a small country nestled between Spain and France. Alternating chapters, the second son of a royal family in a nearby country is asked to mentor the new prince. By lucky, he's also gay and thus their love story begins.

What I love best about this book - it's not a trope! I assumed there would be immediate conflict, or a story scandalizing their connection... but it's just a slowly growing relationship that begins with a a favor and ends with love. I adore both the characters and their families, tho the queen got on my nerves a bit. The author, rightfully so, ignores all the reasons why this could never happen, and instead leans into the tenets of a fairy tale.

I enjoyed being up close to watch this relationship build, and while it's hard to prove why love should win in a book when you've only a few hours in the read, this one does a remarkable job. I think I shed a tear or two while reading it, mostly because I'm a sentimental fool who secretly (not so secretly) learns to live the life of a romantic hero?

My only issue... and not quite that big, is they are so young. At 17, do you really understand well enough yet to choose your life partner? It's possible; I'm just a bit pragmatic (jaded?) and doubtful. Doesn't take away from this being a feel-good, entertaining book. And now I'm checking out the author's backlog to decide if I want to read more or just keep on going with future releases. Any fans out there want to help me decide?

This book is, like a gender-swapped "Princess Diaries" meets "Red, White & Royal Blue" and "A Tale of Two Princes." It's completely adorable, full of compelling language that leaves me so intrigued to continue reading from chapter to chapter. This book, told in dual points of view, reads quite quickly, and my God, these two boys are just like the ultimate sweeties. Like, it was just too damn cute all-around. I couldn't put this book down, making it one of those polish-off-in-a-day-book vibes. Plus, the characters were just so authentic and relatable, if you excuse the whole prince of a foreign country bit. It's so precious and adorable, and just, like, a wholesome queer, YA royal romance. What more could you want?

The Rules of Royalty is like The Princess Diaries if Mia Thermopolis was a gay 17-year-old boy. I thank God every day that I lived long enough to write a sentence like the previous one.

If you're into YA queer romance with a royalty trope, this one is for you. I didn't realize exactly HOW YA it was going to be, but that's on me.