Alexandra Brown Chang's debut, By Invitation Only, is a beguiling, stylish YA novel that features two teenagers devoted to proving their mettle at the world's most high-profile debutante ball in Paris.
Small-town high school senior Piper Woo Collins is the winner of a "science and engineering competition" so prestigious, it won her coverage in Teen Vogue. She's been accepted to Columbia University to study environmental science, but the "hedge funder" who was giving her a scholarship to attend pulled all funding to the school after "the university revoked his son's fraternity charter." A scholarship-sized miracle arrives in the shape of an invitation to La Danse des Débutantes; the showrunner of the exclusive debutant ball sees Piper in Teen Vogue and offers her a scholarship to both La Danse and Piper's first year of Columbia if she agrees to be their "Cinderella story." At La Danse, Piper's roommate is "nepo-baby" Chapin Buckingham, the daughter of a movie star and a rock star, and "the closest thing America has to royalty." Chapin is desperate to win Deb of the Year: if she does, she might gain her mother's approval and, more importantly, get off Columbia's waitlist. Hardworking Piper and society-girl Chapin are immediately at odds, and both are determined to win.
Through alternating points of view, readers follow protagonists and foils Piper and Chapin as they fight their individual and joint battles for recognition, acceptance, and the crown. Chang develops a magical Paris where she explores friendship, self-discovery, social class, privilege, and--of course--fashion. By Invitation Only is perfect for those who enjoy Cecily von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl series or Katharine McGee's American Royals. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer