Auggie + Thomas

-mm romance
-forbidden relationship
-british prince x american influencer
-reality tv show

this was cute & had such great potential to be rw&rb worthy but only getting auggies pov made the push & pull very whiplashy for me & then it was like he flipped the switch with no preamble & it just didn't make sense so i was a bit lost but they were so cute when they were together!

There are basically two stories overlapping in "How to Date a Prince". One is the story of a young royal struggling with his sexuality and expectations to one day be king. The other is a behind-the-scenes reality competition show where two competitors resist falling for one another. Separately, these are interesting ideas. But together, it's just not the most cohesive or believable story. I enjoyed the main character, but the romance was kind of all over the place. There's definitely something here, but the execution just wasn't great for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an advanced copy for my honest review.

This novel was well written , well prompted and had my attention though out - there was even some gripping plot twists that I DID NOT see coming

Its left me wanting more .

Please see below my public review

Queerness: Gay Mcs , gender questioning mc , bi sc
Associated Song : I guess im in love by Clinton Kane

I have seen this book promoted for a while and im very much a judge a book by its cover unfortunately and this cover ? Pulled me right in . After realising I listened to one of the authors other.books a month or so ago and decided to apply for a ARC - decision made well !

This book is very cute , frustrating and almost made me fall of a treadmill - IFKYK
I will absolutely be reading for from the hayden and cant wait to read the second book in the Prince series

I really enjoyed this book. The story was fun and had a lot of things I liked, like royalty, reality TV, and some family drama. The main characters, Auggie and Thomas, had great chemistry and their banter made me smile many times. The idea of a British crown prince in a reality show was kind of silly but in a good way. It made the story interesting and different from other romances. The show parts were full of competition, secrets, and even some sabotage, which kept me curious about what would happen next. Sometimes, the romance felt a bit forced, like it was just there to move the plot, and some parts took a long time to develop. Still, I liked how the book talked about real issues. Overall, I enjoyed. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

DNF at 30%…I have a soft spot for royalty romance but the dialogue and story progression was rather boring to me. Also, the insistent use of Thomas’ full name without it being a quirky thing just like how the book is written really got on my nerves

I requested an arc from netgalley and I really didn’t know how to review this because I had thoughts !!! So I wrote it down like it’s a reading vlog?



── .✦the first thing I noticed is how stiff the writing is? It’s a little hard to get into.


── .✦ my favourite thing about first person pov is that it’s like reading as the character, I feel what the character feels and it’s amazingly easy to get into, but here it feels like the characters are explaining to us. It’s like the pilot episodes where there’s unnecessarily information being told just so the viewers are aware of what’s happening even though we can figure it out ourselves literally 2 seconds later.


── .✦ I already have a bad feeling about this, two chapters in and auggie is such a downer; it’s really putting me off. One character says “You can’t live your life like some unfortunate princeling locked in a tower” . And that’s exactly the vibe he gave.


── .✦ Okay I’m 24% in and I’m kind of getting into this. There’s a reason I don’t watch reality tv , I get insanely competitive and anxious while watching it and throw fits if the person I’m bidding on doesn’t get picked. So reading about prince Auggie on a tv series is getting my heart rate up.


── .✦ Okay so everyone on the show are practically dicks, so I hope auggie crushes them.


── .✦ “I’m being an arse⁠” - famous words said by Prince auggie in every chapter.


── .✦ They’re so hot and cold! There’s arguments and fights over everything!!. They kiss and run away.


── .✦ How is Thomas just good at everything????


── .✦ Ohhh the miscommunication💣💣


so overall this was way too long for what it was, while I enjoyed a few moments, there were too many scenes between Auggie and Thomas that was just downright frustrating. The miscommunication and opposing sides were frequent and they kept avoiding having a genuine talk without one running out or blaming the other. The ending was cute though?

If you’re going in expecting a mashup of the book you’re comparing it to and a reality show, or a deep, original take on fame, class, and privilege… it’s not that. What it is is a fast, surface-level ride through fantasy royalty, wealth, and romance — which can be fun if that’s the vibe you’re after.

The writing style felt very immature and very YA but the spice scenes make that a strange mismatch. They were sudden, sometimes lasting les than a handful of sentences, but still explicit in an off putting way. It was some of the most disjointed intimacy writing I’ve come across, including published and unpublished works.

…speaking of fanfic, the story leans heavy on describing every character’s looks and outfits with the kind of over-exposition that gives Y/N energy.

If I had to read “but you’re a prince / but you’re an abolitionist” one more time…

It reads like a debut from a very new writer, which is fine… but for me, it lacked the craft and depth I look for even in light reads. That said, if you’re here for royalty AU fluff with a splash of heat and aren’t too fussed about polish, you might have more fun than I did.

How to Date a Prince by Hayden Stone
🌟🌟🌟3/5
🌶️🌶️2/5

💖Forced Proximity
👑Prince / Influencer
🌺Forbidden Relationship
😱Enemies to lover
❤️‍🔥Secret Dating
🌷Opposite Attract

This book had everything I usually like in a romance book: royalty, enemies to lovers and a secret relationship. So I was quite surprised to finish this book and realise that I didn't like it as much as I expected. I was so excited to read this story but it missed the mark with me.

The story does start well in my opinion, Auggie meets Thomas, he is being rude to him, Thomas doesn't like Auggie and that’s the start of enemies to lovers (or so I thought). They see each other again on the set of the TV reality show, Thomas still dislikes Auggie (understandable since he hasn't apologized properly yet), then they share a cute moment together alone in the kitchen and I thought that their relationship will grow better from there. My assumption was that we would have a slow progression toward lovers but their relationship just went from 0 to 100 so fast It gave me whiplash. They share an intimate moment really early on and then they get angry with each other, just to do it all over again and again and again. Their relationship throughout the book is on-off-on-off-on-off and each time I got confused on the reason why they were angry with each other. I was often left puzzled when they would talk to each other and suddenly be angry and break off again for no real reason.I feel like they fell in love so fast but didn’t share a lot of alone time together and didn’t really talk much outside of the tv set. They were more angry with each other than being in love together.

It was a fun read overall and a really good concept, but it wasn’t my favorite book by this author and I hope to enjoy the next one in this series more.


Thank you to Hayden Stone and NetGalley for an eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review

first of all — i love the premise. really. i’m an absolute sucker for reality tv AND make it queer? i was so unbelievably excited to read this.

unfortunately, the writing was just not it for me. i found the sentences awkward due to mistakes in verb tenses and the use of plain telling, not showing. i know this is all personal preference and it’s hardly noticeable in this book but i’m a stickler for grammar so that’s a no.

the characters and storytelling overall also fell a bit flat. i love auggie but everyone else was just? there? it was so hard to connect with any of them and they never really felt tangible. the storyline is fine, enjoyable even, but everything happened so fast and out of nowhere. his relationship (if you could call it that) with thomas was literally lust at first sight and after that it was all over the place there was no buildup at all. i’m just disappointed i didn’t enjoy this as much as i wished i had but maybe other people will disagree 🤷‍♀️

thank you to netgalley for the arc!

How to Date a Prince is a quirky love story that's sort of a mix between Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and Winging It with You by Chip Pons. This book had so much potential, and while I will admit, the premise of a royal and an influencer falling in love via reality show was a fun time; there were just too many things that made this a hard read for me to finish.

Lets start with the characters. We meet Auggie, the crown prince of England, next in line to be the king. Goodness, he was such a surprisingly unlikable character. Auggie comes off as a selfish and careless individual in the first half of the book. A lot of his early actions affect other characters in negative ways and even being aware of the hurt he causes, he continues behaving poorly out of fear of being outed. Yes, as a reader I understood Auggie was trying to protect himself and his secrets but that didn't excuse him being a downright ugly person to those around him. He is astronomically rude to the other MMC, Thomas, on more than one occasion, and while he apologizes, it just left a bad impression of this character. Even in the end when things were wrapping up, I still felt Auggie's character was out of touch and needed more development. On the other hand, Thomas was a lovable cinnamon roll too good for this world. He was so patient and caring with Auggie, even though at times Auggie did not deserve Thomas' kindness.

Regarding the romance itself, I thought it was a bit disjointed and rushed; however, I loved the intimate moments they shared, getting to know each other and discussing their worries. Those were my favorite parts and really made Auggie a bit more palatable. The story itself was actually a lot of fun. At times this was a hard read and I almost dnf'd it multiple times but I kept at it hoping for a bit more depth which sadly didn't come. While this was not my cup of tea, I would definitely recommend others to read it and judge for themselves as many of my other goodreads friends have enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was giving Red, White, and Royal Blue vibes in all of the best ways. I was really entranced by the characters and really enjoyed my reading!

Very reminiscent of Red, White, and Royal Blue, very cute with witty dialogue. I would definitely recommend this swoon-worthy romance novel.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️.5

This was a fun mix of Red, White, and Royal Blue meets reality TV. I enjoyed this one but it didn’t quite hit the same as RWRB.

This book is told in first person, single POV which I really enjoyed, and it is told from the perspective of one of our MMCs, Prince Auggie. I struggled to love Auggie as an MMC. I love his Harry Styles type persona, but I really struggled with how he treated his best friend Katie in the beginning of the book. Auggie is fully in the closest and hides his gender identity and attraction to men by acting slightly homophobic to overcompensate for this. Auggie meets our other MMC, Thomas Golden, and there is immediate attraction, but it lacked the tension of an enemies to lovers book for me. They are both on the same game show, Renaissance Man, which gives us forced proximity. There wasn’t enough build up to the romance for this to be a 4-5 stat for me. They immediately start hooking up, feelings get convoluted, and Auggie has a traumatic injury on the game show which results in his delayed epiphany that he wants to live his true authentic life.

The character arc lacked a few needed points. I wanted to love this book. It was fun but not a book I’d recommend or reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the electronic advanced readers copy!

What a sweet book this was! Prince Auggie is next in line for the throne, but falls for Thomas, an American influencer, while competing on a reality tv show.
I appreciated that this book didn’t always go in the direction I thought it would and I think it dealt with Auggie’s internal struggle of duty vs personal freedoms and being closeted well. I’d be so intrigued to see a chapter or two from another person’s POV, but hopefully we can see more from these characters in future books!
This book publishes July 15th so get it on your to-read list now!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

Due to be published 07/15/2025.

This book had no right being as cute as it was. Prince Augustus (Auggie) is next in line to the throne and figuring himself out when his father signs him up for a reality television show to increase the transparency of the monarchy. He is cast alongside no other than Thomas Golden, an American influencer whose family is anti-monarchy. It has very light enemies to lovers plotlines, though the enemies trope is very lightly done. It has strong Red, White, and Royal Blue influences.
If you're looking for a very light, easy, queer read with some non-binary representation (sort of), then this is an easy pickup to add to your summer list. The characters were easy to like or dislike and while some of the relationship building was frustrating and repetitive, I don't think it got in the way too much.
3 stars, thanks Netgalley for the early read!

I wanted to like this book so bad. The idea - an English prince and American influencer on a reality tv show falling in love - could've been so great. But this book just didn't deliver for me. I wanted to DNF several times, but kept reading hoping the story would get better, but it never did.

Prince Auggie needs to improve his image with the public and make the monarchy more relatable. He joins the cast of a reality tv show and finds out one of his costars, Thomas, is an American influencer who is staunchly anti-monarchy. But as the two get to know each other, they realize they have feelings for each other despite their differences.

This book was tough to digest. There were multiple times Auggie and Thomas would go from lovey dovey to fighting and it felt like emotional whiplash. The way Auggie treated his friend Katie really rubbed me wrong. There was also a lot of gay panic which didn't feel fully earned or explored in the right way.

1.5 stars

I loved the premise of this book, it immediately gave me Red, White & Royal Blue meets Young Royals: Reality TV Edition vibes. I was excited about the reality TV element, since I’d never read a book that included that before.

The story started off great, and I really liked both Auggie and Thomas. Where it fell short for me was in the development of their relationship. The book set it up as an enemies/rivals-to-lovers arc, but the “enemies” part lasted about a day. They had some tension and a bit of back-and-forth during one of the challenges, but by the next one, they were already making out and getting intimate. It all felt extremely rushed.

I would’ve loved to see more buildup. Maybe more tension that hinted at real chemistry. Some banter with that “I hate you so much… but maybe I actually like you” energy. The book mentions “hate at first sight,” but the characters moved past it so quickly that their feelings became hard to believe.

On top of that, they broke up and got back together more times than I could count, and it started to feel unnecessarily repetitive. There were also a few subplots that were introduced but never went anywhere, which left me wondering why they were even included.

Overall, the book was entertaining and had so much potential (it ticked all the boxes to be amazing) but unfortunately, it fell short in execution.

The cover of this book drew me in immediately because it was giving Red, White, and Royal Blue mixed with Boyfriend Material vibes. Two books of which I am a massive fan.
Unfortunately I’m DNFing this book at 35%.
From the start, the main character Auggie has annoyed me. He’s very immature for a character that is supposed to be royalty (assuming that means media trained) and in his mid 20s? The relationships between him and every single person he interacts with, from his friends and family to the competitors on the reality show he’s forced to join, lack any depth and feel very forced. Up until about 32% of the book there was basically no chemistry between Auggie and his American competitor, Thomas… but by 33% they were kissing and exchanging sexual favors in a pottery studio. The plot and all the character relationships in this book feel so rushed and lack any real emotional depth.
I had high hopes for this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

This was right down the middle for me, a 2.5 star but I am rounding up to 3 for NetGalley.

I was very excited to read this one as I love a good MM romcom. Unfortunately, this one didn't deliver as I had hoped. This story was not engaging in any way and I almost DNF'd it multiple times. I found the main character to be quite problematic in the way that he was gay but also came across as homophobic. I understand this may have been done intentionally as for all intents and purposes it would probably be unaccepted for a real member of the royal family to come out as gay, however, the toxic masculinity was very real and not something I expected or enjoyed. Maybe, that is just a strong opinion for me because I read to mostly escape reality, and not to read real experiences that sadly already exist in society. I just feel this could have been handled differently. I kept hoping there would be some sort of redemption for the main character, which is why I kept reading, but sadly this never really happened.

I also had a hard time accepting that the two main characters could have actually fallen in love with each other as they genuinely seemed to dislike one another and were constantly bickering. Not in a cute enemy-to-lovers sort of way, but in a way where they seemed to be working towards resolution only to be angry at each other again, within the same scene, but with no real indicator of what caused it.

With all that being said, I did enjoy the reality TV aspect of this book and the fact that it was a Royalty romance. This might be a great read for someone who is wanting to dip their toes for the first time into Queer/MM romance since there is not much spice, and they may relate more to a character that truly seem to have a hard time with coming to terms that he is gay. As a member of the LGBTQ+ this just wasn't a hit for me unfortunately, but I would be willing to try another book by this author.

**Thank you to Hayden Stone and NetGalley for an eBook ARC in exchange for my honest review**

<i>Thank you to Hayden Stone, Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I’m a sucker for a good knockoff Red, White & Royal Blue story. And I really wanted this one to sweep me off my feet. Sadly, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Auggie reads like a royal snob from the very start, and not even in a fun, redeemable way. The chemistry between him and Thomas felt… well, it was there but it felt off. One minute they’re at each other’s throats and the next minute Auggie’s got his lips wrapped around Thomas like we missed five chapters in between.

Some plot jumps left me blinking in confusion, especially that sudden shift from enemies to bedroom partners. Katie? Absolute menace.

I came looking for a royal swoon. Instead, I left frustrated and slightly robbed of precious reading hours. Not my cup of Earl Grey, I’m afraid.