Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eARC.

What a balm. I have been madly refreshing NetGalley to see if and when this sequel to the beloved <i>The Royal We</i> would show up and I am glad I did. This book picks up right where the first left off and in this volume we get to dig even deeper into the inner workings of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan's alternate dimension royal family, and into what happens behind the scenes of a royal happily ever after.

The gang's all here in this book Bex and Nick, Freddie (of course), Gaz, Cilla, Bea, etc. (much less Lacey this time, but what we do see of her is lovely), but the real standouts are Queen Eleanor and the Queen mum, Marta. We get to see much more about their family and who they are both as women and as figureheads. Plus, we meet Georgina, this universe's Princess Margaret, who is no longer living, but still makes her presence felt for these characters.

What shines through in this book is Heather and Jessica's knowledge of all things royal and their commitment to creating deeply human characters who are or feel like they are in weird boxes. There's a reason many people watch the royal family - they are humans inhabiting singular positions, and these authors do an admirable job exploring this tension. This is a kinder Succession, a funnier The Crown, and everything I needed during a global pandemic.





Note and minor spoiler: There is a miscarriage and infertility plot line.