I have been a fan of Sophie Gonzales for years, and this book did not disappoint!

I liked the disclaimer that basically boiled down to, while royalty meets commoner and falls in love has been done many times, even in queer lit circles, who really cares. Because despite the one-sentence blurb sounding a bit familiar: "disgraced royal forced to attend boarding school and work on her reputation meets scholarship student and, to both of their surprise, they fall in love," it was a heartfelt and unique story.

Both characters were easy to like and relate to. Rose is trying to live up to her parent's expectations and Dani is the new kid in a place where she's worried she doesn't belong, meanwhile both are trying to navigate a new romance and learn what being true to themselves really means.

I have been a huge fan of Sophie Gonzales for years, and this book did not disappoint! I loved the romance between the characters, the setting, and the conflict between what Rose wants and what she is expected to do as Heir apparent. Highly recommend!

This was a modern royal romance that blends the charm of a boarding school story with the heart of a queer coming-of-age tale. At the center are Princess Rosemary of Henland, who’s working to rebuild her damaged reputation after a public scandal, and Danni Blythe, a new scholarship student just trying to stay under the radar. Neither expects to fall for the other, but their connection is immediate, tender, and risky.

Told through dual points of view, the novel explores themes of identity, responsibility, and the pressure to live up to expectations, especially when the world is watching. Gonzales does a great job showing what it’s like to be a teenager in impossible circumstances. Rose is stuck in a role she didn’t choose, and Danni struggles to fit in while staying true to herself. Their romance is sweet, awkward, and filled with the kinds of highs and lows that feel honest to first love. I found myself swooning at times.

The audio is witty and heartfelt, though the pacing can feel uneven. Some scenes drag a bit, which challenged me... while others - especially the ending - feel rushed. There are moments where the dialogue leans young, but it fits the characters and age group. Readers looking for realism might raise an eyebrow at the fictional country of “Henland,” but the story is more about feelings than politics. The book also deserves credit for how it handles issues like grief, coming out, and underage drinking. Gonzales treats these topics with care, balancing serious moments with lightness and humor. So if you want a cozy, queer love story with a little royal flair that doesn’t try to be dramatic or edgy - this one’s for you.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Both by its emotional depth, and how many times it made me smile. Generally, I am not a big reader of YA, but this particular premise (forbidden royal romance, but make it sapphic!) really appealed to me. At first I was worried it would be treading all the familiar ground of the RoyalxCommoner romance trope, but this book definitely had a soul and identity all its own.

I thought both main characters were charming in their own unique way, and I enjoyed the tension of their relationship as well as the drama of navigating their social circles. I suspected the "antagonist," but was still satisfied by how everything was resolved.

If I were to complain about anything, other than at times the story feeling a little juvenile, it would be the completely unnecessary sex scene. This was YA, and honestly overall a pretty young feeling YA, with underage characters. I was shocked when the sex wasn't fade-to-black, and even more shocked that it was very clearly being written to be erotic. Which feels. Weird. The depths of their feelings were clear enough without needing to see all that. And this isn't even me being prudish, I have read plenty of smut, I just don't think YA is the place for "spice" and it sort of cut awkwardly into the narrative.

But overall, lovely book. Would absolutely recommend.

I love a good royal queer romance and having not seen either of the reference material that this book is compared to, I liked it. do I really believe that the queen to be would be at a boarding school? I don't know but anyway that's what's going on. we've got wealthy princess who falls for scholarship student and the whole time they have to hide they're queer.

I fear that I saw the twist coming a mile away and was a little disappointed that it was so predictable but again this is a contemporary romance and is not a mystery so we'll let that one slide.

overall this is a pretty solid YA Royal romance and I enjoyed it. 3.5

lesbian MC, bi MC

When talented pianist Danni moves across an ocean with her mother, she's excited to start at Bramppath College, an exclusive boarding school with a spectacular music program. She's also incredibly nervous to be there. Meanwhile, Princess Rosemary is trying to recover from a terrible event that wrecked her public image and ripped her friend group apart. When the two cross paths, sparks fly early. However, Rose has a life that means she can't be out, ever, and Danni, a commoner through and through, isn't ready for the spotlight that comes with even being associated with Rose. Will their burgeoning relationship even make it off the ground?
I really enjoyed this rom-com. It's a great mix of drama and completely adorable. It's predictable in the way romances are but still manages to contain a wild twist that I didn't see coming. It's full of heart and very very good.

👑🎹🌹🏫⛸️

A riveting royal romance!! 👏🏼 Rose and Dani are precious baby angels and I adored them both. Sweet Rose dealt with some HEAVY shit; losing a close friend to an accidental overdose (and being blamed for it), feeling obligated to suffer through a future she didn’t want for herself (marrying a man and carrying his children) for the sake of her family’s legacy, and ya know, the whole being a princess thing. She handled it all with so much grace, and I was so happy to see her stand up for herself and take charge of her future. Dani was such a solid, supportive partner to Rose, and I loved seeing her character progression as she opened herself up to new opportunities, including the ones that scared her. I think they made a perfect pair and I really enjoyed reading their story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!! 🫶🏼

I found this book to be so heartwarming and very realistic. Sometimes romances can seem unrealistic because they are so focused on a good happy ending. I think that the author did an amazing job of portraying how hard a same sex relationship is in a traditionally seen position such as a princess. I loved how the friends of Danny and Rose accepted and helped them throughout their journey to coming out as a couple. I found the boarding school setting added to my love for this book. It added a layer of secrecy and depth to this LGBTQ+ romance that keeps you hooked. I will say that this book also deals with heavier topics, so be sure to check your trigger warnings. Overall, this book is great for anyone looking for a queer romance that has a setting of royalty and boarding schools. The audiobook version is definitely worth a listen because the two narrators did an amazing job portraying the characters and keeping you hooked til the end!

The overall aspects of this story are very predictable for a royal romance, but Sophie Gonzales always knows how to pack an extra punch into her stories and characters. I really felt like this book really went in depth with both characters, especially because it was spread out over the course of the school year so there was a lot of ups and downs and navigating their complicated (to the world) relationship, all while it being so natural for them to be together. I loved the story, and both characters were so well developed. I would expect nothing less from Gonzales!

The dual POV brought the characters to life and made it very easy to distinguish whose POV it was.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators were fantastic, and I really enjoyed them. I thought that they did an wonderful job and I was really intested and they helped that so much.

This was a very cute read. I had a great time and was in it when reading. It was so fun, and I was shocked at the turns. I really enjoyed this, and I didn't cringe or get upset with them. I had a wonderful time with this book.

I loved the characters. I wanted everything to work out in their favor all the time. I really loved them and the writing.

4 / 5 ⭐️


Nobody in Particular is a sapphic story about Princess Rosemary of Henland and the latest transfer to her boarding school, where everybody is somebody, Danni Blythe.

Overall, I found the story to be very engaging. Both Rose and Danni were well fleshed out characters who I felt as though I understood and could connect with. Their reactions to the obstacles they had to overcome and the general drama going on around them felt organic and realistic for girls of that age range dealing with issues well beyond that of your typical 17 year old. I liked their characters individually and loved them together, the ups and downs of their relationship also feeling realistic to their situation.

My main complaint with the book overall was that it felt a little slow in the middle. Smaller scale conflicts kept arising, somewhat preventing the progression of the story; however, it really picked up toward the end and the resolution was incredibly satisfying, even if I found the major plot twist to be a little predictable.

A special note of appreciation for the voice actors in this audiobook, they really did a good job of conveying the characters emotions, both in their dialogue and inner thoughts and were a really big part of what kept me engaged with the story. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC!

Friends, I loved this. I was giggling and kicking my feet from page one as this sapphic romance blossom. I was totally rooting for these girls to come into their own as individuals as well. And I was really surprised at the way Gonzalez explored tragedy and grief through young adult lens here. I feel like all the teen royal romances I've read or watched have been M/M, so I was really happy to read this W/W entry into the genre. The one note I'll make is that this is pretty pro-keeping the monarchy alive, which could be a turn off for some.

I was really excited for this one. I have been reading Sophie's books for a while now and have enjoyed them. This one was a bit slow and sad for me. I found it difficult to keep reading. I wanted more lightness to the romance. There was almost too much secrecy and the plotline leading to Danni being outted made my heart hurt for them. It just seemed they didn't really get a chance to truly enjoy each other. It was just all drama around them which is probably somewhat accurate for a royal romance but I wanted more banter.

I'll still pick up Sophie's books and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this one. I also had the audiobook which was well produced, and the narration was great.

Sophie Gonzales delivers yet another beautifully written, emotionally rich queer romance story, this time with a mix of royal drama at a girl's boarding school. Danni and Rosemary are complex, flawed, and vulnerable, and I loved their alternating, highly contrasted perspectives. There are numerous heartfelt moments and beautifully portrays first love.

The narration was flawless and so rich! I loved how the voice actors brought the characters to life and perfectly portrayed each character's personality. I really enjoyed this production!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, & Macmillan Young Listeners for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Sophie Gonzales for the ALC!

I loved this! I love a good royal romance, and academy settings are a weakness for me. This one had lots of drama, and I ate it up. The narrators were fabulous, and that English accent is swoonworthy. I also liked that Rose wasn’t a stereotypical royal character - she had a super dry sense of humor and didn’t do well with small talk and impressing people. It made her more touchable/realistic, and I loved that!

I am on such a queer YA royal romance kick lately and it's the BEST!! Nobody in particular is a pet project the author has been working on for years and I'm so glad it finally saw the light of day.

This Sapphic boarding school romance between Dani, a bisexual scholarship piano prodigy student and Rose, a closeted lesbian royal in line to inherit the throne had amazing will they won't they friends to lovers energy and the emotional angst watching Rose wrestle with the consequences of coming out and possibly losing the throne or living a fake life with a closeted romantic relationship was heartbreaking.

The book tackles bullying, homophobia, grief over the loss of a friend from drug/alcohol abuse and more. It was also great on audio and perfect for fans of the American royals series and books like Her royal highness by Rachel Hawkins. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 ⭐️ I’m not a huge royal romance girl, but this one I actually enjoyed. It took about 45% for me to get invested, but once I did the energy of young royals falling in love and figuring out how to show up authentically and be a leader of a country was a ✨vibe✨ The narrators were awesome and recommend listening to this one if you get the chance.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this 🎧 ARC.

4.5 stars
Nobody in Particular is a sapphic, royal x commoner, contemporary romance. The story is similar to others that have been told before, but what sets it apart is it's heart. Although the romantic plot of Nobody in Particular is very much an escapist fantasy, the story has depth. There are discussions about mental health, queer identity, homophobia and grief. So while the romantic in me devoured the plot, the critic in me really appreciated the topical themes. I'd recommend this book to any YA romance reader, but especially those who enjoyed Red, White and Royal Blue.

Even though the author mentioned in the foreword that she rewrote a lot of the first draft I felt like this book is 1:1 the plot of young royals…but in sapphic.
I didn’t mind honesty because I freaking love young royals!
I really liked the characters in this, the romance and the plot.
While I don’t think the ending is super realistic it was full of hope and I loved that too!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the free book and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Sophie Gonzales did it again! I absolutely love her writing. And this book was such a fun royal sapphic romance.

Danni moves to a small European country and gets a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school for her piano playing. She swiftly meets Rose, taking a moment to realize she is Princess Rosemary of Henland. Their relationship begins quite antagonistic.

The story highlights the importance of friendships, the various faces we show the world, and handling public image and the loss of privacy. All of the characters were so richly detailed. And the further I read, the deeper the backstory became. Somehow Sophie hadnled incredibly challenging topics with care and wrote a rom-com that feels light and fun.

Gail Shalan and Imani Jade Powers did a fabulous job narrating the audiobook. I could not put this one down. And I recommend everyone pick it up.