I listened to The Journey After the Crown as an audiobook. It grew on me, but it was incredibly slow to begin with and it took me an age to get to grips with the characters. Daisie and Violet are nineteen-year-old identical twins who have the chance of a lifetime. They are to be maids to Queen Elizabeth II onboard the royal ship, as she and Prince Philip embark on a royal tour of Australia and the Commonwealth.

Whilst the story is long-winded and the characters are unlikable, I did enjoy the story. Some parts shocked me, whilst for much of it I was frustrated by the actions of several people. It was full of drama and interest and worth a read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Whilst based on a true event, the story is entirely fictional, maybe it would have been better if there were more elements of truth included.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review The Journey After the Crown by Andrew Mackie.

An interesting book with a lot of behind the scenes fictional drama of the Queen's trip to Australia in the 50's. Following the lives of identical twin sisters while traipsing through the Outback. A tale of sisterly competition, love, forgiveness and cat-fighting. I also enjoyed how each chapter had a little fact about the part of Australia the group was traveling through. Definitely a fictional tale, but an interesting one.

An enjoyable fictional read based on fact. Did not want this one to end. I would definitely recommend this book.

I didn’t like any of the characters in this book. I also felt as though the plot was so strange. It was very boring and not a lot happened.

This is a cute story for historical fiction fans, lovers of The Crown, and tales about the Royal family. It's great to see the dynamics between the social classes and the upstairs/downstairs interactions definitely give Downtown Abbey vibes. Newly crowned Queen Elizabeth sets out on the 1954 tour to Australia, and twin sisters Violet and Daisie are chosen to serve as maids to the Queen aboard the royal ship. Trying to escape their troubled past and the loss of their parents, they jump at the opportunity, but find out that they cannot completely outrun their secrets. This kept me mostly engaged, but did feel that it was a bit long at times. For fans of historical fiction genre, a great one to check out. Thanks so much to Andrew Mackie, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this book. I made it about 25% in and couldn’t stand the characters. I found them unrelatable & the story a struggle. I’m sorry but this book just wasn’t for me.

Violet and Daisy are twin sisters who, after losing both their parents, find themselves being picked to join HRH Queen Elizabeth's party on her trip to Australia.

The sisters are very alike in appearance but have very different personalities.

The premise is interesting but I didn't find the characters very likeable or the plot very plausible.

An OK story but completely unbelievable at many points. I like my historical fiction to be workable and I feel like if you’re going to write about anything related to the royals you’d better keep it realistic. This falls down in that respect unfortunately, much of what happens would never have been allowed to have taken place. I also didn’t really care enough about either of the sisters or what happened to them by the end.

While I didn't feel it had enough of HRH Queen Elizabeth, I did find the story of the twins, Violet and Daisy, very interesting. This is the story of the two that happened to land in just the right spot where they were picked to join the Queen's party on a trip to Australia. I must say I was shocked at some of the things the girls did, not only. to others, but to each other too.

It’s 1954 and Daisy and Violet Cheetle are twins who find themselves working as maids on the Royal Liner SS Gothic, which is being used to transport the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on their royal tour of Australia. While above deck it’s all luxury and glamour below deck is a different story. The two sisters are chalk and cheese, Violet knows her place and has accepted her station in life Daisy, on the other hand has notions of grandeur and exploits her situation to rise well above hers.
The concept of this story is good, but for me the execution fell short of the mark. Neither sister is likeable at all the story is as far fetched as it is possible to be, lacking any real plot. For me it’s a 2⭐️ book at best.
Thanks to #NetGalley for my advanced copy of this story.

Not my cup of tea but if you’re looking for a beach read it was ok and an easy read. I just didn’t think the characters were very likeable. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is 2.5 stars rounded up.

I found I disliked the main characters and it made reading the book a struggle at times.

Also It wasn’t the glimpse in to life behind the royal scenes that I thought it was going to be. But that’s on me and not the book, I didn’t read the blurb carefully enough.

Certainly full of drama! Evidently based on historical facts but tweaked and injected with copious additional details, Mackie’s ‘The Journey After the Crown’ is, for the most part, a highly entertaining frolic.
Mackie himself admits he is not providing a factual account and that he doubts many elements of his plot would be carried out, or even permitted, within royal society. If you are a supporter of the royal family I think you need to understand this before you begin reading otherwise this can become very frustrating.
Approach this in the right light-hearted frame of mind and you can enjoy a couple of hours reading.

A great tale about twin sisters making their way in the world when they lose their parents. Although they look alike, they are very different people. By becoming maids, they end up going on the Royal tour of Australia where various incidents occur. The interesting part is the story of the tour, and what demands were placed on the household to keep a rigourous two month schedule in a completely foreign environment, trying to always impress and inspire. An interesting family back story ties everything together beautifully

3.5 stars. A highly enjoyable read for anyone who is a fan of The Crown or is a not-so-secret Royal watcher like me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me take a peek at an early copy. My views are my own.

If you love stories that masterfully blur both real life and fictionally seamlessly then you have to read The Journey After the Crown as it's a wonderful depiction of Royal life and two sisters who have no choice but to live it and how it affects their relationship.

Found this to be very slow. It felt like I was just reading a royal circular about events, rather than feeling like being there in the moment. Character development was also very one dimensional. Not the best book I've read about Queen Elizabeth's early reign.

I love historical fiction books that have to do with the Royals. While this one is about maids on tour with the Queen and her husband, the two women in this book are actually maids to one of the Queen's ladies in waiting. So this is not a story of getting juicy royal tidbits. This is a story of twin sisters who are complete opposites and really do not like each other and then they are stuck together on the 6 month royal tour. Obviously lots of drama happens. I did have to suspend reality while reading this book though. The twins would have been sent home a long time ago with all their shenanigans. The only thing is, by the end, you want to see that the characters grew and changed into better people and we don't get that.

"Bit sad, really, how you can see things after it's all too late."

"It's never too late, Violet. Until it is."

I chose this book due to its topical nature (being about the Queen). It was enjoyable read and the twins characters kept you entertained throughout. I struggled with the fictional encounters with the Prince, and the suggestion of his unfaithfulness, but the story and plot itself worked well.

I loved this historical fiction. A family saga with sibling rivalry. It is a great insight into the Royal tour to Australia as seen by those working behind the scenes. I loved the descriptions of the long journey there by ship and the vast difference between the guest accommodation and the staff. Based on the truth there are some great stories that we will just have to wonder which are true and which are fiction. A lovely read.