The Royal We Kindle Edition

Thank you for a great book that showed maybe not everything is greener on the other side. The characters are very relatable and seem like you have known them all your life. The ups and the downs and who did what now? Can't wait for the next book.

I was never one of those people who were obsessed with Will and Kate’s wedding. Sure, they were cute, but I felt weird looking at paparazzi photos of them together, like I was invading their privacy. Luckily, The Royal We is about a fictional royal-commoner couple, so I could safely read about the joy and angst of Bex and Nick without feeling like a stalker.Although Bex and Nick clearly share some similarities with Kate and Will, they pretty much end with Bex being a commoner and Nick a prince. Rebecca, or Bex, is a tomboy American who meets Nick while they’re both attending Oxford. Nick’s mom, Emma, is actually [SPOILER] mentally ill, not dead. And because we know basically nothing about the inner workings of Will and Kate’s relationship, Bex and Nick’s love story seems wholly unique, at least to me. For one thing, Bex cracks a joke about the royal family having syphilis before she realized who Nick was. Awkward but totally adorable!Since I recently visited Oxford, I was delighted to notice plenty of nods to the campus, from The King’s Arms pub (which has delicious cider), to The Eagle and the Child, a favorite haunt of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The authors clearly did their research, which made the book all the more entertaining because I could really picture the characters interacting in the Bodleian library and Christ Church cathedral.The book was written like a diary, as if all the events had already happened and Bex was just telling the story in retrospect. At first, I found that strange, but eventually I warmed up to the sometimes wry comments she made about her past actions, often referencing a completely exaggerated biography called The Bexicon: “We then performed a triumphant chest bump that ended with me belching involuntarily as we yelped in pain. The Bexicon nailed it again: There was no more delicate paragon of womanhood at Oxford that year than I.”The only thing that bothered me about The Royal We, which was otherwise a fun, hilarious story about two people who keep messing up and getting caught by paparazzi, is how long it was. Usually, I’m all for a few extra hundred pages, but for some reason The Royal We seemed to drag on longer than felt strictly necessary. I kept waiting for the curtain to close and the happily ever after to begin, but poor Bex and Nick kept encountering hurdle after angsty hurdle. I love drama, but even for me it was a bit much.The supporting cast of the novel kept the tone light and entertaining, even when the central romance was on the rocks. Bex and Nick’s Oxford pals are a diverse and wise-cracking group of misfits. From Nick’s brother Freddie (aka “The Ginger Gigolo,” a mischievous playboy) to the prickly highborn Bea (also known as “Lady Bollocks” for her sour attitude), the novel is full of friends–and sometimes foes–with endearing antics and quotable moments. “‘I doubt it ever crossed Prince Dick’s mind to get his bothersome sons a tree fort . . . My future sprog shall definitely have one. Lucky old Galahad, Murgatroyd, and Bob.'”The Royal We was a crazy, sometimes tearjerking look into life as a royal, or royal-to-be. The paparazzi are dicks, friends can become leeches, and princes can be really, really adorable. I enjoyed laughing and sighing over Bex’s romance, and it gave me pleasant The Princess Diaries flashbacks.Check out this review and others on my book blog here: https://ellectricbookreviews.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/review-of-heather-cocks-jessica-morgans-the-royal-we/

The Royal We is a fun read following American Rebecca (Bex) Porter as she spends a year abroad at Oxford and meets Nick Lyons, the Prince of Wales. When she arrives at Oxford, Bex is your average American girl looking for a fun year in London. She's left behind her close family, including her twin sister, in Iowa, but quickly makes new friends in her intimate dorm. At first, her and Nick simply start a friendship over cheesy TV and a casual understanding of feeling a little on the "outside." Their friendship eventually blossoms into something more as they spend more and more time together.Though Bex and Nick stay together, and Bex even moves back to London to continue their relationship, Bex remains a secret from the Crown and from England. Years pass this way and eventually the media catches wind of their relationship. Bex is crucified by cruel reporters and people around the world hiding behind their computers. Typically independent and unabashedly herself, Bex is beginning to see how much she's already given up for Nick, and how much more of herself she'll have to reshape and redefine if she's to stay with him.Will the drama prove to be too much for Bex and Nick? Can a future King even have a real relationship with a commoner from an entirely different country? As these questions are explored, we grow up with Bex and Nick and their friends, and watch them mature, grow in and out of romantic relationships, and become their own individuals.The character development is central to the story and each character is perfectly flawed and human. By the end of this first book, I felt as though the characters were friends, and the detail in which they were brought to life added a real layer of depth to the book. Though the novel felt a little longer than it needed to be, I can't actually think of any part of the story that could (or should) be cut!I definitely recommend this one and I'm very much looking forward to the second in the series!

I received the mass paperback copy as a gift - it’s a chunk of over 600 pages. It intimidated me and I knew I could read other books within the same time. So I got the audiobook from the library- but it was still a chunk at almost 18 hours 😳👑I am a sucker for royal plots! From romcoms to even real life interest with Grace Kelly, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton. While this book slid parallels Kate and William’s beginnings even to go as far as a redhead younger brother- I really hope Kate and William’s life hasn’t been as dramatic as Bex and Nick.👑They meet at college and become friends. They have a group of friends they hang out with that stay with them through the years. Bex had a twin sister that is hunger for the limelight.👑With my love of Royal plots and even just grocery shopping and seeing all the tabloids- it’s easy to say that the Royal family is watched meticulously. Bex feels that pressure and I always felt empathic towards the royal family and the drama that follows them.👑It kind of ends on a cliffhanger so I will need to read/listen the next book. It was a little long, some parts could’ve been cut I think but I still enjoyed it.👑Content: some language, closed door, excessive drinking

The Royal We is a love story loosely based on that of Kate and William, which is one of the reasons I’d so far avoided reading it. It wasn’t until I read the review(s) on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books – and saw it was on sale on Amazon for 99pm – that I thought I’d give it a chance.I’ll say now that I’m very, very glad I did.It’s not my usual type of book, though the writing style did sometimes remind me of Penny Reid, whose books I love, but I was very quickly swept away by it all – not by romance but by the realism. The characters, I could actually believe were real people. The scenarios described, I could completely imagine happening behind closed doors at Oxford or a similar university.There’s a thin line between fact and fiction that the book was careful to tread, though once or twice it got a little close to the knuckle for me. The ending was left open but hopeful, which I liked, and the relationships between all of the characters and not just Bex and Nick were given a proper chance to develop and change over the years the novel covered, which I loved. As much as I adore the romance aspect of a book I’m reading, the friendships and family relationships are always a big draw for me.It’s a long read but one I did over two days and thoroughly enjoyed, so I’d definitely recommend it.

Have given up on this novel, one of the reviews said hysterically funny, well I haven't found anything to raise a slight smile let alone a laugh. It seems to be all about boozing with a claustrophic group of friends. Kate Johnson wrote a better version of a rags to royalty romance with 'Not your Cinderella'

I'm an English person and found nothing wrong with the writing of this book, unlike some people who have written to complain about it- don't really know what they are on about! Yes the royal family doesn't truly oraccurately represent the English royal family- because oh yes that's it the book is fiction and therefore doesn't need to be accurate! It's a story!I actually really enjoyed the storyline , however it wasn't quite the perfect romance I thought it would be after I read some of the reviews- it was a very bumpy and rocky relationship Bex and Nick had. I also felt that the book ended very quickly and I would have like to have seen the final issues be resolved especially as there is not a sequel.Overall a good read but left me feeling a little unsatisfied with the ending, i would love for the story to continue and I felt like it gave a little insight into what life might be like for a member of the royal family (and made me very glad I wasn't one of them!)

I like the idea, I mean who doesn't like a good romance - even a totally unrealistic one. But this was all descriptive meaning there was no actual story or character building in the entire 450 pages. The small amount of conversational writing between Bex and Nick was good but it was so infrequent , too descriptive it never allowed the love story to build and you couldn't get invested in the couple. I mean the books spans 8 years and nothing actually happens to build the relationship. Which is a shame, as the premise was good and perfect for a weekend 'escape' read. Good job it was only £1.89 - although I still feel a bit done. Won't be reading anymore by these authors.

This was very entertaining holiday reading - light as air and not to be taken seriously! It's an American view of life in the UK (or, well, two Americans' view!) and you have to allow for that. Some of the dialogue is way, way off the mark and some of the ideas about life in London are a bit strange but I thought it was really charming and fun and I loved the main characters. It reminds me of early Jilly Cooper, which I consider to be high praise… I would definitely read a sequel if there is one!