by Caroline Hallemann

A Nonfiction, 2026 by Putnam, 384 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Some of the text is a bit dry. Not to textbook levels, thankfully, but back from the personal touch some nonfiction can bring.
• A lot of time is spent on the women in the histories here. Not a problem, per se, but this wasn’t indicated in the description. This could’ve been billed as Women in the Kennedys and Windsors book. I wasn’t expecting the focus to be so heavily on Jackie, Diana, and Meghan. 
• The focus on fashion was exhausting for someone who doesn’t care about fashion. The colors, the iconic outfits, even time spent on designers. It bored me. 

What I Did Like:

• When you set out to write about two families that have always had press, it’s difficult to tell something that hasn’t been told. By focusing on women and siblings, the author makes an effort to do that. 
• There are a lot of similarities between the families that I had never noticed before. There are also some connecting threads I hadn’t thought of. Basically, this book set out to prove how similar the two lineages are and did a decent job of that.
• Well researched. The author has clearly reviewed many sources in order to compile the material in this book. There are nods to the books some information came from in the text. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Fans of the Kennedy and Windsor lines, obviously, will appreciate the sprinkling of new information presented.

My Rating: 3 Stars

• This is really for a niche group of readers interested in these particular lineages.