Nobody in Particular is my first novel by Sophie Gonzales but will not be my last. As an elder millennial, I haven’t read a lot of recent YA romance, but queer—especially sapphic—YA novels like this remind me of the impact these stories have and make me want to read more.

I truly enjoyed this novel and was blown away by the emotional depth, wit, and unapologetic authenticity in its characters. Set in the elite halls of Bramppath College, this novel introduces readers to Princess Rosemary of Henland and Danni Blythe, a gifted pianist on scholarship from Colorado, whose worlds collide in a whirlwind of forbidden love, royal expectations, and personal healing.

From the first page, Gonzales crafts a story that feels both intimate and cinematic. I could easily see this translating to a TV series or movie. The chemistry between Rose and Danni is tender, unfolding through friendship and a slow-burn attraction built on vulnerability and trust. Their romance is a beautiful exploration of identity, reputation, and the courage it takes to live truthfully in the face of scrutiny. It felt so human and age appropriate. I also truly loved the complex relationships with side characters and the honest conversations about grief, coming out, class differences, and the effect of media.

Nobody in Particular is a witty, heartfelt sapphic romance about a princess, a pianist, and the forbidden love that could cost them everything. I loved it and I would read more by this author. Definitely adding to my sapphic lists this year.

I literally am obsessed with this book. That's not an understatement. It's one of my favorite YA reads of the year!

Give me all the Prince and Me, boarding school, forbidden sapphic romance vibes!! I was living for this story and these amazing characters. I loved the structure of the story and how high-stakes the romance felt because of the girls' circumstances. I was so IN that my heart was pounding and my hands were clammy when things started going wrong for them. Danni and Rose must be protected at all costs!!

I can not say enough good things about this book. It's the perfect romance for anyone who grew up romanticizing royal romances!

4.75 stars rounded up!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience.

This book was really fun - if stories about young love, sapphics, royals, and boarding school appeal to you, this is the book for you. The characters were flawed but loveable, and there was tons of teen drama.

I’m still unsure about how I feel after finishing this book…

During certain parts this definitely felt like a YA because the characters acted so immature. There was so much drama, plus all the “will they/won’t they” mentality. I liked Danni, but she felt more mature than Rose bc she was so open with her emotions.

But at other points it was honestly feeling like an adult closed door romance? There was a lot of sexual tension in the beginning/middle that was kinda weird and felt super forced.

Also, the pacing of this book was strange. There were huge gaps of missing time without any sort of acknowledgement about it. Like one second it was November, and the next were already in the new year?

I was so excited for a royal sapphic romance, but alas, I think I just wasn’t the right audience for this particular book. I think it’s probably because it’s YA…

This took me forever to read because I just couldn’t get into it. Danni and Rose were cute together and I enjoyed their relationship but not enough to suck me into the book. The pacing was way off for me, and I really only enjoyed the last chunk of the book where it focused more on Danni and Rose resolving conflict. It was a bummer because I was really excited for this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Ever since I got my hands on Red, White and Royal Blue, I have loved any book that has a queer romance with a royal. Rosemary is definitely someone who needs to be seen as she has played a part her whole life. We are all becoming more aware of how much royalty is constantly watched and evaluated and has little privacy. Having Danni come into the story with her own story and experiences did make this a more dynamic plot. Happy ending as expected but an enjoyable experience.. 3.75 stars.

✨ The Vibes ✨
A YA romance perfect for fans of Young Royals or The Princess Diaries

📖 Read if…
✨ You enjoy following royal gossip
✨ You like books with a healthy bit of scandal
✨ You don’t mind YA books where the characters really act their age

Sophie Gonzales’ latest, Nobody in Particular, follows Princess Rosemary, a young royal trying to move past a scandal and a personal loss who meets Danni, a new student at Bramppath College who is also on a personal journey of her own.

It’s sometimes tricky to review YA titles as an adult because it can be hard to figure out if the story isn’t landing because of poor writing or just because you’re not the target demo. In this case, I think I’m leaning more towards the latter, as I thought the story was interesting but just found the characters to be rather immature, even for a YA novel. If I was a teen reading this, I might be able to look past that and enjoy the story, but as an older reader I was just frustrated more often than not and found it really difficult to get fully invested.

That being said, I think anyone who’s interested in a coming-of-age story that deals with themes around grief and found family, while also offering a strong romantic subplot and lots of drama will click with this book.

Nobody in Particular is out now. Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am absolutely soft for these characters. I adored them so much, and that cover is absolutely perfect. This was honestly a sort of cozy read, for me. I enjoy these soft touch romances.

This was a very cute book, but it was not for me. Everything was so high stakes. They’re still kids, and even though Rose is royalty & that does require a little more planning for the future than a normal teenager would deal with, they shouldn’t be thinking about forever yet. The writing was good & the story held my interest I just wish that Dani & Rose were a little bit older.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this novel.

This book has been on my radar for quite some time. I am so glad that I finally got the chance to read it. This was my first royal romance and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The relationship between Rose and Danni was everything I wanted from a sapphic story. [Spoilers ahead] I thought the reveal that Alfie was the one to blame for everything was still somewhat a bombshell, but I'd begun to suspect him when he so casually talked about one day being king. Although Harriet and her obvious crush on Danni made for a good red herring as far as motive was concerned.

All in all this book was really good. It's convinced me that maybe I need to give more Royal romances a chance. At the beginning of the book there was an authors note about being worried people may think this was copied from another Royal romance book already published, and I'm interested to see which one the author could be referring to.

Ten out of ten though. I would highly recommend this one.

I thought it was a bit too simple / elementary for my taste. but the premise is smart and has potential. would be a great tv show or movie!

Sophie Gonzales is one of my absolute favorite romance authors! I am also a part of the street team for this book (but unfortunately due to traveling I haven’t had much time to participate).

American Dani, hoping to escape the bullying at home, accepts a music scholarship to an elite European boarding school filled with wealthy aristocrats like the princess, Rose. She and Rose fall into an unlikely secret romance but have to dodge royal duties and the prying public who are watching and waiting for the girls to mess up.

Very sweet lesbian story with a few darker emotional beats, and it's very satisfying to watch Rose and Dani grow into their strengths. If you liked the Princess Diaries but thought they could be gayer, this is probably a great option for you.

A sapphic YA romcom set at an all-girls elite boarding school in a small European country that Rosemary is the princess of and where Danni, new to the country from Colorado, gets a scholarship for her piano talent. Insert ruthless paparazzi, clandestine meetings, furtive glances, and spilled secrets!!!!!!!

Sophie Gonzalez has a way of writing that is unputdownable (new word just dropped). I love the first person narration and how, even between the two POVs, it feels cohesive. It's such a joy to read her books!!

I expected this to be a fun romance full of embarrassing moments and media scandals. What I didn't expect was the immense grief that the characters had to navigate through because of the events that happened a few months before the story takes place. All of the characters had their own way of processing (or not), and it was refreshing to see. I kept thinking to myself that some of the characters are so emotionally mature for their age lol.

The blend of themes such as processing trauma, starting a new secret relationship, navigating friendships, identifying what is most important, and doing all of this while avoiding the hungry eyes of the media was so well done. I loved it!

Such a sweet book, 4/5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC!!

In this brilliant LGBTQ+ YA novel, readers follow Princess Rosemary of Henland as she returns to Bramppath College and tries to repair her image after a scandal destroys her reputation and her country and best friend’s trust in her. However, the arrival of scholarship student and pianist Danni shakes things up; Danni expects to be the outcast and struggle to find a place at Bramppath, but her friendship with the princess’s ex best friend helps her settle in and puts her on Rose’s radar. As rumors grow, Rose and Danni must deflect the eyes on their evolving relationship or end it before the palace does. Packed with details and with great alternating perspectives, readers will love this brilliant and entertaining novel. The characters are really detailed and well-written, and the alternating perspectives really highlight the complexities of Bramppath and the two worlds that Rose and Danni occupy. The emotional storylines and relationships in this book are brilliant and bring the characters -- the clear stars of the book -- to life in fantastic detail. Entertaining, emotional, and immersive, this new LGBTQ+ YA romance novel is a fantastic and detailed read that fans of forbidden romance, school drama, and fictional royalty will absolutely love.

“I love you,” she finishes fiercely, and for just a heartbeat, the world stops. “I love you, too,” I hear myself say, and it’s the truth. I’ve known it’s the truth for a while now. It scares the shit out of me, but there it is.”

This was a well thought out and beautiful love story between Danni and Rose. The characters slowly get more fleshed out throughout the story as they pull each other out of their shells and into their true selves and I loved their journey.
There was a bit of time jumping and disconnecting between chapters that personally threw me out of the story and I didn’t quite like.
The friend group was phenomenal and well done.
The book ended exactly how I hoped it would. I really do enjoy what this author writes.

Thank you to netgalley for an arc.

This was a really cute read. I liked that Danni and Rose were the strength to eachother's weakness. The twists in the plot were a little cliche, but suited the story overall. I appreciated how Danni and Rose both found the strength to fight for their relationship in their own ways. The ending was both charming and satisfying.

Sophie Gonzales is one of my fave YA authors and I'm so grateful to Wednesday books and NetGalley for the eARC of her newest release. All thoughts shared in this review are my own.

I lovedddd this story and the characters. The romance was electric and there were multiple parts where I was full-on sobbing. The humour was excellent, as well, with many laugh-out-loud moments. The pacing was perfect and always kept me engaged and wanting to read more to find out what happened next.

Rose and Danni were beautifully written with distinct personalities, flaws, strengths, goals, and challenges to overcome. I was rooting for them both as individuals and as a couple. I love them so much!

I also appreciated that Gonzales wasn't afraid to use labels like "lesbian" and "bi" for her MCs. Obviously unlabeled folks do exist and are valid, but too often it's left unsaid when there's no reason for it to be.

I'm giving this book 5 stars, but with the caveat that it does come across as quite pro-monarchy, in the end. There's definitely critiques of monarchy throughout, but it wasn't as substantial as I usually like to see in my royal romances. It did help a bit that it was set in a fictional country, without real-life history of oppression and colonialism, but Henland was also specifically set-up as a majority Catholic country, with the monarchy seeming to have close ties to the Church. I really would have liked to see more pushback on the harm these institutions cause.

Regardless, it was such an awesome story overall that I know will stay with me for a long time to come. I definitely recommend it!