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amberinpieces's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, and Cursing
Minor: Classism, Cancer, Death, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Hate crime, Medical content, and Homophobia
britgirlreading's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia
Minor: Cancer
thebookpaiges's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol and Colonisation
middumullu's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
this was not a good book. the plot points were contrived and all over the place, the dialogue was super contrived and most of the characters bothered me. bright side: i started to enjoy annotating the books i read :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Cancer
Minor: Infidelity
caitlinjadams's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The dialogue is specific and sharp and great. The plot would be fine if it felt earned, but again and again something comes out of nowhere and you learn about a monkey wrench that’s never been hinted at right when conflict is needed. It gets old.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual content
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is one raging dumpster fire after another and I can't quite figure out exactly how I feel about it. It seems so unnecessarily dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. I thought it was going to be like RWRB, but it's way messier. Which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it might be.
Carter is one messy human—which makes sense after being cheated on for years and being made to feel inadequate. Edgar is a closed-off royal who doesn't trust easily and has to watch his every step because he's in the public eye. He falls for Carter the first time they met and the rest is on fire.
Each chapter is more drama-filled than the last it seems. I didn't think anything could get more dramatic that puking up your soul on International television, but boy was I proven wrong. Several of Carter's "fuck ups" seemed to come out of left field and gave me whiplash, leaving me thinking, "How did we get here?" I liked this one okay *at this point I haven't finished yet*, but I don't think it'll be one I'll own (unless I find it at a used bookstore).
I had high hopes, but going in expecting it to be RWRB may have been too high of an expectation. Idk. It feels to me that this one could have been longer and a bit more fleshed out and less disjointed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it overall. James was definitely a bright spot for me in this book because he was witty, sarcastic, and everything I'd want in a gay, Alfred-esque, butler-type character. Though things felt a bit rushed and the pacing was weird, I give it 4 stars despite all of that. It was a fun read and definitely a palate cleanser after reading so much dark academia.
Carter is one messy human—which makes sense after being cheated on for years and being made to feel inadequate. Edgar is a closed-off royal who doesn't trust easily and has to watch his every step because he's in the public eye. He falls for Carter the first time they met and the rest is on fire.
Each chapter is more drama-filled than the last it seems. I didn't think anything could get more dramatic that puking up your soul on International television, but boy was I proven wrong. Several of Carter's "fuck ups" seemed to come out of left field and gave me whiplash, leaving me thinking, "How did we get here?" I liked this one okay *at this point I haven't finished yet*, but I don't think it'll be one I'll own (unless I find it at a used bookstore).
I had high hopes, but going in expecting it to be RWRB may have been too high of an expectation. Idk. It feels to me that this one could have been longer and a bit more fleshed out and less disjointed. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it overall. James was definitely a bright spot for me in this book because he was witty, sarcastic, and everything I'd want in a gay, Alfred-esque, butler-type character. Though things felt a bit rushed and the pacing was weird, I give it 4 stars despite all of that. It was a fun read and definitely a palate cleanser after reading so much dark academia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent and Infidelity
Minor: Cancer and Sexual content
meganpbennett's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I am not sure how to rate this book, because I'm not sure if I liked it. There were some definite positives, including that one of the main characters is Jewish, which is great. Representation matters. But the representation felt, to this Gentile, forced. Stereotypical. One-dimensional.
And the story itself felt forced. Stereotypical. One-dimensional. Like an author writing tropes while hating the same tropes they're writing and not wanting to be considered a romance author. The story was entertaining, but barely. It felt like the funny, entertaining, or interesting parts were forced, which made the flow of the story awkward and forced. Kinda like a first date between tweens/teens.
The story was all over the place, with major emphasis on things that could have been minor, and barely touching on things that could be major. There were random brand shout-outs, while other things were renamed.
I've seen people say that Playing the Palace is the next Red, White, and Royal Blue. It's not. Sure, it has some tropes in common. But it's not in the same league as Red, White, and Royal Blue.
And the story itself felt forced. Stereotypical. One-dimensional. Like an author writing tropes while hating the same tropes they're writing and not wanting to be considered a romance author. The story was entertaining, but barely. It felt like the funny, entertaining, or interesting parts were forced, which made the flow of the story awkward and forced. Kinda like a first date between tweens/teens.
The story was all over the place, with major emphasis on things that could have been minor, and barely touching on things that could be major. There were random brand shout-outs, while other things were renamed.
I've seen people say that Playing the Palace is the next Red, White, and Royal Blue. It's not. Sure, it has some tropes in common. But it's not in the same league as Red, White, and Royal Blue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Cancer, and Death of parent
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