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.

The Rules of Royalty was a light-hearted, queer YA story that was very reminiscent of The Princess Diaries. If you are in search of a fun, easy to read, low angst story, Jamie and Erik’s story is the perfect one to dive into.

Jamie Johnson had no idea who his father was, or that his birthday this year would be any different than his birthday last year. When his mother sits him down, he finds out he is heir to the throne of Mitanor and his biological father is the King of Mitanor.

Erik Von Rosenborg has had his entire life mapped out in accordance with what the crown expected of him. When he is asked to help Jamie adjust to his new role as not only as prince, but as a queer royal like Erik, he does what is asked of him. He doesn’t expect the fondness for Jamie, nor for his feelings to be as deep as they were that he would challenge the Queen’s orders.

This is definitely geared towards a younger YA audience, 12-14 years old. While there were social issues, and conflicts that both Jamie and Erik must address, it felt as if this would be perfect for a 6th or 7th grade student. Now that I say that there was a good bit of kissing, but I did read some crazy fanfic back in the day that was definitely not meant for my eyes.

It was fun seeing how Jamie and Erik both had awkward fumbles, and there was a good bit of will he or won’t he moments. When they did finally decide to jump in, I kicked my feet up with a giggle.

There were a couple aspects that I feel like could have been left out and the story would have been perfectly fine. Some filler, some odd moments and underdeveloped secondary characters.
Overall, this was a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
*Note: I've rated this a 4, but it probably falls closer to a 3.5.

Non-spoiler synopsis:
Imagine going out to a local American diner for your 17th birthday, then coming home to find out you are a Prince of a small European country. In The Rules of Royalty, The Princess Diaries meets Red White and Royal Blue meets Romeo and Juliet. Jamie is your average gay American teenager, who comes to find out he is royalty; Erik is the spare heir, European Prince, who is tasked with bringing Jamie up to speed on how to act and what it means to be a young, gay prince. Together, they find themselves and learn how to navigate the challenges of (re)discovering who they are and what exactly they stand for.

Review:
I thought this was such a sweet and wholesome queer coming of age and love story. I really enjoyed getting to know Jamie and Erik and getting a glimpse into their family dynamics. I think Cale Dietrich did a wonderful job of representing the gay experience and social strife that many queer people experience, regardless of class or status, while simultaneously showing that queer people are just people too in The Rules of Royalty. Some other relevant and important topics were touched on as well, like wishing people with higher status / more resources would do more to support important causes within their communities, which was really refreshing.

I will say I was worried that this would feel too similar to other stories with similar premises, but I was happy that this felt unique despite some overlap! I do, however, think the story suffered a bit from some repetitive writing. There were also many instances where the author told instead of showing us what was happening (and some instances where they showed and still told us anyways immediately after the fact, which contributed to the repetitiveness). I also felt that both characters’ POVs were written very similarly so it didn’t feel like there were strong enough differences to differentiate between reading the two besides the fact that they obviously lead very different lives.

Please read The Rules of Royalty if you loved The Princess Diaries, Romeo and Juliet, and/or Red White and Royal Blue; it publishes on December 10th! I’d love to hear what you think of it if you do!

very cute and cozy romance! not particularly deep, but it doesn't really need that at all. nice and refreshing read. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

The writing style was very juvenile considering that the main characters are 17/18. It was a bit grating. I know I’m no longer the target audience in the YA genre, but 85% of the time I still enjoy my time reading them. This was unfortunately in the 15% I didn’t enjoy.

This was SO CUTE! It's YA, so definitely think more sweet than spicy, but it felt so grounded in real friendship and relationships despite the wild premise. It's like a perfect blend of "The Princess Diaries" and "Red, White & Royal Blue" so if you are a fan of either (or both!) of those you will love it!

Such a fun new queer romance that is perfect for fans of RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE! I had so much fun reading this new romance and am so excited for the author's next book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an e-arc of The Rules of Royalty. I loved If This Gets Out, so my expectations were set pretty high opening this book. Unfortunately it ended up being a def at 30% because of how much showing verses telling that there was and the two perspectives sounded exactly the same. I kept getting confused and had to go back to the beginning of a chapter to remind myself if the chapter was from Jaimie or Erik's perspective.

Thank you for the ARC.

I wish more gay romance novels took this approach to building a love story, the slow burn, and typical architype: meet, passion, red flag/conflict, and a yellow flag resolution.
It was like a modern gay prince(ess) diaries.

I thoroughly enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and the light-hearted nature of the book.

It was a breath fresh air. 3.5 stars rounded up.

It’s giving Princess Diaries meets Red, White and Royal Blue!

Jamie is an aggressively average boy from New Jersey.
Erik is the spare Prince in the royal family of Sunstad.

When Jamie finds out that he is really a Prince from Ginovia, I mean Mitanor, his royal father has the grand idea to find him a royal companion to keep him company and show him the ropes. It’s a perfect job for Prince Erik whose grandmother, the queen, wants Erik to find a family approved boyfriend….just not one from America (pearl clutch!).
As Erik and Jamie go from mentorship, to friendship, to love (not a spoiler, this is a romance people!) we’re along for their wild summer ride. Actually, it was more of a “mild” summer ride. The book doesn’t have any grand tension or big stakes. This was pretty one dimensional but honestly, I don’t care. The book isn’t deep and it’s not doing anything deep and that’s okay. It’s a cute, cuddly queer rom com and I think a lot of young poeple will enjoy this.

This is a 3.5 ⭐ rounded up because I am not the intended audience for this book but a kid that loves a saccharine romance is going to go gaga for Erik and Jamie.

Thank you Net Galley and Wednesday Books!

The Rules of Royalty is such a sweet queer romance! Readers who loved the Princess Diaries, but wished there was more LGBTQ+ rep absolutely must read this book. Jamie Johnson learns that he is actually the son of a king on his birthday. Unprepared to be a prince, Jamie is relieved to be assigned a friend and tutor in Prince Erik. Erik has been raised as a prince from birth, so he is more than able to teach Jamie. As the two spend more time together, they start to fall for eachother...but will they be allowed to pursue their connection?

The Rules of Royalty is a lighthearted and enjoyable queer YA romance. Jamie and Erik are adorable and I enjoyed how they learned to fight for their relationship. I think this book will mean so much to readers who have longed to see themselves reflected in this classic tale of secret royalty and handsome princes. The boys are surrounded by a supportive cast of characters, from family and friends to a world where LGBTQ+ rights are not controversial but accepted.

Readers who love a sweet fairytale romance, fantastic LGBTQ+ rep, and The Princess Diaries will love The Rules of Royalty!

Thank you to Cale Dietrich, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Unfortunately this book wasn't really for me. The story and premise was interesting but the writing felt a little bit clunky and the characters voices were super similar, these two things took me out of the story a lot and I also felt it was a little bit too slow paced. I do think it was a cute story that less picky readers and especially younger readers could enjoy

DNF'd at 28%

I have been hemming and hawing over this one for a week or two now and I just can't find it in myself to pick it up again so I'm just giving up.

I was excited for this because of the Red, White, and Royal Blue feel, but where RWRB has incredible characters and clever writing, this is just... not that. My main gripe was the writing... it was just... not good. It was clunky and awkward and it took me out of a moment every time I was just starting to get a little bit invested.

I think what really did it for me was one of the worst descriptions of a panic attack I have ever read. The character literally just said "I'm having a panic attack" and that was it. There was no description of his rushing breath, increased heart rate, etc. We are just... told he is having a panic attack and that is it. There was only telling and not showing. And then, to make it worse, the whole reason why he had a panic attack wasn't even resolved in a meaningful manner. There's practically a one sentence description of "Oh and it turned out fine" and that was it. Meanwhile, a chapter or two before we have a detailed description of how the other main lead has a fencing match with his brother that has no relevance on the overall plot.

I don't know. Maybe younger teens will like this one. But for all those that are thinking about reading this because it reminds them of Red, White, and Royal Blue, don't bother.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rules of Royalty lives up to its comps—it's a queer Princess Diaries for the ages. When Jamie, an American teenager, finds out he's actually the prince of a European nation called Mitanor, he's whisked away for a summer of learning about his new family, the customs of the place his parents came from, and what it's like to be a prince, courtesy of Erik, a prince from a neighboring country, Sunstead.

They're both second-born sons. They're both gay. They're both nerds, they're both—well, a lot of things. Which is where most of my trouble came into play in this book. While the premise was extraordinarily charming, the dual POV didn't necessarily add anything to the plot as both characters seemed about the same. Their voices were not distinct and beyond Erik's issues with a more overbearing family and Jamie's struggles adapting to being a prince, they often felt like the same character.

The struggles that they dealt with were always also extremely surface level—I think the book would have benefited more from having fewer plot points that only seemed tied together by conversations that only really existed as a means to an end, and more time to dig into these issues. For example, I think the author wanted us to care a little more about each character's relationship with their brother, particularly Erik as a result of a late story reveal about his brother Stefan, but it didn't necessarily ever feel earned. Overall, most of the issues in the book including the primary reason the main characters have to avoid being together were stemmed from a single line and were quickly resolved, meaning there was very little for the main characters to struggle with. Several smaller plot points, like a conservative prime minister, a fight with a friend from home, the decision of where Jamie should live after school, never felt fully fleshed out for me.

But sometimes that's what you need in a YA romance! Particularly one where queer characters are at the center and so rarely given just some fluff.

I think readers looking for something a little more surface level and true YA might have fun with this—it's fluffy, and, unsurprisingly, the two main characters earn a lovely little happily ever after. But those looking for a little more twist and tension, or those like me who are more character focused over plot, might not get as much out of this book. Those who love it will truly love it, though.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC for my honest review!

Absolutely wonderful. This year, I have struggled with finding YA/NA that I'm enjoying, and I'm so happy to say that this one worked so well for me. I liked how the premise was a bit Princess Diary-esque because I think that's such a fun trope. The relationship between Jamie and Erik was so fun to read about how their friendship developed and slowly, so did other feelings. There's a lot of royal behind the scenes here, which I always find fascinating because of how much impact it has on their daily lives. The two narrators were excellent, and their performances made these two feel so real for me.

Cale Dietrich’s The Rules of Royalty is a captivating royal romance filled with charm, intrigue, and heartfelt moments. Jamie’s journey from an ordinary teenager to a crown prince is both engaging and relatable, especially as he navigates his feelings for Prince Erik, his royal tutor. The novel brilliantly blends personal discovery, societal expectations, and forbidden love into a story that’s impossible to put down. Fans of LGBTQ+ romance and royal dramas will find themselves swept away by Dietrich’s signature wit and emotional depth.

The Rules of Royalty is a sweet, modern spin on the classic royal romance trope, complete with two princes and a hidden heir. The setup promises The Princess Diaries vibes mixed with heartfelt LGBTQ+ representation, and for the most part, it delivers. 👑❤️

The romance between Erik and Jamie is adorable, and I appreciated the lighthearted moments woven throughout the story. At times, the pacing seemed uneven, with certain plot points feeling rushed while others dragged a bit.

That said, fans of fluffy, feel-good reads will likely enjoy this one. If you’re in the mood for a royal escape with a touch of humor and heart, The Rules of Royalty is worth a read!