Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters: Review

Julian Winters is one of the best at YA romance, and he didn’t disappoint with his latest release: Prince of the Palisades. If you’ve been missing all things royal, you’re going to want to pick this one up!

Book cover of Prince of the Palisades by Julian Winters

Title: Prince of the Palisades
Author: Julian Winters
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: 08/20/24
Genre: YA Romance
Edition: Paperback

Description

Young Royals meets Red, White, and Royal Blue in this heart-pumping romance by award-winning author Julian Winters!

When roguish Prince Jadon of Îles de la Rêverie is left in America to clean up his image after a horribly public break-up gone viral, romance is not on the table. Carefully planned photo ops with puppies? Yes. Scheduled appearances with the Santa Monica elite? Absolutely. Rendezvous with a pink-haired, film-obsessed hottie from the private school where he’s currently enrolled? Uhhhh… Together with his entourage—a bitingly witty royal guard, Rêverie’s future queen (and Jadon’s brilliant older sister), and a quirky royal liaison—Jadon’s on a mission to turn things around and show his parents, and his country, that he’s more than just a royal screw-up. If he doesn’t prove that he’s the prince Rêverie deserves? Well, he may not be allowed home… But falling for a not-so-royal American boy has Jadon redefining what it means to be a leader. If he can be someone’s Prince Charming just by being himself, maybe that’s all it takes to win over a nation. Or at least a prince can dream…

Review

“It’s easy to forget history. The places you come from. Where life ended so yours could begin. But it’s just as simple to get tangled in the past. To accept the now as the happy ending rather than the next step to what can be.”

Prince of the Palisades might be my favorite Julian Winters book so far! I’m a big fan of royals books and shows, and this book managed to incorporate all of my favorite elements from those while also breathing fresh air into the concept with the focus being on Black characters!
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Expectations, mistakes, and speaking out all take a different shape with the intersection of race and sexuality. So while the book kept a warm, lighthearted YA tone, it also didn’t shy away from diving into Jadon’s mental health and frustrations.
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Reiss is my baby boy for real, and I’m equally obsessed with his family. The entire cast of this book captured my heart and attention though. And the gentleness and care with which intimacy was talked about and explored in the book made me emotional as I imagined teens being able to read how the experience should go for them.
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I can’t say enough good things about this book and definitely recommend it for anyone who loves a blend of royalty, substance, and teen messiness!
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*Thank you to Penguin Teen for the finished copy. All opinions are my own*

Author

Julian Winters is a bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary young adult fiction. His novels Running with Lions, How to Be Remy Cameron, and The Summer of Everything (Duet, 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively) received accolades for their positive depictions of diverse, relatable characters. A former management trainer, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta, where he can be found reading, being a self-proclaimed comic book geek, or watching the only two sports he can follow–volleyball and soccer.