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The Royal We

I am immensely behind. That's just a fact. I have read so many books over the past couple of months. As we all know, I have not reviewed them. But here's a review: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan!

SUMMARY

Rebecca Porter isn't the fancy twin. She isn't the girly twin or the popular twin or the 'pretty' twin. Her sister Lacey is the one who should have all this. The one who should have this seemingly glamorous life. The one who should be in all the magazines and the topics of everyone's conversations. Nonetheless, Rebecca, Bex, found her prince charming. No really, she fell in love with Prince Nicholas, future King of England, when she found herself living down the hall from Nick at Oxford. 

Dating Nick introduces Bex to a whole new world: one of lavish events, cocktail dresses, chasing Nick, his friends, and his charming brother Freddie around London, and learning to keep her legs together when getting out of cars to prevent unwanted paparazzi shots. But she and Nick's relationship is not a cup of tea. Along with all of the glamor and passion comes fights about the paparazzi, Nick's perfect and suitable ex-girlfriends popping up all the time, and jealous Lacey making trouble for Bex. In this whirlwind of pressure, Bex makes her big mistake. One that might cost her everything. 

REVIEW

So, everyone, this is William + Kate fanfiction. Am I okay with that? Yes, actually, I am! While this book is remarkably similar to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's story, both their story and this story end happily (spoiler, but is that really a spoiler? Let's be honest, all these books end the same.). The 'royals' genre is the 'happy endings' genre. The characters are relatively well developed and the story is rather, in most respects, interesting. My issue with this book is its length. The Royal We is 200 pages longer than it needs to be. 

This book starts off very well. It is a realistic account of an American college girl experiencing a new school and a completely different culture. The description of Bex's navigation through the dating sphere and balancing parties and school work is very well done. Bex and Nick's early relationship is immaculate. Sweet ad detailed, I love reading (or rather listening to) the first 200 pages. 

After Nick and Bex's early/middle relationship, the book diverges into what I like to call the "pure pain" section. PAIN. It physically hurts to watch Bex and Nick's relationship fall apart. The way their relationship unravels (the first time lol) is slow and unrealistic. It is just one thing after another after another after another, each event getting more outlandish than the next. The plot twist, in the end, is not that surprising. It is not as big of a thrill as I was hoping for. A thrill would have saved the 'pure pain' section and made it only a 'moderate pain' section. 

Overall, The Royal We is one of the better royal books I've read. This book checks the boxes for escapism, a sweet relationship, and a happy ending.


Age Range: 15+
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Tags: royals, romance, Oxford, traveling abroad, England, Brit Lit, British, Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan
Format: Audio (Libby app)

*TW: familial tension, insanity, alcohol use, kissing/sexual acts, grief, death of a parent (brief), homosexuality*

This book does have some sex in it; it is an adult book after all. So, that's your warning for sexual content. The intimate scenes do not overshadow the integrity of the story which I really appreciate. This is not the case with a lot of books like The Royal We. I am recommending this book for older girls for this reason; however, anyone who reads this blog knows that I have to be super careful about my age ranges.
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