I really enjoyed this book, and I loved the main characters! Danni is sweet, but it took me longer to warm up to Rose who was a little more sarcastic which came off as rude as some points. However, once I got further into the book, I really fell in love with both of them & their romance. Their not so subtle flirting was so cute!

The friendships in this story were also really well done - the sideplot of Rose & Molly falling out had me just as interested as the romance in the book and that almost never happens!

This was the first book I’ve read by Sophie, and I’m excited to dig into her backlist!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Thank you SMP, WednesdayBooks, and MacMillan audio! Nobody in Particular from Sophie Gonzales is a welcome exploration of the complexities of some adolescent lives, the role of fame and status and identity and the pressure to be who others want you to be, not who you are (and at what cost to happiness and genuine connection?). I value the plot,Gonzales' passion for the story and her characters' lives, and the care taken to share this story. It wasn't quite for me (I think it's me, YA right now is not my escape) but I am also not the target audience, ... I think this could be a big win for many YA readers seeking a queer inclusive, sapphic themes romance and story.

I featured Nobody in Particular in my June 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q31xhbo1tE, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

A royal romance and a boarding school setting? Sign me up! NOBODY IN PARTICULAR is a sweet, heartfelt read about Danni and Rose, who seem to come from different worlds…on the surface. Danni is a gifted pianist who’s just arrived at Bramppath College on a music scholarship, and is worried that she won’t fit in among her wealthier, more worldly classmates. Rosemary (Rose) is the Princess of Henland (a fictional European country) and is still dealing with the fallout of a traumatic scandal that damaged both her public image and her bond with one of her best friends. Danni and Rose each have their own responsibilities and images to uphold, and it would be a terrible idea for them to fall for each other…wouldn’t it?

The premise of this book had me hooked—it somewhat gave me Princess Diaries vibes! I also appreciated how Sophie Gonzales makes both Danni and Rose feel like fully realized characters, with their own unique voices. Sometimes with dual POV, the characters can sound almost too similar at times, but that was definitely not the case here. It was great to get both of their perspectives, and Gonzales gives them plenty of character development both as individuals and as a couple. I will say that the pacing felt a little slow at first, so it took me a while to fully get into the story, but I enjoyed it overall! I’d recommend for fans of YA (particularly YA romance!) who also love series like The Princess Diaries and Gossip Girl. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Daniela Blythe is a blond teen from Boulder, Colorado. After her mother married, her stepfather offered to move to Boulder so Danni can graduate from her high school. When her mother visited where hr husband worked in Henland. She loved Henland so she insisted her husband that they live in Henland. Danni applied for a music scholarship to go to Bramppath due to having a reputation of producing outstanding musicians. She surprises herself when she gets one. She I’ll be attending Bramppath, a girls’ boarding high school in the Western European country of Henland, on a music scholarship. She’s anxious to fit in with her wealthy peers and even more terrified to play piano in front of anyone, especially after being targeted by a group of bullies at her old school who circulated videos of her performances online. Fortunately, Molly Kwon, who’s of Korean descent, is quick to take Danni under her wing. Soon Danni joins a social group that includes the inscrutable Princess Rosemary (aka Rose) of Henland. Princess Rose is running from the trauma of a tragic accident that damaged both her public image and her friendship with Molly. The desire to salvage her reputation is her utmost concern. Rose is a lesbian, and Danni is bisexual. They grow closer and reveal their true feelings for one another. When somebody sees something they shouldn’t and rumors circulate throughout Henland, Rose and Danni must either find a way to deflect the increasing eyes on their relationship, or end it altogether. Because one thing is clear if Rose’s fragile reputation takes any more hits, the palace will do whatever they must to separate Rose and Danni forever. Will they continue their relationship

The author wrote a worthwhile read. The book is a romance with a lot of emotions that doesn’t shy away from discussing some of the downsides to being a teenager and a royal. It is more than romance, there is friendship, about being yourself and the price of fame.

i looooove a good sapphic romance!!! and what i love more than that is YEARNING. so so good and i loved everything about it. a deep and beautiful book

Thank you netgally for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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It took me a while to get through the book, and I do think it’s because of two specific reasons.

1.while the writing is easy to get through, there’s a lot of telling, and the interiority of the two POV characters comes off a bit childish at times
And 2. I think my time with YA is coming to an end

YA books have been really hit or miss with me in the last few years, but as time goes on, and I get older, I’m starting to actually resent YA books. Not because I think YA is book or needs to be abolished, but because I’m always so freaking intrigued by the premise/blurb of the book and then I get so let down when I start reading and realize that the level of depth and complexity I’m looking for is not going to be reached. YA is obviously written for a younger audience in mind, and publishers have it in their heads that younger kids don’t want complexity. And you know what? Maybe they don’t. I don’t know I’m not a child psychologist. What I do know is this—the YA books I’ve been reading recently have been falling flat. And unfortunately, Nobody in Particular happens to be on of them.

I did enjoy the first 50% of this novel, but when the midpoint hit, I was over it. I really liked Molly as a side character. I think Rose and Dani could have used a little bit more personality and presence. And the rest of the side characters felt like shells, not people. The romance was also a bit underdeveloped. I had hope that as time went on and the story progressed we’d get some actual development, but we never got there.

I think my overall reading experience for this can be summed up by saying, “disappointed, but not surprised.”

🫶🏼Nobody in Particular is a royal sapphic romance that has stolen my heart! Danni and Rose were such cute characters. Princess Rose's arrival at Bramppath College is part of a mission to repair her image after a scandal, and Danni is a scholarship student with music talent. The all-girls school provides the best atmosphere for the growing tension between the two girls, and the sparks and chemistry between them was so fun.

🫶🏼The secluded world of Bramppath forces them together, as they both feel like outsiders in different ways. The closer they grow, the more their connection becomes undeniable! But will the media or Rose's family tear apart their blossoming love?

🫶🏼I loved the Princess Diaries/Gossip Girl-esque voices, as the reader's perspective switches back and forth between them. The first-hand voice makes their personalities all the more relatable. I can't say enough how much I loved their chemistry! The yearning tension so perfectly encapsulates young love. This is exactly the kind of book my bi teenage self would have adored!

🫶🏼You might like Nobody in Particular if you like:

Red, White & Royal Blue
First Kill (TV Show)
Sex Education (TV Show)
The Princess Diaries
Young Royals
Gossip Girl


🫶🏼Major Tropes & Themes:

- YA f/f romance
- boarding school drama
- coming out
- forbidden love/secret royal
- dual POV
- found family
- character growth

4.5 out of 5 stars 💫

🫶🏼Huge thanks to Sophie Gonzales, Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. I will share my review to retail sites and Instagram!

Red White and Royal Blue but make it YA and one of them is a commoner. I couldn’t put it down, I think this would really be a win for both adult and YA readers because of the twisty political/PR moves and relatable group of friends (esp the ups and downs of teenage girlhood). Really great mental health rep about dissociation, something teen audiences CAN handle the nuance of. Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the eARC. I loved it so much.

Another amazing 5-star read by Sophie Gonzalez!

I am absolutely obsessed with Sophie Gonzalez! She is the queen of YA, queer books. This was another perfect addition to her reading catalogue.

I do not want to say it's a YA, sapphic version of "Red, White, & Royal Blue", because it is so much more than that. Still, I think fans of that book would love this one!

Danni moves from Colorado to Henland. She attends a boarding school there, that Henland's princess Rose, also attends. Danni is a piano prodigy trying to fit in after her last US school bullied her the year before.

Rose is the crown princess. After a devastating summer, she is looking to build a better reputation for herself and the crown. But she's hiding a big secret. One that her catholic country won't agree with. But then, gorgeous, loving Danni comes along and Rose finds her secret slipping...

This book tells an amazing, coming of age, sapphic, royalty, romance. Not only does it feature authentic main characters, but I love the friendships shown throughout too!

I highly, highly recommend this book!

A breath of fresh air, coming of age done so so right and well. This timely exploration is one for the ages. Danni and Rose have my whole heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

what can i say? i'm a sucker for a peasant/ruler book. rosemary and danni embrace what it means to be young and in love while also exploring themes of grief, outings, friendship, and love. this book will make you feel giddy while also ripping your heart out so i hope you're ready!!

I really enjoyed this book. I love books where you are excited to read them. I loved getting to know the characters. I wanted to pick up the book and listen to the incredible narrators. it's told in two pov's: Rose the princess of Henland (a fictional country in Europe) and Dani a scholarship kid in a fancy elite boarding school. luckily she's talented but she has stage fright. she's incredibly empathetic and understands Rose better than anybody. I loved their friendship and turned into a crush into romance. It felt like a mashup of Gossip Girl meets Princess Diaries and sprinkle in some Lesbian romance. a perfect read for pride month.

Such a perfect read for pride month!!

Nobody in Particular is a fun, younger & sapphic version of "Red, White & Royal Blue" & I loved it.

Danni's life has been uprooted to a new country, with new friends as she is enrolled in a boarding school on a music scholarship. She has a history of bullying from her old school & is hesitant with making new friends. She identifies as bisexual, which she believes will only make it harder. She meets a big group of girls and falls into friendship with them easily. She is intimidated to meet the royal princess at her school, who is next in line for succession of the throne. Everything changes when she meets Rose

Rose is the royal princess of Henland, soon to be Queen. She had a recent fallout with her best friend & the media perception of her is at an all time low. All while attempting to navigate with the fact that she is a lesbian while existing as the sole heir of the monarchy - knowing that the people would never accept her this way. The only thing that seems to be able to stop her thoughts in their tracks these days, is Danni.

Danni & Rose's relationship blossoms and its addictive. I fell in love with them instantly. The forbidden love trope had me rooting so hard for them. They're funny & their attraction to each other is so intriguing. Every time I put this book down, I wanted more of them. Watching the two of them navigating coming out to their friends & Rose attempting to stay out of the spotlight and navigate a fake straight relationship to direct the media attention elsewhere - all for it to all end in disaster!!

In the authors note, Sophie talks about how she was worried to release this book because of the similarities between this and Red, White & Royal Blue... but I didnt think they were too similar at all. Obviously, the scandal of a gay royal was the same - but otherwise I feel that this took a completely different take on the concept!

I loved this book. It was so fun, so perfect for pride month.
It was the perfect coming of age queer romance. I am obsessed & still thinking about Danni & Rose

content warnings: outing, drug and alcohol use by minors, death, homophobia, bullying

following a scandal that lost princess rosemary of henland the trust of her country and her best friend, she can’t afford any distractions. unfortunately, a new student at bramppath college seems to be just the distraction she didn’t need. danni is here on a music scholarship, and as she already stands out because of socioeconomic differences, she decides to keep the fact that she’s bi a secret. as she gets closer to rose, though, this secret gets harder to keep, and soon she finds out how hard it is to be in a secret relationship with a princess.

i’m a sucker for royal romances, and with this book being compared to one of my favorite tv shows, young royals, i have to say i was intrigued. i could definitely see the young royals comparisons, though this book didn’t make me want to rip my hair out nearly as much (said with affection). i loved danni and rose so so much, both individually and as a couple. they were both going through a lot, and it was nice to see them grow through their struggles. there was also so much angst, what with rose being expected to marry a man due to her status, and i thought this was handled well. overall, this was a lovely book. i highly recommend this to YA romance readers who enjoy the royal/non-royal relationship dynamic.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.25 | 😘=3 | 🤬=3 | 14/15+

summary: so like Girl 1 is the princess of a small fake Catholic European country and Girl 2 just moved to the small fake European country and they’re at the same boarding school and they start to fall in love but they can never be together bc princesses can’t be gay especially Catholic princesses and Girl 2 is just an Ordinary American Girl so there is class tension so will they be able to be together or no?????????

thoughts: love to see a romance novel with ridiculously high stakes providing external and internal conflicts that don’t rely on miscommunications!! anyway this was good! lots of sapphic yearning and celebrity hijinks and teenager drama and also borderline silly but nevertheless realistic enough stakes that made for an engaging and fun time! and also the character arcs were really meaningful?? and they were able to see each other for who they really are not who they’re pretending to be??? and it’s very emotional alongside being silly and ridiculous actually!!!!! read this! huzzah!! gay rights!!!!

I loved this so much omg!
This book is about Danni who is just starting out in a new boarding school in a new country and all she's looking for is to be accepted and find friends while she struggles with coming out. Rose is crown princess of the country, next in line for the throne and she is grieving the tragic loss of her friend from only months ago while she harbors a secret that could destroy her chances at becoming the queen. The story follows these two young women as they become close and discover their feelings for each other while navigating grief, societal pressures, and the growth that comes from lessons learned.
It's an absolutely wonderful book. Rose and Danni are my babies. I loved both of them so much and Rose's struggle with showing her emotions really resonated with me as someone who also struggles with that. And Danni's struggle with being accepted while trying to put herself out there was so real especially for her age.
They were both so cute together and I was rooting for their relationship the entire time. I loved how they supported each other through the hard times and how they saw each other, flaws and all. Danni being the only one to notice that Rose would shut down instead of feel bad feelings was beautiful. They were so good together and I love them.
If you want a really cute, fluffy royalty romance that's sapphic, I definitely recommend this one.

Sophie Gonzales is the author I needed when I was a queer teen living in a small town. Nobody in Particular feels like home, and reminds me of some of my favorite movies growing up. I love the world and the characters. The narration style is distinct for both Rose and Danni, and each brings something wonderful to the storytelling. The pace feels right for the emotional timeline of the story. Overall, a beautiful book that represents so many teens who are trying to figure themselves out.

3.5 - I thought this was really cute! I thought this explored some darker topics of growing up in the public eye without being too graphic. I love when YA tackles important topics in a gentler way.

Lovedddddd this one so much! Both Dani and Rose, as well as their growing relationship were a delight. This book was like a warm hug. I also found it so lovely reading the author's letter at the begging. I'm glad Sophie Gonzales never gave up on this story so that we can read it now.

Thank you St Martins and NetGalley for an eARC!