I always love a book that discusses royalty and the challenges that accompany roles like that. Two girls are drawn together, but he palace is insistent on tearing them apart. Will they be able to keep this secret? Will the couple persevere? Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This beautifully written story captures the heartfelt coming-of-age journey of two queer young women in a world that isn't always friendly, offering a vital and much-needed representation in today’s media landscape. The narrative is both inspiring and deeply moving, as it portrays young characters facing the choice that choosing love can also mean embracing sacrifices. This is an important read; it celebrates resilience, self-discovery, and the beauty of authentic connection.

The Prince and Me meets a sapphic Red, White and Royal Blue, with hints of Gossip Girl and Young Royals, Nobody in Particular is going to be a fan favourite.
Thank you NetGalley and Sophie Gonzales for giving me early access to an e-arc.
There is so much I could say about this book. It has been on my anticipated reads since it was first announced, and finally getting to read it, it rightly belongs on that list. Danni and Rose couldn’t be more different, and yet they manage to find themselves in each other. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age romance, with no shortage of drama but also many funny moments sprinkled within to balance it out.
I love the way Sophie writes. I think the way she handles the topics of grief and self-acceptance is really delicate and thought provoking. Especially given the age demographic, and the age of the characters, I think the way Sophie writes about the girls dealing with young love and dealing with their sexualities, that can be very relatable to readers, even if they’re not at the same place in their lives as the characters are. All of the characters, especially our two main girls, are well-rounded and well developed. She doesn’t forget about making sure none of the characters remain stagnant throughout the story. I’m so happy with how Rose and Danni evolve throughout the novel, not just as a couple but as individuals too. They manage to find bits and pieces of themselves in each other that would’ve taken much longer on their own. But I also love how their friendships develop with the other characters.
And I’m happy to say, without giving too much away, that the ending did not devastate me, despite some of my worries that I would not survive emotionally. Overall, I will definitely be preordering and rereading this book, and highly recommend it. It is officially my favourite Sophie Gonzales book, although she delivers every time.

thank you netgalley for the arc!
this is good!! the characters were well plotted and their backgrounds were built into the plot well! i did not see the bad guy coming even though i should have. it was written eleven years ago and unfortunately you can tell. it has a lot of tired coming out tropes and inability to reconcile closeting with partners that are very ten years ago but it was still good!

A really fun, royal sapphic novel for fans of the ever popular one of us is royal books! I would definitely recommend this to those looking for sapphic romances in general.

a stunning and intimate tale with a pleasantly-surprising amount of political intrigue! while this is not my first Sophie Gonzales book, i do believe it is by far my favorite. the characters were immediately intriguing— particularly our protagonist Danni, largely because her passion for music echoed my own (i attended college for music education)— and though i have no real experience with boarding schools or fictitious kingdoms (even if Henland did give me Genovia vibes once or twice), i felt perfectly immersed in the story. i appreciated that texting was used as a multimedia storytelling device and that it wasn't super heavy-handed, and i was thrilled by the epilogue that made me eager for a sequel just to bask in the world Gonzales has created. absolutely a 5 star sapphic read that tackles difficult topics with nuance and care.

note: i received an ARC from Wednesday Books as a member of Sophie's street team for Nobody in Particular; however, my review opinions are my own.

full review / photo to come soon on @spoonie.reads: https://www.instagram.com/spoonie.reads/

Nobody In Particular is a class difference sapphic romance that could have benefited from being more of a character study—but is still a wild ride filled with tonally intriguing plots and surprisingly dynamic characters.

The novel focuses on Danni, an American girl who moves with her parents to Henland and begins attending a private boarding school filled with all sorts of rich elite girls—including Rose, the country's crown princess. To tell you that the plot then carries on with the two of them falling in love and dealing with the ramifications of Rose being a future Queen in a heavily Catholic nation while also being a closeted lesbian would be overly simplifying, though that is the through line.

The plot deals with perhaps one too many twists and turns—a fight between Rose and her old friend Molly tied back to a shockingly dark night in Amsterdam before the setting of the book, the pressures of PR put on Rose, a fake relationship with a childhood friend in an attempt to keep her in the closet, trauma that she hasn't unpacked to the point of having issues feeling—

Which kind of brings me to the main issue in this book, which is that it should have really been a book about Princess Rose. I appreciated the romance, but Rose was a significantly more dynamic character than Danni. I've listed out all of these major plot beats and all of the ones that felt compelling were focused on Rose, not Danni—who does struggle with performance anxiety with her piano work, and perhaps a sprinkling of homesickness. But she felt like a much less well-developed character than Rose did and while I think their relationship would have still had a place, I think I would have enjoyed the book so much more if it was a character study on Rose with the relationship as one of the through plots.

I think this would have helped focus the book because I do think the book did lose focus a little over a third of the way in, when suddenly every 5% or so (on my e-reader) I felt like there was another major dramatic twist that needed to be thrown in. Because of this the book definitely felt more plot heavy than character heavy and while I do love a little bit of melodrama, I think the clash of the dramatic twists and turns tied with another part of the book—going back to that night in Amsterdam—felt a little off tonally. I think there was a more serious book somewhere in here that I really would have adored to see as well even though I had a good time with this one.

All in all, I can't say no to a fun, class difference sapphic romance—I love forbidden love, and I love more than anything when it conquers the day. It's truly a sense of optimism that we need right now. Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

“poor little blossom. our world is going to break her.” ok gossip girl!

i’m a sucker for texts in books.

i love how the sense of humor varies within
characters. within the ya genre sometimes it is always the same kinds of jokes, but this oscillates between dry humor and typical teenager humor which is interesting to read.

the dialogue is witty but also is appropriate for the situations. no untimely jokes or awkward moments (without purpose, ofc).

Personally, while I found the premise to be fun, the writing style was not for me. It was dialogue heavy and cumbersome in several sections. It is possible that it just wasn’t my genre!

This book follows a very similar overall plot to a lot of media that has been released lately, but I think it does it well enough that it’s still worth reading. As a fan of “Red, White, and Royal Blue” and “Her Royal Highness”, I really liked this book. The connection between the main characters felt real and believable, and the plot felt well thought through and nicely paced. I would definitely recommend reading this book.

One the outside this looks like it’s going to be the typical story of first love in a high school setting. But instead, you get a story where there is less about an identity crisis and finding yourself and more about conforming for those around you for their benefit rather than being true to yourself. While the love story is the main plot the subplot about the fallout of a friendship from an incident is also just as interesting. I loved the balance between both storylines.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin Press for an advanced copy of Nobody in Particular in exchange for a fair and honest review!

<i>Thanks for the ARC,</i>

I think it read a little like <i>Her Royal Highness</i> at the beginning to such a degree that I thought I'd already read this book. I'm not sure how many people will make the connection, but it was distracting for the first few chapters. Overall it was fun in its own right.

3.5, rounding up to a 4.

This book was very cute! I have to admit I absolutely hated Rose for a while, but her character development ended up being one of my favorite parts of the story. The pacing for the first 80% of the book is great, though I didn't love using texts in place of showing the friendship growing between the two main characters. The last 20% felt very rushed, I kept catching myself checking how much was left and thinking "There is no way we're going to tie up these loose ends in time." I wish there had been more time for the characters to work through the issues given the heavy subject matter.

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzalez is a beautifully written novel that tackles the intricacies of identity, love, and self-acceptance. The story follows a young protagonist on a journey of personal growth, navigating the ups and downs of relationships, both romantic and platonic. Gonzalez’s writing is emotional and poignant, offering a raw and honest look at the struggles of finding oneself in a world full of expectations.

The characters are wonderfully developed, with depth and complexity that make them feel real. The protagonist’s internal conflicts and growth are portrayed in a relatable way, making it easy for readers to connect with their journey. The romantic aspect of the story is sweet and heartfelt, with chemistry that feels genuine and earned.

While the story is deeply emotional, there are moments of lightness and humor that balance the more serious themes. The pacing is strong, keeping readers engaged throughout, though at times, the narrative could have explored certain themes in a bit more depth. Still, the book’s focus on self-discovery and the importance of embracing who you truly are resonates deeply.

Overall, Nobody in Particular is a compelling and thought-provoking read that offers a powerful message about love, identity, and finding your place in the world. It’s a four-star read, highly recommended for those looking for an emotionally rich, character-driven story.

I’m always skeptical of YA books, especially as I’m growing older, but this book took me back to my high school years, those times watching The Vampire Diaries and movies with private schools and gushing with friends in the best way possible - but obviously, make it queer. I am such a sucker for royal stories and this one did not disappoint. I fell totally in love with Rose and how real she felt, despite her responsibilities, and Danni, as well as how she blossomed throughout the book. Such a feel good story for anyone who loves royals and academia.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

I loved the premise of this book. A princess and a student that turn from strangers to friends to being in a relationship….LOVEEEE!!! The character development for both Rose and Dani was beautifully done. They experienced amazing personal growth together and individually. I also loved the other characters! The friendship between Molly, Eleanor, Rose
and Dani was entertaining to read. I found myself not only interested in main characters relationship, but also the subplots along the way. I enjoyed the slow build and tension between Dani and Rose. It so was satisfying when they finally kissed. The only thing I would wish for was more on the romance aspect between the main characters. I feel like there could have been more cute moments in the book building up to their relationship and actually showcasing more of the relationship when they finally got together. But overall, I really enjoyed this one.

OMG!
This book is amazing. It captures the feeling of falling in love so well. The characters are so well written and loveable, it’s impossible not to love this book. There is little to no miscommunication because these characters are so well rounded and thought out. It felt like I was reading about real people and I really needed a book like this when I was younger. It’s written the way I always wanted to read about with two girls. I never thought I would get something like this and it’s honestly an amazing book. I will reread this again once it comes out.

adorable. is everything the blurb promises. a heartfelt, realistic story with incredible characters and a sweet, romantic atmosphere. royal romance is just so much better when it's lesbian, i fear.

the romance was written so well. i'm usually not fond of romance-centric books, but i requested this anyway because it's sapphic, and it blew my expectations through the roof. how they fell in love, every conversation and argument they had in their relationship, when they finally decided to come out to the world, every single milestone was written perfectly. the pacing was genuinely so good for a book that's less than 400 pages—i don't know if it's just me, but i often find that shorter romance books tend to be insta-lovey, but this is not that. every meeting between the two before/as they fall in love is described in detail, and it doesn't feel unnecessary or convoluted at all. the forbidden aspect is done very well. the perspectives of both girls are reasonable and realistic. them trying to be together despite potentially facing the disapproval of their parents and the disapproval of an entire nation was very emotional for me, as someone finding it difficult to come out due to religious reasons.

outside of the romance, both rose and danni were interesting characters on their own. rose's struggles with being lesbian as the princess of a mostly catholic country were extremely relatable to me. when she first told danni she wasn't comfortable coming out, it was like she took the words out of my mouth. rose's relationship with molly humanized her even further. even though it was actually rose's pov, i saw her the same way molly did at first, so her being able to confront that stereotype with another character in the story made her feel more well-rounded as a character. danni was lovely as well. the whole "new-poor-girl-at-boarding-school" has probably been overdone in every ya media format since like 2014, but she was funny and refreshing.

The concept of this book was very interesting and drew me in since I haven't read a book like it. I liked how it started and the characters seemed to be cool. The dual point of views really help me understand both sides of the story. The rose part where she played a hand in that kids death was heavy and seeing her try to live in the light after was heavy as well. The game scene where they have their own heart to hearts was something for sure and I feel like it was rippled for the story. You can definitely see the effects of this conversation into the rest of the story. That first kiss and the whole situation surrounding it. The rules! The theories and the fact that she can't ever come out. The breakup and fake dating with Alfie? Them getting back together kinda and the friendship makeup too!! That fake double date stunt! Harriet?? The anger after when rose figures out. Her being forced to come out due to her being a princess and the video leak? A sniper?! Everything falling into place on that Harriet stuff! The two points of view going back and forth with two very big events happening in both. Alfie seems very sus! What a manipulative cunt! Her coming out! The ending was good, what a great book!

Quotes: "and for a moment, I'm unraveling where I stand, thread by thread."

"I am a wildfire. And I intend to burn it all down."

Rated it four out of five stars!!

Nobody in Particular is a YA, sapphic romance between a Princess and a new scholarship student. This is a very delightful read!

Danni is a new scholarship student at Brampath College, the same private school the Princess of Henand attends. While Danni seems to easily be taken in by the popular friend group of Princess Rose, an unfortunate "incident" from the friends' recent past still brings tension to their group dynamics. All the while, Rose and Danni try to keep the press out of their personal lives.

This is a sweet story of friendship, acceptance, and coming into one's own. I found Danni, Rose, and Molly to be really charming! I love their friendships (as well as their relationships!). It's clear that these girls love one another and have gone through a lot together (including Eleanor, though she's portrayed as more ditzy).

If you like a good, sweet YA romance with some fantastic found-family style friendships, this book is for you.