Scan barcode
knitnetic's review against another edition
2.0
This book was tough for me. I liked the premise and I really think the author has a unique voice and an amazing sense of humor that shines through his words.
…but the book needed workshopped more. The third quarter was disorganized , giving too much time to certain elements and not nearly enough to others. A generally-reliable narrator becomes, for the space of a single chapter, incredibly unreliable, hiding details that would absolutely have been shared with us, seemingly to effect a bigger gut punch for the reader?
Additionally, the major conflict scene seemed manufactured; there was already plenty of family/acceptance conflict without the Callum situation that felt entirely contrived. I did like the (MUCH LATER) mention of self-sabotage and felt like that could have been worked in earlier to make even the Callum conflict work if the author was attached to it.
I would genuinely be happy to read a re-edited version of this book. I think it could have been something special, but it’s just shy of the mark in several important ways.
…but the book needed workshopped more. The third quarter was disorganized , giving too much time to certain elements and not nearly enough to others. A generally-reliable narrator becomes, for the space of a single chapter, incredibly unreliable, hiding details that would absolutely have been shared with us, seemingly to effect a bigger gut punch for the reader?
Additionally, the major conflict scene seemed manufactured; there was already plenty of family/acceptance conflict without the Callum situation that felt entirely contrived. I did like the (MUCH LATER) mention of self-sabotage and felt like that could have been worked in earlier to make even the Callum conflict work if the author was attached to it.
I would genuinely be happy to read a re-edited version of this book. I think it could have been something special, but it’s just shy of the mark in several important ways.
brookeisbusyreading's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can see why this book is compared to RW&RB, but it actually feels more similar to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (BM was published in 2020; PtP in 2021). The whole fake dating, royals/palace drama is probably the reason for the comparison to RW&RB.
First, some things I liked:
-The banter, playful insults, and comparisons were my kind of humor. I found myself laughing or smiling through most of the book.
-Edgar’s insecurities and Carter’s self-destructive tendencies really made me gravitate to the characters. I related a lot to Carter (similarly with Luc in BM).
-The locations where major events happened was interesting and felt very natural. Definitely appreciated that, especially the baking show scenes.
Things I disliked:
-There was SO MUCH happening in this book all the time that it kind of feels like I’ve got whiplash trying to remember everything.
-(Connected to the previous point) I think the book should’ve been longer. It’s like 270 pages and, like I said, A LOT happens.
-The imagery didn’t always come across clearly for me. Sometimes Carter’s thoughts and comparisons would make me lose what I was supposed to be visualizing. It didn’t happen often but I’m a visual person and I like being able to play stories out in my head like a movie.
-One MC was betrayed, is self-destructive, and immature.
-The other MC presents themself as perfect but is secretly insecure, desperate for acceptance/approval, and doesn’t see how toxic their family is.
-There’s a parental figure (Luc’s dad in BM, the Queen in PtP) who is one of the antagonists for the couple. The indirectly trigger negative thoughts in the flawed/self-destructive MC.
-At least one of the MCs has a snarky, bulldozer of a BFF who is or is like a sister and has a huge role in the story (which seems to be a common character to have?).
-Both MCs accept their flaws, each other’s, and agree to work on them moving forward.
Those similarities aren’t me saying I disliked PtP. I enjoyed it! The cover reminded me a bit of RW&RB’s, and the story was similar to BM in my opinion but it’s still its own story. If you enjoyed RW&RB and/or BM, you should definitely check out Playing the Palace!
sabine_beans's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5
kenz_m's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I cannot begin to express what an absolutely horrible and terrible book this was. There were so many unnecessary metaphors throughout the entire thing. I had low expectations but was still so let down. The book lacks depth with the plot or the characters, every time something happened it felt unclear and unnecessary. Love at first sight is a trope that can be really well done…and what I guess is that it was attempted here but it more came off as “saw each other and then ghosted until they got married.” No chemistry between the characters, more chemistry was present between me and setting this audio book on 2X speed to finish it faster. I’ve read boring books before…. but this book was harmful to my brain and energy. The one black character written as the “woke spokesperson” felt like it had so many racist undertones and the voices done by the audio book reader… also racist and just weird/unnecessary. The infatuation with RBG was also so weird. The characters weren’t lovable, not even likable, the plot sucked bad and I was glad my bestie and I finished it on 2X speed so I can spend more time hating this shit. Yuck. .25 for queer rep though.
thequeerestbookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
britfordham96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
walsh04021's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The funniest book I've read in ages. Highly recommend the audio version!
justinkhchen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
An onslaught of sarcasm and pop culture one-liner with no real characters or story, Playing the Palace reads like an early 2010s canceled sitcom without a laugh track, with quirky 'characters' spitting out joke/punchline in desperate succession (ba-dum-bum-CHING!), and completely neglects on integrating any real human depth. So what's left is a hollow shell of a 'love story' with no on-page development, but filled with sequence of dramatic nonsense and juvenile humor (you know a book is in trouble when projectile vomiting is its comedic centerpiece).
As if the author simply needed a place to dump all of his Twitter antics or scattered jokes, I can't deny Playing the Palace does offer some stereotypical, surface-level entertainment, but if you're looking for a romantic comedy, you'll be shocked (and maybe enraged) at how under-delivered this is in the romance department — How did this fanfic level material get a major publisher release?!
p.s. If you simply HAVE to check this out — get the audiobook performed by Michael Urie, who did an excellent job that's way beyond what this material deserves.
An onslaught of sarcasm and pop culture one-liner with no real characters or story, Playing the Palace reads like an early 2010s canceled sitcom without a laugh track, with quirky 'characters' spitting out joke/punchline in desperate succession (ba-dum-bum-CHING!), and completely neglects on integrating any real human depth. So what's left is a hollow shell of a 'love story' with no on-page development, but filled with sequence of dramatic nonsense and juvenile humor (you know a book is in trouble when projectile vomiting is its comedic centerpiece).
As if the author simply needed a place to dump all of his Twitter antics or scattered jokes, I can't deny Playing the Palace does offer some stereotypical, surface-level entertainment, but if you're looking for a romantic comedy, you'll be shocked (and maybe enraged) at how under-delivered this is in the romance department — How did this fanfic level material get a major publisher release?!
p.s. If you simply HAVE to check this out — get the audiobook performed by Michael Urie, who did an excellent job that's way beyond what this material deserves.
_reading_with_kate_'s review against another edition
While some of the humor in this was not to my taste, the reference to a nsync jukebox musical being on broadway is all I've ever wanted.