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destdest 's review for:
Truly Madly Royally
by Debbie Rigaud
DNF pg 192
I think I just couldn’t get into the writing style. This book would be great for people who eat up Hallmark movies like eggs and bacon.
Truly Madly Royally is light-hearted, diverse, and cute with some lines that are eyeroll-worthy (cringy and corny). Zora’s in da house and her edges be looking tight? You don’t say? Listen, I like AAVE in stories, but the way it was integrated here felt cheesy. Anyway, it’s cool that Zora’s super-ambitious and involved with her community. She takes grant-writing and community outreach classes (which is actually what I’m planning to do in a semester or two). She’s also interested in African-American history, so a cool reference to the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights movement, and other notable events are mentioned here and there.
Concerning the romance, I think Zora fell for him awfully quick. I get the appeal of a prince, but, after the cellphone mix-up, she was already feeling him. But you know what? Crushes don’t always have a rhyme or reason. SN: Be prepared for a bunch of Prince Harry/ Duchess Megan references and allusions.
Something that isn’t outrightly stated that I enjoyed was that Zora overthinks a lot. She’ll be contemplating the potential rude stares from his aristocratic friends at their wedding when Owen and she are just talking casually. Girl, it’s not that serious UNTIL it gets that serious.
Zora definitely just liked him a lot because she laughs every 5 seconds, and, I promise you, Owen doesn’t say anything that funny.
Owen is bland as dirt. His whole character can be summed into polite, witty, and vaguely British love interest. (And, of course, Owen is soooo woke he reads Black Women in History.)
Overall, romance is present but not the sole focus. The side characters feel a bit underused, but this seems more plot-driven than character-driven. I don’t have a favorite character, but collectively I thought Zora’s family was interesting. I might read another story from this author later. For now, I recommend this to MG readers who want a modern, clean story with sprinkles of romance.
I think I just couldn’t get into the writing style. This book would be great for people who eat up Hallmark movies like eggs and bacon.
Truly Madly Royally is light-hearted, diverse, and cute with some lines that are eyeroll-worthy (cringy and corny). Zora’s in da house and her edges be looking tight? You don’t say? Listen, I like AAVE in stories, but the way it was integrated here felt cheesy. Anyway, it’s cool that Zora’s super-ambitious and involved with her community. She takes grant-writing and community outreach classes (which is actually what I’m planning to do in a semester or two). She’s also interested in African-American history, so a cool reference to the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights movement, and other notable events are mentioned here and there.
Concerning the romance, I think Zora fell for him awfully quick. I get the appeal of a prince, but, after the cellphone mix-up, she was already feeling him. But you know what? Crushes don’t always have a rhyme or reason. SN: Be prepared for a bunch of Prince Harry/ Duchess Megan references and allusions.
Something that isn’t outrightly stated that I enjoyed was that Zora overthinks a lot. She’ll be contemplating the potential rude stares from his aristocratic friends at their wedding when Owen and she are just talking casually. Girl, it’s not that serious UNTIL it gets that serious.
Zora definitely just liked him a lot because she laughs every 5 seconds, and, I promise you, Owen doesn’t say anything that funny.
Owen is bland as dirt. His whole character can be summed into polite, witty, and vaguely British love interest. (And, of course, Owen is soooo woke he reads Black Women in History.)
Overall, romance is present but not the sole focus. The side characters feel a bit underused, but this seems more plot-driven than character-driven. I don’t have a favorite character, but collectively I thought Zora’s family was interesting. I might read another story from this author later. For now, I recommend this to MG readers who want a modern, clean story with sprinkles of romance.