Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Apr 21, 2014 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it did not like it

Shelves: mary-sue, why-do-i-hate-myself, nobility, ya, romance, ya-contemporary, siblings, boring-main-character

He turned to her, leaned down, and kissed her, his kisses sending her over the moon. They lay entwined on the lounge chair making out. Becca lost herself in the perfect world where a handsome prince sweeps an average American girl off her feet.

DNF at 58%, right after the main character says "I love you" to a guy she's known all of a week because I can't take the amount of incomprehensible stupidity in this book.

This book makes The Princess Diaries read like Game of Thrones. I hated its

He turned to her, leaned down, and kissed her, his kisses sending her over the moon. They lay entwined on the lounge chair making out. Becca lost herself in the perfect world where a handsome prince sweeps an average American girl off her feet.

DNF at 58%, right after the main character says "I love you" to a guy she's known all of a week because I can't take the amount of incomprehensible stupidity in this book.

This book makes The Princess Diaries read like Game of Thrones. I hated its silliness and its carefree portrayal of boo fucking hoo poor-little-rich-kids privilege with the strength of a thousand burning pounds of unicorn feces. I would read Anna and the French Kiss ten times over before finishing this book, and you might recall I didn't exactly love Anna. The heroine in this book rivals Anna in stupidity, in insipidity, awash with #firstworldproblems and #whitegirlproblems, with none of the cuteness.

It is a sad day indeed when I am forced to admit that Anna is cute, in comparison to anything. If Anna is like a fluffly, snuffly little Shih-Tzu puppy, Becca is a little rat-sized chihuahua that never ceases to yap that I want to mentally soccer-punt into oblivion.

The Summary:

“Ten days of this. Shoot me now. Everything here is a gabillion years old. The palace of this, the castle of that. Seriously?”

Becca is having the worst fucking summer ever. EVER. Her wealthy technology CEO dad is dragging the entire family to Europe. EUROPE! Fuck that shit. They have to spend like, a month, traveling down central Europe on a luxury riverboat cruise.

They have to visit old fucking cities like Vienna, Austria and touring old fucking historical sites like Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace and Melk Abbey.

They have to eat "exotic" European local foods, when all Becca wants is a Diet Pepsi and some McDonalds.

All she wanted was something familiar, like an icy cold, American Diet Pepsi, french fries, and music that wasn’t three hundred years old. She checked out the streets jutting off the square and chose the street where she saw the McDonald’s.

Old palaces. Walking tours. Learning about history.

She leaned back in her seat, quickly bored again, and wishing she were home. Other than the couple of moments of eye candy, Becca hated Europe.

Spending time with her family. Why does life suck so bad? I mean, fuck, her stepmother actually WANTS them to be like a family and bond. What kind of stepmom does that anyway?!

10 days on a riverboat cruise in Europe with her family. Surely, life can't get any worse :\

But really, Becca doesn't have it bad at all, compared to Prince Nikolai, Crown Prince of Mondovia.

The demands of the monarchy—and his parents—threatened to suffocate the life right out of him. As each day passed, he lost more of himself.

;____________;

Nikolai's life is horrible. He's a young, 18-year old Crown Prince of a small European royalty. He doesn't actually HAVE to do anything, since the Crown is a figurehead only. It's like working at McDonalds! It's child labor! It's HORRIBLE! Nikolai has to spend day after day attending royal events and being photographed and attending state dinners and riding horses. It's HORRIBLE!

“I guess the thing that makes it so difficult is my lack of choices. There is very little I get to decide for myself. My parents have picked my schools, my activities, who I associate with. They and their advisors decide who I sit next to at formal events, who I speak to at a grand opening, who I take photos with at fund-raisers, what charities I must support, even what horse I’ll ride.”

Not to mention the fact that his family is wealthy because they take all the taxpayer's money, so that Nikolai will be wealthy for the rest of his life without ever having to work.

I mean, who'd want that sort of life, anyway?

;__________;

It's not like Nikolai can abdicate or anything. I mean...what kind of a king would abdicate...

Oh.

Well, um. Nikolai wants to be an environmentalist.

He was far more interested in saving the planet from pollution than plotting invasions in war-torn countries.

So it's not like he can have make a cause out of saving the environment and going green or anything, I mean, what kind of Crown Prince becomes an environmentalist?!

Oh.

Well, um. Nikolai's being forced to join the army. WHAT KIND OF CROWN PRINCE JOINS THE MILITARY ANYWAY?!

Oh.

Other royal families, like in England, they don’t have to go into the military, do they?”
“The direct heirs to the throne have all served.” He frowned.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Run away.”

*slow clap* Way to go, Nikolai. Yes. Go after your dreams.

Since Nikolai is so sick of his pampered, sheltered, wealthy, leisurely life, he's going to run away and be incognito and ignore aaaaaaaaaaall the responsibilitiezzzz! He's going to do it on a motorbike that's been given to him by Middle Eastern royalty.

And he will meet Becca. Refreshing Becca. Becca without a brain cell in her head.

"I barely passed high school Spanish.”

This is the story of how an idiot prince falls in love with an "refreshingly idiotic" commoner.

Something about this beautiful American girl kept him from thinking about anything else. It didn’t make sense. Becca was ignorant of the historic cities she toured. Her sense of direction was so bad she could probably lose her own shadow, and her quirky sense of humor made him constantly want to kiss her.

Becca:

“The kids in Europe must hate history class. These countries go back so freakin’ far. At least the U.S. is barely two hundred years old.”

Becca would give Anna-oui-is-spelled-wee a run for her money in the brains department. She is a newly graduated senior, who will be going to Northwestern in the fall. I can only surmise that her admittance is thanks to her dad's money and legacy. Because Becca is a motherfucking moron.

I don't even know what the fuck is wrong with her school. I don't know about anyone else, but my high school required three years of a foreign language, and yet Becca is barely competent in English, let another another language. What the FUCK kind of school did she attend? I attended high school in America! We had to learn European history! Becca doesn't seem to know any fucking thing! American history goes back 200 years?! NO! What about the days of the colonists, the pilgrims? The pre-Columbus days?! Don't tell me she didn't learn that! Don't tell me her high school curriculum didn't even cover Europe!

I don't know how the fuck Northwestern admitted her, when Becca "barely passed Spanish" and barely pulled off a B in history.

“But you’re not even from here! I don’t know how you can remember the history of other countries. I can’t tell you a thing about Canada other than they play a lot of hockey there. History is my worst subject. I barely pulled off a B last semester.”

She is the epitome of the Ugly, Stupid American abroad, and is the kind of American tourist that makes Europeans hate American tourists. She refuses to adapt. She constantly seeks out McDonalds instead of local cuisine (and come on, it's fucking Europe. It's not like the food there is anything like the comparative strangeness of, say, African or Asian foods).

Nikolai: The Smooth Stalker:

"Think about it. I’m an American girl in a foreign country, who took off with a guy I’ve known for barely two minutes. For all I know, you’ve kidnapped me and are going to sell me into slavery.”

It really sucks that Nikolai is a crown prince, but it's ok. He's got an alternative career...Ok, he can't really DO anything at all.

“For starters, I don’t have too many skills other than shaking hands, playing polo, and fencing.”

But he's wrong! Nikolai has a career...in stalking girls!

Becca goes to one city? He happens to be there as well. They move onto another city? BOOM! He's there. What a coincidence! I don't know, but to me, that's rather creepy. And then he sneaks onto her riverboat cruise in the middle of the night and scares the shit out of Becca.

Becca set down the remote and rubbed her face. When she looked up, she saw a tall, imposing figure lurking on the other side of her balcony railing.
Becca screamed and scrambled back into the corner of her bed.
“Becca, it’s me, Nikolai,” he called out, hoping he didn’t fall into the Danube as he clung to the outside of the moving boat.

OH, HE'S HANGING ONTO THE OUTSIDE OF A MOVING RIVERBOAT IN THE DARK BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED HER. THAT'S NOT CREEPY AT ALL.

It's absolutely acceptable to be a creeper if you're good looking. Then it's romantic. Men: don't try this if you're ugly.

He's a smooth talker. There's nothing like dropping your royal title to get a girl to drop her panties.

“If you do become king, you could never hang out with me.”
“Nope. Not unless you were my queen.” He smirked.

But still, it's just SO REFRESHING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO LOVES HIM FOR HIM. Someone so NORMAL. Like *sigh* Becca.

Being the Prince of Mondovia allowed him access to a lot of pretty girls, most of whom wanted to kiss a prince. But none drove him crazy like Becca.

ME HATE THIS BOOK. ME SMASH. ME LOST 50 IQ POINTS. ME VOCABULARY DEAD. AAAAAAAAAAARG. ...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) rated it did not like it

Shelves: contemporary, owned

Definitely not for me. Snobby privileged MC, extremely predictable (which Ill admit I expected), literally 0 substance to it... ugh I had such high hopes! This sounded like it could have been adorably fluffy but within 60 pages theres a kiss. Thats when I knew this would be hard to get through. But I trudged along. Oh well! I think as a movie I would have liked it, but this was just too much cheese for me to read. But if you like corny romances that are just pure fluff, you might enjoy this! ...more

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Dec 03, 2013 Debby rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: how-did-i-finish, le-sigh, could-have-been-better, disappointing, zero-stars, for-review, characters-i-want-to-shake, stand-alone, 2014-reads, kill-it-with-fire

0 stars

I've put off writing this review for almost a month. I just didn't want to put my rage pants on, but now, with the release approaching, I must do it. I must finally open up and be honest about all the different ways that this book infuriated me. So get a drink and a snack, strap yourself in, because we'll be here a while.

Let me start this off with a quiz:

1. Are you a fan of Europe? Traveling? Exploring different cultures?
2. Are you opposed to instalove?
3. Does stalker behavior creep you ...more

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Feb 09, 2014 Giselle rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, ebook

3.5 stars

Well so freaking adorable! While perusing reviews it seems like more than a few of my friends disliked this one, and I admit that it's not perfect by any means so I get it, but it's exactly the kind of fluffy fairy-tale-esque read I was in the mood for on a rainy weekend. It's the type of romantic adventure that is both idealistic and exotic; perfect for fans of Jennifer E. Smith.

What I didn't like:
-Insta-love ruined some of its charm for me. It was unnecessary and did more harm than ...more

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Oct 23, 2013 Lauren marked it as never-finished

I've found my first DNF of the year. I'm at 16% and just cannot go on any more.

First, whenever a book features fake royals from a nonexistent country, I know there's going to be a layer of absurdity and silliness. Still, I was hoping for a story that was fun and endearing, but unfortunately, I just couldn't stand the characters, and I don't think we're ever going to be friends.

Becca is visiting Europe on a boat cruise with her father, step-mom and brother Dylan. Just the idea of experiencing ...more

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May 01, 2014 Patrycja rated it liked it

Title: Royally Lost
Series: Standalone
Author: Angie Stanton
Release Date: May 6 , 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Cliffhanger:. No
HEA: (view spoiler)

Royally Lost is cute, sweet and extremely well written and exciting read, that will please almost every fan of Young Adult contemporary romance. With enough amount of drama and heart fluttering romance this is perfect novel to enjoy while sunbathing in May. The plot was so adorable!

Yes, maybe it was a little bit unrealistic at times, and ...more

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May 06, 2014 missEvi [can't commit to a book] rated it did not like it

Shelves: contemporary, torturing-myself, young-adult, gave-up, mc-i-wanna-slap, too-old-for-this-shit

Did I miss something? Is being stupid and uneducated the new trend amongst the late teens?

If I was an American, I would be seriously offended by the heroine in this book.

Ok, lets start at the beginning

Stupid teenage girl going with parents to Europe

Stupid teenage girl hates the historical sites and feels bad for europeans that have to learn soooo much history

Stupid teenage girl gets lost even going to the bathroom (I think she should check her ears..maybe she has a serious condition)

Stupid ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Linda rated it it was amazing

Another fun and romantic novel by one of my favorite YA authors, Angie Stanton! "Royally Lost" is a cute and entertaining romp across Europe through the eyes of college-bound Becca. But what she doesn't see, is that the backpacking boy she's fallen for, the mysterious guy who is touring Europe as well, is none other than a true-life prince. While Becca searches for a future not determined by her father, Prince Nikolai searches to escape his past, and thus his own predetermined monarchy. Set ...more

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Jan 18, 2014 Nasty Lady MJ rated it did not like it

To see full review click here

Conspiracy Theory: Meg Cabot brought Princess Mia out of retirement because of this book.

Because something had to fix the damage that Angie Stanton caused the princess genre in the YA-verse.

If you like books about princesses, dont read this one. If you like books about Europe and traveling in Europe. Run away. Now. And try to calm yourself down by binge watching episodes of Rick Steves on PBS.

I know thats what I intend to do after this shit fest.

Here are the life ...more

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Oct 02, 2013 Brandy Painter marked it as set-aside

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, young-adult, romance, galleys

Oh. My.

I so wanted to like this. I was in the mood for a fluffy YA read. I NEEDED a fluffy and light read. But this is just so awful. Why?

1. Made up country names like Borganistan and Mondovia.

2. Lines like:

"He was far more interested in saving the planet from pollution than plotting invasions in war torn countries. How could his parents not see that?"

From the heroine on touring Europe: "Ten days of this. Shoot me now. Everything her is a gabillion years old."
(We are supposed to believe this ...more

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Nov 05, 2013 Tiff at Mostly YA Lit rated it did not like it

Shelves: romance, dnf

I'm going to be frank here: Royally Lost was probably my biggest reading disappointment of the year. I had high hopes for a fun, royal jaunt through Europe - as some of you know, royalty and travel are two of my favourite themes. This book left me cold - so cold, I stopped at 25% and could not finish it.

In the interest of minimizing your time reading about sucky stuff, I'm going to keep this short by listing the good and bad.

The Good:

Lots of Historical Research: It was clear that the ...more

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Apr 18, 2014 Grace (LovingDemBooks) Z. rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-i-own, review-books, can-it-get-anymore-cheesy, couldn-t-get-through-this-book, i-just-can-t, ehhh, paperback

Buy this book HERE on Amazon or buy this book HERE on BookDepository with FREE WORLDWIDE SHIIPPING

I received an finished copy of this book from the publisher (HarperTeen) for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2 of 5 stars (Please read my rating system further below). A book about a girl who travels around the world, meets a prince, and they fall in love. What could go wrong? Royally Lost had everything going for itself, it has a great cover, a great idea, and an ...more

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Jan 24, 2014 Jenna rated it really liked it

Nothing better than a prince and me kind of story and backpacking/travel chicklit book to uplift my terrible week. I super enjoyed reading Becca and Nikolai's adventure of trying to find themselves but eventually fate led them to each other as well. This is the kind of story that won't break your hearts into a million pieces, nor murder your brain with A complicated story. Instead, this is the kind of story you want to read after a bad day at work or school. There's nothing epic
About it, and i ...more

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Sep 26, 2013 Jasprit rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-galley, contemporary, out-2014, read-in-2014, ya, dnf

DNF at 29%

Royally Lost gave the vibe of being a fun book filled with adventure and a sweet romance. Instead what I got was insta love and a bunch of control freak parents. Becca was forced on trip around Europe with her dad, step mum and brother, on what was meant to be a chance for the family to get to know one another and spend quality time. Becca cant stand her step mum and her dad never seems to have time for her, so they begin this trip on the wrong step already. Then we have Beccas brother DNF at 29%

Royally Lost gave the vibe of being a fun book filled with adventure and a sweet romance. Instead what I got was insta love and a bunch of control freak parents. Becca was forced on trip around Europe with her dad, step mum and brother, on what was meant to be a chance for the family to get to know one another and spend quality time. Becca can’t stand her step mum and her dad never seems to have time for her, so they begin this trip on the wrong step already. Then we have Becca’s brother who can be useful at times, at pulling Becca out of quality family time, but then he never seems to be spending time with the family in the first place. I did feel for Becca, her boyfriend had dumped her on graduation and everyone knew about it and then she has to spend time with family who clearly didn’t act like one. But if I had the chance to visit Europe and all these gorgeous places, I would definitely be making the most of it, despite who I was forced to hang around with. But Becca didn’t really see it that way, but as a sort of punishment, that is until she meets her dream guy in Nikolai.

Through fate Nikolai and Becca end up at the same places in the Europe at the same time, both have one thing in common to get away from their families and experience some freedom. With Nikolai it’s perfectly understandable, he’s a prince and has a lot of pressure and expectations put on him, so running away and being someone else for the day could be a refreshing thing for him. Of course as soon as he sees Becca, she’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. The same goes for Becca without saying. This insta love really wasn’t for me, I know Becca had a bad break up, but Becca was quick to fall for this guy she knew nothing about, at one point when they’d arranged to meet in the next city, she ended up waiting 3 hours for him, before realising that he wouldn’t be turning up! Who waits three hours for someone? And then after that all she could do was pine over him and what could have been.

I really am gutted that I ended up dropping this book really early on, but as the book progressed I was easily able to see that Nikolai and Becca would be characters that wouldn’t be for me.
...more

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Mar 08, 2014 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

Are you fans of movies like The Prince and Me featuring Julia Stiles , The First Daughter starring Katie Holmes and Marc Blucas or what about Saving Liberty featuring Mandy Moore ? Can you see the pattern emerging here ? One of my favourite type of movies is the whole Cinderella/royalty theme where A) the royal escapes from his/her life and tries to become normal only to along the way fall head over heels for an ordinary but wonderful girl/guy and B) The royal decides to go undercover and act ...more

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Feb 13, 2014 Meg Valentine rated it it was amazing

Both my (college age) daughters and my middle school students enjoy Angie Stantons books. I had an opportunity recently to preview her newest book Royally Lost. Like Stantons other books, I appreciate the fact that its a fun, entertaining read, that it has a strong female character, and that it doesn't end in a predictable manner. I've purchased multiple copies of her other books for my students and plan to do the same for this one. Although I kept telling myself I was reading the book for the ...more

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Oct 23, 2013 Keertana rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-galley-and-first-reads

If "The Prince and Me" and "The Lizzie McGuire" movie had a love child, Royally Lost would be it. Frankly speaking, I have nothing against a cute, cheesy, and unrealistic romance - in movies. In books, I find myself rolling my eyes and craving more depth. Stanton's latest is predictable in every way from the coincidental meetings of Prince Nikolai and Becca to their swimming adventures, balcony conversations, and stolen kisses. Unfortunately, I went into this novel expecting something a little If "The Prince and Me" and "The Lizzie McGuire" movie had a love child, Royally Lost would be it. Frankly speaking, I have nothing against a cute, cheesy, and unrealistic romance - in movies. In books, I find myself rolling my eyes and craving more depth. Stanton's latest is predictable in every way from the coincidental meetings of Prince Nikolai and Becca to their swimming adventures, balcony conversations, and stolen kisses. Unfortunately, I went into this novel expecting something a little more like Just One Day and Wanderlove and, as such, was disappointed by the rather silly love story this novel presented.

Royally Lost isn't wholly lost, though. Stanton provides plenty of historical background to the European countries and landmarks Becca visits, making this journey an authentic one, and, moreover, the sibling bond between Becca and her older brother Dylan is realistically written. Becca's entire family situation, from her behavior after her mother's death to the eventual relationship she is able to form with her younger step-mother, is paced impeccably and although it held potential for more, it did attempt to provide Becca's character with more than just "sun-kissed hair" and classic American looks. Nikolai's situation as well - wanted to escape responsibility, not understanding the necessity for a monarch in the twenty-first century, etc. - all felt true to the age group of this teen, but, again, there were so many lost opportunities in the execution of this plot device.

Stanton hits the nail on the head as she uncovers that teens, during this time period in their lives, have no idea what their purpose is or, for that matter, why they must perform duties they dislike or feel no passion for. In this manner, both Nikolai and Becca are thoughtfully put together, giving rise to a perceptive story of growing up. Or, would have given rise to this novel if Nikolai and Becca weren't so caught up in their romance. While the "secret/undercover prince" concept of this story is - thankfully - not the cause of too much drama/angst, the main focus of both these characters remain each other. When Becca doesn't see Nikolai she's worried about him and vice versa. Instead of discussing their looming futures - Becca's college or Nikolai's impending enrollment to serve his country's military - the conversations between these two are increasingly cheesy. Granted, there is a certain degree of growth to both their characters, but the type of depth, resolution, and ultimate discussion I craved - anything similar to Wanderlove or Just One Day in their exploration of teenage opportunity, scope, and perspective - was sadly missing.

Ultimately, I felt as if this story had the potential to be a much better novel than it was. Although Royally Lost is a delightful story to curl up with as a guilty pleasure or feel-good romance, it does little to improve the gap between the YA and NA genres, failing to incite the type of thought-provoking conversations that other travel stories have done in the past. As such, I just cannot recommend this book. Sorry Royally Lost, but you have been better off not being found after all...

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings. ...more

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May 06, 2014 heather - NightlyReading rated it really liked it

If anyone had ever seen the movie Chasing Liberty, and loved it, you will definitely love this book! Royally Lost reminded me so much of the story of Anna & Ben. It had its own little spin that kept me wanting to read more just so that I could finally find out how it all ended.

Poor Becca is literally on the trip from hell with her work-a-holic father, her stepmother which she has no desire to get to know and her party/player brother Dylan. She just had to deal with her awful break up after If anyone had ever seen the movie Chasing Liberty, and loved it, you will definitely love this book! Royally Lost reminded me so much of the story of Anna & Ben. It had it’s own little spin that kept me wanting to read more just so that I could finally find out how it all ended.

Poor Becca is literally on the trip from hell with her work-a-holic father, her stepmother which she has no desire to get to know and her party/player brother Dylan. She just had to deal with her awful break up after her boyfriend hooked up with her best friend and now she is stuck traveling Europe with the family when she really just feels like being at home and hiding in her room all summer. I really did feel bad for her and enjoyed her character immensely! She had actually sworn off men and was starting to realize that she could stand on her own two feet.

Enter Nicolai, whoooooo-wheeeeee! Hot, Hot, Hot!!! Even while I was reading, I just kept imagining his accent…La-swoon!! Nicolai has so many issues of his own. He is the crown prince of Mandovia and is expected to just bow down to whatever his parents say. He has no ruling over his own life and decides that he needs a little break. So he literally takes off without telling anyone where he is going. On one of is lonely afternoons, he spots the beautiful american girl wondering the streets. He does take notice of her but shrugs it off.

That is until they just keep bumping into each other EVERYWHERE they go!

What an adorable love story! I couldn’t get enough of the feels! Once the two characters finally meet, they realize that they have a lot more in common than they had originally thought and the story takes you on a whirlwind romance through the streets of many European cities. This was a bonus in my eyes because I love me some traveling stories!

The other character that I must mention because yes, Nicolai was swoonworthy but so was Becca’s brother, Dylan! yup-yup! He had the whole bad boy vibe going on but also was able to show his tender side by caring so much for his sister. He really had her back throuout the trip and it made me love him even more!

The ending was perfect and exactly what a great book is suppose to give it’s readers:) This is the first book that I had read by Angie Stanton but I am on the lookout for more!!!

...more

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Mar 15, 2014 Saoirse rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2014-publication, arc-copies, didn-t-work-out-for-me, annoying-heroines, ya-standalone, trvl, ya-contemporary, gave-up-on, books-i-wasted-my-time-on, books-i-want-to-hurl

I actually got excited when I got the ARC for this. Some of my friends were talking about it in their blogs, saying how excited they were to read another similar book to Princess Diaries. It was, undeniably, one of the best series I've read about royal people. And I knew better before starting Royally Lost that it's about this make-believe kingdom somewhere in the secluded parts of Europe with make-believe monarchy and make-believe townspeople. I am totally fine with that. Plus, what's better ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 Gabbie (Rampant Readers) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-earcs-and-review-copies

favorite quotes
While part of her longed for him to confess it was because hed fallen for her and couldnt stand to be apart, she really did wonder what the heck a crown prince was doing slumming with an average American girl. Nikolai laughed. I dont know. I guess its a way to be spiteful against my parents by hanging out with an American commoner. He grinned. You jerk. Becca threw him a dirty look, but couldnt hide her amusement.

why I picked it up

Foreign boy! How could I not?

plot

Royally Lost ...more

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Jan 07, 2014 Amber rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, contemporary, young-adult, romance, 2014, swoonworthy-males, royalty, may, travel-road-trips

This was such a cute read. Review to come...

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Jan 07, 2014 Celine rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc

This review can also be found at YA Midnight Reads

Major disappointment. Those are the words Id use to sum up my feelings for Royally Lost. I picked it up looking for a fun and fluffy read. Unfortunately, it just ended up making me angry. Honestly, I wasnt even looking for something extremely good and meaningful, just a fun, summer read. It seems that that was too much to ask, though. Oh yeah, there will be mild spoilers in this review, but you know, who cares?

Lets start with the biggest problem This review can also be found at YA Midnight Reads

Major disappointment. Those are the words I’d use to sum up my feelings for Royally Lost. I picked it up looking for a fun and fluffy read. Unfortunately, it just ended up making me angry. Honestly, I wasn’t even looking for something extremely good and meaningful, just a fun, summer read. It seems that that was too much to ask, though. Oh yeah, there will be mild spoilers in this review, but you know, who cares?

Let’s start with the biggest problem I had with this novel: the main character, Becca. To sum it up: she’s an ungrateful and unreasonable bitch. There, I said it. She’s on a trip through Europe with her dad, stepmom and brother. Now, I do not expect everyone to be very interested in history and culture (to be honest, I’m not all that interested in history either). But this girl was so incredibly ungrateful! Now, I live in Europe and I’ve actually been to many of the cities described in this novel. Personally, I thought they were beautiful cities and I’ve had an amazing time in all of them. Becca was priviliged to be able to go to Europe and see all that beauty, and all she did was whine about it. Because she hates anything and everything that’s “old”. She hates her parent for “dragging her to Europe”. Excuse me? She’s lucky to go on such a trip, but all she can do is say how much it sucks and how she wishes to go home. But no, the cities are so old an there’s “nothing interesting to do”. I’m sorry, but she visits some pretty big cities (Vienna, anyone?). Do you really think that there’s nothing to do there? Even if you absolutely hate all thing history and culture, there are stores and malls there. Those people need to buy clothes and coffee too. The teenagers there go out. Apparently though, no such thing exists in these old cities. Oh wait, EXCEPT for a McDonald’s, which is where Nikolai takes Bekka to prove that the cities actually are modern. Are you kidding me?

But let’s not forget the unreasonable part of Becca’s character. Because this thing happened. (mild spoilers ahead). Now, on this trip, Becca’s been avoiding her parents as much as possible, roaming the streets on her own (or rather, with Nikolai). She repeatedly lies to them about where she’s been, but still her parents give her a lot of freedom and allow her to do basically anything she wants. Then comes the time that she has to say goodbye to Nikolai, which she dreads because she “loves” him (more on that later). So her brother Dylan comes up with a plan: they’ll go backpacking through Europe with some kids he met (that Becca NEVER met, mind you). At least, that’s what they’ll tell their parents: they will then actually go their own way and go whereever they want. Then their parents refuse to let them go backpacking around Europe with some kids they NEVER met (or in Dylan’s case, knew for a single day). Becca thinks they’re being extremely unreasonable and gives her father “a murderous glare”, and then stomps away. What?? How was his reaction in ANY way unreasonable?

While we’re on the subject of her parents, I’d like to point out that this book suffers from the ever-too-convenient ‘disappearing parent’ syndrome. Basically, Becca calls off everything that would involve her actually spending time with her parents. They even let her most of the time, which is pretty cool of them. But in the moments they actually are around and in the way of a meeting between Becca and her prince, they will always conveniently go offstage. Like that time they ‘ate a bad sausage’ and stayed in their room all day, or when her father was called away because things weren’t going well at work. With the latter, it meant that they had to go back to America. Conveniently (again), though, it wasn’t possible to all go home ate the same time; they could only get two tickets for a certain flight. So what do they do? Becca’s dad and stepmom take the flight and leave their children alone in a foreign country. Let’s not forget that this happened just after they found out that Becca and Dylan wanted to go “backpacking” through Europe and were mad that they weren’t allowed to. Honestly, why didn’t these parents add one and one? Wouldn’t it have been more logical to go in pairs of parent-child? Oh wait, then Becca couldn’t have stayed with Nikolai. Stupid me. *facepalms*

Then there’s Becca’s stepmom, Vicky. Like all stepmothers in literature, Vicky is seen as an evil witch by Becca. She even remarks on how her dad married Vicky “just to fill the void (of her mother’s death)”. Uh, did it never occur to you that maybe your dad happens to love Vicky? For most of the novel, Vicky is seen as nothing more than the person who took Becca’s mother’s place. Fortunately, in the end Bekka realizes that she may not have been fair towards Vicky and she opens up to her. That is the one thing I liked about this novel, and I considered giving this an extra half star because of it. However, while writing this review I’ve become more and more angry so this book can forget its extra half star. So there!

Onto the thing that could make or break this novel: the romance. The short version: it broke the book. The long version: it was cheesy as hell instant love. The ONLY reason Becca and Nikolai ever noticed each other was because apparently they both look very good. And really, this “love” that they have by the end of the book isn’t based on much more than that. Nikolai was just a really bland character, and all we know about him is that he’s handsome and a runaway prince. That’s it. I literally couldn’t tell you any more about him or his personality. But of course, Becca loves him. Then there’s the love that Nikolai feels for Becca, which isn’t based on much more. All he knows about her is that she’s pretty, that she “loves nature” (which is what Becca told him, yet we never see any examples of it), and that she’s “funny” (spoiler alert: she isn’t.). Oh, and let’s not forget the most clichéd line ever: “You’re different from any other girl I’ve met”. This is what their love is based on, and nothing more than that. I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it.

In all, this was such a disappointment. Combining absent parents, annoying characters and instant love, Royally Lost was the exact opposite of what I was looking for. I’d hoped this was a fun read, yet it just made me angry. The verdict: no thank you.

~Thank you HarperCollins for sending me this copy~ ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Online Eccentric Librarian rated it did not like it

Shelves: arc, romance

More reviews at the Online Eccentric Librarian http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

When choosing to read this book, I believed that such a well-trod YA trope (normal girl meets Prince and falls in love) would not have been published without some kind of charm or angle to make it unique. Sadly, I was wrong. This is a generic, pointless, vapid retread that the author has distilled to appeal to the absolute lowest common denominator tween girl. There's nothing original, intelligent, charming, or even fun
More reviews at the Online Eccentric Librarian http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

When choosing to read this book, I believed that such a well-trod YA trope (normal girl meets Prince and falls in love) would not have been published without some kind of charm or angle to make it unique. Sadly, I was wrong. This is a generic, pointless, vapid retread that the author has distilled to appeal to the absolute lowest common denominator tween girl. There's nothing original, intelligent, charming, or even fun in this story.

Story: Prince Nikolai grows tired of being a prince of "Moldova" and runs away on a European jaunt. In Budapest, he meets an American girl, Becca, who is on vacation with her family. He follows her like a crazy stalker across various European locales, insta luv ensues, his family and the paparazzi find him and drag him back to responsibility, and Becca mopes and harangues about how annoying it is to have to see European culture.

I am greatly impressed, though, at how the author has deftly given us probably the most unlikeable and unrealistic characters ever to disgrace print (or kindle, in my case). Becca spends most of the book insulting or being disgusted with her parents or European history. Yes, she has a tough life with her rich daddy and new stepmom, who is trying her best to give Becca and her perpetually-horny brother a great experience. Her brother spends the entire book hitting on girls and both of them either ignore, insult, or disregard the cardboard figures...er parents. Nikolai is a purse - he's there to make Becca look good and that's about the extent of his personality. He sees her, falls insta luv, and for the life of any reader, none of us can see any reason why whatsoever. She mopes, she sulks, she isn't adventurous, heck, she can't even figure out maps or directions.

About half way through the book, I soon realized that this is just a very oversimplified teen wish fantasy - a Big Mac for those who could have had a steak instead. Honestly, I very rarely pan a book and typically can find some redeeming qualities. But this was pure and utter drivel - and not even original drivel at that.

So yes, let's travel to all those amazing European cities so we can have Becca whine about how boring and backwards Europe is and her brother can work some STD's through the populace. Oh, and the prince can use his motorcycle to chase her boat along the Danube to various cities and stalk her like a psycho. Intelligence among characters is clearly overrated and might alienate less discerning (read: half a brain) tweens.

There's also very lazy writing in here. Things like having a Prince in Europe who is descended from British royalty yet speaks American English, not British. Or that said Prince decided to go to the city of Melk randomly because 'his parents took him there one day' yet when showing Becca around the abbey there, says he wrote a whole term paper on it for college (you'd think someone who wrote a term paper on a building in Melk might consider that a neat place to go, rather than because his parents took him there once?). Even worse, rich and privileged Becca, whining about her horrible first class vacation, and then going into a church with gold everywhere and wondering if the peasants would have rather used the gold for food instead. Really? How about modern day peasants getting food instead of your whiney European vacation?

There are coincidences enough in this book to make a reader slap forehead and exclaim loudly, "deus ex machina!" or "Mary Sue!" I can't believe that with all those amazing European destinations, the author couldn't find a way to make them interesting and instead the couple has to go out to a lake in order to be impressed.

So yes, this is a harsh review. I'd rather watch Julia stiles in the Prince and Me, Hathaway in the Princess Diaries, or any other number of "American commoner meets a prince" type of movies/stories than this lifeless heap of words. Reviewed from an ARC. ...more

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Jan 06, 2014 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss, read-in-2014, 5-stars, favorites, contemporary, young-adult, arc, kindle, new-adult, chick-lit

Review Posted on Reading Lark 4/4/14: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/...

I have been reading a lot of dark and serious stuff lately. It seems even the fantasy novels I have been reading have had some dark edges. Its always nice to cleanse the reading palate with something totally different and when I am in the mood for something happy I always reach for a contemporary romance. I have been excited to read this one for awhile, but I had no idea I'd love it so much that I would polish it off Review Posted on Reading Lark 4/4/14: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/...

I have been reading a lot of dark and serious stuff lately. It seems even the fantasy novels I have been reading have had some dark edges. Its always nice to cleanse the reading palate with something totally different and when I am in the mood for something happy I always reach for a contemporary romance. I have been excited to read this one for awhile, but I had no idea I'd love it so much that I would polish it off in a span of about 24 hours. Royally Lost is the perfect read for warmer weather.

Traveling to Europe isn't really in my budget at the moment, but it is something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. I was initially intrigued by this novel because of it's European setting. When time and money do not allow for travel, a book is always a great compromise. I loved getting to spend time in cities like Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. I was pleasantly surprised that there was also a good bit of history littering the text. Unlike one of the main characters, Becca, I love history and was super jealous of all of the tours she was going on with her family.

In addition to the setting and history, I really enjoyed the characters. I wasn't sure that Becca and I were going to be on the same page at first, but she quickly grew on me. I stopped seeing her as a whiner and started to understand that she just craved a little freedom to decide who she wanted to become. I also loved her relationship with her brother, Dylan.

I also adored Nikolai; he is certainly a literary guy worth getting to know. Nikolai is the prince of Mondovia, a small European country. He has no desire to become King, but his parents refuse to listen to his thoughts on the issue. They keep forcing him to make public appearances and begin to talk of forcing him to join the military. Nikolai just wants to be an average guy with a normal life, but that seems impossible due to his royal blood. He can't handle the pressure and strict rules so he takes off on a European adventure. Along the way, fate entwines his path with Becca's and a sweet summer romance ensues. Interestingly enough, the fast connection between these two didn't irk me the way "instalove" typically does.

In addition, I couldn't help thinking about the movie, The Prince and Me, as I was reading. There are a few similarities between Royally Lost and the film, but Stanton does a nice job of setting her story apart from the one I previously loved on the screen. There were no direct connections between these two other than the ones my mind naturally made on its own. I loved that movie as a teen so it's no surprise to me that I also loved Royally Lost. Who doesn't want their own Prince Charming?

The romance between Becca and Nikolai captivated me. I stayed up much later than I typically would during the week because I didn't want to stop reading. I loved spending time in Europe with Becca and Nikolai; I could easily see myself rereading this one. This wasn't a life altering read, but it was a highly enjoyable one for me. It's nice to have lighter reads from time to time; this one is pure fun.

One Last Gripe: I found it difficult to believe that Nikolai never learned Becca's last name in all of their time together. There were a few frustrating moments like this one, but I chose to ignore them and not allow them to keep me from enjoying the story.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: I loved the romance; it's also a fairly chaste romance even though these characters are venturing into New Adult territory in age. The scenes with the locks made me swoon.

First Sentence: Crown Prince Nikolai forced a print-worthy smile as he exited the antiquities museum.

Favorite Characters: Becca and Nikolai

Least Favorite Character: Visar
...more

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May 03, 2014 Asheley rated it really liked it

Read my full review HERE at Into the Hall of Books.

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton another one of those really great books that is perfect for those in-between times - it was light romance and travel around Europe and having fun while Becca is on a European vacation with her family. She never meant to have a fun romance while she was there - and certainly not with royalty! Nikolai just had to escape his parents and everything royal after being under the scrutiny of the public eye and the pressure Read my full review HERE at Into the Hall of Books.

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton another one of those really great books that is perfect for those in-between times - it was light romance and travel around Europe and having fun while Becca is on a European vacation with her family. She never meant to have a fun romance while she was there - and certainly not with royalty! Nikolai just had to escape his parents and everything royal after being under the scrutiny of the public eye and the pressure of the monarchy for his entire life. After having his future mapped out for him without any room for his own opinions, he decided on a whim to just LEAVE, so that's what he did. A chance meeting places Becca in his path and, and then the two cross paths a couple more times before they decide to hang out together while Becca vacations. They have a ton of fun along the way while Nikolai tries to evade the paparazzi, but once he is spotted and Becca figures out who he is, things get a little bit crazy.

Becca never wanted this vacation with a family she doesn't feel very connected to. She and her brother are like opposites - she always does what she is told, never gets into trouble. Dylan, however, is a bit of a rebel, always doing the opposite of what is told. While on this trip, Becca gets fed up with the lack of attention her father gives her despite always craving his love and affection, so she decides to just stop trying so hard. While basically ditching as many "family" events as possible, she stealthily carries on her own vacation with new friend Nikolai as her trip around Europe progresses. Nikolai follows along with her journey on his motorcycle. Before meeting Nikolai, Becca was not having a good time. After meeting him, she has the time of her life.

Nikolai does not reveal his true royal identity to Becca at first, and it is a while before she figures out who he is. This is how he comes to know that they are really compatible as friends and then as two people that kinda-sorta like one another, and then more. Nikolai LOVES the freedom he experiences as he navigates Europe on his own without constant supervision and he learns a great deal as well, like how to manage his own budget and how to do things for himself.

I like Nikolai as a character, and I like Becca and Dylan as well. I think that the odds of something like this really happening are pretty rare, and I think that it is pretty incredible just exactly how far all three of them go to be rebellious to each set of parents, but ultimately it made a really fun story and a fun romance. Once the public realized that Nikolai was traipsing around Europe, the travels became even more fun to read about, and reading them as American non-royalty was very much like experiencing the entire event through Becca's eyes, minus the romance. I think brother Dylan's secondary role in the story is one of the funnest parts because he always just threw caution to the wind and did whatever, and I think sometimes it is really neat to read what we all wish we could actually experience.

Royally Lost is a fun, quick read - another light romance from Angie Stanton for my shelf. I've read enough by this author now that I feel comfortable in going to her books for certain types of read, and I really like that a lot. This is a quick, easy, fun romance that might not necessarily be plausible every day of the week, but is a heck of a lot of fun to read. I recommend Royally Lost by Angie Stanton for fans of fun, light romances that do not include triangles, fans of stories that include travel, and fans of European settings. ...more

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Apr 30, 2014 Anasheh Satoorian rated it really liked it

Actual 3.5

This was my first Angie Stanton book and I was excited to start it. Very soon after I started reading the story it reminded me in certain of JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman. In certain instances this is a deterrent for me from enjoying the book, but in the case of Royally Lost it actually made me more excited to read on.

The story is about a recent high school graduate who is on a European vacation with her family. For most teenagers a trip like this would be exacting and one that is Actual 3.5

This was my first Angie Stanton book and I was excited to start it. Very soon after I started reading the story it reminded me in certain of JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman. In certain instances this is a deterrent for me from enjoying the book, but in the case of Royally Lost it actually made me more excited to read on.

The story is about a recent high school graduate who is on a European vacation with her family. For most teenagers a trip like this would be exacting and one that is anticipated with joy. But for Becca is anything but that. For Becca it is another attempt by her Step-mother to try to get them to get closer as a family. A family dynamic which has been missing since the death of Becca's mother. A trip of anywhere would have been one that she was dreading, but Becca believes Europe is boring filled with one ancient church after the next. Dylan, Becca's brother is able to make the best of any situation but Becca, all she wants is an ice-cold Diet Pepsi and to go home.

Our other main character is Nikoli a crowned prince who feels trapped in the responsibilities of this position and the stifling way his parents insist of keeping the monarchy from modernizing and doing what is best for their country. Forced to join the military against the wishes, Nikoli does the only thing he can think of and runs away.

In chance meeting in Budapest, Nikoli and Becca's paths cross and they find an almost immediate attraction towards one another, but it was passing glance as Becca has to rejoin her family on their ship. But fait strikes again and their paths cross one more in a different port and this time the decide to spend some time together. The spend time getting to know each other and they realize that despite their differences they seem to have the same problems. Both of them are desperate to live their own lives are forced to follow the wishes of their parents. But the one thing they don't talk about is the fact that Nikloli is a prince and that his family is after him. Will the truth come out? And what will happen to once their summer is over and they both must return to their lives?

There were many aspects of this story that enjoyed. I enjoyed reading about the Becca and Nikoli's European adventures. I also really enjoyed Nikoli's character and his beliefs and what he wants to accomplish in this country. I loved also reading about the relationship between Dylan and Becca. I am a sucker for an overprotective brother and certain things that Dylan says that is super cute and brought a smile to my face.

But my biggest issue with the book unfortunately was that I could not find myself relating much to Becca. She knew nothing about European history and frankly was almost ignorant about anything other than McDonalds French fries and diet Pepsi. I know many American's are unfamiliar with European history but can appreciate the beauty of the country and enjoy exploring the country and not be so aloof and uninterested in anything besides a European boy.

However that being said. I did enjoy reading this book and finished it one day. Despite Becca's uninterested in Europe I frankly loved reading about the different places Becca and Nikoli adventures and made me miss my own European vacation.
...more

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May 04, 2014 Dawn Smith rated it it was amazing

I was given an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever been on one of those vacations where all you really want to do is go home? Becca is vacationing with her family and having a miserable time. Her father is unemotional, her mother is just a little too much, and her brother is driven by his hormones. Becca is miserable.
Nikolai just wants to escape. He just wants to be a regular guy. He and Becca meet and decide to get lost together. Little does Becca know ...more

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Jul 03, 2014 Ivey Byrd rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Royally Lost will take you on a journey of Europe and first love, and you will not want to miss it. I really loved this book. Everything about it was amazing. It had everything from romance and swoon worthy scenes to adventures and thrilling action. I could easily imagine myself in Becca's shoes and the thrill of exploring a foreign country made me quickly fall in love with this book and its characters. Nikolai had me swooning and flailing around like an idiot at his romantic and witty banter. ...more

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Jan 04, 2014 Stacee rated it did not like it

Shelves: edelweiss, read-in-2014

I'm not even sure what to say about this. Right off the bat, I didn't care for either of the MCs, but I kept reading because I was hoping for something, some spark or swoon to keep me going.

Both Becca and Nikolai are so whiny. About everything. She gets lost all the time [seriously, ALL THE TIME], which started to get old. I mean, if you have a phone that's going to let you email and text internationally, wouldn't you have gps? Also, they seemed to repeat a lot of their conversations, with ...more

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Apr 24, 2014 Judith rated it did not like it

Shelves: reviewed, for-review, read-in-2014

Rating: 1 star

To be completely honest, I probably wouldnt have finished Royally Lost if it hadnt been the only review copy left on my e-reader at the time, and I didnt have to wait a couple of hours in between classes without friends. I must also admit that I havent read the second part of the book as closely as I normally would, and that I ended up skimming some passages because I couldnt handle rolling my eyes more than I already did. In short: I really, really didnt like Royally Lost, which ...more

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