Ever since I saw the 2004 romantic comedy The Prince & Me in theaters, I have been a sucker for the "ordinary girl + prince" plotcombo. I have read my fair share of romance novels revolving around that plot and I have watched all of the made-for-TV movies. I watched the live stream of the royal wedding in 2011. When I saw Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney on our cart of new YA books, I knew I had to read it.
Charlotte and Libby are sisters who are different in lots of ways. Libby is studious, serious, and artsy. Charlotte is popular, fashion forward, trendy, and oh, yeah, she's dating Prince Edward, heir to the British throne. When Libby ends up switching from her all-girls school to Charlotte's elite boarding school, she is thrown into a world she has a hard time understanding. Charlotte and Edward break up, and he seems to be spending more and more time with Libby. Two sisters should never fall for the same guy, but sometimes love grows where you least expect it.
I enjoyed this book immensely, and it's probably only partially because I'm biased about the plot. Having the book told from Charlotte's point of view brought in a perspective about this rom-com plot that I hadn't previously thought about. What happens to the family of the person dating royalty? This book was about that "ordinary girl + prince" trope, sure, but that seemed secondary to the sisters' relationship. It reminded me of The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan or The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright.
If you like romantic comedies and are intrigued by modern royalty, this is definitely one to check out. I'm not just saying that because there's a character named Libby either. :D
-Libby, Youth Services
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