By Invitation Only

By: Alexandra Brown Chang

Narrated by: Ferdelle Capistrano, Jade Wheeler

A hard-working teen hoping to land a college scholarship and a nepo baby looking to prove herself collide at the world’s most high-profile debutante ball in Paris in this young adult romance perfect for fans of American Royals and Better Than the Movies.

Every year, a hand-selected group of young women travel to Paris to make their debuts into high society at La Danse des Débutantes, the most exclusive debutante ball in the world. Being wealthy, royal, or famous gets you into the pool of potential debutantes, but only La Danse decides who is truly worthy of attending.

Chapin Buckingham, the daughter of two Hollywood legends, is one of the lucky few chosen to attend. Chapin’s not usually a society girl, but she has her reasons for wanting to be crowned Debutante of the Year. Her chances seem good…until a fellow debutante creates a PR nightmare that has the eat-the-rich cohort calling for La Danse’s cancellation.

Enter Piper Woo Collins. As the daughter of an EMT and winner of the International Science Fair Prize with a profile in Teen Vogue, Piper is the perfect, down-to-earth person who could restore La Danse’s reputation. But Piper isn’t interested in becoming a debutante—until they offer her a college scholarship…if she wins Debutante of the Year.

In competition for the crown, Piper and Chapin have every reason to clash. But at La Danse, everyone wants something. Piper and Chapin might just need each other to go from pawns in a game to ruling the board…

©2025 Alexandra Brown Chang (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Predictable

Strong word building couldn’t make up for the utterly predictable plot. After one chapter from each MC, I correctly predicted the ending. The voices of the narrators were indistinguishable so knowing who was telling the story at what time was impossible.

Good YA

Fantastic concept and really nice YA book. Easy read and not particularly complex. I’m an adult reader so a little simpler than I usually go, but still super entertaining.