New Year’s Day in the Australian outback is not turning out how twenty-nine year old Lexi Villers had envisioned.  One minute she is camping with her two best friends – Finn and Jack – and she is about to make what feels like a stronger connection with Jack, when a helicopter interrupts.  Out steps her grandmother’s long-time personal assistant, Stewart, and he lets her know that there has been a terrible accident and she needs to return home to England immediately.  

Lexi’s grandmother is the Queen of England, and due to a skiing accident Lexi is now first in line for the crown.  Despite leaving on bad terms years earlier, and vowing that she would not take part in the royal family’s drama moving forward, Lexi quickly resumes her royal duties. Her relationship with her family and the Crown is a complicated one. Since birth she has felt immense pressure to conform to her family’s expectations, and with little guidance she has always had to decide how to navigate her personal ambitions and her inherited responsibilities.  And this time home is no different, with the Queen giving her a year to decide if she will assume her rightful position, next in line for the crown, or if she will officially renounce it for good.  

Lexi is unsure what to do.  She has built a beautiful life of her own in Australia.  She has friends, a career, a solid place that feels like her own.  But being “next in line” she feels a strong sense of duty to help her family.  Over the next year Lexi learns a lot about herself, her family, her friends and her country.  In the end, a scandal threatens her plans and she must decide how she wants to live the rest of her life. 

I saw this contemporary fiction novel promoted as a “modern fairytale,” and that might not be the best description, but it is a great hook to get people  interested in the book. Readers who enjoy stories where the characters are the heart of the story will likely find this one engaging and memorable. The book has something for everyone – drama, romance, intrigue and feminism.

My favorite part of the book is the pacing. There are pockets of intrigue and drama, but also quiet scenes where Lexi looks internally at her choices. The author seems to employ this so readers can have a behind the scenes look and consider why the characters act as they do it. The author unfolds the story a bit at a time, through flashbacks and it is effective in keeping the action moving and hooking the reader. The timing is spot on, and notably, the dialog is clearly delivered.

All-in-all this novel is easy-to-read and entertaining. Questioning where one fits in the world is one that most people struggle with, making the story engaging and accessible to many.  

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

Find the book in the catalog.