American Royals (American Royals #1)

Author: Katharine McGee
Pages: 448
Overall: 4.5/5
Setting: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 5/5
Cheers Factor: 4/5
Pairing: French 75
This is a very regal drink in my opinion that then goes beyond just being champagne or prosecco so it felt fitting for our cast of royals, tangential royals, and friends.

Ingredients
-1oz gin (I used Breckenridge)
-½ oz lemon juice
-champagne/prosecco, really whatever your favorite sparkling wine is you can switch it up and do cava too for my Spanish friends (; 
-dash simple syrup
-lemon peel
-ice

Instructions
-Add ice, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker
-Shake generously
-Strain into champagne flute (you could do a coupé glass but for this mix of a cocktail I think a flute is best to keep as much of the bubbles present as possible)
-Top with sparkling wine of choice
-Garnish with lemon twist
-Enjoy responsibly

*fun fact: the glass pictured below recently shattered in my dishwasher so this is my memorial to it

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Take a Shot: What would happen if George Washington hadn’t been the President of the United States and instead the Washingtons became the royal family of the United States? Well this book explores that as the three siblings of the royal family are the modern American equivalent of royals. Told from four women’s perspectives it’s a great look into the lives of a royal and those who run in the sphere of the family itself.


Setting
It’s interesting to think about the White House being a palace, but it was definitely very interesting to see the way that the US could end up having royal estates. I loved all the parties that our characters were able to go to and all of the opulence that does exist for the rich and wealthy as well as political figures currently, but it was fun seeing it in a royalty context.


Characters
I love the way that we get the four different young women to follow in their stories. We get Sam who has a wild side, Nina who just wants to be herself, Beatrice who feels the pressure of the monarchy and Daphne who is manipulative until the end. Truthfully the range of all these lovely characters is the best part of them and it shows the depth of understanding McGee had for her characters.


Plot and Themes
I think the plot and themes are truly interesting and I love a good royalty novel, but I think it’s really neat to see it in an American context. I also felt that the story moved very well and wove all four of our main characters together quite well.


Conclusion
This book is really amazing and is great for fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It’s really well written and the story follows an entertaining format.
Reasons to Raise a Glass: STRONG. FEMALE. CHARACTERS., four perspectives, dystopian but not, fun concept
Too Strong: not enough communication between characters, not enough of the brother or other characters outside of our 4

​Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk!

“I understand if this is too fast for you. But I’ve always dreamed of walking you down the aisle. I would love to do that, before I die.”

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    I actually really loved this book despite my gripes. I do however, hate the fact that we don’t get any repercussions against Daphne. I like that she’s borderline the villain, but sometimes I felt myself literally hating her and praying that Jeff or Sam or B would figure out what the heck she was doing and just how nasty she could be. However, the second book should hopefully clear that all up. 
    I do love our love stories that we get from all the characters and love the way that they all get shaken up at the end of the book. I am curious to see what will happen to all of them seeing as Nina and Jeff have broken up, Daphne is trying to ensnare Jeff again, Beatrice can’t be with the secret service officer she loves and Sam has to watch her sister prepare to wed a man she has feelings for. Overall, it’s truly a heartbreaking moment for all of our characters because none of them is really happy and on top of it have to deal with the death of their father and or the monarch. 
    This feels particularly poignant given the recent death of Prince Phillip the husband of Queen Elizabeth and it shows how truly devastating a death of a royal can be for the family, friends and citizens of the country. I did love the way that the king's death was handled however, I really liked it. It was a really accurate depiction of’ how a death can happen to someone who is sick.​

“Who said anything about forgetting? The point of forgiveness is to recognize that someone has hurt you, and to still love them in spite of it."