The Rules of Royalty / Cale Dietrich / Book Review

THE RULES OF ROYALTY

Jamie Johnson's summer plans include hanging out with friends, getting late night milkshakes, and promoting his best friend Max's new single with every bit of energy he can muster. But when he finds out on his birthday that his adoptive mom's been harboring a secret all seventeen years of his life, those plans go out the window.

Suddenly a prince to the sunny southern European country of Mitanor and definitely in the direct line of succession, Jamie gets whisked away to spend the summer at the king of Mitanor's palace. The king who also happens to be his birth father. Meeting the royal family is nerve-wracking enough. Add his identity getting leaked and new royal appearances he has to make, and Jamie Johnson is in over his head.

Luckily, Erik von Rosenborg is here to help. The spare prince to a cold and stoic northern European country, Erik knows a thing or two about royal life. Plus, he's gay--something he and Jamie have in common. Which makes him the perfect royal mentor, assuming they can both keep an appropriate royal distance. Both these princes have enough on their plates without any sort of romantic entanglement.

THOUGHTS

I mean, this book is exactly what you think it's going to be: a fluffy royal romance. Which isn't a bad thing at all. It is what it promises, and that's that.

PROS

Cute	These characters might not have out-of-this-world chemistry, but they sure are cute together. They compliment each other well. And I really like that their mutual attraction isn't something that they lie about, at least not to themselves. They both recognize they're attracted to the other; there's no denying that attraction. There's no fighting against it, except externally.
Max's Music	I adored the side plot with Jaime's best friend and her music aspirations. I enjoyed the struggle these besties face as both of their lives change. I enjoy the way that they have to figure out how to live with each other now, in their new reality. It was a nice side plot to have, something bittersweet and lovely brewing in the background.
Support System	Jamie doesn't head off to Mitanor alone. His parents, those who adopted him, come right along with him. And when he's got questions and concerns, they're good sounding boards, even if they don't exactly have experience in this particularly royal arena. And I loved that they're there for him, that he's got this kind of support, because supportive parents are so rare in YA.

CONS

I get it. There has to be some tension. There has to be some reason why Jamie and Erik aren't just a couple as soon as they hit it off. But this reason just didn't make sense to me. You're telling me the objection to this match from these royal families is really this strong? Sure, Jamie's an American, but he's also a prince, so... I just didn't get it, and every "reason" given felt a little lackluster to me.	Royal Objection?
Royal romance like this is purely escapist literature, right? Nobody's picking up a romance like this looking to really dig into the nature of royalty and wealth disparity, right? Like, we get that. But that's all real world stuff, not the reason we're reading a book like this. So when Erik whines about his problems, we're right there with him. We don't need him to justify himself. We don't need him to acknowledge that he's so much better off than most of the world. We know that; we don't want to linger on it. Every time that sort of fourth-wall was broken, well, the whole point of the book faltered. Because the point is to escape into fluffy romance, and engaging with a question as big as wealth disparity is... not escapist in the slightest.	Breaking Escapism
I don't know. Jamie doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be fully okay with a secret relationship. And he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be totally okay with his whereabouts being shared on social without his permission. And the fact that he lets these things slide, even when he expresses reservations about this stuff earlier in the book, just feels inconsistent. There were plot reasons... but there should be character reasons, too. Consistent ones.	Character Integrity

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries will like diving into this life of an American royal. Those who enjoyed Casey McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue will love stepping into this queer royal romance.

Details Publisher: Wednesday Books Date: December 10, 2024 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.