5 stars. A sapphic ya romance that gives red white and royal blue vibes. No notes. I loved this read!!

Danni and Rose were such a breath of fresh air within the royal x commoner stories as I felt they were more realistic and didn’t fall victim to the same cliches of the commoner being a people pleaser and the royal being overly rude and aggressive. I loved their banter and the pacing felt just right. Thank you to the author and netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc!

But like, genuinely, the second I heard about this book I knew I needed to read it immediately. When I saw that my arc request was approved I genuinely squealed with joy, like for real. So let's just say I've been excited about this one!

I am so happy to report it lived up to my expectations. Something to know about me -- I love a royal/commoner story more than just about anything else. Especially if it's sapphic. While there are so many good fantasy novels that fulfill this trope, I've been craving another contemporary one since I read Her Royal Highness. I am so so glad there's finally another one to add to my bookshelf! (and also if anyone knows of any others please let me know!)

Some spoilers ahead:

Moving on to the content itself, I was actually a little surprised at how much darker this was than I expected, but in a good way, of course! There's a lot of discussion surrounding grief, overdose, drugs, alcohol, and homophobia/sexuality. I really, really enjoyed it, as it definitely made it more realistic. I was expecting a super fluffy read -- which it still was -- but I really appreciated the added depth.

To kick off my thoughts on the characters, I'm going to start with Rose. Oh, Rose. My poor, precious princess. I really just felt so deeply for her throughout. She's dealing with the pressure of being a princess, while simultaneously grieving the death of one of her closest friends -- all while the public (and her friends) blame her for what happened. Along with that, she also wants to be queen one day and knows that if she is truly herself, she might lose that opportunity. She has resigned herself to a life that is not authentic to her because she sees no other way through. Rose is just such a good, complex character. The book is dual-pov and I really enjoyed that as it allowed us to see through her lens. Her POV added the most to the story for me.

Danni was a really intriguing character as well -- an American who moved to Henland and is attending a prestigious boarding school on scholarship. She's a gifted piano player but struggles with attention on her due to bullying at her past school. When she gets to Bramppath, she becomes friends with Molly -- Rose's ex-best friend who was also there when their friend died. As she joins Molly's friend group, it brings her closer to Rose. I liked Danni's storyline, though it wasn't as intense as Rose's. It's nice to see her develop through the course of the book and really come into her own.

Molly is also a good side character, dealing with her own grief and struggling to decide whether she wants to be friends with Rose again or not. Eleanor had her funny moments but wasn't as distinct for me. Alfie was an interesting character as well, and ended up contributing to the story in a way I hadn't originally guessed.

As for the relationship between Danni and Rose -- I loved it so much. It was so well-written and realistic and just with so much heart. They have a good conversation at one point where Rose mentions how she'll never be able to come out. This is very difficult for Danni as she doesn't want to spend her entire life hiding. I liked that they don't go through unnecessary drama -- no conflict just for the sake of it -- instead, it all feels earned, like that moment I mentioned. While neither girl wants to hide, they know what is expected of Rose. Watching them work through what that means for their relationship was truly the crux of the story.

They also have a lot of really cute, smile-inducing moments together. As the book progresses, both girls realize what is truly important to them and have to decide how to move forward. They come to really respect each other and understand how to be supportive and their for one another even if they can't be public with their relationship. It was just so nice and healthy, which was refreshing.

I really enjoyed the boarding school/academia aesthetic setting as well. I do wish there was more with Rose and her parents -- mainly because I was angry at them for making her have to hide herself, but I think it did add good tension and was believable. I also do think some of the reveals at the end were a little rushed and Rose should've had more resolution surrounding her grief.

Despite those minor issues I had, I really enjoyed reading this. The ending was satisfying -- with the HEA every royalty romance deserves. And I would say HEA has two meanings, in this case: Happily Ever After, yes, but also, Hopefully Ever After, which is just as (if not more) important, if you ask me.

At the end of the day, this is a story with a lot of heart. That's not to say it's all happy and perfect -- hearts aren't either of those things -- but the emotions experienced are strongly written and flow through the veins of the story, influencing everything. It's a beautiful exploration of friendship, love, loss, and finding who you are. There's surely more I could say, something I enjoyed and missed pointing out -- there's so much to unpack within these pages -- but I think I've rambled on long enough.

4.5 stars rounded up

Every time I read a queer YA book, I wish I had access to more of them when I was a teenager.

What a lovely coming of age story. What a great sorry about friendship, love, grief, and what it means to hide who you are.

I was rooting for these two from the start. I was hoping for a Rose and Molly rebuilding. I loved so much about this. I hope the young queer kids get from this exactly what I wish I had growing up.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Wednesday Book and Netgalley for the eARC! And thank you to Sophie Gonzales for choosing me to be on the street team for this book! I feel so lucky to be a part of it :)

I’m a big Sophie Gonzales fan, this was the 5th book I’ve read by her and this is one of my favorite ones. I can’t decide if I like this or Perfect on Paper more. Though If This Gets Out is still at the very top of my list.

Nobody in Particular is such a sweet, heartwarming, lovely read. I loved reading it. It lives in the intersection of Hallmark vibes, royalty romance, boarding school setting, but it also features complex friendships, the pressure to fit in and hide who you really are, past trauma and grief. There are also references to overdosing, being outed, bullying & other heavier topics.

Rose is a princess of a fictional country, she’s gay but no one can know, otherwise the monarchy that’s already losing popularity could be completely ousted. Danni, who’s a very talented piano player, gets a scholarship to the same school the princess attends. In her previous school, she was outed, bullied and her shine dimmed, she’s hoping for a clean slate at this new school.

I absolutely loved the romance in this book. Their initial banter, the way they fell for one another kind of slowly then kind of all at once, how the princess was practically one step below touch her and you die vibes, how they always look out for each other, how Danni caused Rose to reconsider her priorities, how Rose helped Danni get out of her shell even before they ever get together, and just how adorable they are together.

As in her other books, SG does a wonderful job covering the complexity of emotions that teenagers deal with. Because of this, her characters always feel real, they have depth and nuance. While not everyone might relate to being a princess, you will still relate to many of the struggles these two have to deal with, regardless of your age.

The side characters were very well developed as well. I loved the strong friendships in this book. The book really highlights how they can give you strength and how they can be one of the most important relationships in our lives. The complex feelings between Molly and Rose were handled so beautifully. I loved the importance given to being honest with your friends, even if the truth might not be straightforward or pretty. But even aside from Dani and Rose’s besties, almost every character had some depth. I even loved Danni’s mom though I could probably count the number of scenes she was in, on one hand.

At its core, the book really is about being unapologetically yourself.

Rating: 4.3⭐

I wasn't able to read this on the app... So I will makr this as Middle of the road, I guess. I hope the people that were able to read it enjoyed it.

Sophie Gonzales never fails to capture your heart, shove it in a blender, and then patch it back up in a way you never knew you needed before gently placing it back into your chest. Nobody in Particular is no exception, managing to both break my heart and heal it at the same time. It was a treat to get to know her characters and hear their stories.

"I just looked at the devil I knew, and realized I’d rather embrace the devil I don’t" -Princess Rose

When I was young I knew my attraction to men was far from what my family or religious community wanted. I set rules for myself and had every intention of following them. Suffocating rules that lasted all the way into early adulthood only recently thrown away in favor of trying to truly live. 11 years ago I would've killed for this story, but I am so grateful to have read it now.

Because of this I think I can say with at least minor authority that Sophie has written a beautiful story. Handling delicate topics such as coming out, being forced out of the closet with gentle ease. And even more difficult topics such as witness a friends death first hand with grace fit for royalty.
Every character from our main lovers to those on the side were dynamic and behaved as reasonably as a teenager could be expected too. And when miscommunication did occur they were reasonable ones that were resolved usually bittersweetly. I'll be honest and add that the main antagonist came as a surprise, even if he gave me the ick early on. I was giggling while reading, and highlighting more lines than I care to count. The banter was excellent, the romance something to savor, and the friendships sweet.
I have every intention of shoving this book at as many people as I can in the time leading up to its release.

"Admit it. You just want to hang with me."
"On pain of death, I will not."
- Rose and Danni

As someone who loves royal romances, this hit the spot. I loved this queer romance between a troubled princess and an American. It was slower in the beginning, but then picked up quickly around halfway through.

this was so cute! I didn’t know I needed a queer royal romance, but i definitely did! Seeing that representation written and done well was cool to see

I really wanted to love this book but it was kind of dull for me. I was hoping for a swoony romance and the swoon was lacking. That being said, perhaps a young queer person would relate to the story more. Danni and Rose are opposites. Danni is the girl who is insecure from being bullied at her old school and Rose may as well be the mean girl in school. For some reason, Rose takes an interest in Danni and a friendship blossoms. Rose helps bring Danni out of her shell and gives her the confidence to be her authentic self. In turn, Rose realizes being authentic is the only way she’s going to be able to live a life of her own making.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

This book was everything I was hoping for it to be and more. A YA, sapphic romance at a boarding school with an American transfer and princess love interest–that’s my all-time dream of a book, and I was blown away.

Every character had depth to them and we got to see them develop throughout the book. While I’d say Eleanor was the one character explored the least, you could still see how she changed throughout the book if you looked closely, and she was such a great comic relief as well. I would have loved to see more development from her because I saw enough of her to be invested in her as a character.

Now, for the main characters. I love that both Rose and Danni had very prevalent internal and external conflicts going on throughout the book, and I think the author balanced these very well while managing to tie them into the main plot expertly. Seeing Danni overcome her stage fright and overall fear of being perceived by others and, in this case–the media was so enjoyable, and I loved how this bravery and confidence also applies to her relationship with Rose and her coming out. Overall, everything is tied in very well. Similar to Rose, her learning how to process and feel her emotions in regard to the death of her friend Oscar and the pressures of being next in line to the throne was so poignant and beautiful. She learned to finally stand up for herself, forge her own path, and understand that despite her mistakes, she’s not a bad person. Best of all, we consistently saw the ways in which Danni and Rose helped each other become more confident in themselves as they experienced these conflicts and ultimately got each other through it all. That extra layer made their relationship that much more profound, on top of the charming and witty dialogue between the two, which I adored.

I also really loved how grief was explored in this book and the way it was woven in along with the present plot. Molly was such a compelling character, and she was written so well that, as the reader, I could empathize with her despite the pain she caused Rose for the majority of the book. A situation like that is not easy for anyone, let alone teenagers. I loved seeing the different ways in which they processed the situation and how they eventually resolved the conflict in the story. It was such an engaging part of the story.

One major thing that stuck out to me in this book is avoiding many cliches, which is hard to avoid in a YA romance. The incident in Amsterdam is what made Molly gravitate towards Danni–someone new who wasn’t already involved in the group and had no prior knowledge of the situation. She wanted to escape the drama and avoid Rose, so it made sense why she befriended a new transfer student so quickly. Another usual cliche is the third-act breakup, which did not happen here. Instead, she cleverly adds a new mystery into the mix. This was such a great addition to the plot as it kept the momentum of the story going despite the two main characters already being together. I honestly couldn’t figure out who it was until very close to the reveal, and I thought the setup and reveal were so well done!

Overall, I absolutely fell in LOVE with this book, and I was so entertained the entire way through that I was sad to finish it since I loved these characters and this world so much. The dialogue and interactions between characters were EVERYTHING!! I can’t emphasize enough how well the characters were written.

I was also so intrigued by the author’s note about how this book was initially turned away because, at the time, the publishing houses claimed there was no market for a YA sapphic romance, and now has come so much later than many other LGBTQ+ royal romance novels. As someone who has read some other books with a royal character, I think this book has definitely brought something new and unique to the table. I loved that this was set in a fictional country. I actually wanted to learn so much more about it! This was my first book by this author, and I’m excited to delve into her other books!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 4.25 ⭐️ I absolutely loved the premise of this book and the chemistry between the characters was flawless. It felt so real and genuine, and the commentary on queer representation was spot on (felt very timely right now). I did feel overall there were some events/conflicts that felt a bit forced and unnecessary, almost like there was too much going on than needed. Some of the characters were eye roll annoying but I think that’s me being a crotchety 35 year old reading YA lol. So it’s my problem. 😉 I will definitely be looking into more of Sophie’s backlist. I absolutely adored the authors note at the beginning about her long process to getting this book published and I appreciated the book so much more after reading that bit.

Nobody in Particular follows Danni, a new American student at an all girls boarding school in the fictional Henland, and Rose, princess of Henland and fellow student at Danni's school as they navigate their growing relationship and the stakes of being discovered/coming out. To be honest I was hooked at the Author's Note at the start were Sophie Gonzales outlines how this book was written 11 years ago but she kept being told "there's no market for queer royal romances" so it was shelved until the social/publishing climate would be more accepting. While I would have loved to have this book 11 or so years ago, I'm so glad it's seeing the light now. Danni, Rose, and all of their friends were all well-developed characters, often making some terrible decisions, but they all made sense given their history, grief, and circumstances. I really felt the stakes of their relationship - as the speculation around Rose and Danni's secret relationship grew, threatening to out both of them, I could feel the tension and needed to keep reading to know how it all resolved. Overall this book had so much heart, dealt with grief with such care, and I hope it finds the readers who need it.

This was everything I wanted out a teen book with this premise! I had a great time reading this one and it's an easy recommend.

I’m a sucker for boarding school books. And sapphic? Even better! This gave me Red white and royal blue x maxton hall x princess diaries x Twisted games (but high school and not spicy just the princess side of things). I loved this story from the start! It’s the first time I read from Sophie González and I can’t wait to read more from her. This is my second ever ARC read (thank you NETGALLEY), in which I’m definitely getting the physical copy of this book when it is published. And it is rare for me to do that. I really love their story and I hope this books gets the love it deserves.

Danni and Rose got along from the very start (even tho it didn’t seem quite so from the outside) and I couldn’t help but notice that even before something blossomed between them, they were noticing things from each other without them realizing and I enjoyed. It made me kick my feet. Both Danni and Rose are opposites but opposites do attract. One is used to the spot light while the other comes from a place than when the spotlight was on her people laughed. I’m glad we saw them grow throughout the year and help each other be the best versions of themselves.

Nobody in Particular is the Red, White, & Royal Blue for YA sapphics!! The story of Rose and Danni and how they navigate their love in a Catholic boarding school covers a lot more ground than its cute but simple forbidden love premise implies. They are both deeply complex young characters in difficult positions, dealing with histories of trauma, PTSD, grief, and both learn the hard way how the media and PR adults exploit famous young people. Diving deep into that topic was such a pleasant surprise for me; I don’t think I’ve read another YA book that discusses it, all its consequences, and how it affects the MC mentally and in all of their relationships like this one. I could tell the author prioritized realism in this story, and was successful in that I cared deeply for both MCs and believed both of their thought processes and actions, even if they were vastly different coming from a highly scrutinized European Princess vs an American scholarship student. I loved both of their journey’s and how they always seemed to come back to each other despite their circumstances and obstacles. This story had a lot going on but was so fulfilling and satisfying, and truly a delight to read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's
Press for the ARC of this book!
This was one of the books being released in 2025 that I was most excited about so when I got the chance to read an arc I jumped right in! It did not disappoint.
There's so much about this book that appealed to me, a queer forbidden romance that involves a monarch is something l've read before but it always feels exciting-I mean, talk about high stakes!!! Danni and Rose absolutely captured my heart even when the story was somewhat predictable. I was rooting for them and I think a sapphic version of this story was much needed.

Sophie Gonzales’ Nobody in Particular is a heartfelt and witty exploration of identity, belonging, and finding one’s voice. With her signature humor and emotionally resonant storytelling, Gonzales introduces a protagonist who feels invisible in their own life but embarks on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. The characters are relatable and authentic, and the narrative beautifully balances lighthearted moments with deeper, thought-provoking themes. A charming and uplifting read for fans of contemporary fiction with heart.

A beautifully written story that tackles much more than your typical princess falls in love with the commoner trope! As someone whose favorite movie growing up was “The Prince & Me”, I was so excited to see it inspired into as a YA sapphic novel. I was taken by surprise how deeply moving this story would be. The loss of friendship and grief was painted so vividly and I deeply resonated with both sides of the characters struggles. To see characters heal throughout the story through friendship and new love was beautiful! You can tell that Sophie Gonzales really thought out and put immense care into this story that would be impactful to readers on various journeys (grief, familial issues, classism, queer identity, etc.). This was an enjoyable read that made me laugh and feel deeply for these character (even when they were frustrating!). Although not perfect, this book checked all my boxes and more for a coming of age story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC 🫶🏻