it's a fun, mostly light-hearted romp... not too many risks, not too many swerves - but a surprisingly straight-forward totes gay rom-com. It's sweet and a little oh-okay... but overall a good time.

A fun and fast read, but unfortunately not for me. The two main leads were so hot and cold, switching how they treated each other and what they thought about each other so quickly on the same page that it gave me too much whiplash. The actual narrative was disjointed, and I didn't feel that much chemistry between Auggie and Thomas.

Thank you to Negalley and Haydon Stone for the eArc!

I thought this was one of the cutest books. I loved the characters and their chemistry. This was a great book to read on the beach and I found the pacing was fast, the characters dynamic, and all around a fun romance book!

3/5

I enjoyed the story for this and gave me the same vibes as ‘red, white and royal blue’. However, as someone from the United Kingdom I couldn’t look past the clear ‘americanisms’ that the main character had even though he was a member of the British royal family. For example him mentioning getting a subscription from Barnes, whilst the biggest book supply store in the UK is Waterstones. I feel as if with more research this book would’ve been a 5/5.

3⭐️ 2🌶️ This was a cute story about a prince and anti-monarchy American find love and the prince finding out what is most important in life, happiness. This book took me awhile to get into, but I feel like that is because I am learning that Regency and Monarchy books are just not my thing because I relate to that life style in zero ways and understand why it is still a thing countries have even less, lol.

Auggie really struggled in this book due to the pressure of being a prince and what that life style means and how being gay really doesn’t “fit” in with being the next in line to the throne. His struggles made me really sad, especially when Thomas was trying to be there for him and he pushes him away. The 3rd act was very long and I wish we had more time with them together before the break up and then more time with them together afterwards.

Thank you NetGalley and Hayden Stone for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t for me, no surprise around the corner.
One page where enemies and in the next one already lovers. For me that type of enemies to lovers feels like to drink a lemonade with taste mostly water. The flavor of enemies to lovers lacks.

Spoiler free review :) Thank you to Hayden Stone, the pubs, and Netgalley for an e-arc!

I genuinely loved this book. How to Date a Prince is a novel that feels like home.

Auggie immediately stole my heart. He, throughout this text, has to come to terms with a MAJOR part of his personality. He battles with himself about whether it is worth it to come out and possibly lose a lot of respect from his country (and his father) or if he should marry a woman for political alliance and explore suitors privately.

Due to his single status and his age, his father is pushing particularly hard for him to meet a woman. In order to gain publicity, the King (aka his soap-opera and TV obsessed dad) signs him up for a competition show. Begrudgingly he agrees and realizes quickly that he is unequipped for some of the tasks, while also being over-equipped for others.

I think his development was crucial to my enjoyment of this book. He, in the beginning, made choices which were unseemly in order to protect his name and his crown and to be honest, I was worried I wasn't going to like him overall due to his behavior.

Overall: love my boy, love Hayden Stone, would 100% pick up their future novels <3

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I went into this with high expectations. I thought it was going to be similar to Red, White, and Royal Blue, which for a little bit I could see the similarities. However, it ended up feeling like something I would have read on Wattpad when I was 13.

I did not enjoy the plot point of him using his best friend only for people to know he’s not gay. There was a lot of internal conflict surrounding his sexuality. Reading his cycle of ‘we can’t because I don’t want to be outed’ to having public sex was admittedly exhausting.

For the life of me, I would not be able to tell you what this reality show is about. Sure, it’s an all male cast, someone goes home every week. Beyond that, the different kinds of events were confusing? It was a talent competition, but not?

I approached this book with high expectations, hoping for something in the vein of Red, White & Royal Blue, but it ultimately fell short. The narrative was uneven and felt poorly edited. Scenes jumped abruptly, conversations lacked natural flow, and at times it seemed like sections were cut out without adjusting the surrounding text.

The backstory for Anne was frustratingly vague. Her intense anger toward Auggie wasn’t sufficiently explained or supported by the narrative, making her motivations feel unearned. Likewise, Katie’s unrequited feelings for Auggie lacked depth. Despite knowing Auggie is gay, she continually puts herself in situations where she’s bound to get hurt. As his best friend, one might expect her to be more supportive—perhaps even willing to act as a cover for his sexuality—but instead, she reacts as if Auggie was intentionally leading her on. Her anger felt disproportionate and more selfish than believable. On top of that, there is no real resolution to their falling out, they just move past it at some point with a simple sorry.

The relationship between Auggie and Thomas felt forced and unconvincing. There was no authentic spark or meaningful buildup—just an instant connection (if you even want to call it that) that appeared out of nowhere.

Auggie’s bodyguards were inconsistently present (and seemingly only when convenient). For example, during a critical scene where Auggie and Thomas are secretly filmed in the potty bothy, the bodyguards are nowhere to be found, which felt unrealistic and broke immersion.

Auggie’s internal conflict regarding his sexuality became exhausting to read. His cycle of denial, secrecy, public risk-taking, panic, apology, and retreat repeated endlessly. Given that he was part of a show with an all-male cast, his fear that simply being seen with Thomas would out him felt exaggerated and unrealistic.

Thomas’s reaction to discovering that Auggie and Katie were never actually together felt overblown. Since Thomas and Auggie hadn’t even embarked on a relationship yet, his intense anger seemed unnecessary and exaggerated.

That said, the book’s attempt to modernize the monarchy—portraying the King as a secret fan of reality TV and enrolling his son in a reality show—was a refreshing and enjoyable element.

In sum, despite some interesting ideas, the book lacked cohesion, character depth, and believable emotional arcs, which made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story.

This book was fun between the pages. Royal Auggie is forced by his father into taking part in a reality program about Renaissance Men (macho kind of BS). One of the other competitors is Thomas Golden an out and prooud gay man who is a super high achiever. AAnd with tthat, the gaames begin!

I think this is a bit of hybrid Charm Offensive, Red White and Royal Blue type of vibe. And big props to this Canadian author who writes queer fiction.

Through challenges and incidents Auggie and Thomas compete for the title and their interactions are both sensitive, emotive and (at times) sensual. It's fun, tinged with some raw emotion at times.

Much enjoyed.
Recommended reading.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read.

How to Date a Prince was, unfortunately, a major disappointment for me. Despite having all the ingredients I typically enjoy—forced proximity, opposites attract, and a reality show rom-com setting—the execution left much to be desired. What should have been a fun, engaging, and trope-filled escape ended up feeling flat and uninspired. I found myself increasingly bored as the story progressed, waiting for a spark that never came. On top of that, I struggled to connect with the characters in any meaningful way, which made it even harder to stay invested. In the end, this book simply didn’t work for me. I’m giving it one star.

I was really looking forward to this because on paper it sounded a lot like a few books that I have really enjoyed but sadly it missed the mark for me. I think it was trying too hard to be like these stories instead of being its own thing so it was hard for me to get through.

I really enjoyed reading this book.
The main characters chemistry is something else.
The TV aspect of the book is something that brings you so much fun as you read about it.
For those who love a royalty setting.

I am a sucker for Royal Romance. This story is not just royal but also on the set of a reality tv show. The over all plot and setting is fun. The two characters are hot and fit together well.

But there are some things that bother me. The first couple of pages were just info dumping, I read a lot of fantasy so I know how world building can work.
The characters didn't have consistent characteristics, some of their choices seemed so off that I was really confused.

But I did read an early copy and maybe some of the issues I saw will be smooth out until release.

Thank you Netgalley and Hayden Stone for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

DNF at 36%

Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me, though I can absolutely see it appealing to fans of royal romcoms and reality show hijinks.

The premise is fun and full of promise: a British Crown Prince being forced onto a reality show (by his reality TV-obsessed father, no less) while secretly falling for his co-star, an American influencer from a family that wants to abolish the monarchy. There are some classic tropes at play here enemies to lovers, opposites attract, forced proximity, which are usually right up my alley.

But despite that, I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot. The writing felt a bit choppy to me, and I found myself not fully invested in Prince Auggie or his dynamic with Thomas. One scene that particularly didn’t sit well with me was when Auggie sleeps with his best friend to get back at Thomas… it felt like the female character was used more as a plot device than a person, which pulled me out of the story.

I also found the premise of the reality show confusing. I couldn’t quite tell what the purpose of it was supposed to be is it a talent competition? A dating show? Something like Big Brother? It just didn’t come together clearly for me.

That said, I know many readers will enjoy the wit, the royal drama, and the slow-burn tension between the leads. It’s got the bones of a good, fun romcom, it just wasn’t the right fit for me

I enjoyed this book, I liked the character development and storyline and look forward to more books from this author

very cute and sweet story. Loved the characters and the writing. very interesting take on dating a prince.

Thank you to the author, Hayden Stone, and NetGalley for this ARC!

How to Date a Prince by Hayden Stone is a charming, light-hearted summer romance that gives Red, White & Royal Blue meets reality TV vibes—with its own fresh twist. This one’s perfect for anyone who loves royal intrigue, opposites-attract banter, and LGBTQ+ romance with heart.

Auggie is a prince bound by tradition. Thomas is an influencer who’s vocally anti-monarchy. Naturally, sparks fly. Their chemistry is immediate, but with so much at stake—especially for Auggie—the question of whether they can truly be together adds a nice layer of tension beneath all the fun.

Some parts of the dialogue and pacing felt a bit jumpy to me, and a few details were dropped in late that might’ve landed better earlier in the story. Still, I enjoyed the premise and the overall feel of the book.

If you’re looking for an easy, feel-good read with royals, romance, and a splash of drama, this is a great addition to your summer TBR.

This was the perfect romance to relax to, with a cute plot that was made more emotional through references to loss of a parent and the prince having to hide his sexual and gender identities "for the good of the country" (aka his father's thoughts). The TV show element added some fun moments which I really enjoyed, though I did get a bit pissed at the producer (which was intentional from the author).
For anyone who read and loved Red, White and Royal Blue, this is the perfect romance to pick up next.

Thank you to Hayden Stone and Netgalley for this eARC

A little change of scenery with this boy love romance. The cover is lovely, the title sounded very promising… but overall, I have to say I found it rather disappointing.
It’s a light and easy read, but I often found myself frustrated, either because the characters’ decisions didn’t make much sense to me, or because certain plot developments were so predictable they felt almost inevitable.
The relationship between Auggie and Thomas didn’t feel especially believable. Perhaps it was due to the constant push-and-pull dynamic, which left me a bit confused.
I was expecting more of a classic enemies-to-lovers arc, but they fall for each other fairly quickly and easily, which took away a lot of the tension I usually enjoy in that trope.
Not a favourite for me, but it might appeal to readers looking for a low-stakes, lighthearted royal romance.