By Invitation Only: Entering the World of the Rich and Elite

Warning: This review contains spoilers.

Not every young girl dreams of being a princess. In Alexandra Brown Chang’s YA novel, By Invitation Only, Piper Woo Collins’ dream was always to become an inventive scientist. When she wins the International Science Fair Prize, gets a feature in Teen Vogue magazine, and earns a scholarship to attend her dream school, Columbia University, she’s ecstatic to come closer to achieving her goal.

However, her scholarship is suddenly revoked due to an heir’s fraternity scandal, and Columbia begins to feel like a far away dream. When a mysterious letter is delivered to her door to invite her to the prestigious Parisian debutant ball, La Danse des Débutantes, she’s faced with a difficult decision: Jump blindly into the world of the rich and famous for a chance at earning a new scholarship, or find a way to make enough money in one summer to pay for her first semester at Columbia. With the encouragement of her best friend Seb and her dad, and a little social media mishap, she takes the leap and heads on an all-expenses paid trip to Paris, ready to charm the debutantes and cavaliers and hopefully earn the financial support to attend her dream school.

Piper was never in the plans for Amélie Bouchon, the creator of La Danse des Débutantes. However, when young model Storey Ricci is caught stealing from a Sephora, there’ no other choice but to cut her from the lineup of debutantes to save the reputation of the event. With such a short amount of time left to find a replacement debutante, Bouchon and her assistant, Bardot Sinclair, scour the internet, where they stumble upon Piper’s feature in Teen Vogue. With her humble yet decorated background, high intelligence, and her innovative Polymer invention designed to revolutionize the farming industry, she was the perfect replacement to add some variety to the lineup of of nepo babies who basically were born into the group.

Piper is assigned to share a room with Chapin Buckingham, daughter of a famous actress and rockstar. Becoming further intertwined with Chapin’s life, Piper is paired with her elder brother, Dalton Buckingham, as her cavalier for the ball. During the week of training leading up to the big event, there’s an onslaught of drama involving love, betrayal, sex, and lost trust, that eventually leads to a lost scholarship, a major arrest, and the crowning of two Débutantes of the Year. Amid the chaos, Piper and Chapin also discover who they truly are, and the pair also build a stronger bond with their loved ones, new and old. The end of their debutante journey signifies the end of one chapter of their lives and the start of the next chapter—together. 

While it can be hard to believe how wildly bad Piper’s luck is, everything happens in order for her to grow. At just 18 years old, all the debutantes are still young, impressionable, and maturing, and By Invitation Only captures their subtle innocence and uncertainty in a way that feels natural. They’re vying for the top spot in a prestigious ball, but at the end of the day, Chapin is simply seeking affection from her mom, and Piper is hoping to secure her future while also honoring her mom’s legacy and wishes. They share fun, lighthearted moments of girlhood together, shopping in Paris and sharing midnight snacks while watching movies in their shared room. They gossip, they laugh, they argue, and they cry, just like a normal pair of friends or even sisters would.

Chang did a fantastic job of painting each setting—from the streets of Paris to the inside of historical buildings in Versailles. Each character and scene was vivid with details, making it easy to visualize each beautiful ballgown and the characters’ expressions. Even in moments of betrayal, such as Miles’ face when he was being taken away, it was clear to picture his once kind face morphing into a furious snarl. 

The story follows difficult times and situations for many of the characters, but there are still moments of comic relief, girlhood and youthful joy. It was particularly enjoyable to see how both Dalton and Piper’s relationship, and Chapin and Raphael’s relationship, develop. Even with so much happening in their lives, the young adults still kept their hearts open to learning more about themselves and about loving themselves and others. Scenes of familial bonding also stood at the forefront of memorable moments, especially for Chapin who wanted nothing more than her mom’s approval and love. Her mom Ella’s final show of solidarity with her daughter during the ball was heartwarming, eliciting emotion not just from the characters, but for any reader as well. And though Piper lost her mom, she’s never forgotten throughout the novel, remembered in sweet moments spent with her dad. 

The format of the novel itself also makes the story interesting to follow along. Being able to see both Piper and Chapin’s point-of-views alternate during the same situations creates a unique perspective, allowing audiences to see the difference in their mindsets and thoughts. The back-and-forth switching, though frequent, does not make the story hard confusing. On the contrary, it’s done so seamlessly that it helps the story move along. It also provides a complete ending for each of the main characters, avoiding any cliffhangers that could leave a reader unsatisfied and wrapping up the plot nicely with a simple time jump.

Ultimately, By Invitation Only is a great read for anyone looking for a whimsical coming of age story set in the world of debutantes. Worthy of a screen adaptation, the story immerses audiences in the lives of the elite during their busiest week in Paris, experiencing moments straight out of a dream.