I started this book not knowing much, expecting a fun royal romcom. And I got so much more than that. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next, making predictions where some came true and sometimes the complete opposite happened. Our main character is truly nuanced and not your classic royal, as would be expected with someone born in 1993. I was struck by the charm of this story, the characters, the history. This book made me love Tasmania, a place I have never been. I found this to have its funny moments, its sad moments, it’s surprising moments. If you enjoyed Red White and Royal Blue or Young Royals you will find a lot of enjoyment here. I think it’s actually more accurate and down to earth than those, and brings in some recent politics as well. 4.5 stars!

P.S. There are mentions of disordered eating throughout the book. I think they’re largely stemmed as recovery focused and not endorsing it, but something to be aware of if that bothers you. It wasn’t super central or graphic but just be aware.

I think I was really naive in thinking this would be like the princess diaries because the description of it led me to think it would be something similar and it wasn’t. I like books about royalty which was why I was interested in reading this but I felt that there was too much back and forth between the past and the present and it confused me even though the chapters had dates to identify which was which. I also think there was too much unnecessary details in the plot that made me struggle to read through it. The ending was predictable. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

To be honest I expected this book to be a fun bit of fluff and I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading. It is a well researched, well written account of a young woman at a crossroads. To reclaim the life as a royal that she had shunned since she turned 18, and ultimately ascending to the throne, or to return to Australia and continue her residency and become a doctor. The heavy burden of being born into royalty and the surprise ascension to heir with the deaths of her father and twin brother plays deeply on Lexi's heart.

I loved the well developed characters in this story and the complexity of internal battle that Lexi must face as she balances between two worlds. Such great royal world building and background that led up to the book's plot. I found myself racing through this book and genuinely sad when it was over. The Heir Apparent is one to grab as soon as you can. Five stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Not the right book for me, unfortunately. I couldn’t connect with the MC, and the other characters weren’t particularly likeable. DNF’d at 25%.

Thanks for the advance read. I enjoyed the story and always enjoy a new author. Good luck with the book

What an excellent debut from Rebecca Armitage. I absolutely loved the moral dilemma’s posed to our main characters. My jaw was on the floor the entire second half of the book. You can see where the author drew inspiration from the real royal family and while truth is often stranger than fiction, the author ensured that this fiction is, hopefully, more salacious than the tabloids!

Charming, heartfelt, and full of royal intrigue, The Heir Apparent delivers all the escapism of a modern fairy tale with just the right touch of emotional depth. A story about identity, love, and legacy that feels both timeless and refreshingly current.

Rebecca Armitage does an amazing job in writing this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed in this type of book. I appreciated the modern fairy tale element to this book and how the characters worked in this universe. It was everything that I wanted and was invested in Lexi's story. I was engaged from start to finish and enjoyed how good Rebecca Armitage wrote this, it left me wanting to read more.

Thank you for allowing me to preview this title. I had a hard time getting into this as it felt like a retelling of the recent past of the current British Throne. I love stories that involve royalty and this started strongly with how the family line in the story veered off the family tree into Scottish territory. But the rest of it just felt like we'd been there done that in reality. I wish Ms. Armitage all the best and huge success, this book just wasn't for me.