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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
This was cute, but I would recommend it for younger teens. It moved quickly and the writing style was more matter-of-fact. While it dealt with some bigger ideas, it did it in a more surface level way. The real star of this is Zora. The royal aspect of this was a more generic and light, but I don't know if that was always a bad thing. I didn't really always feel the chemistry with Owen. He felt pretty generic. But it also kind of showed how we obsess with the idea of royalty when we should be focusing more on girls like Zora ready to change the world. Still, I think there are plenty of people that will respond to the royalty aspect.
DNF @ 15 pages
I wasn't really sure why the first chapter really didn't work for me until I read a review that said this book seems aimed at a younger YA audience - I think that was totally my problem. There was a lot of exclamation marks and internal monologue that just seemed silly. This isn't bad at all, but it didn't work for me. I also wonder why it seemed so young considering that the protagonist is a high school senior or so, and she's attending a college program. European royal families could use a lot more color and diversity in general, and YA needs more books that reference HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), so this could be a great recommendation, but it simply doesn't work for me.
I wasn't really sure why the first chapter really didn't work for me until I read a review that said this book seems aimed at a younger YA audience - I think that was totally my problem. There was a lot of exclamation marks and internal monologue that just seemed silly. This isn't bad at all, but it didn't work for me. I also wonder why it seemed so young considering that the protagonist is a high school senior or so, and she's attending a college program. European royal families could use a lot more color and diversity in general, and YA needs more books that reference HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), so this could be a great recommendation, but it simply doesn't work for me.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was very sweet. I liked Zora’s community involvement and the mild romance with Owen, but I never felt as though I got past the surface with him. Owen’s character felt really underdeveloped to me, but I did like reading about Zora’s relationships with her family and with her BFF.
Truly Madly Royally was like a mash-up of The Princess Diaries, The Prince and me and of course, the story of Harry and Meghan. I loved our protagonist Zora, who was smart, driven, kind and compassionate. Zora falls for our prince charming Owen while she was studying at a prestigious college and the rest is, as they say, history. The romance was way too fast and unbelievable for me. The problem I had was with Owen; he was such an unrelatable character that every scene of him with Zora made me cringe.
Overall, this was a light rom-com which can be enjoyed during the summer or whenever you're looking for a quick read.
Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Blog Review & Giveaway: https://bookramblerblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/05/review-giveaway-truly-madly-royally-written-by-debbie-rigaud/
Overall, this was a light rom-com which can be enjoyed during the summer or whenever you're looking for a quick read.
Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Blog Review & Giveaway: https://bookramblerblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/05/review-giveaway-truly-madly-royally-written-by-debbie-rigaud/
Truly Madly Royally is a 3.5 star read for me. I really enjoyed Zora as a character. The Walk Me Home program that she started was amazing and I loved that it was included in the story. I also liked that the story touched on topics such as social issues and race.
This is one that very much felt comparable to a Kasie West story in my opinion, but with this author's book, I've come to have a little trouble remembering parts of the story. Events happened so quickly and right after another that I sometimes felt like I was going to be left behind if I tried to think about the previous thing that just happened.
This is a super fast read and one that is definitely great if you're just looking for a quick contemporary. I think this would be a great one for a vacation or a pool read. Enjoyable, but not one you have to overly think about too much.
This is one that very much felt comparable to a Kasie West story in my opinion, but with this author's book, I've come to have a little trouble remembering parts of the story. Events happened so quickly and right after another that I sometimes felt like I was going to be left behind if I tried to think about the previous thing that just happened.
This is a super fast read and one that is definitely great if you're just looking for a quick contemporary. I think this would be a great one for a vacation or a pool read. Enjoyable, but not one you have to overly think about too much.
3.5 Stars
https://laurenbodiford123.wordpress.com/2019/12/28/truly-madly-royally-review/
https://laurenbodiford123.wordpress.com/2019/12/28/truly-madly-royally-review/
Cute! I definitely will check out other books by this author. (I also just found out she’s Haitian like me so I’m doubly motivated to see what else she’s written).
This review can also be found on the blog.
Review from July 2019
****
Truly Madly Royally is the PERFECT summer read of the year. It’s an adorable and cute book about Zora and Owen. A normal black girl from New Jersey and a white royal prince from Landerel. I loved the fact that Truly Madly Royally was a fresh story about an interracial couple. Reading about interracial couples is rare especially in romance books. It was definitely refreshing. There should definitely be more of these so I'd like to read about your recommendations in the comments!
I have to say that Truly Madly Royally reminded me a lot of Meghan and Harry's love story. Probably because they are constantly on the news right now. This book did not only remind me of Meghan and Harry but also of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot which I loved to read ten years back. They were my favourite series of all time for a very long time. And even today these books have a special place in my heart. Truly Madly Royally is exactly the same. I loved every single moment of it and I’m pretty certain that it’s going to have a very special place in my heart as well!
Rigaud has a great writing style which unfortunately makes you thirsty for more. I couldn’t even put the book down for a minute! And now I want a sequel even though I think that the ending was perfect as it was. But I’m selfish and I want more!
Truly Madly Royally is a fast-paced novel which makes it easy and quick to read.
Like I mentioned early it is a fluffy and perfect read for hot weather like the one we had now.
Review from July 2019
****
Truly Madly Royally is the PERFECT summer read of the year. It’s an adorable and cute book about Zora and Owen. A normal black girl from New Jersey and a white royal prince from Landerel. I loved the fact that Truly Madly Royally was a fresh story about an interracial couple. Reading about interracial couples is rare especially in romance books. It was definitely refreshing. There should definitely be more of these so I'd like to read about your recommendations in the comments!
I have to say that Truly Madly Royally reminded me a lot of Meghan and Harry's love story. Probably because they are constantly on the news right now. This book did not only remind me of Meghan and Harry but also of the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot which I loved to read ten years back. They were my favourite series of all time for a very long time. And even today these books have a special place in my heart. Truly Madly Royally is exactly the same. I loved every single moment of it and I’m pretty certain that it’s going to have a very special place in my heart as well!
Rigaud has a great writing style which unfortunately makes you thirsty for more. I couldn’t even put the book down for a minute! And now I want a sequel even though I think that the ending was perfect as it was. But I’m selfish and I want more!
Truly Madly Royally is a fast-paced novel which makes it easy and quick to read.
Like I mentioned early it is a fluffy and perfect read for hot weather like the one we had now.
