Ive read a few books by this author that I struggled, but wanted to give his books another chance. Sadly just didnt work for me. The writing feels very juvenile and flat which made it difficult to get invested. This book has surprisingly little conflict and what there is is quickly resolved, and there is alot of telling not showing in the writing that made it feel boring to me as a reader. I think this book would fit better with a MG audience. Overall I found this book and its characters bland and skimmed most of it due to not being invested

If you’re a fan of a royal romance and were thinking you need a Princess Diaries and Red, White, & Royal Blue mashup in your life, well do I have the book for you. The Rules of Royalty is such a precious story of family and friendship, but highlights the beauty and strength of a found family forged by choice and love.

It was so touching to see the overwhelming support Jamie had from his parents and I was moved by how his parents were so present, regularly checking in to offer support and help protect his emotional well being. My heart ached for Erik and as he carried immense pressure from his family to uphold a certain image. And while his case is unique because he is royalty, I do think the challenges and family dynamics he navigated are relatable and readers will feel seen.

I really appreciated the more realistic ending and loved seeing the growth not just in Jamie and Erik, but in their friends and family as well.

This is a 4.5 for me. This was such a cute book, and I had such a good time reading it. I will even say there were stretches where I ignored my phone and tiktok!! This book is def a spin on the princess diaries which I love and all the things I loved about that book were incorporated into this book and the things I didn't enjoy weren't, so I just loved that.
This book had me smiling and was just the good time I needed right now. I loved all the characters main and sides except the one politician but for obvious reasons and the grandma I had mixed feelings about for obvious reasons.
The two MMCs were just so loveable. I think I liked Eric better of the two because I got him. He is a little stiff and cold but that is for a multitude of reasons with him growing up in a strict household as a prince as the spare and his family is not the warmest of people. They love each other but they are very much the prim and proper and the monarchy before all type of group. But I could relate a lot to Eric and everything he is going through. Now Jamie on the other hand had the luxury of growing up in a "normal" environment with warm and loving technically adopted parents. This is reflective in his personality as a little shy, nerdy and sweet guy who was just so loveable. I wouldn't say they Eric and Jamie are opposites, but they are definitely what the other person needed in their life.
Now I will say I don't usually enjoy a 3rd act breakup but this book it really fit especially with how Eric's family is and their expectations for him and who he is allowed to be with. While it's a little weird they want him to be perceived as stable and in a committed relationship at the age of 17 especially since it's not like he is some wild child but based on the story the 3rd act breakup made sense, and I didn't hate it.
I think what I really loved about this story was that loving and welcoming aspect of a lot of the characters. I really thought a hidden heir element would mean he would be ridiculed by his half-brother and stepmom but no they were as welcoming and loving and excited to meet Jamie and were protective of him even at times. They welcomed him and his American family with open arms and truly wanted them there. It was a great representation of a blended family and just gave me all the warm and fuzzys.

Overall, this was a fun and sweet read that I think loads of people who are looking for a lighthearted read will enjoy. It is a YA novel so no spice, but I didn't notice because I was just focused on Jamie and Eric and giggling at their story.

This book is about Jamie who finds out on his 17th birthday that his mother who passed away had her friend and Jamie's adopted mother hide something from him his whole life. Not only is his father alive but he is a King which makes Jamie a Prince! It's a little hard for Jamie to grasp as he has never been truly comfortable being the center of attention. He has always been happy on the sidelines watching others like his friend Max taking all the attention and now he finds out he is heir to a European throne of a country he has never been to. Thankfully when he gets to Mitanor to meet his father and family they are all loving and welcoming of him to the family and he is excited to spend the summer with them. To help him acclimate to his situation his father the king has arranged for a prince of a neighboring kingdom who is the same age to come teach him some of the finer points of being a prince. Prince Eric is happy to come and help this new prince acclimate as things are stressful at home with his brother's upcoming wedding. As they spend time together throughout the summer helping Jamie get comfortable with his new role, they start to get closer and closer, and a connection starts to form between them. But this connection could challenge the plans Eric's family has for him and his future so a choice will have to be made for either love or for country.

I received an ARC Copy in exchange for an honest review from netgalley.

*thank you netgalley and publishers for this digital ARC*

i was really excited about this book based off of the description because i love the princess diaries! the idea of a queer gender-bent princess diaries esq story was like something i wished for in a dream, but the reality was not quite what i was hoping for. the story itself is very straightforward and the characters are very likable, my main issue is the writing. this truly felt like it was written by a 17 year old boy. which kind of makes sense given the age of the main characters, but the writing just felt so flat the whole time. i think part of that was the lack of conflict. it felt like the story had no depth at all. whenever there was a glimmer of conflict, it was resolved in the next page or even by the end of the paragraph. even the main idea that jamie johnson, a normal american boy, finds out that he is a prince, is met with a smile and very little conflict. no real internal or external struggle with the new culture, people, or family he is now part of.


the main "conflict" of the story is a fight between jamie and his best friend max, but it is never very serious because the fight is basically them ignoring each others texts and not speaking, which is not a very interesting conflict. the second biggest conflict is that erik and jamie can't be together because erik's grandma doesn't approve, but that gets solved within a chapter! i just felt like the lack of conflict made the characters very shallow and would have liked some more exploration into their inner psyche.

other than that, it's a cute, lighthearted read and it's great for fans of the princess diaries or queer romance lovers!

Princess Diaries but make it gay…shut up!!
(See what I did there) 🤔😉

I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich. The cover and premise immediately caught my eye so I was quite happy getting to read this. This was such a cute and fun read, essentially we meet Jamie who finds out on his birthday that he’s royalty (now I want a crown). We’re whisked away to meet the king and royal family and along the way meet Eric, who is also a prince of a neighboring country. As luck would have it, our two leads are both gay and catch each other’s eyes. I really liked the whole pining and will they won’t they do something about their feelings! I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve to a cute love story. There’s plenty of cute and tender moments that just make your heart beat. Apart from the romance, I liked how our leads also grow as individuals; I thought that was important for their development. I liked all the characters in this with the exception of one, the Queen, but oddly enough I wanted to know more about her lol. Something I didn’t like was a certain trope being used in the third act (it’s a me thing), but even with that I had an enjoyable time reading this. I really loved Jamie and Eric together, I’d definitely love to know more about them in any future installments (hint hint Cal). Sometimes you just need a really good book with great characters to take you away, to laugh, smile and just make you feel good inside; this will do it!

This was my first read from Cale and certainly won’t be my last. This will be available December 10th so add to your tbrs and plan on getting this!

Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books and Cale for providing me this ARC for an honest review.

This was a sweet, fun, feel-good romance about a 17 year old American boy who learns his father is the king of a small European country. Jamie is so wholesome and kind, you just can't help wanting good things for him. Almost everyone he comes in contact with is nice and welcoming. If you need a feel good escape with a happily ever after, this book is for you. Recommended for grades 8 & up.

Review: Overall, I really enjoyed this. I loved the interactions between Erik and Jamie. I really loved how Jamie adjusted to his new role as a prince and realized that he there is power and privilege to that. My literal only complaint is that this felt very insta-love for me, and I just personally don’t love that. I do understand that this is a YA book and that the entire thing happens over the span of like three weeks, but at one point it felt like Erik just woke up and was suddenly absolutely enamored with Jamie. Even with that, I think this is a really, really cute book and I enjoyed Cale’s writing and I’ll definitely be reading more of Cale’s books in the future.

Synopsis: Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he’s perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth emerges: he's the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country, and the press is ready to expose this secret to the world. An invitation to spend the summer in his father's palace arrives, giving Jamie a chance to get to know the man he never thought he’d meet.

Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Von Rosenborg, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country’s spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation.

At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them—one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a choice: follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost.

I love royal romance, but honestly, for a traditionally published book, this one should be better. I absolutely adored “If This Gets Out,” so I’m hoping the published version of this book will be better than the ARC.

Honest review: This book is Young Royals meets gay The Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue. A queer YA romantic comedy. While the premise of this book intrigued me, the writing became a bit repetitive and I found myself skimming through parts subconciously and nodding off. A lot of telling instead of showing and that created a very underwhelming and shallow story imo.

The story is told through the two characters POV, interchanging each chapter. Unfortunately, the characters had no disntictive voice as they are very similar to each other and they felt very one-dimensional. The relationship between the characters was more akin to a middle-school type of boyfriend/boyfriend than an actual fleshed out romance of two high schololers. Maybe that’s the target audience? Although there are very heavy makeout scenes… so not quite sure…

Overall the story is cute albeit trope-y, and I caught a few references to the story’s inspiration which was fun. But this missed the mark for me in terms of its writing execution.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I might have been a little outside of the age range for this book. I thought it would skew toward the older side of YA, but it was definitely aimed at the younger end.

That's not to say it's a bad book, it was just a bit too young for me. It's very light-hearted and low stakes. I'm sure most readers have seen all the tropes before, especially if you've seen The Princess Diaries, but they're classics for a reason.

The main characters were decent. I much preferred Erik over James if I had to choose, but most of the supporting characters felt like they blended together and I couldn't really tell you who was who.

In the end, it mostly felt like a PG rated Red, White, and Royal Blue. That's not a knock against the book, and it's nice for younger gays and girls to have something like this to read, it just wasn't for me!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Jamie and Erik’s story and their roller coaster of emotions. It felt like this was a Hallmark movie in the making. The characters were so sweet and the story woven together nicely!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this novel.

The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich is a fun mashup of the Princess Diaries and Red, White and Royal Blue. It is fun and formulaic at times but in a good way. I really enjoyed it.

Jamie is living a regular life with his adopted mom and stepfather in the United States after his mom passed away when he was young. Hanging out with his friends and crushing on cute guys are the two things usually on his agenda, until his 17th birthday, when he finds out his late mother was a well-off aristocrat from a (fictional) country and his dad is the King. Thrown into a unique situation, Jamie is reeling but excited to find out more about his family. The King drafts a prince from a neighboring country to show him the ropes, and sparks fly! Erik helps Jamie navigate how to be a royal while still keeping his distance as he is used to following his grandmother's (the Queen) rules about what is expected from him.

This is a fun, quick and entertaining read! I hope it finds a wide audience. It's very charming and fun.

I had some issues with this one. There are text message convos in the book but they aren’t shown differently from the normal font being used and it threw me off and bothered me. It very much reads like a YA novel and some might really enjoy this one (it was cute don’t get me wrong) but I personally don’t love a lot of YA books (and maybe I’m just too old for them?). I felt like it read very slow until the end 3-4 chapters and then it felt rushed. Overall it was cute but I don’t think it was life changing for me personally

An off-brand trope salad harvested from “The Princess Diaries” and “Red, White, and Royal Blue.” But “Rules” is uncompelling. Its stakes never get high enough to get the reader invested. Every character feels like a stock cardboard cut-out. Though told in alternating narration, the voices of the two leads are flat, indistinct, and disingenuous. (For instance, the supposed European prince speaks in vernacular that is distinctly American.) And though it is about two fictional countries, nothing about this world or its “rules” feels rooted in reality. Overall, this reads like a fanfiction that had its serial numbers filed and was rushed to print.

*Received as a free ARC*
I'm gonna go with "I'm too old for this". I feel in my bones that I would have absolutely loved a queer romance like this in high school. But as an adult, it fell a little flat. I went in expecting the characters to be a little older, but they are very much high schoolers and I am very much not. Still, I think it's a solid read for the age group and a solid purchase for a collection.

This was a fun light read. It echoes Red, White and Royal Blue, Playing the Palace, Duke for a Summer, and others where the couples consist of an American and a royal--in this case, Jamie, an American who finds out at age 17 that he is actually a prince of a fictitious Spanish-ish country. He falls in love with Erik, also 17, who is the spare heir of a Scandinavian-ish country. Fish-out-of-water and conservative royal dilemmas ensue. The main strength of the book is the characters. We root for Jamie and Erik--they are both so sweet and try so hard-- and Jamie's two sets of parents are also very sympathetically drawn. I wanted the writing to be a little stronger--the descriptions of feelings were all pretty generalized and the book needs a good editor (hopefully that will happen post-ARC). Still a fun read with some nice feels---and the author's way with characters would make me want to read more by him.

light fun gay romance told by Jamie and Erik. Jamie was shocked when at 17 he's told he's actually a prince. He's sent to Erik, another 17 year old Prince, to learn protocol but finds love. This has all the tropes- the sunny Jamie. the chilly Erik, the fake dating, and so on- but it's also got a mushy heart. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's meant to be YA but it's enjoyable across the generations.

Oh I loved every second of this book. It really gave me the vibes of the Red White and Royal Blue movie. I highly recommend and will be buying a physical copy when it’s available.

thank you netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

okay so here's the thing. i have a very deep reverence for red, white and royal blue so therefore it is a hobby of mine to read every quote-unquote "knockoff" of that novel as possible. so, of course, this book was on my raydar.

it wasn't necessarily bad, per se. the prince character (like the one who was established royalty. forget his name) was an interesting pov to read from. but the OTHER guy was so annoying. the writing was amateur at best, cringe at worst. all the other characters blended together into an amalgamation of mediocrity. i didn't really get far enough to dig into any plot stuff, but i just didn't care about the characters or what was going on in it. simply couldn't do it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed the last Cale Dietrich book I read, so I was optimistic that I might like the next book in the same vein. But sadly, I was really let down by The Rules of Royalty. It comes down to a number of factors, from life just being chaotic right now (personal stuff kept me from really engrossing in the book), picking this up after another bad read I fortunately DNFed, and the fact that this book skews toward younger YA.
The leads have reasonably interesting character arcs, but that’s let down by them having virtually identical narrative voices, so it’s easy to forget whose head you’re in. And that resulted in me not really caring when things happened, either on a personal level for either lead, or about their romance, since neither was really fleshed out or given their own voice.
I did like the strides made to make the monarchies a bit more progressive by acknowledging children born out of wedlock and them being queer not being a massive deal, but the result was the book lacked a lot of the royal intrigue and stakes to keep the story interesting.
But given I didn’t like the Red, White & Royal Blue to begin with, a “tamer” version that does more or less the same thing for a younger audience falls flat for me.
While I really wasn’t a fan of this book, I think it’s great that readers who may not be ready for/interested in the more explicit content of RWRB have this as an alternative. On the off chance queer royal romance is your thing, and you don’t mind that it skews a little younger in terms of its target audience, I recommend giving it a chance.