book review american royals

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

For Parents
For Educators
Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

American royals, common sense media reviewers.

Imagined U.S. royal family tale best for romance fans.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

This "what if" speculative fiction is meant to ent

The strongest message is about not giving up on ha

Most characters are idealized types. Beatrice is p

A character remembers a teacher smacking her on th

Plenty of kissing with vague descriptions and no b

"Sluts," "bitch."

One character loves M&M's.

The drinking age is 18, and several 17-year-old te

Educational Value

This "what if" speculative fiction is meant to entertain, but readers can be encouraged to research and explore which historical events have been changed and which haven't. It can also encourage thought about why the characters think monarchy is better than democracy and whether you agree. Lots of parallels to the current British monarchy invite comparisons and further research into the UK's form of government.

Positive Messages

The strongest message is about not giving up on happiness just because things have always been done a certain way. Things change, and you can change things if you're willing to face resistance and put the work in. Opposition to government is critical because it can spark change for the better. Leaders shouldn't be afraid of criticism. If you're being criticized for something it means you've at least taken a stand. Listen to your critics and learn from them.

Positive Role Models

Most characters are idealized types. Beatrice is perfect heir to the throne who exercises a tremendous amount of self-discipline as she fulfills her duties, tries to find a way to follow her heart without shirking responsibility. Younger sister Sam is a bit of a nonconformist wild card, but even that has a role to play. Younger brother Jeff is an idealized prince who wants to follow his heart without hurting anyone. There's a villain motivated by ambition, easy to spot and completely unlikeable. One Asian character is referred to as "inscrutable."

Violence & Scariness

A character remembers a teacher smacking her on the hands with a ruler in the past. Blood from an illness is said to be spattered around, but not described in detail.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Plenty of kissing with vague descriptions and no body parts mentioned. A couple sleep in the same bed every night; one of them says they aren't doing "everything." Elsewhere sex is implied by kissing on a bed, taking a dress off, asking about being sure; another time mentions straddling in a car backseat and fumbling with skirts. One couple kiss on a bed, start to undress, and stop.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

The drinking age is 18, and several 17-year-old teens drink at glamorous parties. Occasional excessive drinking without consequences beyond some regrets. Kegs at frat parties mentioned, drinking Scotch straight from the bottle, and having some bourbon for "liquid courage" mentioned. One character plans to sedate another and take compromising photos of her to use as blackmail. One character smokes briefly under emotional stress.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that American Royals is a romance that imagines what an American royal family would be like. Similar to author Katharine McGee's popular Thousandth Floor series, it's about a group of older teens in the highest, most glamorous levels of society. For a romance, the sexy stuff is pretty mild: mostly a lot of swooning kisses, with a couple of instances of implied sex. No body parts are described. Alcohol consumption at parties is glamorized, although excess is rare. A few teens who are months short of legal age drink at parties. One character plans to sedate another in order to take compromising pictures for blackmail, with severe consequences. There's minor violence (a character remembers a teacher smacking her on the hands with a ruler in the past; splattered blood from an illness is described), and strong language ("sluts," "bitch") is rare. There are mostly positive messages about responsible leadership, trying to make things better, and not letting obligation or tradition stand in the way of personal happiness but instead working to change things for the better.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

Parents say (1)
Kids say (23)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

AMERICAN ROYALS tells what it might be like if George Washington had said yes to the crown. Now, 200+ years and umpteen generations later, the United States of America continues to be ruled by the House of Washington. Oldest daughter Beatrice, 21, will someday inherit the throne from her father, King George IV. Groomed for the role of queen from a young age, Beatrice has mastered controlling her emotions and perfect behavior in public. But as her parents start to pressure her to marry (a member of the American nobility, of course), Beatrice finds herself falling for a commoner. Meanwhile, younger sister Samantha grows tired of always playing second fiddle, all the more so when the guy she really likes is a top candidate for Beatrice's prince consort. Samantha's twin brother Jefferson recently broke up with Daphne, his girlfriend of several years. Daphne's a picture-perfect candidate for princess, but her ambition knows no bounds, and she's not about to give up on Jeff yet.

Is It Any Good?

Glittering parties, fabulous clothes, unimaginable wealth, and swoon-worthy love interests are all here to captivate fans of romance and royalty. Author Katharine McGee has built a believable world with the intriguing premise that, since its creation by revolution, the U.S. has been ruled by George Washington and his descendants in an unbroken line of American Royals . And as in her popular Thousandth Floor series, McGee makes it easy to keep track of who's who and keeps the pages turning by switching among several points of view.

Unlike her earlier series, though, there's much, much less intrigue and mystery beyond the usual romantic will-they-or-won't-they suspense. That makes this new series better suited for romance fans only. Most of the content is pretty mild, but readers need to be mature enough to take the glamorization of wealth and celebrity in stride. The cliffhanger ending of this installment is by no means the end of the story, and fans will be glad that a second installment is promised for the fall of 2020.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what it would be like if American Royals were real. How would our government, and our daily lives, be different? Is this a realistic vision of what that would be like?

What are some of your favorite romantic stories? How does this one compare? Why do we love romances so much?

If you could become a royal, would you want to? Why? How much would you be willing to sacrifice for all the privileges and glamour? What about the obligations and responsibilities, as well as the constant scrutiny?

Book Details

Author : Katharine McGee
Genre : Romance
Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Friendship
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Random House
Publication date : September 3, 2019
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
Number of pages : 448
Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : April 23, 2020

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

The Thousandth Floor, Book 1

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

Hamilton and Peggy: A Revolutionary Friendship

The Perfectionists

Teen romance novels, romance movies, related topics.

Brothers and Sisters

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

AMERICAN ROYALS

From the american royals series , vol. 1.

by Katharine McGee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

An entertaining royal family modeled after the residents of Buckingham Palace.

Grab a cup of mead and gather round for a story of kings, queens, princes, princesses, lords, and ladies: the modern ruling families of America.

With the ease of a curtsy, McGee ( The Towering Sky , 2018, etc.) has established a monarchy made up of the direct descendants of George Washington. There’s enough palace intrigue, royal shenanigans, and even a smidgen of sex to satisfy anyone who loves a bit of gossip. Set in the contemporary United States, there are characters we love to love, love to hate, and those we want to send to timeout. Princess Beatrice, who will be the first queen regnant, her twin siblings, Princess Samantha and Prince Jefferson (those noble scamps), Jefferson’s wicked ex-girlfriend, and a couple of commoners who make falling in love with the wrong person too easy all tell their sides of the story in alternating third-person chapters. Critical questions tantalize readers through the foibles and flaws of characters who are frustratingly human. Crown jewels aside, the events of the story are as familiar as college parties or family dinners. Not all questions are answered, and readers will eagerly await the next installment to find out whether true love will win or stodgy tradition will triumph. A Latinx main character with two mothers lends a bit of diversity to the majority white cast.

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-984830-17-3

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: June 4, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

More About This Book

Sales of Print Books Fall in First Three Quarters

SEEN & HEARD

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Technological Solutions to the World’s Water Shortage
“A Seemingly Normal Thursday”
A Safe Haven: The Ailey School
dear mr. mormon,
we beat the speed of light for soft serve

The Spearhead Magazine

giving a voice to those who seek one

Book Review: American Royals Series

Published in September 1, 2019 American Royals was a highly anticipated book as it hit the shelves, not only because of the already New York Times bestselling author, Katherine McGee – best known for her Thousandth Floor trilogy- but also because of the refreshingly new (to a degree) premise of the book. American Royals quickly became a New York Times Bestseller and its sequel, American Royals II: Majesty, was released in September of 2020, also grabbing itself a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. Despite all of this evident success, the books have elicited mixed reviews for a variety of reasons, ranging from the characters to the writing and, most commonly: the second book.

The first book, American Royals, follows multiple character points of views to keep up the whirlwind of storylines occurring throughout the book. The first storyline follows one of the greater-focus main characters, Beatrice, who is in line to be the first queen of America. Beatrice’s character is burdened by the responsibility and duty set upon her, which she handles meticulously, just like her reputation. To those around her, like her sister Samantha (we’ll get to her later too), this translates as her trying to show up her siblings and just generally being a snob. Queue Beatrice’s guard, Connor, who Beatrice can confide in and soon develops feelings for, despite the absence of his name in the folder of marital options that Beatrice was handed by her parents. Next we have Samantha, Beatrice’s younger sister, and the rebellious child of the Washington royal family. Her plot line mainly revolves around three things: her rebelliousness (and the reasons for it), her best friend (Nina), and Teddy. Teddy, who she met at a party, kissed, developed feelings for, only for him to get engaged to Beatrice a few months (maybe even weeks) later. Turns out he was in Beatrice’s marital options folder.

Remember Nina, Samantha’s aforementioned best friend? She also shares one of the many character perspectives read throughout the book, not a member of the royal family, but just as important a character. Now here’s the thing about Samantha, she has a twin brother Jefferson (who is actually not one of the main characters, and doesn’t have any of his own perspective chapters). And Nina and Jefferson happen to be together, kind of. Nina’s plot line is essentially three things: her loathing of many aspects of the royal family, her aversion to press and fame, and her (somewhat) love triangle. Nina’s love triangle is only ‘somewhat’ a love triangle because she and Jefferson do like each other (eventually, it starts out with a kind of best friends to enemies to lovers arc), but Jefferson’s ex Daphne Deighton is bent on destroying their relationship and Nina in the process. Which brings us to our next character: Daphne Deighton. Daphne’s character is set up as the bad guy of the book. Not only is she very hung up on Jefferson, despite lacking feelings for him, but she also has a deep dark secret that would probably get her arrested should anyone find out. Moreover, she also has her own (kind of) love triangle. While she wants to be with Jefferson for the title, and the money, and etcetera, she also simultaneously is in love with his (peasant, as she never fails to remind him) best friend, Ethan.

And that about covers the first book, a variety of separate storylines that all intersect and intertwine with each other at one point or another. Now on to the review.

I’ll start with the bad. To begin with, this book falls into many cliches. Nina’s character is the classic ‘I’m different from other girls’ who likes to wear pants and hates all things girly. Samantha’s character is also your basic ‘rebellious teen’ who dates all the wrong boys, drinks too much, and wears scandalous/inappropriate clothing. Jeff’s character is also pretty much your average sweetheart male celebrity character: everyone either wants to date him or be him. Cliches aside, this book lacks diversity with only two poc characters and two LGBTQIA+ characters (who are not main characters at that). It also has some problematic undertones in the way that it speaks about democracy and monarchy, although all of it is more the way it frames the topics, especially in regards to America, rather than anything explicitly being said.

However, to say the book is only bad would be a lie. Many books have tried to make all the separate plot lines of drama, romance, etc. work and have failed. This was not one of those books. The plot lines in and of themselves are interesting and the overlap in the plot lines of each separate character only adds to the intrigue. The characters (maybe barring Beatrice who I never personally took a liking to) also hit their intended mark, despite aforementioned cliches. Nina is likable, Samantha relatable, and Jeff is a worthy love-interest. Daphne also hits what I can only presume is the target as being the morally grey character. While being a horrible person in many many many scenarios, a picture into her home life gives some insight on her and gives her character a brief respite from being, quite frankly, an evil person. The book’s ending also is a surprise plot twist that leaves you anticipating the follow-up in the second book.

To save you some time, I’ll give the quick summary of the second book, as found on Goodreads : “Power is intoxicating. Like first love, it can leave you breathless. Princess Beatrice was born with it. Princess Samantha was born with less. Some, like Nina Gonzalez, are pulled into it. And a few will claw their way in. Ahem, we’re looking at you Daphne Deighton. As America adjusts to the idea of a queen on the throne, Beatrice grapples with everything she lost when she gained the ultimate crown. Samantha is busy living up to her “party princess” persona…and maybe adding a party prince by her side. Nina is trying to avoid the palace–and Prince Jefferson–at all costs. And a dangerous secret threatens to undo all of Daphne’s carefully laid “marry Prince Jefferson” plans. A new reign has begun,”.

The first book ended on intense cliffhangers from multiple angles: love lives, power plays, etc. The cliffhangers left you waiting for the day the second book would release. A second book which ended up being a massive disappointment. To say ‘I’ll start off with the bad’ would be a lie because I’m not sure what I would say afterward because, to be honest, I can only name the bad. (*Spoilers Ahead*)

The book destroys almost all relationships you root for. Daphne finally comes to her senses only to realize too late. Jefferson pulls a 180 and does exactly what you would hope he doesn’t. Basically the only ending worth mentioning would be Samantha and Teddy’s, and even that one could not be labeled satisfactory, even though it has potential. And Nina’s story basically ruined itself about a quarter of the book in. I’ve spared the details so, if you so choose, you can find out the specifics by reading.

So, in conclusion, the first book is a wonderfully-written drama/romance that’ll keep you hooked until the very end, at which point you pick up the second book and immediately regret the decision about twenty pages in. So down to the main question: would I recommend you read this series? In short, yes. But only because of the first book which is definitely not a book I would pass up on, but proceed to the second book with expectations lowered. Or don’t read the second book and fill in the blanks yourself, I’m sure whatever conclusion you come to will be better than what goes down in the second book.

Ananya Mehta

Ananya attends University of Washington, where she hopes to major in Political Science and has aspirations to become a lawyer. In her free time, she loves to read, write, play with her dogs, and watch tv.

← Ways Rising Seniors Can Be Productive During Summer Break
How Are People Solving Rubik’s Cubes in Under 3 Seconds? →

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Book Review

The Best Bits of the Brit Awards 2021

The States Americans are Moving To

Book Review & Annotations: American Royals by Katharine McGee

What would you get if you combined modern-day royalty and Gossip Girl drama? A whole lot of excitement and political intrigue. 👑 American Royals was a compelling and fun story that kept me constantly entertained.

I marathoned this book on my 12-hour flight from Taipei to Los Angeles, and I became so invested in this story. ✨ I couldn’t sleep or watch any movies until I finished the book, and WOW I was living for every moment.

AMERICAN ROYALS by Katharine McGee

PUBLISHED BY Random House Books for Young Readers ( Penguin Random House ) on September 3rd 2019

GENRE: Contemporary , Romance

PAGES: 448

ADD TO GOODREADS // BOOK DEPOSITORY

What if America had a royal family?

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.

Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.

And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

Content/Trigger Warnings: drinking, sex, exposed relationship, cyberbullying, manipulation, cheating, drugging a side character

American Royals is set in an alternative version of the modern-United States where instead of a democratic government, the United States is a monarchy. 🇺🇸 After winning the Revolutionary War, General George Washington became the new King of the States, and subsequently, his descendants ruled the country.

The story follows the perspectives of four women: Beatrice, Samantha, Nina, and Daphne. Beatrice, the future Queen of America, was easily my favorite character. If you told 5-year-old Tiffany to imagine a princess, this is who I would think of—someone kind-hearted, passionate, and ethereal. Her romance was by far my FAVORITE. 😍 If you are a fan of bodyguard and princess ships, you will be heart-eyes all around.

“From now on, you are two people at once: Beatrice the girl, and Beatrice, heir to the Crown. When they want different things, the Crown must win. Always.”

In terms of plot, there isn’t a clear direction or mystery that needs to be solved. We read through the various relationships and wonder which of them will prevail. Personally, I thought it was still very entertaining and soap opera-esque to see how things unfolded, but fair warning, if you’re not a fan of ~drama~, this might not be the book for you.

After finishing this book, I immediately went to pick up Katharine McGee’s debut trilogy, The Thousandth Floor , which I finished in less than a week. If you’re a fan of Gossip Girl, The Princess Diaries, or Casey McQuiston’s Red, White, & Royal Blue , I’d definitely recommend picking up this book!!

“Real love comes from creating a family together, from facing life together — with all its messes and surprises and joys.”

The worst part about reading this novel is that the next book doesn’t come out until Fall 2020 so you’ll be waiting impatiently (like me) to find out what happens next. 🌟

Have you read American Royals?

What were your thoughts.

Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Adventures of a Bookworm

Books, crafts & story time, book review: american royals by katharine mcgee, american royals by katharine mcgee.

Description: “What if America had a royal family? If you can’t get enough of Harry and Meghan or Kate and William, meet American princesses Beatrice and Samantha.

Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown. Two girls vying for the prince’s heart. This is the story of the American royals. When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American. And their country was born of rebellion. As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart. The duty. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded–and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history. “

Review: Recently I’ve fallen into a book slump. Nothing was really catching my attention until I started reading “American Royals.” This is the first book in a series about the American royal family (yes, America is a monarchy) and is told from the narrative of 4 different female characters. At times I find multiple narrators frustrating but I think in this case it added more to the story. All of the narrators were not created equally, some were multifaceted and you saw a lot of character development, while others fell flat for me. Princess Beatrice and Princess Samantha were by far my favorite characters. At times I even thought about skipping ahead to their next chapters. Both of the Princesses are multidimensional. There is a lot more to them than meets the eye and that is examined throughout the book. The other two narrators are Nina and Daphne. Nina is the best friend of Princess Samantha and love interest to Samantha’s twin, Prince Jeff. Nina is your typical college student who just so happens to have a mom who works for the King and is best friends with a Princess. Although Nina is supposed to come across as the girl next door, I did find her to be too self deprecating and even bratty. She has a lot going for her but is the first one to tear herself down and what’s the deal with her wanting to keep her oldest, best friend a secret? Next there is Daphne, the ex-girlfriend of Prince Jeff and your typical evil villain. While Daphne’s story was interesting, it was also predictable. There wasn’t as much character development for these two characters, especially Nina, and I wish there was more. Hopefully the next book in the series will round them out better. This story reminded me of a mix of “The Princess Diaries” and “Gossip Girl”. There is royalty, drama and romance. One of the big differences for me between “Gossip Girl” and this story is that although there is a lot of forbidden romance there are no steamy parts. There are some descriptions of kissing but the few times that sex is directly mentioned it is glossed over. I personally would have liked more dirty details, especially since I think this book is more for people in their 20s (all of the characters are college aged) than teens. I did think that some of the romantic relationships were unnecessary and took away from the heart of the story. There was almost too much forbidden love for me. Ultimate this book is about showing how complicated people’s live are, especially for those in the public eye. I found “American Royals” to be a quick, intriguing read. This book is perfect for people who love watching and reading about the royal family. I would also recommend this book to those who like romance without all the details. I think both teens and adults will enjoy this book. I would not recommend it to history buffs, they might have a hard time getting over the concept of America having a royal family.

*please note that I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley

American Royals

What if America had a royal family?

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either–except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

The power. The drama. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded–and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history.

“The lives of the American royal family will hook you in the very first pages and never let go. Relatable, believable, fantastical, aspirational, and completely addictive.” –Sara Shepard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars and Perfectionists series

“With elegance, saucy secrets, and forbidden love, American Royals is fast-paced and utterly charming. Katharine McGee’s prose sparkles, capturing the glamour and pressures of an American monarchy.” —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

“Inventive, fresh, and deliciously romantic— American Royals is an absolute delight!” —Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and Court of Thorns and Roses series

Grab a copy

Teen & Young Adult
Literature & Fiction

Buy new: $17.47 $17.47 FREE delivery: March 29 - April 2 Ships from: Book EN Thingz Sold by: Book EN Thingz

Buy used: $8.17.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and Amazon Prime.

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you grow your business. Learn more about the program.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

American Royals Hardcover – September 3, 2019

Purchase options and add-ons.

Book 1 of 4 American Royals
Print length 448 pages
Language English
Publisher Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date September 3, 2019
Grade level 9 - 12
Reading age 14 - 17 years
Dimensions 5.88 x 1.45 x 8.56 inches
ISBN-10 1984830171
ISBN-13 978-1984830173
Lexile measure HL820L
See all details

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may ship from close to you

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Books for Young Readers (September 3, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984830171
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984830173
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL820L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 1.45 x 8.56 inches
#289 in Teen & Young Adult Romantic Comedy
#884 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Girls' & Women's Issues (Books)
#2,066 in Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Videos for this product

Click to play video

American Royals

Amazon Videos

About the author

Katharine mcgee.

Katharine McGee is originally from Houston, Texas. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. It was during her years in New York, working as an editor by day and writing by night, that she began a manuscript about life in a futuristic skyscraper. The Thousandth Floor is her first novel.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Reviews with images

Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Newsletter
About Amazon
Accessibility
Sustainability
Press Center
Investor Relations
Amazon Devices
Amazon Science
Start Selling with Amazon
Sell apps on Amazon
Supply to Amazon
Protect & Build Your Brand
Become an Affiliate
Become a Delivery Driver
Start a Package Delivery Business
Advertise Your Products
Self-Publish with Us
Host an Amazon Hub
› See More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Visa
Amazon Store Card
Amazon Secured Card
Amazon Business Card
Shop with Points
Credit Card Marketplace
Reload Your Balance
Amazon Currency Converter
Your Account
Your Orders
Shipping Rates & Policies
Amazon Prime
Returns & Replacements
Manage Your Content and Devices
Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Your Ads Privacy Choices

A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK-INSPIRED RECIPES
Novel Writing
Travel Diaries
Messages from CJ
Podcast: Dark Side of the Word

Book Review of AMERICAN ROYALS

If I’d known that drinking tea in American Royals is considered unpatriotic, I might have avoided reading this one. Out of protest for my favorite beverage, of course.

Naaaaawwww , jk! This book is awesome. I’m so glad I didn’t know about the tea thing beforehand.

Author Katherine McGee’s version of America apparently never quite recovered from the slights of the British against the colonists, and the American Palace refuses to serve tea to its guests!

Yep, you heard me. Palace . Because traitorous tea isn’t the only thing that’s different in America Royals , a completely charming novel that re-imagines the United States of America as a monarchy, complete with a royal family — the Washingtons — descending directly from “King” George Washington I.

(Which kinda makes you think, right?? I mean, G-Dub must’ve had descendants. Where are they now? Why don’t we ever hear about them?? If better historians than I know the answer, please chime in!)

I read American Royals in between two fast-paced, heart-pounding thrillers, and it was a welcome escape read. Passions abound — in a relatively PG-13 way — in this fun, breezy, YA novel that also manages to cleverly address some pretty tough concepts: marrying for duty vs. love, a woman’s ability to rule, and overcoming social class barriers. I was also glad to see how forward-thinking the American monarchy is, particularly when held up against our current governmental leadership and its beliefs. (I’ll just leave it at that.)

The main characters are a mix of royals, commoners, and the ever-present “social climbers” who fall somewhere in between (but who, of course, desperately long to be royals). Beatrice, Nina, Jeff, and Samantha are all highly relatable and likable (though I had a hard time picturing anyone but Claire Foy as Beatrice), and although Daphne grated on me (she’s supposed to; she’s our villain in this story), McGee manages to evoke several twinges of sympathy for her, too.

Like any good royal drama, American Royals is chock-full of love triangles and forbidden romances, which, as we all know, are the most delicious kind. Each character struggles with typical “normal people” problems: there’s lots of teen angst, as well as quite significant family drama and concerns. Of course, everything is compounded by the fact that they all simultaneously deal with royal life, which brings its own share of unique complications.

The only bad news about American Royals ? It’s part of a series . *groans* Which means the book ends on a pretty emotional and dramatic cliff-hanger, and that we have to wait until September 2020 to get our hands on the sequel, Majesty . *groans again* [Note: I realize September’s not that far away, but back when I read American Royals last fall, it seemed like an ETERNITY to wait for the next book.]

I’m usually not into starting a series unless I can access all the books in it at once (patience is not my forte), but I’m totally hooked on everything going on in American Royals . I’ll definitely be checking out Majesty in the fall to see what happens next.

As a lover of all things royal, I had so much fun stepping into McGee’s world of American princesses, palace drama, and adventures usually reserved for the British monarchy. Fans of The Royal We and The Princess Diaries will love this fresh spin on a royal story. What are your favorite books about royals?

Book Review of ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY

March 19, 2024

Book Review of SEX ROMP GONE WRONG

March 15, 2024

Book Review of A BAKERY IN PARIS

March 5, 2024

Book Review of THE CLOISTERS

February 20, 2024

Book Review of SPARE

February 6, 2024

Book Review of THE ECHO WIFE

January 30, 2024

Book Review of THE TRUTH PROJECT

January 23, 2024

Book Review of THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP

January 16, 2024

Book Review of THE FURY

January 12, 2024

Book Review of THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE

January 9, 2024

Book Review of HAPPY JOBS: Doing What You Love for a Living

January 2, 2024

Book Review of DECODING THE STARS: A Modern Astrology Guide to Discover Your Life’s Purpose

December 12, 2023

Book Review of HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

November 28, 2023

Book Review of HAMNET

November 14, 2023

Book Review of THE HACIENDA

October 31, 2023

Book Review of A TRUE ACCOUNT: HANNAH MASURY’S SOJOURN AMONGST THE PYRATES, WRITTEN BY HERSELF

October 24, 2023

Book Review of GREENWICH PARK

October 10, 2023

Book Review of GAD’S HALL and THE HAUNTING OF GAD’S HALL

September 26, 2023

Book Review of OLD COUNTRY

September 12, 2023

Book Review of A STORM OF INFINITE BEAUTY

September 5, 2023

Book Review of THE SPARROW SISTERS

August 22, 2023

Book Review of BEST SERVED HOT

August 8, 2023

Book Review of MY MAGNOLIA SUMMER (DNF review)

August 1, 2023

Book Review of A NOVEL OBSESSION

July 18, 2023

Book Review of THE RESERVOIR

July 11, 2023

Book Review of LOCKDOWN ON LONDON LANE

June 13, 2023

Book Review of THE HOLLOW PLACES

May 30, 2023

Book Review of THE WINTER SEA

May 2, 2023

Book Review of CHICK MAGNET

January 24, 2023

Book Review of CHRISTMAS CHARMS (A Cozy Holiday Romance)

December 13, 2022

Book Review of AUNT DIMITY’S CHRISTMAS (A Cozy Mystery)

December 6, 2022

Book Review of GHOSTS: A NOVEL

November 22, 2022

Book Review of HOUR OF THE WITCH

November 8, 2022

Dual Book Review: THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE and THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE

October 25, 2022

Book Review of THE DROWNING KIND

October 11, 2022

Book Review of RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE

September 27, 2022

Book Review of GHOSTER

September 13, 2022

Book Review of LOVE LIKE THAT

August 30, 2022

Book Review of THE LOST VILLAGE

August 16, 2022

Book Review of SURVIVING SAVANNAH

August 2, 2022

Book Review of ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT

July 19, 2022

Book Review of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

July 5, 2022

Book Review of A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES

June 28, 2022

Book Review of THE NEWCOMER

June 7, 2022

Book Review of WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING

May 24, 2022
10 Comments

Book Review of HIDDEN PICTURES

May 13, 2022

Book Review of THE CANDID LIFE OF MEENA DAVE

May 10, 2022

Book Review of A (NOT SO) LONELY PLANET: ITALY

April 26, 2022

Book Review of THE PULL OF THE STARS

April 12, 2022

Book Review of SUNRISE BY THE SEA

March 29, 2022

Book Review of THE BONE HOUSES

March 15, 2022

Book Review of THE PLOT

March 1, 2022

Book Review of FRIENDS AND STRANGERS

February 15, 2022

Book Review of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LA RUE

February 1, 2022

Book Review of THE BABYSITTER

January 28, 2022

Book Review of A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE

January 25, 2022

Book Review of THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS

January 21, 2022

Book Review of HOMEGOING

January 18, 2022

Book Review of THE GIRL WHO DIED

January 14, 2022

Book Review of APPLES NEVER FALL

January 11, 2022

Book Review of RAVEN BLACK

January 7, 2022

Book Review of THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

January 4, 2022

Book Review of CHRISTMAS JOY

December 7, 2021

Book Review of THE WINTER’S CHILD

December 3, 2021

Book Review of N0S4A2

November 23, 2021

Book Review of THE LAST COMMANDMENT

November 12, 2021

Book Review of THE OTHER BENNET SISTER

November 9, 2021

Book Review of DAISY JONES & THE SIX

October 26, 2021

Book Review of THE VOICES

October 22, 2021

Book Review of MY DARK VANESSA

October 12, 2021

Book Review of MEXICAN GOTHIC

October 1, 2021

Book Review of THE GOWN

September 28, 2021

Book Review of PARTY OF TWO

September 14, 2021

Book Review of MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE

August 31, 2021

Book Review of THE COOKBOOK CLUB

August 17, 2021

Book Review of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW

August 13, 2021

Book Review of THE LOST APOTHECARY

August 3, 2021

Book Review of MUSICAL CHAIRS

July 20, 2021

Book Review of BUNNY

July 9, 2021

Book Review of THE SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY

July 6, 2021

Book Review of THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES

June 22, 2021

Book Review of THE MAIDENS

June 8, 2021

Book Review of IN FIVE YEARS

May 25, 2021

Book Review of THE DEAD GIRLS CLUB

May 11, 2021

Book Review of MEG and JO

April 27, 2021

Book Review of RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE

April 23, 2021

Book Review of A SINGLE THREAD

April 13, 2021

Book Review of WOW, NO THANK YOU

March 30, 2021

Book Review of THE HEIR AFFAIR

March 26, 2021

Book Review of ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE

March 16, 2021

Book Review of THE HAUNTING OF BRYNN WILDER

March 2, 2021

Book Review of RHAPSODY

February 26, 2021

Book Review of COSY: THE BRITISH ART OF COMFORT

February 16, 2021

Book Review of THE FLATSHARE

February 2, 2021

Book Review of AN IRISH COUNTRY FAMILY

December 18, 2020

Book Review of CHRISTMAS SHOPAHOLIC

December 8, 2020

Book Review of THE MERRIEST MAGNOLIA

November 24, 2020

Book Review of WINTER SOLSTICE

November 10, 2020

Book Review of HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS

October 30, 2020

Book Review of THEME MUSIC

October 27, 2020

Book Review of THE GIRL IN THE MIRROR

October 16, 2020

Book Review of THE BOOK OF LONGINGS

October 13, 2020

Book Review of THE WHISPER MAN

October 6, 2020

Book Review of BLANKY

October 2, 2020

Book Review of THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT

September 22, 2020

Book Review of JERUSALEM MAIDEN

September 8, 2020

Book Review of RODHAM

September 1, 2020

Book Review of THE EXILES

August 25, 2020

Book Review of THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE

August 11, 2020

Book Review of THE FINISHING TOUCHES

July 28, 2020

Book Review of THE TURN OF THE KEY

July 24, 2020

Book Review of LOCK EVERY DOOR

July 7, 2020

Book Review of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

June 26, 2020

Book Review of HELLO, SUMMER

June 16, 2020

Book Review of I CAN’T DATE JESUS

June 9, 2020

Book Review of THE SUN DOWN MOTEL

June 2, 2020

Book Review of THE PRINTED LETTER BOOKSHOP

May 19, 2020

Book Review of SUMMER RENTAL

May 5, 2020

Book Review of MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE

April 21, 2020

Quick Look Books: Historical Fiction (April 2020)

April 7, 2020

Book Review of LITTLE DARLINGS

March 24, 2020

Book Review of CATHERINE HOUSE

March 13, 2020

Book Review of AUNT DIMITY AND THE KING’S RANSOM

March 3, 2020

Book Review of THE JANE AUSTEN DIET

February 18, 2020

Quick Look Books: Modern Love Stories (February 2020)

February 14, 2020

Book Review of SAINT X

February 7, 2020

Book Review of FINDING THE GIFT

February 4, 2020

Book Review of AND THEN WE GREW UP

December 17, 2019

Quick Look Books: Cookbooks (December 2019)

December 10, 2019

Book Review of THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP

November 26, 2019

Book Review of ONE DAY IN DECEMBER

November 12, 2019

Book Review of THE INVITED

October 29, 2019

Book Review of THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING

October 15, 2019

Book Review of THE HOCUS POCUS MAGIC SHOP

October 11, 2019

Book Review of THE SILENT COMPANIONS

October 1, 2019

Book Review of THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE

September 27, 2019

Book Review of THE FRIENDS WE KEEP

September 24, 2019

Book Review of BEAUTIFUL BAD

September 17, 2019

Book Review of I OWE YOU ONE

September 3, 2019

Book Review of CIRCE

August 20, 2019

Book Review of DEATH IN THE COVENANT

August 13, 2019

Book Review of THE MOTHER-IN-LAW

August 6, 2019

Book Review of DESPERATE GIRLS

July 23, 2019

Book Review of SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

July 9, 2019

Book Review of THE UNHONEYMOONERS

July 2, 2019

Quick Look Books: Vacation Destination Reads (June 2019)

June 18, 2019

Book Review of THE KISS QUOTIENT

June 4, 2019

Book Review of NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

May 22, 2019

Book Review of THE THINGS SHE’S SEEN

May 13, 2019

Book Review of AN UNWANTED GUEST

May 7, 2019

Book Review of HOW TO BLOG FOR PROFIT (WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL)

April 30, 2019

Book Review of THE LAST ROMANTICS

April 26, 2019

Book Review of AN IRISH COUNTRY COTTAGE

April 16, 2019

Book Review of THE ENDLESS BEACH

April 9, 2019

Book Review of NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS

April 2, 2019

Quick Look Books: Thrillers (March 2019)

March 26, 2019

Book Review of GLORY ROAD

March 19, 2019

Book Review of THE PERFECT NANNY

January 18, 2019

Quick Look Books: Hygge Books (January 2019)

January 15, 2019

Book Review of RUSH

January 8, 2019

Book Review of HUNT THEM DOWN

January 4, 2019

Book Review of UNSHELTERED

December 20, 2018

Book Review of MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM

December 18, 2018

Book Review of THE WITCH ELM

December 13, 2018

Book Review of FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH

December 11, 2018

Book Review of MELMOTH

December 6, 2018

Quick Look Books: Christmas Books (December 2018)

December 4, 2018
12 Comments

Book Review of TWO STEPS FORWARD

November 27, 2018

Quick Look Books: Food in Fiction (November 2018)

November 20, 2018

Book Review of THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO

November 13, 2018

Book Review of ALL WE EVER WANTED

November 6, 2018

Book Review of HORRORSTOR

October 30, 2018

Book Review of DAUGHTERS OF THE LAKE

October 25, 2018

Book Review of THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD

October 23, 2018

Book Review of LYING IN WAIT

October 16, 2018

Quick Look Books: Supernatural Horror for Adults (October 2018)

October 12, 2018

Quick Look Books: YA Supernatural Horror (October 2018)

October 9, 2018

Book Review of THE IMMORTALISTS

October 2, 2018

Book Review of THE EVER AFTER

September 25, 2018

Book Review of THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN

September 24, 2018

Quick Look Books: Powerhouse Books (September 2018)

September 18, 2018

Book Review of THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING: ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN IN BRITAIN

September 11, 2018

Book Review of UNBURY CAROL

August 28, 2018

Quick Look Books: Chick Lit (August 2018)

August 21, 2018

Book Review of YOU THINK IT, I’LL SAY IT

August 14, 2018

Book Review of IN A COTTAGE IN A WOOD

July 31, 2018

Book Review of THE HIGH TIDE CLUB

July 24, 2018

Book Review of FLORET FARM’S CUT FLOWER GARDEN

July 17, 2018

Book Review of STRAY CITY

July 10, 2018

Book Review of THE BROKEN GIRLS

July 3, 2018

Book Review of THE HIDEAWAY

June 19, 2018

Book Review of THE BIRD EATER

June 12, 2018

Book Review: American Royals IV: Reign by Katharine McGee

TITLE: American Royals IV: Reign

AUTHOR: Katharine McGee

PUBLISHER: Random House Children’s

RELEASE DATE: August 29, 2023

GENRES: YA contemporary, royalty BUY LINKS: Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/25463/9780593429747

NOTE: This is the synopsis for BOOK 1!!

What if America had a royal family?

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.

Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

Why Should You Read This?

Prepare to be captivated and swept away in the riveting conclusion of the New York Times bestselling American Royals series with “Reign” by Katharine McGee. With its blend of romance, duty, power, and familial intrigue, this novel takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the lives and loves of America’s royal family.

In the aftermath of a royal upheaval, the Washington family finds themselves in disarray. Queen Beatrice lies in a coma, and Princess Samantha has vanished, leaving behind speculation and uncertainty. With the throne in flux, Prince Jefferson steps into a role he never anticipated, becoming king as the country grapples with change. Daphne Deighton, who has orchestrated her way back into Jefferson’s affections, believes her dreams are finally realized. But amidst the turmoil, love and power collide, setting the stage for a dramatic and gripping narrative.

Katharine McGee’s storytelling prowess shines in “Reign” as she expertly weaves together multiple perspectives, allowing readers to dive deep into the minds of each character. The intricate web of relationships, motivations, and secrets is captivating, drawing readers into the heart of the drama. The characters, each with their own desires and burdens, leap off the page with their complexities and vulnerabilities.

As the story unfolds, McGee skillfully navigates the power dynamics, romantic entanglements, and political maneuvers that shape the lives of these royal figures. The romantic tension between Prince Jefferson and his childhood crush, Nina Gonzalez, adds layers of emotion to the narrative, while Daphne’s pursuit of power tests the limits of manipulation and ambition.

The novel masterfully explores the blurred lines between love, duty, and ambition, raising questions about the sacrifices one must make for the sake of a crown and the impact of one’s choices on an entire nation. Themes of loyalty, identity, and the pressure of public perception are expertly interwoven into the story, resonating with readers on a deeper level.

As secrets unravel and hidden truths come to light, the suspense builds, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. McGee’s writing is immersive and evocative, creating a richly detailed world that vividly portrays the opulence of royalty and the complexities of their lives.

“Reign” is a triumphant conclusion to the American Royals series, bringing together the threads of the saga in a way that satisfies and surprises. The pacing is perfectly orchestrated, with revelations and twists propelling the story forward while allowing for moments of introspection and emotional depth.

In conclusion, “Reign” is a must-read for fans of royal intrigue, complex relationships, and the collision of love and power. Katharine McGee’s expert storytelling and well-crafted characters make this novel a fitting and satisfying end to a beloved series. Whether you’ve been following the American Royals saga from the beginning or are just stepping into its world, “Reign” will leave you breathless with its emotional depth, suspenseful twists, and a memorable exploration of what it truly means to wear the crown.

Received a copy of the book as a part of the tour.

Reign | American Royals #4 by Katharine McGee | ARC Review

Posted August 28, 2023 by Cristina (Girl in the Pages) in Books , Reviews / 0 Comments

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Reign | American Royals #4 by Katharine McGee | ARC Review

A queen's life hangs in the balance, and her siblings’ decisions—about what to do, and most of all, who to love—could change the course of history. Romance. Duty. Power...only one can triumph in this stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling American Royals series. America's royal family is in shambles. Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Princess Samantha has gone missing—from the look of things, she ran away with her boyfriend, Lord Marshall Davis. Which means that Prince Jefferson is currently on the throne. For some in America, it's exactly what they wanted: a King ruling the country. And for Daphne Deighton, who has tricked Jefferson into dating her again, it's the ultimate dream come true. Surely this is all just temporary. Won’t Beatrice wake up and reclaim her rightful place? Samantha can't really be gone…can she? And Prince Jefferson will never truly be over his childhood crush, Nina Gonzalez. Right? For the Washington family, the stakes are higher than ever. Love might save the throne….if secrets don’t destroy everything first.

I’ve probably said this in every review I’ve written about the American Royals series, but I’m just fascinated by the premise. An AU where America became a monarchy and the Washingtons are in the royal family, still to this day? Fascinating. It’s what keeps pulling me back to this series, and makes me sad to see it end since there’s still SO much I want to know about how an American monarchy would function. Therefore, Reign being the last novel is bittersweet, for as much as I’d love to continue learning about this AU, it feels right that the story is coming to a close.

*Please note spoilers for the first 3 books will be mentioned beyond this point and a few minor spoilers for book 4*

Rivals, book 3 of this series, was my favorite hands down. The League of Kings conference was an interesting change of pace, and it left off on some major cliffhangers, the biggest one being Beatrice’s car accident. I was delighted to see that the drama seemed to continue in the beginning of Reign, with several soap opera tropes (I mean that in the best way!), including:

2) Fake pregnancy

3) Running away from home

4) Falling in love with someone not knowing that they’re secretly a royal

I live for mess in my books, so I was thoroughly entertained by these dramatic set ups for our four leading ladies. As usual, I enjoyed Beatrice’s and Daphne’s POVs the most, and was especially interested to see how their stories played out. I enjoyed seeing Beatrice get to fall in love with Teddy again (protect Teddy at all costs!!!) though I did groan when I realized we were going to have to deal with Connor (again). And Daphne. Cunning, ambitious, ultimate Slytherin Daphne. I wanted her to marry Jefferson so, so badly. I wanted her to defy the trope of falling in love with the “normal” guy. I wanted her to defy the YA tropes of “following your heart” and actually get everything she worked for (and I stand by what I said in my review of Rivals – her love for Jeff was still love, even if not the romantic, passionate kind).

Nina’s story threw me for a bit of a loop this time. I’ve never really liked her, and I DEFINITELY don’t like her after this installment (glass houses and stones and all that) but I really liked Jamie so I enjoyed reading her chapters just for him, lol. But she’s serving too much quirky-girl-all-the-boys-fall-in-love-with energy, and I’m not a fan of the not like other girls vibes I was getting.

As for Sam, her chapters have always been my least favorite, but I enjoyed them more in this book. I liked seeing the fallout of when she returns home after totally shirking her responsibility as a royal (especially in the wake of Beatrice’s crash and subsequent coma) and how it’s really strained her relationship with Jeff, as he’s had to act as Regent in her absence, and he was never really trained for it since Sam was the Spare. It was realistic (actions have consequences!) and it was fun seeing her have to try to live like a normie.

The last third of the book was very action packed and I couldn’t put it down- it all comes to a head at Jeff and Daph’s wedding and it was satisfying to see so many plot points finally woven together and exposed to the characters, and the twist they put on the ending was unexpected but satisfying. To be honest though, I would have changed a LOT of the outcomes for the characters (probably for 3 out of 4 of them) and ultimately wish there had been a more daring conclusion for most of them, especially Daphne.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite not my least favorite book in the American Royals series, and it still to this day is one of the most creative YA series in my eyes.

Related Posts
By Katharine McGee
3 Star Books

American Royals Series

American Royals IV: Reign by Katharine McGee

Available on (09-03-24)

American royals iv: reign, american royals series : titles in order.

Available formats:
Hardcover (1)
Paperback (1)

Hardcover (2)

Share on Facebook
Share on Tumblr

American Royals Series: Bundles & Boxed Sets

American royals series: related titles, other series by katharine mcgee, about katharine mcgee.

Other Series You Might Like

Find other titles in, category: c.

Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

Raise kids who love to read

Today's Top Books

Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

An online magazine for today’s home cook

Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.

TODAY Plaza
Share this —

Watch Full Episodes
Read With Jenna
Inspirational
Relationships
TODAY Table
Newsletters
Start TODAY
Shop TODAY Awards
Citi Music Series
Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

On The Show

Kate Middleton announces cancer treatment: Live updates, reactions from royals, fans

Kate Middleton made an announcement about her health on March 22, amid questioning of her wellbeing and whereabouts.

The Princess of Wales, in a rare taped statement released by Kensington Palace, shared that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

The Princess of Wales was last seen in public on Christmas Day in 2023. Kensington Palace revealed she had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery” Jan. 16. The reason was not disclosed to the public, but the palace said she did not have cancer in a statement to NBC News.

The news comes as King Charles III undergoes treatment for a “form of cancer” announced by Buckingham Palace Feb. 5.

Here's what to know.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offer 'health and healing' to Kate

Elena Nicolaou

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, shared in a statement: “We wish health and healing for Kate and the family, and hope they are able to do so privately and in peace.”

Harry and Meghan stepped back from their duties as senior royals in 2020 and have lived in California since.

Share this -

A look back at how King Charles III announced his cancer diagnosis

Currently, two members of the British royal family are undergoing treatment for cancer.

Charles revealed he had cancer Feb. 5 in an official statement from Buckingham Palace shared on social media.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure,” palace officials said in a statement. “He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible," the statement read.

Charles decided to disclose his diagnosis, per the palace's statement, “to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”

Read on for more.

Kate's video message sparks conversation about sharing cancer diagnosis with kids

Kate, in her message, touched on sharing the news of her cancer diagnosis with her three children : Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. She cited her children as a primary reason for wanting privacy.

“As I’ve said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits,” Kate said.

She ended her video with a message to other families affected by cancer, and other parents who had to have similarly hard conversations.

Denver psychologist Sheryl Ziegler spoke to TODAY.com about sharing a difficult diagnosis with a child.

“You might say, ‘I’m going to fight as hard as I can, I’m healthy and I have the best doctors,” Ziegler tells TODAY.com.

“If you get emotional, label it,” Ziegler says. “If you don’t — if you cover your face or leave the room — kids might think you’re not telling the truth or that it’s worse than they thought. It’s OK to say, ‘I’m worried.’”

“You might say, ‘I’m going to fight as hard as I can, I’m healthy and I have the best doctors,” Ziegler continues.

Kate Middleton's brother James Middleton posts sweet message, throwback photo

After her cancer diagnosis announcement, Kate Middleton's younger brother, James Middleton, shared a message for his sister. On Instagram, he paired his words with a heartfelt message.

"Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one with you too," he wrote.

The photo appears to be of Kate and James in the outdoors, perhaps hiking to complement the sentiment of his post.

Kate is the oldest of three children. She also has a sister, Pippa Middleton Matthews .

Fans and supporters criticise how the palace handled news rollout

In her announcement, Kate said she wanted time to process the news and share it with her young children. But what role did Kensington Palace play in the proliferation of theories and rumors during that time?

On social media, people are analyzing the public relations moves that may have led to misinformation, including releasing a manipulated photo for Mother's Day. Kate apologized in a statement.

"The palace PR really fumbled about Kate. They created a huge mess and then tried to place the blame on her for the photo," one tweet read, in part.

"The royal family conveniently blaming kate middleton for the photoshop incident whilst already knowing of her diagnosis is actually crazy," another tweet read.

People got "out of hand" with speculation, an X user conceded , but also said: "I feel like the royals and press threw kate middleton under the bus, knowing she was dealing with cancer privately, bc they couldn’t manage the pr crisis. they should have protected her by shutting down conspiracies, instead they made it worse by blaming her for the photoshop."

Palace explains why Kate Middleton waited to share her cancer diagnosis

In a statement, Kensington Palace explained the time span between the Princess's abdominal surgery Jan. 16 and the announcement of preventative chemotherapy treatment on March 22.

"The Princess wanted to share this information when she and The Prince felt it was right for them as a family," a statement read.

Kate, in her video statement, elaborated, saying she needed "time" to handle the "huge shock" of the news.

"William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," she said.

"As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK," she said.

What does this moment mean for the royal family? Royal expert weighs in

Royal expert Katie Nicholl, speaking to NBC's Lester Holt , spoke about what Kate Middleton's ongoing cancer treatment means for the royal family.

"It means that we have two senior members of the royal family undergoing cancer treatment. The king and now the Princess of Wales. Two of the most important members of the royal family. Two of the most popular members of the royal family. When you think back to the madness that circulated on social media, so much of that has ben generated by a public affection for, and curiosity, into the life of the Princess of Wales. She is much loved and much adored," she said.

"This news will come as a shock to many. But actually, I suspect, as I relief to William and Kate. That they're finally been able to come out, put those rumors to an end. They've been able to have time to process this information. To tell their three young children which was clearly the priority in all of this," she continued.

Nicholl went on to call the video a "plea for privacy."

King Charles III is 'so proud' of daughter-in-law Kate 'for her courage

King Charles III, who is also undergoing cancer treatment, wrote about Kate Middleton.

"His Majesty is ‘so proud of Catherine for her courage in speaking as she did,'" Kensington Palace revealed in a statement.

"Following their time in hospital together, HM has ‘remained in the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law throughout the past weeks.’ Both Their Majesties ‘will continue to offer their love and support to the whole family through this difficult time.'"

"My thoughts are with the Princess of Wales, Prince of Wales, the Royal Family and in particular her three children at this difficult time. The Princess of Wales has the love and support of the whole country as she continues her recovery," the statement read.

Sunak also zeroed in on the theories and chatter amid Kate's public absence.

"She has shown tremendous bravery with her statement today. In recent weeks she been subjected to intense scrutiny and has been unfairly treated by certain sections of the media around the world and on social media. When it comes to matters of health, like everyone else, she must be afforded the privacy to focus on her treatment and be with her loving family," Sunak wrote.

"I know I speak for the whole country in wishing her a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back in action when she’s ready."

What the palace previously said about Kate and cancer

In January, the palace confirmed to NBC News that Kate does not have cancer.

What does Kate Middleton say in the video?

A transcript of kate middleton's announcement:.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you personally, for all the wonderful messages of support, and for your understanding, whilst I’ve been recovering from surgery.

It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family. But I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.

In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London, and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.

The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.

My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.

This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.

As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that’s appropriate for them and to reassure them that I’m going to be OK.

As I’ve said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirits. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort, too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.

We hope that you’ll understand that as a family we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment.

My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy, and I look forward to being back when I am able. But for now, I must focus on making a full recovery.

At this time, I’m also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer.

For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.

King Charles III's cancer diagnosis

King Charles, father of Kate's husband Prince William, has cancer.

The cancer was detected when the king, 75, underwent corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate on Jan. 26 and was discharged from the hospital three days later.

Buckingham Palace officials did not specify which type of cancer he has, but confirmed to NBC News that it is not prostate cancer.

Charles has stepped back from public facing duties.

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure,” the official statement read. “He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

A timeline of Kate Middleton's public absence

Kensington Palace announced, Jan. 17, that Kate had undergone “planned abdominal surgery” on Jan. 16.

In the statement , Kensington Palace wrote: “The surgery was successful and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

Kate was discharged Jan. 29, per a statement from Kensington Palace.

Kate is expected to be recuperating for two to three months following the surgery, a palace source told NBC News at the time.

Amid speculation about Kate's whereabouts, Kensington Palace issued a statement reiterating the original timeline.

“Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the Princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates,” a spokesperson for the princess said in a statement to NBC News on Feb. 29. “That guidance stands.”

The first photo of Kate since the surgery was from March 5, a grainy image of her in the passenger seat of a black SUV driven by her mother. The palace declined to comment on these photos.

On March 10, Kensington Palace posted a photo for U.K. Mother's Day. According to the palace, it was taken by William the week prior.

But within several hours of the photo being shared, it was retracted by major news agencies, including the Associated Press and Reuters, due to “manipulation.”

The AP explained its decision to retract the photo in a statement to NBC News: “The Associated Press initially published the photo, which was issued by Kensington Palace. The AP later retracted the image because at closer inspection, it appears that the source had manipulated the image in a way that did not meet AP’s photo standards. The photo shows an inconsistency in the alignment of Princess Charlotte’s left hand.”

Kate addressed the controversy in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing , “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

On March 18, a video reportedly of Kate and William at a market in Windsor taken began to circulate, spurring theories . Kensington Palace declined to comment on the footage.

Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. Her superpower is matching people up with the perfect book, which she does on her podcast, Blind Date With a Book.

Supported by

Henry Louis Gates Jr. Unpacks Black Literature’s ‘Black Box’

In his latest book, the Harvard scholar shows how African American writers have used the written word to shape their reality despite constraints imposed on them from outside.

Share full article

By Tope Folarin

Tope Folarin is a writer and critic. He is the executive director of the Institute for Policy Studies and the author of the novel “A Particular Kind of Black Man.”

THE BLACK BOX: Writing the Race , by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

By way of explaining the metaphor that serves as the title of his latest book, “The Black Box,” the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. transcribes a conversation he had with his son-in-law after the birth of his granddaughter 10 years ago:

“Did you check the box?” I asked, apropos of nothing we had just discussed. Without missing a beat, my good son-in-law responded, “Yes, sir. I did.” “Very good,” I responded, as I poured a second shot of Pappy Van Winkle.

The box that Gates’s son-in-law checked on a birth registration form indicates that his granddaughter is Black, even though his daughter’s genetic admixture is 75 percent European, and his son-in-law is 100 percent European. In other words, as Gates notes, his granddaughter “will test about 87.5 percent European when she spits in the test tube.”

Gates offers this anecdote to suggest the arbitrariness of racial categories, and to focus our attention on the image of the box — a container that can function simultaneously as a “circumscribed enclosure” and a zone in which the confined can create a thriving “social and cultural world.”

For Gates, the box is a supple concept. Not only does it appear with surprising frequency in literature by Black Americans — from the fugitive slave author Henry Box Brown (who escaped slavery in a box) to Booker T. Washington (who described the box as a barrel) to the contemporary poet Terrance Hayes — but Gates extends the metaphor to other kinds of boxes that relate to Black experience, to ordeals withstood and survived. He cites an airplane’s flight recorder box, a device that “preserves a record of the truth amid disastrous circumstances,” and the slave ship, before arriving at his thesis: African Americans have consistently relied on the written word to express and shape their reality despite the constraints imposed on them from outside, which they have endured since they were first brought to this continent.

“The Black Box” is based on lectures Gates has delivered for many years in his Introduction to African American Studies class at Harvard. From the beginning, he shows, African Americans have turned to literary forms to validate their humanity. He quickly sketches the childhood of Phillis Wheatley — her journey to America via slave ship, her rapid mastery of English — and the varied responses to her poetry, which she began to publish as a precocious teenager.

Wheatley’s success undermined the prevailing sentiment that Black Americans were less intelligent than their white counterparts, and in response to her art some thinkers, such as Voltaire, revised their formerly negative perspectives on Black people, while others, including Thomas Jefferson, remained steadfast in their views. (Jefferson on Wheatley: “The compositions published under her name are below the dignity of criticism.”)

Gates traces the history of slave narratives, a genre that “always told the story” of how enslaved authors “learned to read and write, and always, always, of course, of their escape to freedom.” And he describes the intense conversations within the Black American community around self-definition: “They stood on uncertain ground. Were they Africans, Americans, both, or neither?” In each of these instances, as throughout his book, Gates adroitly demonstrates how literature served as a site of self-interrogation and a pathway to liberation.

In other chapters, Gates writes about the manifold contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois; the boldness and flair of the Harlem Renaissance generation; the fierce debate between Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright over the proper way to represent the Black experience in literature; and the politics of passing.

Many of these ideas will be familiar to readers — Gates has written about them before. The allure of this book, and the reason for its existence, are the narrative links he draws among these people and events, and his insistence that a survey of African American history is incomplete without a special consideration of how writing has undergirded and powered it. This is a literary history of Black America, but it is also an argument that African American history is inextricable from the history of African American literature.

“The Black Box” arrives at an auspicious moment. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of a great man of American and African American letters: James Baldwin. Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of “The New Negro,” an anthology of fiction, poetry, art and essays edited by Alain Locke that is widely regarded as a defining text of the Harlem Renaissance.

This is also a moment when many politicians are hard at work revising our shared history in order to justify present-day policy agendas. Gates addresses this phenomenon in his concluding chapter, portions of which appeared in The New York Times a year ago. He invokes the story of Mildred Lewis Rutherford, the historian general of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who argued throughout her career that the Civil War was simply “the War Between the States,” and had nothing to do with slavery.

As Gates notes, it is important to repeat the truth about history as often as possible, and to repel efforts to redefine it, because “what is inscribed on the blackboard translates directly to social practices unfolding on the street.”

THE BLACK BOX : Writing the Race | By Henry Louis Gates Jr. | Penguin Press | 262 pp. | $30

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students who inspired it.

A few years ago, Harvard acquired the archive of Candida Royalle, a porn star turned pioneering director. Now, the collection has inspired a new book , challenging the conventional history of the sexual revolution.

Gabriel García Márquez wanted his final novel to be destroyed. Its publication this month may stir questions about posthumous releases.

Do you want to be a better reader? Here’s some helpful advice to show you how to get the most out of your literary endeavor .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

Some American leaders love foreign dictators. Should they look closer to home?

Jacob heilbrunn’s ‘america last’ highlights a periodic pining for strongmen; in ‘illiberal america,’ steven hahn says it runs even deeper in our history.

On March 8, Donald Trump hosted Viktor Orbán — the prime minister of Hungary, who has cracked down on LGBTQ rights, immigration and democracy — at Mar-a-Lago. “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán,” the former president gushed. “He’s the boss!” After an hour-long meeting at Trump’s resort-slash-fiefdom, Orbán accompanied him to a “members only” concert featuring a Beatles cover band.

Conservative enthusiasm for Orbán is not new. Since 2022, the Hungarian leader has spoken three times at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, twice in Budapest and once in Dallas. (CPAC will be back in Hungary in April.) During his latest trip, Orbán also stopped by the Heritage Foundation, a legacy conservative think tank, but he did not visit the White House. And last month, Orbán’s political director, Balázs Orbán (no relation), was feted by the Claremont Institute, another egghead conservative redoubt, and by the Conservative Partnership Institute, a well-heeled nonprofit whose leaders include former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, and which the New York Times has described as the “ nerve center ” of the MAGA movement.

Why, you might be asking, have “America First” conservatives taken such a shine to a self-described “illiberal” autocrat from a post-Soviet state 4,500 miles away? Jacob Heilbrunn, in his new book, “ America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance With Foreign Dictators ,” provides some answers. For Heilbrunn, a journalist and editor of the National Interest, the right’s love affair with Orbán (and with Vladimir Putin) is merely the latest manifestation of a long-standing authoritarian “persuasion” in American politics: a consistent if periodically muted pining for a more vital, hierarchical and hidebound “paradise abroad” to serve as a model for bludgeoning “into submission” our own unruly, decadent and overly liberal democracy.

This tradition, Heilbrunn suggests, stretches back at least to the First World War, when writers such as H.L. Mencken and George Sylvester Viereck fawned over Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Prussia. It survived through the interwar years, manifesting in diplomat Richard Washburn Child’s worshipful paeans to Benito Mussolini; in American Legion chief Alvin Owsley’s promise “to protect our country’s institutions and ideals as the Fascisti dealt with the destructionists who menaced Italy”; in the bow-tied fascism of business tycoons Merwin K. Hart, Henry Ford and Thomas Lamont (of J.P. Morgan); and in aviator Charles Lindbergh’s pilgrimages to Adolf Hitler’s Germany, where he accepted the Service Cross of the German Eagle from Hermann Goering in 1938. (Lindbergh, obsessed by Nazi race science, warned in 1939 that America faced an “infiltration of inferior blood” from Asia, a precursor to Trump’s campaign line about migrants “poisoning the blood of our country.”)

Before Pearl Harbor, figures like Lindbergh, William Randolph Hearst, Henry Regnery (the prolific conservative publisher) and a young William F. Buckley Jr. were “America Firsters”; they opposed American involvement in World War II and further entanglement with Europe, often in antisemitic terms. After the war, they swiftly refashioned themselves as crusading anti-communists, insistent that the United States must do more, on the world stage and at home, to combat the Soviet threat. This entailed new autocratic infatuations: with Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal and Trujillo’s Dominican Republic — all praised as indispensable bulwarks against the red menace, often in the pages of Buckley’s magazine, National Review, which was founded in 1955 to provide an intellectual luster to McCarthyite conservatism.

As the Cold War deepened, conservative hearts melted for Pinochet’s Chile, for the junta in Argentina and for apartheid South Africa. By the 1980s, the American right had found an unlikely patron saint in Jeane Kirkpatrick, a Democrat turned neoconservative who provided an ironclad, “realist” justification for the right’s authoritarian longings. According to Kirkpatrick’s doctrine, which guided Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy (overt and covert), it was America’s duty to lend support, and even arms, to tyrannical regimes in the Third World, so long as they were sufficiently anti-communist. Thus, the worst brutalities of the Cold War — in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador — were preemptively justified.

Throughout this litany of conservative self-debasement, Heilbrunn’s writing is consistently lucid and springy. He provides vivid potted biographies of unfamiliar names and displays a real talent for unearthing potent and ironic quotations from the archive. (An example: Can you guess who said this in 1999? “In the 1930s, everyone thought Hitler was a fringe element who could never come to power. History showed otherwise. We must recognize bigotry and prejudice and defeat it whenever it appears.” Answer: Donald J. Trump!)

What is missing from “America Last,” however, is much in the way of historical or analytic depth. That is perhaps not its remit. Heilbrunn has written a polemic: one intended to tar today’s Putin- and Orbán-loving right with all the worst sins of the 20th century. “At bottom,” he writes, “they are advocating ethno-nationalism in the guise of a set of principles.” In so doing, he intends to charge today’s pro-Trump conservatives with disloyalty, if not to America itself, then to its creed: that all men are created equal.

The largely unnamed heroes of Heilbrunn’s book, then, as in many Trump-era polemics, are Cold War liberals, those mid-century intellectuals who remained admirably unseduced by foreign regimes of either the socialist left or the authoritarian right, and who worked — harder than anyone — to instantiate the notion (inspiring but mythical) that America is a great nation defined by her goodness and by a set of ideas or principles , rather than ethnic or religious particularities.

And while Heilbrunn sportingly acknowledges — with reference to slavery, Jim Crow and Native dispossession — that America has its own “homegrown” authoritarian tradition, it is difficult, in a book like this, to avoid a certain self-exonerating logic. In his zeal to condemn the right, Heilbrunn risks the implication that illiberalism and fascistic violence are essentially imports, the boutique fancies of disloyal intellectuals who secretly (or openly!) despise what makes America great. In other words, if it weren’t for these particular unpatriotic, tyrant-curious conservatives, our country would have remained the liberal stronghold it was supposed to be.

A new book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Steven Hahn starts from the opposite premise: Per the horror movie cliché, the call is coming from inside the house. In “ Illiberal America ,” Hahn argues that American history — from the first colonial settlers to the Progressive Era to our febrile political present — has been significantly, if not principally, defined by the opposite of liberalism: naturalized hierarchies rather than equality; limited, in-group rights rather than inalienable and universal ones; dependence, coercion and servitude rather than wage labor and autonomy; exclusive and expulsive institutions rather than civic inclusion; and the ritualized exercise of power and violence to enforce communal norms rather than mediation by courts, parties or associations.

Hahn’s endeavor, undertaken with remarkable subtlety, breadth of historical detail and electrifying prose, is not so much to critique the failings of liberalism, as many historians (and activists) have profitably done, but to displace and diminish liberalism’s despotic status in our historical imagination; to abolish the whiggish notion — an invention of Cold War historiography — that American history is witness to the gradual unfolding, flourishing and triumph of the liberal ideas lodged in our founding documents.

To do so, Hahn takes the reader on an episodic tour of those historical moments when liberalism was supposedly steering the ship, demonstrating in each case how illiberal currents were just as decisive. Questions answered along the way: Was liberalism or capitalism really an “early arrival” to the colonies, or were the first settlers mostly entranced by neo-feudal dreams reliant on regimes of coerced labor? How important was anti-Catholic sentiment and iconography to the republican stirrings of the pre-revolutionary era? Why did emancipation go hand in hand, for many liberal reformers, with an embrace of penal solutions to the problem of Black freedom? Was eugenic social engineering an unfortunate “sidebar” of the Progressive Era or its underlying logic? And so on.

In this way, Hahn dispenses with the notion that 20th- and 21st-century American illiberalism needed foreign inspiration. In a chapter on the fascist stirrings of the 1930s, Hahn notes that American newspapers attempting to explain Mussolini’s Fascisti to their readers had a readily available analogue: the Klan. (Some even referred to the Blackshirts as “the Italian Ku Klux Klan.”) And Hahn demonstrates, as Heilbrunn also briefly notes, that Nazi officials studied “anti-miscegenation, immigration, and Jim Crow laws in the United States.” Of Progressive-era eugenics, Hitler wrote: “I have studied with interest the laws of several American states concerning prevention of reproduction by people whose progeny would, in all probability, be of no value or be injurious to the racial stock.”

It should be said that “Illiberal America” is not one of those revisionist, “what your teacher didn’t tell you” histories of the Howard Zinn variety. Hahn’s intention is not to indict the American past, only to reveal it — and to show that illiberalism has its own rich and mutable tradition, “deeply embedded in our history, not at the margins but very much at the center, infusing the soil of social and political life, and often ensnaring or entangling much else that grows there.” The vertiginous effect on the reader is that she comes away not with an altogether novel vision of what has happened in this country, but an image with different emphases and inflections: a picture of American history with new protagonists, motivated by grim but not unfamiliar ideologies — as if a bright light had been turned on in the basement of our collective myths and a crowd of grisly creatures came scurrying out of the shadows. We knew they were there, but not in such numbers. And the silhouettes we thought were one thing are another.

To be sure, Hahn’s conceptual approach is not without pitfalls. His aim is to displace “liberalism” from the driver’s seat of history, not merely to show that it is undone by internal contradictions or fails to live up to its own aspirations. Only without liberalism occluding the frame, Hahn suggests, can American illiberalism come into view as its own distinct, coherent tradition. But this strikes me as a tricky dance. What is illiberalism being defined against if not liberalism? And why can’t liberalism itself be constituted by its exceptions, failures and blind spots? Are liberalism’s oversights not constitutive of what liberalism is and always has been?

Without this possibility, one risks quarantining some elusive, untainted liberalism from critique and re-throning “true liberalism” — which, like “true socialism,” its adherents would cry, has never been tried — as our political ideal. This plainly isn’t Hahn’s intention. It is perhaps a testament to the imperial quality of liberalism, as a concept, that even an attempt to diminish its domain risks conceding too much territory. Perhaps the next task for a historian of Hahn’s caliber is to write a history of the United States that makes no recourse to the category of liberalism — or its opposite — whatsoever. I would eagerly read such a book. But maybe it wouldn’t make any sense. For the time being, we are all prisoners of the liberal imagination: a darkened basement or a house of mirrors.

Sam Adler-Bell, a Book World contributing writer, is a co-host of “Know Your Enemy,” a podcast about American conservatism.

America Last

The Right’s Century-Long Romance With Foreign Dictators

By Jacob Heilbrunn

Liveright. 249 pp. $28.99

Illiberal America

By Steven Hahn

Norton. 447 pp. $35

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The American Society of Magical Negroes': You don't wanna join this club

Aisha Harris

Aren (Justice Smith) and Roger (David Alan Grier) in The American Society of Magical Negroes. Focus Features hide caption

Aren (Justice Smith) and Roger (David Alan Grier) in The American Society of Magical Negroes.

Lately, I've been musing on the concept of time and its relationship to Black art and identity. I keep bumping into this question: What time do we all think we're living in right now?

In the year of someone's lord 2024, a recent episode of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans conjured up James Baldwin – the same James Baldwin who once wrote, "I don't like people who like me because I'm a Negro; neither do I like people who find in the same accident grounds for contempt" – as a Magical Negro to Truman Capote.

50 Years Of NPR

The best of james baldwin: favorite pieces from the npr archive.

A straight-faced excavation of this old Hollywood trope, which has been on the wane for some time, is startling enough. But now there's also Kobi Libii's feature debut, The American Society of Magical Negroes, which attempts to skewer it. The comedy writer and performer imagines an underground network of Black mystics who dedicate their lives to placating white people for the safety of Black people everywhere. "White discomfort," as one character opines, is the "nemesis" of Black existence.

If this all sounds like the premise for a classic Key & Peele sketch, you wouldn't be too far off . The trouble is, as far as I can tell, no one involved with writing Key & Peele had anything to do with the Society of Magical Negroes .

Code Switch

'key & peele' is ending. here are a few of its code switch-iest moments.

The movie has at least two crucial factors working against it. For one, the Magical Negro trope isn't anywhere near as pervasive in Hollywood as it was when Spike Lee coined the term more than two decades ago. So despite being set in the present day, Libii's social commentary brings with it no new enlightenment on the dominant stereotypes Black people face now, despite a nearly two-hour runtime.

Second, it has no Black characters. To be clear, there are real Black performers playing these roles on screen. But one would think fully human, complexly written roles ought to exist in a movie where the goal is combatting multiple centuries' worth of one-dimensional representation. Here, they decidedly do not.

The Illuminati, but make it respectable

In Society of Magical Negroes , Justice Smith plays Aren, a dull and depressing L.A. artist whose specialty is dull and depressing abstract yarn installations. His latest work is on display at an art show, but no one "gets" it. When a white collector mistakes him for the waitstaff, Aren obliges and gets the man a drink instead of trying to convince him to buy his art.

A member of the actual waitstaff has been observing him all night and introduces himself. It turns out he's Roger (David Alan Grier), a jolly older man who's arrived to recruit Aren into the American Society of Magical Negroes, a "firm" that views itself as a group of world-class superheroes. He leads him to their secret headquarters, tucked away behind a Black barbershop, with hallowed rooms and halls that resemble Hogwarts or the Clue mansion. The visual world-building in this regard is the film's sole inspired choice.

Egotistical tech bro Jason (Drew Tarver) is Aren's first "client." Focus Features hide caption

Egotistical tech bro Jason (Drew Tarver) is Aren's first "client."

Each Society member is assigned a white "client" who's experiencing some sort of crisis and is dangerously close to taking out their anxieties on innocent Black people. (A "white tears meter" assists in monitoring the threat level at any given moment.) The Magical Negro's job is to befriend and counsel their client through all their issues until they get whatever it is they want. Aren's first guinea pig is Jason (Drew Tarver), a disgruntled, egotistical tech bro at a software company called MeetBox, who's angling for a promotion he almost certainly doesn't deserve. Aren is hired at MeetBox and immediately gets to work practicing his skill of being a personality-less doormat, which has a great effect on clueless Jason.

Did I mention this is also a workplace rom-com? Sure, why not? Aren discovers one of his other new colleagues is Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), a woman with whom he had the gawkiest and most unsexy of meet-cutes at a coffee shop earlier in the day. Lizzie happens to be Jason's "work-wife," but he's also into her, so that complicates Aren's adherence to his Magical Negro responsibilities and tests his commitment to The Cause.

Author Interviews

'magical negro' carries the weight of history, maybe we're all just magical negroes.

So many disparate ideas and tones are being mashed up here, and none of them gel. Libii spends a ton of time obsessing over the details and internal rules of these proud, respectability politicians. Yet he also has a slippery grasp on the trope he seeks to interrogate. In this world, the Magical Negro is broadened out from its very specific real-world definition – Spike Lee was referring to movies with "magical, mystical" Black characters in films like The Legend of Bagger Vance and The Green Mile – to an all-encompassing label that includes any Black person who's ever merely decided "Not today, Satan" and resisted the bait when dealing with racial microaggressions at work and Crispus Attucks.

Movie Interviews

Spike lee: black people have 'been fighting for this country from day one'.

Those muddled conflations would be less jarring if Aren were written as anything other than a convenient vessel for showcasing a convoluted premise. We know nothing about him besides that he's a failed, self-loathing Rhode Island School of Design alum who's so spineless he'll awkwardly hold the door for a parade of oblivious exiting passersby before finally entering a coffee shop for himself. Before becoming a Magical Negro (I can't believe this is an actual sentence I'm writing), he has no community to speak of – no friends, no real job, and no family, except a white mom he offhandedly mentions. (This is somehow both very illuminating and not at all illuminating at the same time.) Where did he grow up? How can Aren afford to be a struggling artist with a decent apartment in Los Angeles in this economy? Has Aren ever spent any time with Black people? (Magical Negroes don't count.)

Lizzie (An-Li Bogan) and Aren (Justice Smith) have a tedious meet-cute at a coffee shop. Tobin Yelland/Focus Features hide caption

Lizzie (An-Li Bogan) and Aren (Justice Smith) have a tedious meet-cute at a coffee shop.

His character arc, if you wish to call it that, concludes with him superficially liberated. In the film's climax, he gives a grandstanding speech that's What It's Like to Be Black 101, a far more grating version of Barbie 's climactic Feminism 101 monologue. The moment is wholly unearned, and the epiphany lands with a thud because Aren didn't really start from any place real to begin with. There's nothing radical or daring about his journey to self-discovery, which hinges almost entirely on his romantic pining for Lizzie. In fact, Libii's script doesn't even try to engage with Black radicalism because if it did, The Society would have to come under far more rigorous scrutiny than the film is interested in pursuing. The Magical Negroes, so proud to have single-handedly "raised the Black life expectancy," at least according to society head Dede (Nicole Byer), exist in a world where the likes of Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, the Black Panthers, and Bree Newsome never existed. The movie's finale seems content with that omission.

What time are we living in now?

Nicole Byer is Dede, head of the American Society of Magical Negroes. Focus Features hide caption

Nicole Byer is Dede, head of the American Society of Magical Negroes.

So: What time are we living in now? It depends on who you ask and where you look. Not unlike American Fiction , Society of Magical Negroes is convinced Black people on screen and in real life are, by and large, contending with the same stereotypes and barriers that we were 20 years ago. But that's its own kind of retrograde nostalgia trap to fall into, the kind that can only be constructed by ignoring key parts of history and the present reality.

There are pressing issues like pay inequities and Black-created TV shows being canceled far too soon. But there's also been so much exciting work being made by filmmakers on every level over the last decade – emerging voices like Nikyatu Jusu , Raven Jackson and Juel Taylor ; newly-minted titans like Issa Rae and Jordan Peele; established vets like Gina Prince-Bythewood. They've told stories spanning a breadth of genres, sensibilities and character studies, the stuff their predecessors dreamed of. Amid this landscape, it's hard not to view the Magical Negro as – thankfully – a relic.

Writing more than 25 years ago, bell hooks lamented how a dominant white supremacist environment forced too many Black artists to be hyperfocused on producing "resisting images," thus overwhelming their creative and upsetting artistic integrity. At the time, she observed that Black filmmaking was still a "fertile frontier" because of the lack of radical images, but that she foresaw a "far distant future" where Blackness will be "overworked, overdone" just as whiteness has been. We're a little bit closer to that future than we've ever been. But evidently, we've still got some ways to go.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Kristen Wiig’s 1960s-Set ‘Palm Royale’ Is Unserious in All the Best Ways: TV Review

By Aramide Tinubu

Aramide Tinubu

The series opens in the early summer days of 1969 at Palm Beach’s most exclusive country club, the Palm Royale. Though she has neither an invitation nor the funds to cover the $30,000 initiation fee, Maxine doesn’t let that deter her from scoping out the establishment she’s long admired. Dressed like an orange creamsicle and armed with a sunny disposition and an exhausting tenacity, Maxine catapults herself over the club’s back wall. After finding a seat by the pool to indulge in her grasshopper cocktail and observe her surroundings, Maxine quickly learns that no one at the country club will be extending a welcoming arm to her.

Like any societal structure, the Palm Royale has its hierarchy. At the head is Norma Delacore ( Carol Burnett ), Maxine’s estranged, comatose aunt-in-law who has ruled Palm Beach for 49 years. Vying for Norma’s crown is Evelyn Rollins (an unhinged, thrilling Allison Janney ), who is just waiting for her filthy rich husband, Skeet (Bruce Dern), to die. There is also wealthy socialite Dinah Donahue (Leslie Bibb), who will use any opportunity to get Evelyn out of her way. While these ladies certainly aren’t friends, they quickly band together to tell Maxine just how unwelcome she is in their town.

This pastel-infused satire is full of absurd charity events, pill parties and closets bursting with skeletons that sometimes are made public in the town’s gossip rag, “The Shiny Sheet.” From pawn shops and bounced checks to a near-continuous cycle of President Nixon discussing the Vietnam War on televisions playing in the background, “Palm Royale” is ridiculous fun. Though highly underestimated, Maxine charges forth, determined to find Norma’s coveted rolodex, which is the key to the Beach Ball invitations and becoming the woman she’s always aspired to be.

As bright and colorful as “Palm Royale” is, outlandish moments, including a whale, several assassination attempts and the random appearance of a crowned prince, highlight the need for some sharper editing. The show’s 10 episodes are overstuffed, never letting the audience catch its breath. By the time the credits roll on the finale, so much has happened that the viewer feels like they have been spinning around in the middle of the circus. It is a fun experience for sure, but definitely too long.

Coveting other people’s lives can be intoxicating. That’s why social media is so addicting, and influencers are able to rack in the dough. And yet, as many reasonable folks recognize, what is deemed exclusive and desirable are often just beautiful illusions; the tatters and tears are carefully tucked away from the public eye. Still, by the time the series ends, Maxine is someone viewers want to root for. Watching her follow her materialistic-centered dreams is a joyfully delicious experience. After all, there is something thrilling about a woman who decides what she deserves and has the gumption to go get it.

The first three episodes of “Palm Royale” premiere March 20 on Apple TV+ with new episodes dropping weekly on Wednesdays.

More From Our Brands

Dylan gossett’s ‘coal’ is a viral hit — he just played it live for the first time with a band, winnie harlow seeks $3.7 million for modern farmhouse-style l.a. estate, mlb’s ohtani betting investigation could encounter legal hurdles, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, foundation recasts the mule for season 3 with game of thrones actor, verify it's you, please log in.

Cookie banner

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy . Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use , which became effective December 20, 2019.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Follow Royals Review online:

Filed under:

Royals Rumblings

The #Royals still need to determine their bullpen. With Jordan Lyles and Angel Zerpa added, there is one final spot to fill. The bullpen competition is down to Matt Sauer, Josh Taylor, Sam Long and Tyler Duffey. Sauer has a clear path (Rule 5 pick) but has to make the team. — Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) March 21, 2024

If Sauer doesn't make the team, the decision could come down Taylor, Long and Duffey. Taylor is dealing with biceps tightness. KC is evaluating his injury. Long has been steady in camp. Duffey is set to pitch on Saturday. — Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) March 21, 2024

Other non-roster pitchers still in camp along with Long: Dan Altivilla, Luis Cessa, Jonah Dipoto, Walter Pennington, Evan Sisk. — Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) March 21, 2024

Jeremy: The Royals’ new Community Benefits Agreement lacks one important element: the community benefits

I haven’t seen this story yet this week, so forgive me if this is a duplicate. If you want to go to a Royals workout , they’re holding one a day before Opening Day and it’s open to the public:

The team announced Wednesday that it will hold a workout at Kauffman Stadium on March 27, a day ahead of the opener. Royals fans can watch the practice, which will take place from 3-4:30 p.m. The event is free, but fans will need to get a ticket via the Royals’ website. Here is the link . Parking is also free. Fans should enter through Gate D. That gate will open at 2:30 p.m.

At Cronkite News in Arizona, James Lotts profiles Carter Jensen :

“It was just a surreal feeling knowing I was going to be a part of the team I grew up watching and I went to the World Series in 2015,” Jensen said. Jensen still remembers the buzz around the city during that championship run. Only one member of that World Series winning team is still with the Royals: catcher Salvador Perez. Jon Davis, Jensen’s former coach at Park Hill, said Perez has been Jensen’s inspiration for his entire baseball career. “He’s always said that’s (Perez) been his favorite player,” Davis said. “I taught him in middle school so I’ve known him since he was about 12 and he’s always been a Salvy guy.”

Listicle? At The Athletic, Keith Law names some breakout candidates for 2024:

Maikel García, 3B, Kansas City Royals García was never a huge power hitter in the minors, but his rookie season last year was very underwhelming in that department — just four homers and a .358 slugging percentage, which isn’t going to make him an everyday player at a corner. He hits the ball hard, and consistently so, ranking in the 93rd percentile last year for hard-hit rate, but too much of his contact was on the ground. He’s putting the ball in the air more this spring, at least, and it’s such an obvious fix that I am having a hard time imagining any team letting him continue like this, wasting what should be at least 15-20 homer power, if not more. If he really has made a swing adjustment that’s going to last, I think he’ll get into that range, and he’ll become a league-average third baseman.

ESPN has an MLB Opening Day 2024 Guide that mentions KC as well:

Bet you didn’t expect to see the Royals on here Date of deal: Dec. 15 — Wacha, Renfroe join Royals What it means for the Royals: They are trying. The Royals lost 106 games last season and own a bottom-10 minor league system. That’s not a great combination. And yet they spent more in free agency than any other American League team, adding a number of midlevel veterans during the offseason. That list includes pitchers Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Chris Stratton, Will Smith and hitters Hunter Renfroe, Adam Frazier, Garrett Hampson and Austin Nola, all via free agency. They also traded for relievers Nick Anderson and John Schreiber, as well as the injured Kyle Wright for a future rotation spot. That’s a bold offseason for a bottom-feeding club. A cynic might say the team’s effort to lock down a new ballpark development might have played a part in the aggression. An optimist might note that in raising the floor of the roster with the new veterans, Kansas City at least has a shot at reaching .500 which, in the AL Central, is contention. The Royals are the one team in its division that took such an aggressive short-term stance. How it will shape the 2024 season: All of the newcomers are capable of being contributors on a good team. Even as a group, it isn’t the kind of collection that’s going to carry a team to 90 wins. The Royals must make real improvement at the minor league level but they also need to polish off the development of its key young players in the majors — Vinnie Pasquantino, MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto and Drew Waters. That is where any true upside to this roster is found. If that happens, and Bobby Witt Jr. turns his last two months of 2023 into a full season of stardom, the Royals could be a lot more interesting this season. Dominoes: For all the praise the Royals have earned for their offseason splurge — and they deserve it — Kansas City remains a postseason long shot. They did, after all, lose 106 games last season. But if the Royals were to manage a surprise run to the AL Central title, the lead execs who tore down (like the White Sox) or took measured approaches to the offseason (Twins, Guardians, Tigers) will have a lot to answer for in their cities. — Doolittle

With the baseball season almost here, Royals blogs are coming back to life! It’s happening so much that they get their own section today.

Just a reminder: David Lesky and Inside the Crown goes paid-only in a couple of weeks (April 2). Today, he does his final roster projection :

Weather permitting, the season will begin exactly one week after today’s newsletter posts. You know what that means - it’s time for the final roster projection of the spring. It hasn’t changed a ton over the first few iterations, but I have hinted at a few things that I thought might shift over the next few days. A couple of them have. Today I’m going to look at the entire roster rather than break it up because it really isn’t that different from what I put out last week. With the stats, I’ll be using what they’ve done this spring because, hey, why not?

Craig Brown wrote about a lot more than this at Into the Fountains, but I loved his intro so you get it here:

The MLBPA is in revolt against their leadership. Shohei Ohtani is looking for a new interpreter after allegedly settling some gambling debts. And you may not have noticed as you’ve been distracted by all these exhibition games, but the regular season started halfway around the world. Welcome back, baseball!

Patrick Glancy and Powder Blue Nostalgia are back :

Second, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up the weekly schedule I maintained last year. A weekly article might not seem like much compared to some newsletters, but throw in the writing and research on top of a full-time job, three kids ranging from seventeen to seven, a wife who likes to have some attention every now and then, and other projects I’m working on, and I’m skeptical I can keep up that same kind of pace. I still enjoy talking baseball though, so I don’t want to give it up. I will try to write as much as possible, and who knows, maybe I’ll surprise us all. But I don’t want to promise anything I can’t deliver, so the publication schedule just might be a bit more sporadic. If this strongly disappoints you, please make your voice heard and tell me you want me to enable paid subscriptions. If enough people do that, well, I’ll gladly find more time to write. But since I’m not counting on that to happen, this is the way it’s going to be.

So are Hunter Samuels and Swinging Bunts:

The Kansas City Royals’ season begins next week, and since I haven’t written about their busy winter (Bobby Bob Bob contract! Lugo and Wacha! Adam Frazier, for some reason!), I certainly plan to write about them. My kids keep me busy, so I’m sure there will be more parenting essays to come. I’ve pondered some posts on the books, shows, and movies I’ve read and watched in the last several months. And maybe I’ll even dip my toes into some short stories.

Darin Watson’s march through 1984 continues with this sub-header: “ Ah, spring training, where you can win and lose on the same day. Also, you won’t believe who is rumored to be buying the Minnesota Twins .”

Blog Roundup:

Last week, we started our Asian baseball preview with the CPBL . This week, it’s the KBO. You can guess what next week will be. Also, it’s been nice the last couple of days, waking up to real baseball games that count.

KBO - Korea Baseball Organization

Country : South Korea

Opening Day: March 23 (Hey, that’s today! ...if you remember that the Eastern Hemisphere lives a day in the future)

International Players: Notable names include Guillermo Heredia , Mel Rojas Jr , Roenis Elias , Matt Davidson , and Félix Peña . Erick Fedde used to be on this list but he came back to MLB this season after being named KBO MVP last season . Full list from MyKBOStats

Former Royals: I have to be honest - I stretched the limits of “notable names” above because I spent 15 minutes Googling the entire KBO Foreign Players list above and came up empty on former Royals. I think the closest I can get is that former Jayhawk Wes Benjamin pitches for the KT Wiz.

Rooting Interest: When Max did the official RR guide for the KBO in 2020, polls aside, it was decide by the commentariat that being Hanwha Eagles fans was our lot in life. In the last 30 years, the team has only made the playoffs once. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Eagles finished last. In 2023, they improved! Second-to-last! Ninth place! We’re moving on up! As noted last year: “But, hey, they won the 2023 equivalent of the Cactus League crown. Flags fly forever! Is there any doubt who our team is in the KBO? I think not.”

Last Season: The LG Twins were easily the most dominant team in the league last year and defeated the KT Wiz for their first championship in 29 years! The KT Wiz defeated Fedde’s NC Dinos to advance to the Korea Series, as part of the KBO’s ladder playoff format. As noted in last season’s wrapup : “There are actually a number of droughts in the league. Our chosen Hanwha Eagles haven’t won since 1999. However, the longest goes to the Lotte Giants. Like the Twins, they are one of the original six teams in league history, and they haven’t won since 1992.”

Random Nuggets:

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m an America living in Korea since 2014. I’m a Hanwha Eagles season ticket holder and have been to every stadium. I know the league, culture, players, etc. extremely well. For the last two years I have been broadcasting the Hanwha Eagles away games on AfreecaTV and offering English commentary. As most of you know or will soon find out, that is not an option for the next 3 years as a company called TVing has bought the rights. The games are now behind a paywall and only available in Korea. There has been no information so far on the international rights, so there are no options for people outside of Korea to watch. This year I will be moving my broadcasts to YouTube. I will not be able to show the game anymore, so it will be a play-by-play radio style broadcast in English.

I didn’t know the March Madness theme was almost 3 minutes long, but I guess it is. Pump that music straight into my veins. Not much work was done yesterday and I expect similar output today. Anything not done by 11 is probably going to be a Monday problem.

Loading comments...

COMMENTS

American Royals Book Review
The drinking age is 18, and several 17-year-old te. Parents Need to Know. Parents need to know that American Royals is a romance that imagines what an American royal family would be like. Similar to author Katharine McGee's popular Thousandth Floor series, it's about a group of older teens in the highest, most glamorous levels of society.
American Royals (American Royals, #1) by Katharine McGee
Katharine McGee. 15 books5,901 followers. Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and The Thousandth Floor trilogy. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. She lives in her hometown of Houston, TX with her husband.
Book Review: "American Royals" by Katherine McGee
This is the story of the American royals. When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery.
AMERICAN ROYALS
Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry influencers in the know since 1933. ... AMERICAN ROYALS From the American Royals series , Vol. 1 by Katharine McGee ‧ RELEASE DATE ...
'American Royals' review: American royalty you'll want to root for
American Royals by Katherine McGee presents a new type first family, ... Book Reviews; New book releases 2021: September includes 'Cursed Carnival,' Marvel, more. by Karen Rought.
Book Review: American Royals Series
Featured Posts Reviews Book Review: American Royals Series. June 25, 2021 June 26, 2021 Ananya Mehta. Published in September 1, 2019 American Royals was a highly anticipated book as it hit the shelves, not only because of the already New York Times bestselling author, Katherine McGee - best known for her Thousandth Floor trilogy- but also ...
Guide to the American Royals Series of Books
American Royals Series: Book Reviews. The American Royals series is great if you love Young Adult fiction and/or light, romantic, escape reads, especially those dealing with royalty! They are a real treat for teens to adults of all ages, as they dive into something largely unexplored in fiction — the concept of American royalty.
Book Review & Annotations: American Royals by Katharine McGee
American Royals was a compelling and fun story that kept me constantly entertained. I marathoned this book on my 12-hour flight from Taipei to Los Angeles, and I became so invested in this story. I couldn't sleep or watch any movies until I finished the book, and WOW I was living for every moment. AMERICAN ROYALS by Katharine McGee.
American Royals Series by Katharine McGee
Book 3. Rivals. by Katharine McGee. 3.77 · 34,129 Ratings · 3,420 Reviews · published 2022 · 7 editions. Beatrice is queen, and for the American royal fami…. Want to Read.
Book Review: American Royals
A review of American Royals by Katharine McGee. Title: American Royals Author: Katherine McGee Genre: Romance, Young Adult What It's About: After the battle of Yorktown, George Washington is approached about becoming the King of the United States, and he accepts. Two hundred years later, and several generations of the Washington Royalty, Beatrice, the oldest daughter of the current King ...
Review: American Royals by Katherine McGee
American Royals focuses on a future where George Washington became the first king of the United States and in 2019, his descendants are still ruling. ... 2019 book review, book reviewer, american royals, katherine mcgee Comment. Facebook 0 Twitter LinkedIn 0 Reddit Tumblr Pinterest 0 0 Likes. Previous. Wedding Wednesday: Our Save the Dates! ...
Reign (American Royals, #4) by Katharine McGee
America's royal family is in shambles. Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Princess Samantha has gone missing—from the look of things, she ran away with her boyfriend, Lord Marshall Davis. Which means that Prince Jefferson is currently on the throne. For some in America, it's exactly what they wanted: a King ruling the country.
Book Review: American Royals by Katharine McGee
This is the story of the American royals. When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery.
Review- American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee
A book review of American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee, the third installment of the American Royals series following the Washington siblings as they navigate life in a fictional realm where American has a monarchy.
Katharine McGee
Katharine McGee's prose sparkles, capturing the glamour and pressures of an American monarchy." —Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series "Inventive, fresh, and deliciously romantic— American Royals is an absolute delight!" —Sarah J. Maas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the ...
Amazon.com: American Royals: 9781984830173: McGee, Katharine: Books
—The New York Times Book Review ... Katherine McGee's American Royals is an enjoyable book to read and certainly keeps you wanting to know more and is hard to put down. The book is based on the theoretical idea that America had established a monarchy instead of a democracy. The American royal family, the Washingtons, are the center focus of ...
Book Review of AMERICAN ROYALS
Teen romance, princess drama, and royal escapades abound in this enchanting YA novel following the lives of the reimagined American monarchy.
American Royals Series: Your Complete Guide to the Popular Royal Series
American Royalsby Katharine McGee. American Royals Book 1. 2019 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction. Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown. Two girls vying for the prince's heart. This is the story of the American royals. When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown.
Book Review: American Royals IV: Reign by Katharine McGee
McGee's writing is immersive and evocative, creating a richly detailed world that vividly portrays the opulence of royalty and the complexities of their lives. "Reign" is a triumphant conclusion to the American Royals series, bringing together the threads of the saga in a way that satisfies and surprises. The pacing is perfectly ...
Reign
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Reign (American Royals #4) by Katharine McGee Also by this author: American Royals (American Royals, #1), Majesty (American Royals, #2), American Royals III: Rivals Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on August 29, 2023
American Royals Series
If you can't get enough of Harry and Meghan and Will and Kate, you'll love this New York Times bestseller that imagines America's own royal family-and all the drama and heartbreak that entails. Crazy Rich Asians meets The Crown. Perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue and The Royal We. Power is intoxicating.
When It Comes to Memoirs, Divorce Is All the Rage
Elisabeth Egan is an editor at the Book Review and the author of "A Window Opens." March 7, 2024 This is the year of the dragon, the election — and the best-selling marriage memoir, if you ...
Kate Middleton Royal Announcement: Live Updates, Reactions
Kate Middleton announces cancer treatment: Live updates, reactions from royals, fans The Princess of Wales has revealed news about her health in a rare video announcement. Updated March 22, 2024 ...
Rivals (American Royals, #3) by Katharine McGee
Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of American Royals and The Thousandth Floor trilogy. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. ... EDIT 5/19/22: Wow, as of today this is the most popular review for this yet-to-be-released book and my most popular review to date. I ...
Book Reviews: 'An American Dream,' by David Finkel; 'A Dangerous
These questions are at the heart of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Finkel's AN AMERICAN DREAMER: Life in a Divided Country (Random House, 238 pp., $32). Agile and bracing, the book ...
Book Review: 'The Black Box,' by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
By way of explaining the metaphor that serves as the title of his latest book, "The Black Box," the Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. transcribes a conversation he had with his son-in-law ...
'America Last' and 'Illiberal America' look at authoritarian tendencies
Jacob Heilbrunn's 'America Last' highlights a periodic pining for strongmen; in 'Illiberal America,' Steven Hahn says it runs even deeper in our history
The American Society of Magical Negroes review: You don't want to join
The American Society of Magical Negroes review: You don't want to join this club The film is convinced Black people on screen and in real life are, by and large, contending with the same ...
'Palm Royale' Review: A Hilarious Comedy With A Stellar Cast
Based on Juliet McDaniel's novel, "Mr. & Mrs. American Pie," and adapted for television by Abe Sylvia, Apple TV+'s new 1960s-set comedy, "Palm Royale" follows bottle-blonde Palm Beach ...
Royals Rumblings
Royals fans can watch the practice, which will take place from 3-4:30 p.m. The event is free, but fans will need to get a ticket via the Royals' website. Here is the link .

Or browse by category:

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Common Sense Selections for Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

A Lot or a Little?

Educational Value

Positive Messages

Positive Role Models

Violence & Scariness

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Products & Purchases

Parents Need to Know

Where to Read

What's the Story?

Is It Any Good?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Suggest an Update

The Thousandth Floor, Book 1

Hamilton and Peggy: A Revolutionary Friendship

The Perfectionists

AMERICAN ROYALS

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

Please select an existing bookshelf

Please sign up to continue.

Almost there!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Book Review: American Royals Series

Ananya Mehta

Similar Posts

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Book Review

The Best Bits of the Brit Awards 2021

The States Americans are Moving To

Book Review & Annotations: American Royals by Katharine McGee

Have you read American Royals?

Share this:

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Adventures of a Bookworm

Share this:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

American Royals

Grab a copy

Buy new: $17.47 $17.47 FREE delivery: March 29 - April 2 Ships from: Book EN Thingz Sold by: Book EN Thingz

Other Sellers on Amazon

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

American Royals Hardcover – September 3, 2019

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may ship from close to you

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Videos for this product

American Royals

About the author

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

A Well-Read Tart

Book Review of AMERICAN ROYALS

Share this:

Related Posts