Royals (Royals, #1)

by Rachel Hawkins

 


PRINCESS DIARIES MEETS MADE IN CHELSEA

Meet Daisy Winters.


She's an offbeat sixteen-year-old with mermaid-red hair
and a picture-perfect older sister who's just got engaged
to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Yup, a real-life
prince!


Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid
attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion
of the castle across the pond.


Hiding from the flashbulbs is made all the more fun by
a dashing boy called Miles who tries to teach Daisy the ropes of
being regal.


But as a scandal engulfs the Royal Family during the full-beam
of a royal wedding build-up, can Daisy rewrite the rule
book to suit herself?

• ISBN13: 9781407189093
• Publish Date: 3 May 2018 (first published 1 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 18 October 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Scholastic
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leigha]

Daisy ends up summering in Scotland when her big sister gets engaged to the heir to the Scottish throne.

I had read some less than stellar reviews of this book when it first published, but I decided to give it a try when I saw it available on my library’s Overdrive last month. It was a super cute and quick read about a commoner engaging with a royal family. Daisy was a plucky, sassy narrator. I loved her struggles to connect to her sister. I have an older sister, I can only imagine the trials our relationship would face in the same situation. Daisy’s parents were also a highlight – her dad actually reminded me of my dad (long gray hair included).

The romance is pretty low key. Honestly, I had to read the synopsis again halfway through the book just to remember who I was supposed to be rooting for romance-wise. I wish Miles had more interaction with Daisy prior to their fake dating. They seemed to go from enemies to lovers a little too quickly for my taste. However, their ending was absolutely perfect for them as a couple and as individuals.

tl;dr A fun, quick romance perfect for people having royalty wedding withdrawals.

[Laurie]

Review posted on https://lauriesbookshelf.comIk weet niet meer waar ik voor het eerst over Royals van Rachel Hawkins las, maar ik wist al meteen dat dit boek niet mijn ding zou zijn. Kortom: ik zou het niet lezen. Recensies van mede bloggers hebben me toch nieuwsgierig gemaakt en nu zit jij deze recensie te lezen van het boek dat ik nooit zou lezen. Volg je het nog? Ik las dus Royals van Rachel Hawkins. En ik vind daar wat van.





Het is koninklijk, realistisch en best meisjesachtig met een niet heel erg diepgaand plot. Dat wist ik allemaal voor ik aan dit boek begon, gelukkig maar. Wist ik dit niet, dan was ik waarschijnlijk diep teleurgesteld. Goed, koninklijk dus. Royals wordt ook wel de realistische versie van De Selectie genoemd en in zekere zin klopt dat wel. Hoewel ik De Selectie eigenlijk leuker vond. De rivaliteit en het drama dat daarbij kwam kijken is gewoon genieten. In Royals is er ook wel drama, maar ik had heftigere schandalen verwacht.

Het bleef allemaal een beetje op de vlakte. Je leert Daisy wel kennen en godzijdank is zij wel leuk. Niet mijn favoriete hoofdpersoon, maar wel leuk. Ik vond Ellie best stijf, maar daar heeft ze wel haar redenen voor. Voor haar is dit ook allemaal nieuw. Daisy wordt meegesleept in het reilen en zeilen rondom het Schotse hof en dat wil ze helemaal niet. Zeker niet de paparazzi en het rechtbreien van de schandalen.

Ik had het boek binnen een paar uurtjes uit, maar ik had echt meer verwacht. Het zou grappig moeten zijn, maar ik ging niet helemaal stuk zoals andere bloggers. Ik vond het prima zomer leesvoer, maar ook niet meer dan dat. Het is luchtig, dat zeker. Stoer? Ook wel. Daisy laat niet zomaar over zich heen lopen, dat moet ik haar nageven. Zelfs de onthullingen bliezen me niet omver, jammer.

Royals is dus prima leesvoer voor de zomer. Luchtig met een stoer randje. Echter deed het boek me niet zoveel. Het waren een paar prima leesuurtjes, maar mijn instinct had me al een beetje gewaarschuwd. Vermakelijk, maar niet helemaal mijn ding.This review was originally posted on Laurie's Bookshelf

[lauriesbookshelf]

Review posted on https://lauriesbookshelf.comIk weet niet meer waar ik voor het eerst over Royals van Rachel Hawkins las, maar ik wist al meteen dat dit boek niet mijn ding zou zijn. Kortom: ik zou het niet lezen. Recensies van mede bloggers hebben me toch nieuwsgierig gemaakt en nu zit jij deze recensie te lezen van het boek dat ik nooit zou lezen. Volg je het nog? Ik las dus Royals van Rachel Hawkins. En ik vind daar wat van.





Het is koninklijk, realistisch en best meisjesachtig met een niet heel erg diepgaand plot. Dat wist ik allemaal voor ik aan dit boek begon, gelukkig maar. Wist ik dit niet, dan was ik waarschijnlijk diep teleurgesteld. Goed, koninklijk dus. Royals wordt ook wel de realistische versie van De Selectie genoemd en in zekere zin klopt dat wel. Hoewel ik De Selectie eigenlijk leuker vond. De rivaliteit en het drama dat daarbij kwam kijken is gewoon genieten. In Royals is er ook wel drama, maar ik had heftigere schandalen verwacht.

Het bleef allemaal een beetje op de vlakte. Je leert Daisy wel kennen en godzijdank is zij wel leuk. Niet mijn favoriete hoofdpersoon, maar wel leuk. Ik vond Ellie best stijf, maar daar heeft ze wel haar redenen voor. Voor haar is dit ook allemaal nieuw. Daisy wordt meegesleept in het reilen en zeilen rondom het Schotse hof en dat wil ze helemaal niet. Zeker niet de paparazzi en het rechtbreien van de schandalen.

Ik had het boek binnen een paar uurtjes uit, maar ik had echt meer verwacht. Het zou grappig moeten zijn, maar ik ging niet helemaal stuk zoals andere bloggers. Ik vond het prima zomer leesvoer, maar ook niet meer dan dat. Het is luchtig, dat zeker. Stoer? Ook wel. Daisy laat niet zomaar over zich heen lopen, dat moet ik haar nageven. Zelfs de onthullingen bliezen me niet omver, jammer.

Royals is dus prima leesvoer voor de zomer. Luchtig met een stoer randje. Echter deed het boek me niet zoveel. Het waren een paar prima leesuurtjes, maar mijn instinct had me al een beetje gewaarschuwd. Vermakelijk, maar niet helemaal mijn ding.This review was originally posted on Laurie's Bookshelf

[liz089]

A very nice and fluffy romance. I adored it.
Yes it was extremely predictable, but thats to be expected with these kind of books.
Thats why I read it, for the happy feelings and funny remarks.
Great !

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I am not a royal watcher, but I am a fan of Rachel Hawkins' books. Her previous work has been mostly paranormal. Therefore, I was surprised when I learned she would be writing a contemporary romance. No need to worry! There may be no supernatural elements in this book, but it still was fairly magical for me.


Tell Me Five Things

If I were forced to tell you only five things about this book, they would be the following:

•Humor - This book was chockfull of Hawkins' signature humor and wit. I was constantly laughing or smiling, and it made me realize how much I missed reading books by her.

•Characters - What an awesome bunch of characters Hawkins assembled for us in the book! There was a wide array of personalities portrayed in this book, and I thought it was fabulous, that Hawkins included some satirical blue bloods as well. It just added to the royal fun.

•Setting - Once again, I travelled outside the US, and ended up in Scotland. Hawkins did a good job of taking us inside and outside the castle, allowing us to attend a ball, a horse race, and a polo match, among other things. She even wove little bits of history in there for added enjoyment.

•Format - There were these blog posts, interviews, and articles dispersed throughout the book, which were often quite hilarious. The blog posts were probably my favorite, because they were so over the top.

•Romance - The romance! There were several romances embedded in this story, and each was quite sweet and endearing in its own way, but Daisy's romance was my favorite (of course).

Royals had a fun premise, some great low-grade drama, and laughs galore. I really hope there will be more books, because I love Hawkins' look inside the Royal world.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Cocktails and Books]

I had high hopes for this one, but the craziness of this royal family was too much. I didn't find much that I like about Daisy and found it a bit bothersome that as she accused her sister of making everything about her, Daisy was doing the same thing.

Then there was the "romance" with Miles. Neither he or Daisy made it easy on each other, so it didn't feel genuine that suddenly at the end the romance would pop up.

[bookishzelda]

I adored Royals!! I’m not the biggest contemporary reader so for a contemporary book to be in the love category for me. It has to have that something special. I loved the uniqueness of the story and the wonderfully beautiful setting. Also that fairytale-esque story to it, that had some Pride and Prejudice vibes.

I like that this a story about sisters. Ellie is the sister who is prim and proper and born to be a queen. That is how Daisy sees her, where Daisy loves to stand out. Not in the, I want to be in the tabloids way, but in the way that she isn’t afraid to be who she is. When her life is uprooted and she is whisked away to Scotland in order to keep her from causing anymore “scandal” she has to struggle to fit into her sisters new world. Although it seems like the sisters, can be sisters, and often fight. I think they both start to see what the other has to go through. As far as one being in the public eye by choice and one being in it as a side effect. It was great to see it develop.

I think I always love stories that take place in other countries. Maybe that’s what the fantasy reader in me that looks for that in a contemporary. I love the descriptions of Scotland from the beautiful landscapes to the castles. Who doesn’t want to go to a castle.

I liked the tie in with the tabloids, the Royal Wreckers and the overall drama involved in that. Which is the cause of most of Daisy’s grief. She is someone who isn’t necessarily prepared for that kind of exposure.

The romance is so sweet. I kept thinking of Miles as having a little bit of Darcy in him. He is part of the Royal Wreckers but he is not annoying as some of them. None of them are really that horrible, really. Well maybe Seb is a little frustrating. Miles is a lot more low key and observant. Plus he is kind when he wants to be.

I really loved Royals and it’s such a fun story. I really recommend it and I’m so glad to have read it.

[readingwithwrin]

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Usually, I don't like contemporary books, but for some reason, I love books like this. They are truly my guilty pleasure and I always need more of them in my life. Daisy winters sister is marrying a Scottish prince, thus the whole family is being thrown into royal chaos in preparation for the big day. For Daisy, this means spending her summer in Scotland following her sister around and trying to stay out of the way. Sounds easy, except Daisy tends to not do things the way her sisters wants, add in paparazzi, eligible young men, and an already not so great start to being in the tabloids, she has a very long summer ahead of her. 

Overall I really liked/enjoyed this book. I've loved Hawkins Sexy History (isn't that what she calls it?) that she does on twitter, on Tuesdays and as soon as I found out she was writing a ya book dealing with royalty I knew I had to read it. 
We've had several books out recently that deal with a sibling marrying into royalty (Prince In Disguise), while these both had some similarities I loved both of them and they both managed to deal with what was happening in different ways. I liked Royals a little bit more, because of the love/hate relationship in this was more enjoyable to read. Daisy and Miles are forced together after some things happen with Daisy that need to be changed. The things are is that Miles things Daisy is at fault and is just in this whole thing for the fame and not for the right reasons. While this opinion does change as they get to know each other, the snarky banter continues throughout the whole book. Which for me made it far more enjoyable and really made the friendship feel more real. What can I say I love snarky friendships. 
I really loved the sister relationship in this one and how it wasn't just all about the sister for a change, instead it was more of what Daisy was doing during her time in Scotland and how she was dealing with things. I also loved how the whole family was involved and even though things were complicated at times, they were always truly there for each other and kept up the inside jokes, etc. that made them who they are.
I found this book extremely enjoyable and I can't wait to go back and read Hawkins previous work!