Although it's YA it almost doesn't read YA with some of the themes? Maybe it was the narration (the narration for the princess sounded way older than high school). They dealt with issues that felt more like college age/20s but that could have just been me projecting.

I thought the narrator did a great job differentiating the voices of the characters - she had two very distinct sounds. And somehow managed to make it feel duet?

I've seen this book compared to the princess diaries and RWRB and I can see it. There are definitely similarities between those stories so if you're looking for a sapphic YA version - you'll probably enjoy this book. It's YA so be prepared for no spice.

I actually really liked that the conflict started earlier than it does in most romance books (like around the midpoint rather than only third act). It made the romance and the story more realistic to me.

4.5
This was so cute! I really enjoyed this ya sapphic romance. The topics it discussed were a bit out there because one of the main characters is a princess, still felt real and relevant and handled with care. How the characters whether it's dealing with grief, substance abuse, bullying, or coming to terms with their sexuality, were all done beautifully. The only thing I would add is maybe a little bit more fleshed-out side characters who were involved in the core part of the ending of the story. The audiobook was also absolutely fantastic narrator did such a good job. Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Sophie Gonzales always delivered the cutest sapphic romances. I always think a royal romance is fun, and I loved seeing the author's take on it. It isn't my favorite of her work, but it was still a solid read. The characters did read a bit young for me, but it was balanced well with some deeper topics. Definitely one to check out this summer!

The dual narration was done well -- Rose and Danni had clear separate voices, and I appreciated the accents!

This was my first book from Sophie and I was really intrigued by it when I seen mutuals post about it on social media. I think in the end it kind of fell flat for me but I loved the conversations the MCs and their friends had around mental health. And there was some drama (Rose crash out had my jaw on the floor) and I was eating it up. Overall I'm giving this 3.5 stars.

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thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ALC in exchange for my honest review. all thoughts are my own.

The voice acting in this is perfectly teenage. The inflections and cadence of speech truly embodies the air of teen girls. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s sweet. The story itself is everything you’re expecting from a young adult sapphic trope romance. It’s cozy and charming! I struggled a bit to get through it only because I don’t typically read YA. I do, however, love a royalty romance. If this had come out when I was 17, I would have eaten it up.

Nobody in Particular is a dual POV romance about Rose, a princess trying to rehab her image after a tragic event, and Danni, a student who just moved to the boarding school and is on scholarship for her piano studies. Rose and her friends, especially Molly, are reeling from the death of their friend, Oscar. It became a scandal when it was discovered Rose was also at that party and Molly can't help but blame Rose for being more focused on her image than the loss. Danni joins the friend group when things have fractured and everyone is trying to heal. As she tries to mend the space between Rose and Molly she finds herself being more intrigued by Rose and realizing that Rose is grieving in her own way, a way that Molly can't see or understand. I really appreciated this aspect -- that everyone deals with grief in their own way and how we learn to live with ourselves after we make mistakes, that that process is different for everyone. I appreciated seeing these characters "going through it." These aspects felt very realistic and grounded the story. There were of course lots of aspects of Rose's life as a princess and royalty and the public and image and perception and subterfuge that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories with royalty--but, in my opinion, not so much to turn anyone off. Another one of my favorite aspects was that Danni struggles with being perceived. She was bullied at her last school and since then has struggled to be seen by anyone, especially performing despite studying to be a concert pianist. Rose, who has been intensely perceived all her life, helps Danni with this aspect and I really loved seeing how Danni navigated being outside her comfort zone. Danni said several inspiring things about how if you never take the first step you'll always stay in the same place and that you have to start on your journey to get where you want to be. I appreciated that there was romance, but also mystery and suspense and that we got to see each of the characters as real people. If you love royalty, sapphic romance, YA, or Princess Diaries, you might love this one! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. My one critique of the audiobook is that Rose's narrator was much quieter and harder to hear than Danni's. Otherwise, it was excellent!

This audiobook was such a cute listen! The narrators were lovely and really captured the voices of the main characters. Danni was an immediately a favorite character. Rose, however, took a moment to like, she was just extremely closed off. This story is such a nice and easy read FULL of yearning! I quickly became obsessed with how much the main characters felt about each other. Also, the cover is to die for!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This is a young adult romance that intertwines royal intrigue with the complexities of queer identity similar to Her Royal Highness or Red, White, and Royal Blue.

We follow Princess Rosemary of Henland and Danni, new to this country on a scholarship, through their lives at Bramppath College, an elite all-girls boarding school. The novel follows as they navigate the challenges of a forbidden relationship amidst societal expectations and personal growth.

The author excels in crafting multidimensional characters. Rosemary’s struggle to rebuild her reputation after a public scandal and Danni’s journey of self-discovery are portrayed with depth and sensitivity. Seeing the way these characters open up to and grow with each other is enthralling.

In addition to this, the themes addressed by the book is a strength. The novel delves into themes of identity, privilege, and the sacrifices made for love. The challenges faced by Rose and Danni at their core resonate with real lived experiences making it easy to relate to despite being fictional.

While the author did a good job developing the story and characters, I do think the setting was a bit underwhelming. I was imagining school culture and drama like Gossip Girl, so to get so little about what the school was actually like or a more in depth view of their everyday lives, I was a bit disappointed. In addition to that, we know our main character is royal and the familial pressure that brings, but it would have been nice to have a more in-depth exploration of certain royal aspects, such as the societal implications of Rose’s status and the broader political landscape of Henland.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read in the young adult genre, offering a balance of romance with meaningful commentary on identity and societal pressures. If you enjoyed similar royal romances and are looking for your next one, I would definitely recommend reading!

Thank you Macmillan audio for the gifted ALC!

4.5⭐️

Wow, I’m absolutely obsessed with this! Such a perfect read to kick off Pride month 🌈

Rose and Danni were such lovable MCs! As the crown princess of Henland, rose lives under the spotlight and must always work towards having a perfect image. She has so much growth as she learns to accept her emotions! Danni struggles with her self image and wants to be accepted at her new school, but slowly blossoms and becomes confident in herself!

Watching these two fall in love was so sweet and beautiful. They learn so much about each other and themselves while they are on this journey. There are so many secrets, betrayals, and rumors that come with rose being a princess, but the outcome was perfect!

The narration was also stunning! I could’ve sworn it was duet narration at times bc of how perfectly they embodied the characters!

THIS BOOK DESTROYED ME IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY - this gave me an insane amount of feelings - I was crying so much and loved every second of it - It gave sapphic Red White and Royal Blue vibes in the best way - I'll read anything Sophie Gonzales but this has to be her best yet

👑 Nobody In Particular by Sophie Gonzales 👑

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Princess Rosemary of Henland is focused on repairing her tarnished image after a scandal. But when talented pianist Danni joins her boarding school, Rose finds herself distracted. Danni, on a music scholarship, is surprised to be accepted by Rose’s former best friend, who is currently not super fond of Rose As Rose and Danni grow closer, rumors about their relationship spread, forcing them to choose between hiding their bond or risking Rose’s fragile reputation, knowing the palace will do anything to tear them apart.

Ugh this book was so cute! The writing and characters were super loveable, funny, and cute, and at times I could feel the awkwardness and tension between the characters. While this book was cute, it also dealt with really intense topics. I felt that this helped the characters experience a lot of growth and development, which made this story very dimensional.
I listened to the audiobook, and felt that the narrators really benefitted the story. Their intonation and emotion helped push the storyline and really fit.
Overall - I highly recommend this and enjoyed this book!

Read this if you like:
- boarding school vibes
- dual POV / duet narration
- queer YA romance

Vibes: 👑📚📓🎤🏫🌳

Song that matches the vibe: Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe and FINNEAS

Full review including content warnings on my StoryGraph.

👑 Nobody In Particular came out on June 3, 2025! Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Gonzales, and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. This ALC was provided in exchange for an honest review. 👑

It's Pride Month and everyone should read this sapphic romance by Sophie Gonzales! I had such a wonderful time listening to this audiobook, the two narrators were fabulous and they really brought the story to life. The story itself is YA, but as an adult reading it, I really enjoyed spending time in that world and the entire cast of characters was engaging and captivating. I liked the pacing and I liked how the characters evolved throughout the story and there were twists I didn't see coming which was great and kept me on the edge of my seat. I pretty much read this in one sitting because I was so enraptured.

I may have read this in the wrong format. I found the writing to be a bit melodramatic and cringey, and this was only intensified by the audiobook performance.

There is lots to love about this book, and I think it will find its audience. For my preferences, the pacing was inconsistent and the characters were all over the place. There are certainly charming moments but they are overshadowed by chapters that feel like our MCs are literally shouting the entire time. I think if anything this may have come off a bit better in the new adult genre, more of a Princess Diaries 2 kinda vibe.

I was very much anticipating this, so I hate to admit that I'm disappointed.

Mini synopsis: Danni, the new girl, finds herself thrown into an elite boarding school, in a new country, with new friends, ready to start over. Little did she know she’d make a friends right away & one of them happens to be a princess 🤷🏻‍♀️

I just love Sophie Gonzales & her books! While this isn’t my favorite, I love the royals behaving badly vibes & the core friendship group! There’s a lot of heart but into this book that really shines thru! I think my issue was with the relationship, it felt very dramatic very quickly. I get it hassssss to, but I don’t always love that! However, a strong friend group always sucks me in & this had plenty of friendship moments that I just loved! If you’re a fan of Red White & Royal Blue you need to check this out too!

Pick this book up if you like:
❤️elite boarding schools
🧡strong friend groups
💛royal romances - specifically f/f
💚dual POVs
💙slow burn romance & messy relationships
💜friends to lovers/forbidden romance

A disgraced princess falls for the new girl at her boarding school - and while I wasn’t totally vibing with it at first, the second half pulled me all the way in. I’ve been kinda meh on YA romance lately, so I thought this might be another miss, but once things got emotional, messy, and intense, I was hooked. Also... love me a sapphic romance, and the audiobook was so well done.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC 🎧👑💖

I love this author so much. This was one of my most anticipated of the year. I don’t know what it was that didn’t thrill me but I think both the main characters were not the energy I look for. One wasn’t likeable and the other was meek.

Due to her mother's recent remarriage and her musical talents, teenage Danni has found herself as the newest student at Bramppath College (aka high school) in the fictional European country Henland. While navigating this new world is hard enough, she seems to have met her match in notorious party-girl Rose, who just so happens to also be the country's royal princess. It's a classic set-up for an opposites attract romance, and I only wish the author had chosen to focus more on this central storyline. Unfortunately, far too much of this book spends time on a strange whodunit mystery and societal expectations that are completely unreasonable for those under the age of 18.

The audiobook production, however, is excellent. Both narrators, Gail Shalan and Imani Jade Powers, are able to bring their characters to life and are the main reason that I stuck around until the end. While this had a lot of promise, I think it ultimately suffered from trying to fit a much more mature story into the world of YA.

This is a fun, romantic, and very teen-friendly story of a regular girl and a royal girl who fall in love, and all the complications and maturing that comes with that. It has just the right amount of heart, suspense, and teen drama to appeal to young readers

I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily.

This was a cute read and an amazing listen. I had the pleasure of reading the book first and then doubling back to tandem read with the audio version, BEST DECISION EVER! Gail Shalan and Imani Jade Powers did an outstanding job of bringing this cast to life and conveying every emotion written. The confusion, heartache, and betrayal were all palpable when these two talented narrators read, making this book even better.

New stepfather, new school, new country. Dani is navigating quite a bit in this book, trying to fit in and stay out of her head so that she can make the move work for herself. She attends a school for the elite and happens to be in school with a "BAD GIRL" princess, Rose, who is next in line for the crown and harbors a secret that could put her future and the future of the monarchy in jeopardy.

THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

Thank you, Netgalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, and Sophie Gonzales for the ALC of this heartwarming book!

Such a cute sapphic YA romance! It broke my heart to listen to the author’s note and learn that this concept was originally shot down several times while being pitched to publishers. I am so happy that it finally found its home! I would definitely say the demographic is an older, 17+ YA, but was not super explicit. It did cover many deep themes such as homophobia, drug and alcohol use/abuse, bullying, and sexual exploration. I loved that the story addressed the homophobia and other classist issues that monarchies perpetuate in common times. I would absolutely LOVE to explore more titles by this author, but also more adult novels with this theme!