Two Minute Review: Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney

Sunday, July 2, 2017
Title: Romancing the Throne
Author: Nadine Jolie Courtney
Genre: contemporary
Series: N/A
Pages: 400
Published: May 30 2017
Source: publishers via edelweiss
Rating: 1.5/5


Scandal, secrets, and heartbreak abound in this juicy, modern girl-meets-prince story—perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Jennifer E. Smith.

For the first time ever, the Weston sisters are at the same boarding school. After an administration scandal at Libby’s all-girls school threatens her chances at a top university, she decides to join Charlotte at posh and picturesque Sussex Park. Social-climbing Charlotte considers it her sisterly duty to bring Libby into her circle: Britain’s young elites, glamorous teens who vacation in Hong Kong and the South of France and are just as comfortable at a polo match as they are at a party.

It’s a social circle that just so happens to include handsome seventeen-year-old Prince Edward, heir to Britain’s throne.

If there are any rules of sisterhood, “Don’t fall for the same guy” should be one of them. But sometimes chemistry—even love—grows where you least expect it. In the end, there may be a price to pay for romancing the throne...and more than one path to happily ever after.



To quote my parents, "I'm just not just mad, I'm also disappointed." Besides the pun-tastic name, Romancing the Throne had so much potential to be a royal fluffy fun read. It tries very hard to be the YA lovechild of Confessions of a Shopaholic and The Royal We but, sadly,  it lacks the fun, humor, and sheer charm of both. The plot is formulaic and sadly predictable - hinging on shallow characters and recycled genre tropes to propel any momentum for the story. Charlotte's story is obviously a fictionalized version of the life of Pippa Middleton and never suceeds in becoming its own narrative.

One of the other main issues I had with Romancing the Throne while reading is that the characters don't feel or read authentically. I am not talking about the inclusion of love triangles or teenage drama -- there is plenty of that but it's a) in the synopsis and b) a YA love story it's to be expected. When I say the characters aren't realistic I mean that both Charlotte and her sister Libby are English girls that act and talk like Californians. They call the Crown Prince "dude."  It.. just doesn't work. It continually threw me out of the story. There are moments of humor and an occasional strong bit of banter included, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me with Romancing the Throne.









 

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