The writing was solid with well-considered characters, realistic social observations, and an interesting premise.
The plot was self-indulgent, veering off into perspectives and underdeveloped, random side romances that only distracted from the main characters. More so, those forays into irrelevant vignettes never went anywhere, making their inclusion make even less sense. The over-attention to details about clothing and hair probably could fill a whole two hours of this book.
The reason I gave the story three stars is that while there was a happily ever after, the author’s straining to tie everything up neatly with a bow resulted in Edward, the prince we’re all reading for, having a secret wedding out of the public eye, and he’s whisked off with his love on an immediate honeymoon, meaning he’s not even out at his (straight) brother’s wedding. So the whole point of the book – Edward coming publicly into his identity – feels like another step back into the closet. Even with the promises of a public announcement, doing Isaac and Edward’s wedding behind closed doors seems like just more of the image-pandering and shame that the royal family was learning to break free of.