This book wasn't what I expected. Although it is set during the royal tour of Australia, the focus is on the identical twin sisters who are employed as staff on the tour. I found moments of frustration with both sisters and their decisions but overall, the story is a gentle tale of their evolving relationship with aspects of Australia as the backdrop. There are facts dispersed throughout the chapter headings which offer some context to the locations. Overall, an interesting book with royalty occasionally appearing to offer an additional layer.

As someone who is obsessed with the royal family (one of my favorite shows is The Crown), this book was so enjoyable! Although it does not really focus on Queen Elizabeth II as much as I thought it would, I found the Chettle twins fascinating and enjoyed their different perspectives about the royal tour! Having two sisters myself, their relationship was very relatable (though my relationship with my sisters is much more amiable).

I found the plot line unique as I haven’t read any books focusing on this particular portion of The Queens life. The author does a great job tying in the twins story to these royal events. The ending really wraps things up nicely as well. Be sure to check this book out when it’s released on April 13th!

Thank you Harper Collins UK/HQStories for letting me read this enjoyable book and well done Andrew Mackie!

I am a massive fan of the Royal Family and loved watching Netflix's The Crown so I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy of this book to review.

Identical twins Violet & Daisie Chettle find themselves part of the Royal Tour of Australia in 1954. Whilst Violet is happy to carry out her duties after embarassing herself in front of the Queen on her first day, ambitious Daisie wants more and employs a vast array of devious methods to get to the top. Unfortunately Violet is hiding a secret that will break the twins fragile bond.

I found this book enjoyable although sometimes it was a little bit too far fetched for my liking. I did not believe that the twins; Daisie inparticular, would have gotten as much access to the Royal Family as stated. However the fun of the book is that is is a story made up around a smattering oftrue facts so you have to keep reminding yourself that throughout.

I liked the story but it didnt blow me away so 3 stars from me.

I enjoyed this book, set in 1954, about twin sisters Violet & Daisie who set on an adventure as maids on the royal tour of Australia. I liked the authors style of writing and the steady pace of the story being told. I found the twins characters not very likeable to begin with, though did feel for violet towards the end. It has some laughable moments in there, and some interesting facts about Australia. A good historical read.

This book was surprising to say the least! I completely underestimated the plot, the anger between the sisters completely impacted the book and I love how they each had their own storylines but they were intertwined. I started reading it and my first thought was that it was a little hard to get though, however it got a lot easier towards the end! At the start, I loved Daisie however I simply had to change sides and my favourite is now Violet, as I had no clue what was yet to come. A new plot twist every chapter, I lived, breathed the emotions of each character, I cried at one point and almost threw the book at another. I’m still mad at one particular character. If I had to describe this, I would describe the book as arguing, royal, love, and danger! A great book for a holiday, something both quick and slow to get through, and incredibly enjoyable.

A good read exploring the rivalry of twins and wondering what would happen next. It was a novel twist to link the twins exploits with the Royal tour. It was amusing to follow Daisy’s attempts to belong to the upper class. The story kept you engaged although it took a couple of chapters for me to get into.

A remarkable historical novel telling the story of sisters aboard the royal ship sailing towards Australia, and their plight to turn their lives around. Loved it!

A must read for all fans of The Crown!! I’m sure that this will be a success in this, the Queen’s platinum jubilee year.

This novel comes out in the year of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, a year when many people will be thinking of the Queen’s long reign. The novel takes place near the start of her reign when she became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia along with Prince Philip. It took me a while to engage with the book which initially centres around twin sisters who are penniless orphans who get the chance to be maids on the Royal tour. Once the tour starts, the book gallops along with the identical twins (both very different in temperament which is an interesting aside to the book) getting into often implausible but nevertheless enjoyable scrapes.. I have to say that I was very glad that the author explained at the end which bits were true and which bits were total fantasy but for some readers that probably wouldn’t matter.

Being an avid reader of historical fiction this book was perfect for me to read & I absolutely enjoyed it.
The story is about a set of twin sisters with very different personalities and based against the backdrop of Queen Elizabeth & Prince Phillip’s state visit to Australia in the early part of her reign. Though I couldn’t feel an affinity to either sister, the story was captivating and I finished reading it in 3 days. The characters have been etched out well and the story moves at a good pace.
This is a must read for those that have enjoyed watching the Crown!

Nineteen year old identical twins Violet and Daisie Chettle can hardly believe their luck when they are recruited as maids on newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II royal ship. It's just the ticket away from cold, grey London and the tension that's been brewing at home since the tragic loss of their parents. But the 1954 royal tour of Australia, is a far cry from the glitz and glamour they had imagined. Life below deck is hard-work, and whilst Violet is prepared to keep her head down and be seen and not heard, Daisie has her sights on doing everything she can to hang up her apron and mingle above deck - even if it means leaving Violet behind.

Set in 1954, on the royal tour of Australia, identical twins Violet and Daisie join the Queens household. I didn't like the twins but I was rooting for Violet to stand up for herself the further I got into the book. I liked that there was some information from the actual tour, this made the story more interesting. There is some humour to this story. I liked the authors writing style and that the pace was steady throughout. This is an intriguing and informative read.

I would lie to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #AndrewMackie for my ARC of #TheJourneyAfterTheCrown in exchange for an honest review..

If, like me, you’re a fan of The Crown, Bridgerton and Downton Abbey that this book will not disappoint.

The story involves, twins who have faced tragedy, and are only 19, have been offered the job of a lifetime travelling for 6 month whilst the Queen does her tour.

The book is full of hidden secrets from the family and will they be exposed whilst at shore….

I really liked the detail the author goes into for the tour, and love the facts at the beginning of each destination. Even down to describing the weather.

This book will have you gasp, laugh and cry. Not one to be missed!

The Journey After The Crown
by Andrew Mackie
Published date: 13 April 2022
BOOK - 352 pages

I was looking forward to this novel, my first reading of Andrew Mackie and started reading immediately. The summary intrigued me and with a Royal connection, was eager to read and review. At the beginning I was a bit confused. The nineteen years old identical twins, Daisie and Violet's characters were so different. They found employment as maids on the SS Gothic and joined the royal tour of Australia with Queen Elizabeth the second and Prince Philip. As the story commenced, the writing style irritated me and dulled my reading experience of the story.

I am sure there will be lots of readers who will be enthralled by this book, but it was not for me.

I give a 3 star rating only because I was not enthralled.


I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REPLY

A pair of look-alike twins with very different personalities join the Royal entourage for the Queen and Prince Philip’s 1954 Australian tour. One twin is brash, cunning and foolhardy, whilst the other subservient and shy. It’s a fun read of what is actually a believable story of the trials and tribulations of Daisy’s endeavours to wheedle her way into Royal Society, whilst dragging along the reticent Violet until they are finally dispatched from Service, after one too many capers. Some lovely nuggets and laughable incidents only add to the ludicrous situation the twins engineered. Many of the descriptions are reminiscent with what is portrayed on the Netflix serial ‘The Crown’. I liked the style and pace Andrew Mackie brought to this book, along with a wicked sense of humour at the expense of Royalty. Highly entertaining escapism!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HQ for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Identical twins, Violet and Daisy, have been struggling after both parents died, so when they are offered the chance to join the Queens household for a Royal Tour to Australia in 1954, they feel it’s just what they need to help them cope with their loss. But as the tour progresses, they are torn apart by jealousy, ambition and sibling rivalry.

Unless you’ve actually been on a Royal Tour, there is no way of knowing how close this is to what it would really have been like but it’s certainly an interesting premise. I didn’t particularly like either of the twins, but found as the book went on, I was rooting for Violet to stand up for herself. I enjoyed the way the chapters had snippets of information from the real tour, and you do get the sense of the organisation such a trip required. Enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to review this book prior to the release date.

The Queen and Prince Phillip are heading on the 1954 tour of Australia. Violet and Daisie are 19 year old twins who are picked to work as maids on the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II’s royal ship by Lady Caroline Althorp after the previous recruits had to drop out.

The twins jump at the chance of leaving due to tension after the loss of their parents. The work is nothing like they expected and neither are the sleeping quarters. Violet prefers to stay out of the limelight whereas Daisie would do anything to mingle with the royalty above deck.

An act of betrayal that happened back in London comes between the twins but will they ever come back from this and will they ever return home?

I was drew to this book as it was historical fiction which I’ve been enjoying more of lately. The story was interesting but I didn’t find either twin likeable to start with. They both seemed very self centred with no care about who they hurt in the process. However the further I got into the book the more Violet grew on me. Some funny parts that did make me chuckle. Some very interesting real facts in each chapter as well about Australia. Overall a good historical fiction read.

I loved this book, historical fiction that is set in aperiod that I have heard a lot about and watched a lot about but not actually read anything set around or in this period. It was well written with a captivating storyline and well developed characters that merged real life figures with the fictional. I really enjoyed it.