Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Playing the Palace

This book was trashy and terrible and I really liked it. Like watching an ABC family show or a soap opera. The plot lines are absurd and the pacing is weird but you’re left with an overall feeling of “my brain may have rotted a bit but damn was I hooked”. It also made me laugh out loud no less than five times, which definitely bumped its rating a bit.

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rosiereviewsreads's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was an easy read, and it only took me a couple hours to finish.

Carter is broken up by his long term boyfriends and meets Prince Edgar of England while setting up for Edgar’s speech. The two hit it off and they learn about each other’s families. Carter learns what it takes to be a royal, and how important this relationship is for the LGBTQ+ community.

Written in first POV, it was a lighthearted easy read with a miscommunication trope (near the end). A great book to read while in a slump and just want something that isn’t difficult to follow.
Miscommunication trope, enough to make me sigh, but I finished the book.

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middumullu's review against another edition

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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 :)

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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I’m always hesitant to berate books, since so much time and effort went into writing them and I put considerably less of both into reading them. However, try as I may, I can’t think of anything positive to say about this book. It was a train wreck I couldn’t look away from. Though I picked it up because of the similarities between it and my all-time favorite romance, Red, White and Royal Blue, there’s really no comparison to be made.

Playing the Palace was a story of insta-love between two poorly developed characters, with a slew of rather shallow, stereotypical side characters and an absurd number of moments where I cringed so hard, I had to put the book down. A few especially cringey parts included Carter and Edgar going into the former’s bedroom to have sex while his roommates were home, Edgar using a lion puppet to ask Carter for sex, and Carter repeatedly asking his framed photo of Ruth Bader Ginsburg questions and imagining her answers.

Honestly, I’m not sure what else to say about this book. The whole thing felt rushed, and kind of like a fever dream. It was clear that Rudnick was trying to do a lot of things with PTP, but all he succeeded in, as far as I’m concerned, is making a mess. I’m sorry to say it, but there’s just no way for me to sugarcoat that and still be honest. 🤷🏼

Representation

gay Jewish protagonist
gay love interest
queer Black side characters (includes gay and sapphic rep)
achillean romance
achillean side couple

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caitlinjadams's review

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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.

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stardustandrockets's review against another edition

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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.

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mxm0290's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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meganpbennett's review against another edition

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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.

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