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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Truly Madly Royally was a really cute YA romance!.
Zora struggles with her identity as she is one of the only Black students attending a prestigious summer program at a university. While in attendance, she experiences a romantic spark with a Owen, a prince.
I love that Zora stayed true to herself throughout the story and I loved her pride for her hometown. It was also adorable how much Owen wanted to truly get to know Zora. He made it a point to learn about her interests and visit her neighborhood.
I think this book would be perfect for someone who is middle school age or even early high school.
Zora struggles with her identity as she is one of the only Black students attending a prestigious summer program at a university. While in attendance, she experiences a romantic spark with a Owen, a prince.
I love that Zora stayed true to herself throughout the story and I loved her pride for her hometown. It was also adorable how much Owen wanted to truly get to know Zora. He made it a point to learn about her interests and visit her neighborhood.
I think this book would be perfect for someone who is middle school age or even early high school.
This was a cute book. I loved Zora, and I loved her connection of community and her family and herself and how that developed the story. I loved her realness and I appreciated the way she pointed out her developing self-doubt. I feel like I was pretty neutral on the general story line. I’m out of the demographic, really. It’s something I think I would have genuinely loved as a Freshman in high school, but I’ve matured too much to really love this book.
Also I did find several sections just boring. The pacing dragged when we jumped into the minutiae of Zora’s days. I also didn’t care about the end. It wasn’t terribly satisfying on a romance level. I kind of wanted an epilogue. I did like the end of Zora’s story and where she’s going from here, but the book felt weird and like it was introducing conflict that was never resolved all at the last second.
Also I did find several sections just boring. The pacing dragged when we jumped into the minutiae of Zora’s days. I also didn’t care about the end. It wasn’t terribly satisfying on a romance level. I kind of wanted an epilogue. I did like the end of Zora’s story and where she’s going from here, but the book felt weird and like it was introducing conflict that was never resolved all at the last second.
This rom-com is everything I needed and more.
Zora is not just a love-struck girl looking for someone to save her. She is a strong, confident black woman who aspires to be a leader in her community. She just so happens to find the one person who she instantly connects with is a Prince.
This book is full of fresh, witty, laugh out loud dialogue that I couldn’t get enough of. I also was LIVING for the mentions of natural hair throughout. I was swooning right alongside Zora and rooting for her from beginning to end. This is the perfect summer read and I know that lovers of Kasie West and To All The Boys will be flocking to this one in July!!
Zora is not just a love-struck girl looking for someone to save her. She is a strong, confident black woman who aspires to be a leader in her community. She just so happens to find the one person who she instantly connects with is a Prince.
This book is full of fresh, witty, laugh out loud dialogue that I couldn’t get enough of. I also was LIVING for the mentions of natural hair throughout. I was swooning right alongside Zora and rooting for her from beginning to end. This is the perfect summer read and I know that lovers of Kasie West and To All The Boys will be flocking to this one in July!!
Truly Madly Royally was a book that fell below my radar for so long, and it was actually in the back of another book by the same publisher when I first learnt of it. We have Zora who has overcome her less well off background to gain a scholarship to one of the most prestigious summer schools in the country. Being one of the only black students there, and one who commutes in daily, Zora feels like a fish out of water with all of the over privileged white students she's studying with. One day in the library, she meets a stranger who she has a connection with - they seem to understand what it's like to be a fish out of water, and appreciate her love for her community, and her wish to help the children too. When she realises that the handsome stranger is no more than Owen, the younger prince of a European kingdom, and he seems extremely interested in her. As they spend more time together, they realise they want to continue their relationship, and will do whatever it takes to deal with the press and the attention they receive.
I really wanted to love this book as it had everything going for it. There's a foreign prince, an independent girl, and class barriers and privilege to overcome - what more could you ask for? However, I was left wanting more when I finished the book. It was a good book, it really was, but the last few chapters were hurriedly done, and I was left with questions, and wanting more. Zora was a fantastic main character, and I loved her and all those around her, but I just wanted more. Her and Owen's relationship was cute, but missing something. That's pretty much the theme of this review - more. Nothing was wrong, but it was just missing, and I couldn't give the book higher than 3 starts.
I really wanted to love this book as it had everything going for it. There's a foreign prince, an independent girl, and class barriers and privilege to overcome - what more could you ask for? However, I was left wanting more when I finished the book. It was a good book, it really was, but the last few chapters were hurriedly done, and I was left with questions, and wanting more. Zora was a fantastic main character, and I loved her and all those around her, but I just wanted more. Her and Owen's relationship was cute, but missing something. That's pretty much the theme of this review - more. Nothing was wrong, but it was just missing, and I couldn't give the book higher than 3 starts.
This review and more can be found at The Heart of a Book Blogger.
Royal romances are MY JAM so I was so excited to receive a copy of and dive into Truly Madly Royally!
Zora is such strong, driven character and I loved how committed she was to bettering her community. She started an after-school program for the kids in her community who needed someone to walk them home. Zora wants to grow the program and fund it for years to come, so she’s enrolled in a summer program through a university and has also applied for an award with a grant. While on campus one day, Zora meets Owen in the library and accidentally switches phones with him…all without realizing that he’s a prince. From there, their relationship takes off in a whirlwind.
What stood out the most, was Zora’s strong narration. I loved all of her humor and how she takes no BS. Truly Madly Royally prides itself as being #OwnVoices, and I can confirm that it’s unapologetically Black. I loved this aspect and believe this will provide valuable representation for those looking to see themselves in a fun rom-com. I also really loved the role her family played in Zora’s life, which seems very true for a high schooler.
And let’s not forget to mention Owen, who’s cute and supportive! He’s very proper, but I liked his manners and how respectful he was of Zora. Anyone who was interested in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement and wedding will enjoy Owen and Zora’s relationship, especially when they travel to Owen’s home country for his older brother’s wedding.
Overall, if you’re a fan of royal romances, you’re going to want to pick up Truly Madly Royally. This adorable #OwnVoices novel is perfect for your end-of-summer reading lists!
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.*
Royal romances are MY JAM so I was so excited to receive a copy of and dive into Truly Madly Royally!
Zora is such strong, driven character and I loved how committed she was to bettering her community. She started an after-school program for the kids in her community who needed someone to walk them home. Zora wants to grow the program and fund it for years to come, so she’s enrolled in a summer program through a university and has also applied for an award with a grant. While on campus one day, Zora meets Owen in the library and accidentally switches phones with him…all without realizing that he’s a prince. From there, their relationship takes off in a whirlwind.
What stood out the most, was Zora’s strong narration. I loved all of her humor and how she takes no BS. Truly Madly Royally prides itself as being #OwnVoices, and I can confirm that it’s unapologetically Black. I loved this aspect and believe this will provide valuable representation for those looking to see themselves in a fun rom-com. I also really loved the role her family played in Zora’s life, which seems very true for a high schooler.
And let’s not forget to mention Owen, who’s cute and supportive! He’s very proper, but I liked his manners and how respectful he was of Zora. Anyone who was interested in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement and wedding will enjoy Owen and Zora’s relationship, especially when they travel to Owen’s home country for his older brother’s wedding.
Overall, if you’re a fan of royal romances, you’re going to want to pick up Truly Madly Royally. This adorable #OwnVoices novel is perfect for your end-of-summer reading lists!
*This ARC was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.*
5 stars just for mentioning trinidadian roti
lol but all jokes aside /flings kindle away in despair/ THAT WAS SO ADORABLE OMGGGGG WHEN AM I GOING TO HAVE MY OWN MEET-CUTE??????
ok now that i've gotten that out of the way this story really was just the perfect amount of light hearted cuteness that i seriously needed after a long spell of only reading fantasy books. like, my brain just needed to not have to read something too serious.
truly madly royally is about zora emerson, a black girl going to a summer programme in this really posh university and doing her best to learn all that she can so she can help out her community in her own way while not feeling too much like she just does not belong (she's the only one of her classmates who takes public transport to the classes so yeah, it's a bit tough). zora meets owen in the cutest way possible (in the library among the bookshelves as a sort of confessional) and after accidentally swapping phones the two get to know each other more. which would be all normal except owen is quite literally a prince so cue the drama of trying to avoid the media and speculation surrounding their relationship that they're only just trying to figure out themselves. all in all i loved how the drama had just enough antics without making it over the top and i really appreciated that there was no *gasp* miscommunication that caused our mcs to suddenly decide that maybe this wasn't meant to be. coming down to the end, zora gets invited to the royal wedding of owen's older brother (to a biracial woman no less!) as owen's guest and that was just great representation all around as well. (zora teared up a little just thinking about all the little black girls around the world who get to see themselves as princesses and not gonna lie maybe i did too). honestly, the wedding reminded me of the royal wedding between meghan and harry and wow this is too much cute to behold i'm squealing.
i also loved how unapologetically black zora was and how much she cared for her community. she was honestly so funny and relatable to me, down to worrying about the humidity and what it does to her curly hair (and i just wanna add here SIS, SAME!) and i think it would be great for any black girl to be able to read this and be able to see herself in a story because that's what it did for me. zora's perspective made me laugh out loud several times and her banter with owen was really just too sweet. i'm just going to end this by saying the setting was great, the characters were all loveable (to some degree) and it was just an amazing read.
lol but all jokes aside /flings kindle away in despair/ THAT WAS SO ADORABLE OMGGGGG WHEN AM I GOING TO HAVE MY OWN MEET-CUTE??????
ok now that i've gotten that out of the way this story really was just the perfect amount of light hearted cuteness that i seriously needed after a long spell of only reading fantasy books. like, my brain just needed to not have to read something too serious.
truly madly royally is about zora emerson, a black girl going to a summer programme in this really posh university and doing her best to learn all that she can so she can help out her community in her own way while not feeling too much like she just does not belong (she's the only one of her classmates who takes public transport to the classes so yeah, it's a bit tough). zora meets owen in the cutest way possible (in the library among the bookshelves as a sort of confessional) and after accidentally swapping phones the two get to know each other more. which would be all normal except owen is quite literally a prince so cue the drama of trying to avoid the media and speculation surrounding their relationship that they're only just trying to figure out themselves. all in all i loved how the drama had just enough antics without making it over the top and i really appreciated that there was no *gasp* miscommunication that caused our mcs to suddenly decide that maybe this wasn't meant to be. coming down to the end, zora gets invited to the royal wedding of owen's older brother (to a biracial woman no less!) as owen's guest and that was just great representation all around as well. (zora teared up a little just thinking about all the little black girls around the world who get to see themselves as princesses and not gonna lie maybe i did too). honestly, the wedding reminded me of the royal wedding between meghan and harry and wow this is too much cute to behold i'm squealing.
i also loved how unapologetically black zora was and how much she cared for her community. she was honestly so funny and relatable to me, down to worrying about the humidity and what it does to her curly hair (and i just wanna add here SIS, SAME!) and i think it would be great for any black girl to be able to read this and be able to see herself in a story because that's what it did for me. zora's perspective made me laugh out loud several times and her banter with owen was really just too sweet. i'm just going to end this by saying the setting was great, the characters were all loveable (to some degree) and it was just an amazing read.
*actual rating is 3.5 stars*
This is super adorable and very fluffy, and I could very much tell it was inspired by Meghan and Harry, which I was not disappointed by.
Overall, if you like Kasie West and want a quick, light read that also briefly covers the issues of classism and racism, and shows how to be an activist in your community, I would definitely recommend this.
This is super adorable and very fluffy, and I could very much tell it was inspired by Meghan and Harry, which I was not disappointed by.
Overall, if you like Kasie West and want a quick, light read that also briefly covers the issues of classism and racism, and shows how to be an activist in your community, I would definitely recommend this.
DNF pg 192
I think I just couldn’t get into the writing style. This book would be great for people who eat up Hallmark movies like eggs and bacon.
Truly Madly Royally is light-hearted, diverse, and cute with some lines that are eyeroll-worthy (cringy and corny). Zora’s in da house and her edges be looking tight? You don’t say? Listen, I like AAVE in stories, but the way it was integrated here felt cheesy. Anyway, it’s cool that Zora’s super-ambitious and involved with her community. She takes grant-writing and community outreach classes (which is actually what I’m planning to do in a semester or two). She’s also interested in African-American history, so a cool reference to the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights movement, and other notable events are mentioned here and there.
Concerning the romance, I think Zora fell for him awfully quick. I get the appeal of a prince, but, after the cellphone mix-up, she was already feeling him. But you know what? Crushes don’t always have a rhyme or reason. SN: Be prepared for a bunch of Prince Harry/ Duchess Megan references and allusions.
Something that isn’t outrightly stated that I enjoyed was that Zora overthinks a lot. She’ll be contemplating the potential rude stares from his aristocratic friends at their wedding when Owen and she are just talking casually. Girl, it’s not that serious UNTIL it gets that serious.
Zora definitely just liked him a lot because she laughs every 5 seconds, and, I promise you, Owen doesn’t say anything that funny.
Owen is bland as dirt. His whole character can be summed into polite, witty, and vaguely British love interest. (And, of course, Owen is soooo woke he reads Black Women in History.)
Overall, romance is present but not the sole focus. The side characters feel a bit underused, but this seems more plot-driven than character-driven. I don’t have a favorite character, but collectively I thought Zora’s family was interesting. I might read another story from this author later. For now, I recommend this to MG readers who want a modern, clean story with sprinkles of romance.
I think I just couldn’t get into the writing style. This book would be great for people who eat up Hallmark movies like eggs and bacon.
Truly Madly Royally is light-hearted, diverse, and cute with some lines that are eyeroll-worthy (cringy and corny). Zora’s in da house and her edges be looking tight? You don’t say? Listen, I like AAVE in stories, but the way it was integrated here felt cheesy. Anyway, it’s cool that Zora’s super-ambitious and involved with her community. She takes grant-writing and community outreach classes (which is actually what I’m planning to do in a semester or two). She’s also interested in African-American history, so a cool reference to the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights movement, and other notable events are mentioned here and there.
Concerning the romance, I think Zora fell for him awfully quick. I get the appeal of a prince, but, after the cellphone mix-up, she was already feeling him. But you know what? Crushes don’t always have a rhyme or reason. SN: Be prepared for a bunch of Prince Harry/ Duchess Megan references and allusions.
Something that isn’t outrightly stated that I enjoyed was that Zora overthinks a lot. She’ll be contemplating the potential rude stares from his aristocratic friends at their wedding when Owen and she are just talking casually. Girl, it’s not that serious UNTIL it gets that serious.
Zora definitely just liked him a lot because she laughs every 5 seconds, and, I promise you, Owen doesn’t say anything that funny.
Owen is bland as dirt. His whole character can be summed into polite, witty, and vaguely British love interest. (And, of course, Owen is soooo woke he reads Black Women in History.)
Overall, romance is present but not the sole focus. The side characters feel a bit underused, but this seems more plot-driven than character-driven. I don’t have a favorite character, but collectively I thought Zora’s family was interesting. I might read another story from this author later. For now, I recommend this to MG readers who want a modern, clean story with sprinkles of romance.