Royals, by Rachel Hawkins

I have no idea if Rachel Hawkins timed the release of her new book Royals to coincide with the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or if it was just a happy accident, but either way people looking for a little more royal-wedding action have absolutely lucked out. Hawkins's heroine is Daisy Winters, a cheerfully brash Florida girl with wild hair, a great best friend, and geeky-but-thrilling summer plans involving a fantasy convention. Unfortunately, Daisy's summer—and the rest of her life—changes gears when her perfect older sister Ellie comes home to make an announcement: Ellie is marrying the crown prince of Scotland, and the Winters family has been summoned across the pond to undergo some rigorous training in appropriate royals-adjacent behavior.

I only have two complaints about this book, and both are easily resolved if Hawkins chooses to expand her story into an ongoing series: there are a handful of dangling plot threads, and the novel is so light and fluffy that it feels a little disposable. The loose ends could obviously be tidied up in future installments, and there are plenty of potential sources of drama, should the author choose to explore them. But even if Royals remains a one-off, YA fans should still check it out—it's a funny, romantic, frothy beach read, and this summer, at least, we can pat ourselves on the back for reading something “topical”.