Publishers Weekly
07/08/2024
Following a friend’s betrayal, a public breakup with a model, and a scandal in which he was recorded criticizing the prime minister, 17-year-old “Prince Un-charming” Jadon of Îles de la Rêverie vows to be “as normal and unproblematic as possible.” Livid over Jadon’s actions, his father threatens to cut him off if he doesn’t shape up. What the king doesn’t know is that Jadon was defending his California-born mother from the prime minister’s xenophobic comments. To repair his reputation, Jadon is sent to Los Angeles to complete a carefully curated media tour. Despite swearing off romance, however, Jadon immediately falls for pink-haired film enthusiast Reiss, a student at his prestigious new school Willow Wood Academy. The teens bond over shared feelings of being an outcast, and Reiss plays tour guide, introducing Jadon to all of L.A.’s best spots, but when Jadon’s ex-boyfriend shows up, his arrival jeopardizes everything Jadon and Reiss have built. Online celebrity journalist posts open each chapter, highlighting the media and monarchy’s often damaging effects on Jadon’s life. Winters (As You Walk On By) meshes fun-in-the-sun antics with perceptive examinations on new experiences, changing identities, and rebuilding trust in this rollicking romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Aug.)
School Library Journal
08/01/2024
Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Prince Jadon, of the island nation Rêverie, is Black, openly gay, and in trouble. Thanks to his former best friend, a video of Jadon drunkenly criticizing Rêverie's prime minister has gone viral. Protective of his American-born mother, Jadon refuses to explain that the prime minister covertly insulted her. His father declares that Jadon, who is in Los Angeles, cannot come home until he has become the prince his people deserve. As a result, Jadon and his older sister, Crown Princess Annika, settle in a Los Angeles mansion with their security staff, and Jadon enrolls at Willow Wood Academy. There he navigates making friends, falling in love with pink-haired Reiss, and figuring out how to become the prince his father wants him to be. But what about the prince Jadon wants to be? Full of snarky humor and the glitz of royal living, this book also offers heartfelt struggle, heartbreak, and heartwarming romance. Jadon is a sympathetic character, trying to balance duty, privilege, self-expression, future hopes, family, relationships, race, and sexuality. On the downside, while most characters are distinct and interesting, readers may find it hard to remember the numerous students at Willow Wood beyond Reiss. Swearing and mild sexual experiences are consistent with the older teen characters. Reiss, his family, and characters from Rêverie are Black. VERDICT A welcome, diverse spin on royalty rom-com and coming-of-age tropes.—Rebecca Moore
Kirkus Reviews
2024-06-15
After a disastrous public fiasco, a disgruntled African prince unexpectedly finds love, friendship, and himself.
Viral video ranting about his country’s popular prime minister? Check. Public breakup with said prime minister’s son? Check. Ultimate betrayal by his best friend? Check. Despite his best efforts, 17-year-old Jadon, troublemaking prince of the beautiful island kingdom of Îles de la Réverie, feels like he keeps checking all the wrong boxes. Banished to Los Angeles to spend a semester at an elite private school, Jadon is desperate to rehabilitate his image, but he struggles to connect with his new classmates and continues to say and do unprincely things. All his efforts feel pointless until he meets pink-haired classmate Reiss Hayes, an aspiring filmmaker, one of the few other Black students, and someone around whom Jadon finally feels like himself. Reiss tempts Jadon to do the one thing he said he wouldn’t: date. Jadon is a likable but unfortunately opaque character: Winters skips or reduces to a single line some critical moments of potential insight into his inner life, flattening his character. As a result, the coming-of-age story and its related themes of Blackness, queerness, otherness, and belonging, although interesting, feel unevenly developed. The romantic and familial relationships, however, are highlights, as is the book’s rich racial and sexual diversity. The royal family’s reconnection journey is heartwarming, and Jadon’s relationship with Reiss features cute moments, healthy communication, and a nice dollop of drama.
Black, queer, royal romance wish fulfillment.(Romance. 12-18)
