Book: By Invitation Only
Published: September 2, 2025
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: YA Contemporary
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. What this means is that if you purchase anything through the links I have provided for you, then I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please consider supporting my blog.
About Invitation Only
Every year, a hand-selected group of girls heads to Paris for an exclusive ball. Being wealthy, royal, or famous is what gets you in the pool of choices, but La Danse is the only one who decides who is worthy.
Chapin is the daughter of two Hollywood legends and has been looking forward to this for a long time. She has a good chance of winning, too, until another girl stirs up a PR nightmare.
Piper is the down-to-earth girl who might just be able to restore its reputation. She’s not interested in participating until they offer to pay for her college. Piper and Chapin are pitted against each other, but they might become unlikely friends.
What I thought
When I was asked to read and review By Invitation Only, I knew I had to get my hands on it. This story sounded right up my alley. I’m going to be honest, though, I’m not really big on fashion or balls for that matter. So, I know if I were invited to this, my answer would be a huge NO! I know I would make a huge embarrassment of myself, and in a way, Piper did kind of embarrass herself.
I do know I didn’t like Chapin all that much. By Invitation Only does a great job of humanizing her. When it comes to famous people and nepo babies, it’s hard to imagine them as regular people. I feel like Alexandra does a really good job humanizing her and actually making her more of a likable character.
However, I was rooting for Piper the entire time. She deserves everything good to go her way. I just hate that she had someone who was completely out to get her and trying to sabotage her. In all honesty, I kind of wish that the woman who brought her there to begin with was just a bit nicer to her. She was the whole reason Piper was there and out of her element to begin with. Over all I really love the story, and I’m so glad that I had the chance to read and review the book. I can’t wait to read more, Aleandra, too!
If you like this post, then you may like most on Soulmatch.