'The Royal We' is the Crown Jewel of Summer Reads

 I've been a longtime fan of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the talented duo behind the cheeky website Go Fug Yourself, a blog dedicated to fashion policing, royals roundups, and television recaps. Though I was a bit old for it, I read their first book, Spoiled, in 2012 [yes, it's 'Teen Fiction', and I was 19...so actually I was, albeit barely, within the demographic]. The book was enjoyable, but it was nothing compared to their first adult release, The Royal We.

I had forgotten about the Fug Girls but remained obsessed with the Royals during the years since Spoiled's release. Serendipitously enough, when the E! show The Royals came out, I was desperate for a recap following the first episode, since I knew this show, like Gossip Girl's amazing recaps by Jessica Pressler and Chris Rovzar, certainly warranted it. [Note: not because of its quality; completely the opposite, in fact] I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Fug Girls' hilarious recap - which had me laughing out loud during classes - and upon further perusal of their site, was thrilled to note that they had released a seven chapter preview to their latest book, The Royal We.

I was instantly engrossed in the preview and pre-ordered the entire book upon completion. I read it all within one day before giving it to my mother, who did the same. I'm honestly a little bit upset that I read it in the spring because it is the ideal beach read. The book is about an American Cornell student named Bex, who does an exchange program at Oxford during which she happens to fall in love with Nicholas, the Prince of Wales [not so loosely based on Will and Kate's own story, save for the heroine's nationality]. It's an easy read that features a fluffy plot but also boasts excellent writing, clever characters, and surprising plot twists. It’s not going to bend your brain, but it’s an excellent way to spend a summer afternoon; I guarantee it'll take just one - you won't be able to put it down.