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A review by xoxobookishgirl
Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
⭐⭐⭐
Rep: Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Sapphic Romance
💗Sapphic YA Romance
🏫Boarding School Setting
👑Crown Princess x Scholarship Student
👫Focus on complicated friendships
"Being in a relationship that doesn't work out is life. Getting into a relationship you know won't work is masochism"
"You don't look fine, " says Eleanor, "You look pale."
"I am pale"
"And how long has Rose been queer?"
"Since birth I would imagine"
"Your life is bigger than Danni, and hers is bigger than you."
What I Liked
1) I really loved Rose's character development as she definitely is a character that grows on you. I love the trop of the love interest being really guarded but then letting the MC in.
2) The romance in here was swoon-worthy and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this. The banter between the characters was to my taste and I loved seeing the moments between them when they were truly emotionally vulnerable. However, I do think that the author was trying to make us believe in forever too soon. This is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals (you'll see what I mean further in my review) but obviously in one standalone book, the romance isn't as developed. So, in Young Royals I am rooting for them to give up everything for each other but in this book it's just way more unbelievable as we haven't had enough time of seeing them happy as the conflict was so quickly introduced.
3) The way this author handled trauma and the use of drugs and alcohol underage was really responsible and I think a lot of teens could feel themselves represented in these characters.
4) I loved how the female friendships in here were complicated and didn't feel surface level. I love when romance books explore friendship as well.
5) There was a scene where a character is kissed without consent pretty forcibly and I liked how the author took that very seriously and didn't just laugh it off as a drunken moment like a lot of other author's would.
What I Disliked
Ok, so usually this is where I give out a list of what I disliked. However, I only have one problem with this books but its a major one: this is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals. I knew this going into the book but I thought it would be a new spin on the story but a lot of the plot beats felt very much the same. The author's note does say this book was written before Young Royals was even a thing but it didn't get picked up because publishers believed there was no market for it. I've said this for years, but if Young Royals had been sapphic, it wouldn't have got more than one season. Therefore, I'm glad that Young Royals' success has created a space for more diverse takes on these tropes to be published but I think the author should have done a full rewrite, not just a few changes, after the show came out because there is just too much similarity. While I was reading, I couldn't help but compare between the two and to me Young Royals is a masterpiece (like its my favourite TV show ever) so it was just unfair to this book as I think if I read this before watching the show, this totally would have been 5 stars.
The Big Moments I Think are Similar Beyond the Tropes I Expected
1) One of the MCs (Danni) plays the piano and it is a big part of the story.
2)They break up in the middle of the story because they decide things are just too hard
3) Danni performs a song composed specifically for Rose in front of the entire school
4)The big betrayal at the end is someone who is close to Rose (the royal one) who appears nice on the surface but is secretly plotting behind her back - is this not just August's arc?
5)The story ends with Rose deciding to open up about the secret relationship in front of the paparazzi spontaneously (basically the same as Wilhelm does at the end of season 2). This made the end of the book really boring as I realised it was going to follow such a similar end.
6) Rose is recovering from a scandal at the beginning, just like Wilhelm goes through a scandal (much less than Rose's though) at the beginning of the show.
Summary
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't watched Young Royals or is looking for a story that feels very much the same. I just don't think this book did anything new to become a new favourite.
Thank you to Netgalley, Hatchette Children's Group and Sophie Gonzales for this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Rep: Bisexual MC, Lesbian MC, Sapphic Romance
💗Sapphic YA Romance
🏫Boarding School Setting
👑Crown Princess x Scholarship Student
👫Focus on complicated friendships
"Being in a relationship that doesn't work out is life. Getting into a relationship you know won't work is masochism"
"You don't look fine, " says Eleanor, "You look pale."
"I am pale"
"And how long has Rose been queer?"
"Since birth I would imagine"
"Your life is bigger than Danni, and hers is bigger than you."
What I Liked
1) I really loved Rose's character development as she definitely is a character that grows on you. I love the trop of the love interest being really guarded but then letting the MC in.
2) The romance in here was swoon-worthy and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this. The banter between the characters was to my taste and I loved seeing the moments between them when they were truly emotionally vulnerable. However, I do think that the author was trying to make us believe in forever too soon. This is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals (you'll see what I mean further in my review) but obviously in one standalone book, the romance isn't as developed. So, in Young Royals I am rooting for them to give up everything for each other but in this book it's just way more unbelievable as we haven't had enough time of seeing them happy as the conflict was so quickly introduced.
3) The way this author handled trauma and the use of drugs and alcohol underage was really responsible and I think a lot of teens could feel themselves represented in these characters.
4) I loved how the female friendships in here were complicated and didn't feel surface level. I love when romance books explore friendship as well.
5) There was a scene where a character is kissed without consent pretty forcibly and I liked how the author took that very seriously and didn't just laugh it off as a drunken moment like a lot of other author's would.
What I Disliked
Ok, so usually this is where I give out a list of what I disliked. However, I only have one problem with this books but its a major one: this is basically the sapphic version of Young Royals. I knew this going into the book but I thought it would be a new spin on the story but a lot of the plot beats felt very much the same. The author's note does say this book was written before Young Royals was even a thing but it didn't get picked up because publishers believed there was no market for it. I've said this for years, but if Young Royals had been sapphic, it wouldn't have got more than one season. Therefore, I'm glad that Young Royals' success has created a space for more diverse takes on these tropes to be published but I think the author should have done a full rewrite, not just a few changes, after the show came out because there is just too much similarity. While I was reading, I couldn't help but compare between the two and to me Young Royals is a masterpiece (like its my favourite TV show ever) so it was just unfair to this book as I think if I read this before watching the show, this totally would have been 5 stars.
The Big Moments I Think are Similar Beyond the Tropes I Expected
1) One of the MCs (Danni) plays the piano and it is a big part of the story.
2)
3) Danni performs a song composed specifically for Rose in front of the entire school
4)
5)
6) Rose is recovering from a scandal at the beginning, just like Wilhelm goes through a scandal (much less than Rose's though) at the beginning of the show.
Summary
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't watched Young Royals or is looking for a story that feels very much the same. I just don't think this book did anything new to become a new favourite.
Thank you to Netgalley, Hatchette Children's Group and Sophie Gonzales for this eARC in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage