Two princes from neighboring countries fall into a whirlwind royal romance in this sparkling spin on The Princess Diaries by Cale Dietrich.

Jamie Johnson has never been the centre of attention, and he’s perfectly okay with that. His entire world unravels as a hidden truth he’s the heir to the throne of Mitanor, a sun-drenched southern European country, and the press is ready to expose this secret to the world. An invitation to spend the summer in his father’s palace arrives, giving Jamie a chance to get to know the man he never thought he’d meet.

Meanwhile, in a northern European kingdom known for its cold climate and stoic royals, Erik Von Rosenborg, the spare prince, grapples with the upcoming marriage of his golden-boy elder brother. With the country’s spotlight trained on his family more than ever, Erik feels sidelined and tightly controlled. So when he receives an offer to tutor the newly found American prince in the ways of royalty, he accepts without hesitation.

At a magnificent summer palace, Erik guides Jamie through the intricacies of royal etiquette, politics, and history. What neither prince anticipates is the connection that sparks between them—one that challenges both of their futures. Now each must make a follow their hearts, or the time-honored royal path where crown and country reigns supreme, no matter the personal cost.

I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

When I read that this book was like a gay mashup of “The Princess Diaries” and “Red, White and Royal Blue,” I decided to give it a try. I remember seeing “The Princess Diaries” in the theatre back in 2001 and loved it; the same goes for the book version of “Red, White and Royal Blue”. And while I liked this book well enough, I almost felt that it was too similar to the sources that it was inspired by.

The book focuses on two young men: Jamie Johnson – a high school student who lives a pretty basic life, and Erik Lindstrom – the prince of a European country. Jamie has lived his entire life with a friend of his dead mother and was told that his father was a one-night stand, but what Jamie will soon learn is that his father is actually the king of a southern European country. The press has discovered this and is about to announce it to the public, so Jamie’s adoptive mom has no choice but to tell him the truth. Suddenly, Jamie is off to spend the summer overseas and meet his birth father for the first time. Jamie’s father reaches out to Erik and asks if he would be willing to come to stay with them and help Jamie adjust to the news that he is actually a prince. Erik agrees, and not surprisingly, a friendship blossoms – one that quickly turns into a romance. But will it last?

Overall, I found the book to be cute. It’s sweet, innocent, and fun, but as I mentioned, it held very few surprises. I think fans of the work this was inspired by might feel the same level of disappointment in that they’ll feel like the story lacks originality and plays out exactly as one would expect.

The writing is smooth and engaging, with a steady pace that fits the story. The dialogue also feels true to each character, which is always nice. The relationship between Jamie and Erik is sweet, and their chemistry is palpable. You can’t help but feel invested in their journey as they navigate the pressures of royalty and their growing feelings for each other. I just wished that the stakes were higher. Jamie’s adjustment to meeting his new father and settling into the royal life seemed way too easy. The only obstacle for either Jamie or Erik was Erik’s fear that his grandmother wouldn’t allow him to be with Jamie since she had her eye on another guy for him. While I appreciated the progressive views and grandma’s acceptance of Erik’s sexuality – even going so far as to find a suitable man for him – the whole “that other boy is a commoner and not good enough for you” trope is way too overdone, and was, again, expected.

While I did receive a physical ARC from the publisher, I also received an ALC and mostly listened to this one. The narrator who voiced Jamie did a great job and perfectly captured his character, but I wasn’t a fan of the way the narrator who voiced Erik chose to interpret him. The accent wasn’t great, and he made him sound very stuffy and overdramatic. Most of his dialogue was delivered as if he was about to have a breakdown, and it got to be too much. Initially, I thought that maybe this was just the narrator’s style, but when he voiced other characters, they were fine. I wish he had made a different choice for Erik. My other complaint is a pet peeve that I have when multiple narrators are involved. I wish they would decide on an accent and tone for the characters ahead of time so that there is consistency when each narrator portrays a specific character. I understand they’ll never be able to voice them exactly the same, but some similarities would be nice. That did not happen here.

Overall, I felt this was a cute book, but the author didn’t take the work it was inspired by and make it their own. This book is intended for a young adult audience, and I feel like anyone who enjoys a cozy, YA rom-com will enjoy this one, even if it holds very few surprises. If you like a light, predictable, low-stakes read, this is the book for you.