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kshwebster's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
I really expected to like this one, because it sounded like a fun romance. The problem was, we've already got the American Reign series and Red, White, and Royal Blue... and as a result, this one didn't feel like it was breaking any ground and it paled in comparison. In addition, so many of the characters seemed like actual members of the Britis royalty with such minor tweaks that there was no real character building done by the author for them. Imagining a royalty that never existed is fine, but in this case it didn't feel well fleshed out and the world building was full of plot holes that could have been better thought of. Overall, it was cute but it doesn't stand out and I think there are better options for this kind of story. Also, we know the book is set in Canada, we don't need the word maple every other page to remind us of this, that was a pet peeve that became more and more annoying as the book went on.
A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
tristinbooks's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
alongreader's review against another edition
3.0
It's time for another Mixed Review!
This book had potential, absolutely. There's room for a really good plot here. But sadly, it all hinges on the fact that, when the newly born Crown Prince was sent to NICU, the hospital managed to confuse him with another baby. Because there were no guards on the critically ill heir to the throne. He was just sent off with another woman, who had sadly lost her own baby, and the Queen was told her baby had died. This is a contemporary novel and the twins are turning 18; this happened in 2005, not in the seventies as you might expect.
The Canadian royal family is clearly based on the Harry and Meagan scandal; the King and Queen fled England because the press was mean to them about the Queen's commoner background, and because of the pressures of Royal life. Whereupon the Canadians decided "We're sick of being the Commonwealth with that Royal Family! We want our own Royal family who are literally one generation away from being that Royal family!" And the two agreed. Because who cares about the pressures of Royal Life anymore, right?
In general, I didn't like the king and queen much. They found out about Billy and immediately, in the same conversation, stripped Edward of everything down to his bedroom and handed it all over to Billy. Without so much as a word to Edward. The queen mentioned, once, that they were keeping a very close eye on Edward and making sure he was ok with everything, but at no point was that shown on the page; he just appeared to be forgotten about until he was needed again. They also just expected Billy to be cool with giving up everything he ever knew in service of a crown that he's never had any loyalty to. Because...Family, I guess?
There's some good stuff here, stuff about being who you are and not letting anyone stop you, but it's buried under all this nonsensical stuff. Even I, not from North America, can tell that there's a lot of fudging and making stuff up here (why spend most of this novel about the Canadian Royal Family in New York unless you don't really know anything about Canada?) which is a shame, because I think Eric could really go places. He has a good style, and a different story would have suited him better. I'll be looking out for his next book, which I think will be a stonker.
This book had potential, absolutely. There's room for a really good plot here. But sadly, it all hinges on the fact that, when the newly born Crown Prince was sent to NICU, the hospital managed to confuse him with another baby. Because there were no guards on the critically ill heir to the throne. He was just sent off with another woman, who had sadly lost her own baby, and the Queen was told her baby had died. This is a contemporary novel and the twins are turning 18; this happened in 2005, not in the seventies as you might expect.
The Canadian royal family is clearly based on the Harry and Meagan scandal; the King and Queen fled England because the press was mean to them about the Queen's commoner background, and because of the pressures of Royal life. Whereupon the Canadians decided "We're sick of being the Commonwealth with that Royal Family! We want our own Royal family who are literally one generation away from being that Royal family!" And the two agreed. Because who cares about the pressures of Royal Life anymore, right?
In general, I didn't like the king and queen much. They found out about Billy and immediately, in the same conversation, stripped Edward of everything down to his bedroom and handed it all over to Billy. Without so much as a word to Edward. The queen mentioned, once, that they were keeping a very close eye on Edward and making sure he was ok with everything, but at no point was that shown on the page; he just appeared to be forgotten about until he was needed again. They also just expected Billy to be cool with giving up everything he ever knew in service of a crown that he's never had any loyalty to. Because...Family, I guess?
There's some good stuff here, stuff about being who you are and not letting anyone stop you, but it's buried under all this nonsensical stuff. Even I, not from North America, can tell that there's a lot of fudging and making stuff up here (why spend most of this novel about the Canadian Royal Family in New York unless you don't really know anything about Canada?) which is a shame, because I think Eric could really go places. He has a good style, and a different story would have suited him better. I'll be looking out for his next book, which I think will be a stonker.
aracule's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
overall i'd say that this book was fun. despite being cliche at times and relying on miscommunication as a plot device (something i usually hold a deep hatred for) it was an enjoyable read!
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
For the most part I really enjoyed this queer YA rom com that reimagines a world where there's a Canadian monarchy and the crown prince Edward is in the closet only to discover a long lost older twin brother who is set to take the crown from him.
Clever, funny, with tons of Canadian puns that I adored. This is perfect for fans of the American Royals series or the movie Parent Trap. Good on audio too - my only criticism was that I felt it was longer than it needed to be and dragged in places.
Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm excited to read more from Eric Geron and can't believe he's not Canadian with how well he wrote about Canada and all our little quirks!!
Clever, funny, with tons of Canadian puns that I adored. This is perfect for fans of the American Royals series or the movie Parent Trap. Good on audio too - my only criticism was that I felt it was longer than it needed to be and dragged in places.
Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm excited to read more from Eric Geron and can't believe he's not Canadian with how well he wrote about Canada and all our little quirks!!
l_brina's review against another edition
3.0
This was actually a roller coaster of events. First a country boy (Billy) from Montana goes to New York for a Julliard audition, meets his "doppelganger" who turns out to be the prince of Canadians (Prince Edward), then figures out that that's his long lost twin and just happens to be a minute older. Turns out to be the heir of the monarchy and has to go through "prince school". Accidentally comes out to the public, keeps getting sabotaged by his twin and his friends but is clueless that it's his brother's fault and blames himself. Boyfriend broke up with him, kinda got pantsed at his investiture, gets trashed on and looses his place as crowned prince. He goes back to Montana and his twin brother feels the need to make his twin crown prince again. He flies to Montana makes a plan and it follows through. They put it in action, scavenging and found out that the pantsing was the doing of Gord (the royal family's helper) and it was because of homophobia. One of them was recording the convo and leaked it. Gord gets fired, Billy becomes official heir to the crown, and Edward comes out to his family. The End.
thatlizhunter's review against another edition
2.0
not sure why for a book about Canadian princes, we spent 80% of the book in NYC
this is a prince and a pauper mix-up, except it's actual twin princes who were accidentally separated at birth. Billy grew up in Montana, coming out, losing his dad and developing a love for music. He's comfortable with his sexuality, uneasy about his high-school relationship and torn between his duty to his family ranch and aching dreams to live somewehre else.
Edward grew up ready to ascend to the Maple Crown. He's charming, sure of his place in the world, and hiding a massive secret - he's gay. So when the world discovers his twin brother and his twin comes out as gay, he feels sidelined. Not to mention, he's no longer the heir apparent, because his twin is slightly older than him.
And there's the story for you. Was it far fetched and ridiculously cheesy? yes
did i read the whole book? yes
if you want to turn your brain off and eye-roll at a maple syrup reference every other page, then this is an okay read. Don't expect much reality when it comes to why in the world there's a Canadian monarchy or the ethics or real-life implications of monarchy. Keep in mind, it's very very YA - the romance, the hijinks, and the storytelling is for younger readers.
this is a prince and a pauper mix-up, except it's actual twin princes who were accidentally separated at birth. Billy grew up in Montana, coming out, losing his dad and developing a love for music. He's comfortable with his sexuality, uneasy about his high-school relationship and torn between his duty to his family ranch and aching dreams to live somewehre else.
Edward grew up ready to ascend to the Maple Crown. He's charming, sure of his place in the world, and hiding a massive secret - he's gay. So when the world discovers his twin brother and his twin comes out as gay, he feels sidelined. Not to mention, he's no longer the heir apparent, because his twin is slightly older than him.
And there's the story for you. Was it far fetched and ridiculously cheesy? yes
did i read the whole book? yes
if you want to turn your brain off and eye-roll at a maple syrup reference every other page, then this is an okay read. Don't expect much reality when it comes to why in the world there's a Canadian monarchy or the ethics or real-life implications of monarchy. Keep in mind, it's very very YA - the romance, the hijinks, and the storytelling is for younger readers.
vidya_is_vidya's review against another edition
i’m sorry why tf does a man who grew up in canada have a british accent??? it doesn’t make sense. it ruined the reading experience
that’s not the reason i dnf’ed though. it’s bc billy, even though he has a bf, keeps being all googly eyed at random guys like hello????
i wanted to ride this one out bc i kind liked edward’s pov and the queer indian rep but nooooo us queer indians never get anything good
that’s not the reason i dnf’ed though. it’s bc billy, even though he has a bf, keeps being all googly eyed at random guys like hello????
i wanted to ride this one out bc i kind liked edward’s pov and the queer indian rep but nooooo us queer indians never get anything good
emily_loves_2_read's review
4.0
A Tale of Two Princes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 1/10/23
Author: Eric Geron
Publisher: Inkyard Press
GR: 3.47
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Inkyard Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
My Thoughts: I loved the premise of this story. A hospital mix-up leads to two princes on opposite sides of the world and accidentally meet when both are in New York. Getting the prince ready for the ceremony turns out to be much more challenging than initially thought. This book covers an array of issues, character growth, and just an easy read. This story explores how royals could maintain the facade, homophobia, how intrusive the media can be, and how much family matters.
The overall tone is portrayed as light hearted. I loved the societal issues this book tackles. The story is narrated in a dual POV by both Billie and Edward. There are splashes of media excerpts, which I enjoyed. Billie from Montana is strong, family-oriented, and secure in his sexuality. Edward from Canada, is quite the opposite, not secure in his sexuality, starts with being selfish, but has a lot of character growth. My favorite supporting character has to be Pax, he is fun, lighthearted, doesn’t take life too seriously, and is the life of the party. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, and creatively built up. The author placed a note at the beginning of the book, which I appreciated. The author’s writing style was clean, humorous, engaging, and intriguing.
Overall, this was a light, fun read. While some of the premises in this book may seem far fetched, that is not what the story impresses, it more about not being put in a box and how perception image does not always match up, and lastly, it is about following your dreams, always. I recommend picking up this lovely story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 1/10/23
Author: Eric Geron
Publisher: Inkyard Press
GR: 3.47
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Inkyard Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
My Thoughts: I loved the premise of this story. A hospital mix-up leads to two princes on opposite sides of the world and accidentally meet when both are in New York. Getting the prince ready for the ceremony turns out to be much more challenging than initially thought. This book covers an array of issues, character growth, and just an easy read. This story explores how royals could maintain the facade, homophobia, how intrusive the media can be, and how much family matters.
The overall tone is portrayed as light hearted. I loved the societal issues this book tackles. The story is narrated in a dual POV by both Billie and Edward. There are splashes of media excerpts, which I enjoyed. Billie from Montana is strong, family-oriented, and secure in his sexuality. Edward from Canada, is quite the opposite, not secure in his sexuality, starts with being selfish, but has a lot of character growth. My favorite supporting character has to be Pax, he is fun, lighthearted, doesn’t take life too seriously, and is the life of the party. The characters were developed well with depth, witty banter, and creatively built up. The author placed a note at the beginning of the book, which I appreciated. The author’s writing style was clean, humorous, engaging, and intriguing.
Overall, this was a light, fun read. While some of the premises in this book may seem far fetched, that is not what the story impresses, it more about not being put in a box and how perception image does not always match up, and lastly, it is about following your dreams, always. I recommend picking up this lovely story.