2.5 Stars rounded up

I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me. The writing style was slightly off putting at times as it felt like Jamie’s POV kept breaking the fourth wall and was addressing the reader directly to explain things. For example, when explaining who his friends are there is a side bar thought about why a person calls another by their last name.

For many, many reasons this book required the reader to suspend a lot of disbelief. The top two being how easily a long, lost prince was accepted not only by his family, but by the public and why a royal family in the 21st century would be forcing a 17 year old to be in a long, term committed relationship.

Outside of all of the above, the hardest part for me to get past was how flat ALL of the secondary characters are. Every, single one of the characters outside of the 2 main were placeholders at best. They barely had personalities and didn’t impact the story at all. With all of the other characters being so flat, it really made it hard to like either main character. Jamie comes off as very, very naive and Erik is just there.

Overall, I wanted to enjoy this book and I was looking forward to it, but I just ended up disappointed.

Cale Deitrich's "The Rules of Royalty" is a charming and heartwarming tale that blends royalty, self-discovery, and romance into a delightful package. At the heart of the story is Jamie, an ordinary high schooler whose world is turned upside down when he learns he’s the heir to the throne of Mitanor. Through Jamie’s journey, readers are treated to a cast of endearing characters, including the dashing Prince Erik, who becomes both Jamie’s royal tutor and his slow-burn love interest. The chemistry between the two is electrifying yet tender, creating a romance that feels both genuine and deeply satisfying.

The novel’s humor and light-hearted tone shine throughout, offering plenty of moments to make readers smile while still tackling themes of identity, family, and belonging. Jamie’s interactions with his adoptive, biological, and stepfamilies are layered with affection and authenticity, providing a strong emotional core to the narrative. Similarly, Erik’s complex relationship with his royal relatives adds depth to his character, making him a perfect foil to Jamie’s more spontaneous personality. Their alternating first-person chapters keep the story engaging, though their narrative voices occasionally blur together.

What truly sets "The Rules of Royalty" apart is its balance of romance, humor, and heart. The slow-burn relationship between Jamie and Erik is complemented by laugh-out-loud moments and a sense of genuine warmth that permeates the book. While some readers might wish for a bit more distinction in the characters’ voices, the novel’s cozy, fairy-tale-like charm makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read. Deitrich delivers a story full of love, laughter, and royal intrigue—perfect for fans of contemporary romance with a touch of regal magic.

I was super nervous going into this because The Rules of Royalty has been talked about as The Princess Diaries x Red, White, and Royal Blue, and those two pieces of media make my all time top 10 lists of favourite books and movies. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about! This was a blast!

The Rules of Royalty is about Jamie Johnson, a completely average American teenager, wakes up on his 17th birthday and finds out that his biological dad is actually a king (!) of a faraway place called Mitanor. Because Jamie has no understanding of the rules of royalty, Jamie's dad assigns him a tutor. That tutor? Prince Erik of Sunstad, the princeliest prince of them all. The two boys start spending a lot of time together, and well..you can guess what happens next.

This was cute and heartwarming and so much fun to read. I did have to suspend my belief at times but that's par for the course in a royal romance. We're just here for the vibes! and that's okay! I really appreciated how the main characters communicated openly about their feelings, which was a refreshing change from the typical miscommunication tropes that often drag on the plot of romance books. It made Jamie and Erik's relationship feel healthier and more genuine, with none of the typical unnecessary drama created by characters hiding their emotions that makes me want to throw my book at the wall. However, the book focuses almost entirely on the romance, and I felt it missed an opportunity to explore Jamie's relationships with the other important characters. His bond with his grandparents, for example, is barely touched on, even though it had potential to really shape his character arc. Honestly, there were a lot of moments that could've developed the story, the characters, and the relationships (esp between Jamie and Erik) happened off-page, which left me a little confused, wanting a lot more. Still, I had a great time.

The only other bit of Cale Dietrich's work that I know is If This Gets Out, his boyband romance collaboration with Sophie Gonzales, and I was happily surprised to see that The Rules of Royalty had a similar tone and writing style. I love that queer authors and queer readers are finally getting their hands on queer versions of the classic tropes, and I'm ecstatic that they're being handled with so much care. Thank you, Cale!

This was a fun, cute read and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the romance between Jamie and Erik.

I had a hard time truly believing Jamie’s situation, partly because it was too easy. Yes, there were some issues with his friends, and he was initially upset with his mom when he learned the truth, but he just slotted into his new role so easily. I felt there would have been a lot more angst about his identity and his future, more drama from people who questioned his appearance, even resentment from his half-brother.

But I did like Jamie, he was super sweet and really cared about people. He understood everyone’s motivations, so that tells me he is also really mature.

Erik’s story, on the other hand, I more readily believe. It also had the angst I was missing from Jamie. I ached for Erik and how he felt so distant from his family, how he felt he had to do what his grandmother and parents said, sacrificing his happiness to duty. I loved that Jamie’s entire family welcomed him and treated him so well, but my heart hurt for him throughout the story. And I was pleased that he had at least one family member on his side.

The ending filled my heart with joy and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Jamie and Erik down the road.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC for review consideration through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞."

Cale Dietrich creates a fun mix of The Princess Diaries meets Red, White & Royal Blue with The Rules of Royalty!

Jamie discovers that he is a prince on his 17th birthday in the land of Mitanor, while Prince Erik of a connecting kingdom gets assigned to help teach Jamie the ways of royalty. I liked that Dietrich had Jamie and Erik connect immediately, even though it was just through a phone call which showed their connection early on. Jamie and Erik develop a trust in one another that comes naturally and easily, especially as they open up through their time spent together. Dietrich balances the mostly open communication with the fact that Jamie and Erik are teenagers, as teens are often scared to share how they feel. I liked a lot of the supporting characters, especially Erik’s brother Stefan. I thought it was a missed opportunity to not have Jamie’s new half brother Tomas be a part of the action, like a new best friend character, since Jamie’s American best friend wasn’t around. The pacing is choppy in places, mostly where a potential problem gets brought up but then is solved a few paragraphs later, which took away from the sense of urgency and conflict. I could’ve used a little more drama and character development for the side characters in particular, but there is lots of world building that feels like it could be expanded upon with growth for a sequel.

The Rules of Royalty is a sweet YA comfort read that would make a really fun movie. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

What a fun royal romance! I will eat up anything Cale Dietrich writes, and this was just as juicy, heartfelt, and fun as always.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy of this book!
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Advertised as a cross between The Princess Diaries and Red, White, and Blue, there was no way I wasn’t getting my hands on this book as soon as possible. Jamie is just a typical American teenager, until his mother reveals on his birthday that he is in fact a prince of Minator. Thrust into this new life, and meeting an entirely new family, over Summer break would be overwhelming for anyone, let alone a teenager. Erik, the spare prince from a neighboring country is sent to help teach Jamie the ropes. The two quickly discover that their feelings for each other run deeper than their families anticipated.
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Jamie doesn’t face a whole lot of pushback or conflict as the son of a previous relationship of the King’s. The Queen and the current Prince don’t seem to mind or care that a new member of the family has popped up out of nowhere. The romance between Erik and Jamie was sweet and it was nice to see Erik struggle with the constraints placed on him by his family. I wish there was more to the story, but what is there really works.

While this book doesn't necessarily have the strongest writing (it honestly reads kind of like a debut?), this is the light and fluffy royal read that I wanted. I kept waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop, and it just...never really did. Which I was okay with! It stays fairly light while still having bits of conflict and smaller drama. I really enjoyed this, very The Princess Diaries.

What a fun story. This was such a lighthearted romance where there wasn’t any heavy or traumatic themes dealt with. Almost like a gay retelling of The Princess Diaries. This was a cute, feel-good story.

This is not the best book I've ever read, but it didn't need to be because it was just loads of fun! I love a good queer royal romance!

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but I still haven't read this and don't remember requesting it. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

3.5*

A nice palette cleanser but sadly this didn’t hit the mark that I wanted it to. I would recommend this to others but I don’t think I’ll purchase a copy for myself.

3.5 - A cute read reminiscent of princess diaries and red, white, and royal blue. A sweet book that captured innocent and young love. The plot itself had some traction, but there wasn’t much conflict or crescendo for this book. It was a cute and enjoyable book to read that is perfect for a quick palate cleanser.

I thought this would be right up my alley. A gay rom-com with Princess Diaries vibes? Yes, please! Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. It starts off slow and I wasn't really connecting with any of the characters. I think a lot of people will really love this one and it did have moments that were really cute, but overall it just wasn't for me.

The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich was a fun, quick read for me that I enjoyed quite a bit! "Two princes for neighboring countries fall into a whirlwind royal romance" was the hook that instantly intrigued me with this book! It was a fun mesh of The Princess Diaries and Red White and Royal Blue. Erik and Jamie came from different backgrounds but had a lot in common. The acceptance of these two princes falling in love was refreshing, and their romance was sweet and exciting.

Thank you to author Cale Dietrich, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

I really liked this cute “princess diaries meets red white and royal blue” story. It was a fast read and I really liked the characters. The best friend at home being so angsty got a little frustrating, but overall it was great

This, unfortunately, simply wasn't for me.

I was really hopeful I would enjoy this because I love The Princess Diaries, but I never really got into. I felt like the story was rushed and discombobulated. Everything was happening so fast! And sometimes, I couldn't quite understand how we got from point A to B. Things were happening, but I didn't see the logical thread.

I also couldn't really connect to the characters. I could see potential in both of our protagonists, but I felt like we never really dug deep. Everything remained on the surface.

Overall, this seemed promising, but it did not live up to my expectations.

MM
Dual POV
Young Adult
Princess Diaries vibes

Rating: ??? - for me this was a 2, just way too young for me, I got bored and wanted to move on, for an early teen two thumbs up, super cute and age appropriate romance

TLDR: Are you a young teen? This book is for you.

This book is cute. Enjoyable Princess Diaries vibes without just being a queer retelling of that story. This book is clearly written for a young audience. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone older than young teens. The main characters are 17 and behave in very safe ways. I would let my kids read this.

Ultimately, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a young teenager.

Thank you to the author, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. The concept of this novel worked better for me than the actual book. A hidden illegitimate American price meets a born and bred royal is a great setup with opposing points of view and the early attraction but I did not find either character to be engaging. It felt like they were saying the same thing over and over and over again and while I wanted to see where the ending would go, I did not want to read more. I did finish it but this does not rate highly for me. I have enjoyed Dietrich's work previously so one miss does not discourage me from reading other works or requesting more in the future. I would skip this and go to If This Gets Out or The Love Interest. 2 stars.

3.5 stars
Imagine finding out your are a prince, had no idea, and have to figure out all the rules of society. That’s what Jaime had to do and along the way falls for his tutor erick.