Author Interview: By Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang

In By Invitation Only, debutante drama meets Parisian glamour in a dazzling, high-pressure world where elegance is everything, and secrets lurk behind every waltz. At the heart of the story is La Danse des Débutantes, a ball so opulent and competitive it feels like a character in its own right. Alexandra takes readers inside this glittering arena through the intertwined journeys of Piper and Chapin, two young women from very different worlds who discover that surviving the season may depend on trusting each other. We sat down with Alexandra to talk about building this aspirational yet cutthroat setting, crafting unlikely friendships, and how real-life experiences inspired the book’s most memorable moments.

By Invitation Only

by Alexandra Brown Chang
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
on September 2nd, 2025
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A hard-working teen hoping to land a college scholarship and a nepo baby looking to prove herself collide at the world’s most high-profile debutante ball in Paris in this young adult romance perfect for fans of American Royals and Better Than the Movies.

Every year, a hand-selected group of young women travel to Paris to make their debuts into high society at La Danse des Débutantes, the most exclusive debutante ball in the world. Being wealthy, royal, or famous gets you into the pool of potential debutantes, but only La Danse decides who is truly worthy of attending.

Chapin Buckingham, the daughter two Hollywood legends, is one of the lucky few chosen to attend. Chapin’s not usually a society girl, but she has her reasons for wanting to be crowned Debutante of the Year. Her chances seem good…until a fellow debutante creates a PR nightmare that has the eat-the-rich cohort calling for La Danse’s cancellation.

Enter Piper Woo Collins. As the daughter of an EMT and winner of the International Science Fair Prize with a profile in Teen Vogue, Piper is the perfect, down-to-earth person who could restore La Danse’s reputation. But Piper isn’t interested in becoming a debutante—until they offer her a college scholarship…if she wins Debutante of the Year.

In competition for the crown, Piper and Chapin have every reason to clash. But at La Danse, everyone wants something. Piper and Chapin might just need each other to go from pawns in a game to ruling the board…

Interview with Alexandra Brown Chang

La Danse des Débutantes feels like its own character in the story with it being glamorous, high-stakes, and full of secrets. How did you approach building that world so it felt both aspirational and cutthroat?

Thank you! I absolutely wanted La Danse des Débutantes to feel like a character in its own right. The sparkling, glamorous visuals of La Danse – the flowing gowns, the overflowing champagne, the historical venues – all serve to heighten that sense of aspiration. It’s a world that looks glittering and flawless from the outside, which makes the stakes feel even higher for the girls trying to belong. For Piper, the cutthroat nature of the ball comes through in how much she has to lose. Her entire academic future hinges on navigating this world successfully. As for Chapin, it’s all about living up to her mother’s impossible expectations, which creates this quiet anxiety beneath her polished exterior. The tension between surface-level perfection and internal pressure is what makes this setting feel both aspirational and dangerously competitive.

Piper and Chapin come from such different worlds but end up needing each other to succeed. What excited you most about exploring the tension and eventual connection between these two characters?

As both a reader and writer, I love the trope of unlikely friendships or partnerships. I was incredibly excited to explore these themes with Piper and Chapin’s characters. From the get-go, I wanted to give Piper and Chapin equal narrative weight. Writing in their distinct voices was truly such a joy, and alternating between their POVs felt natural. Their tension begins with completely misplaced assumptions: Chapin thinks Piper is judging her entire world, while Piper sees Chapin as the embodiment of everything she actually resents. Their initial turning point comes when they realize neither of them truly wants to be at La Danse des Débutantes in the expected sense. After facing a series of high-stakes situations that force them to rely on one another, an unexpected but genuine friendship begins to emerge.

This book mixes romance, rivalry, and social commentary in a glittering Parisian setting. Was there a particular moment from your own experience that came to you and sparked the whole story?

For a long time, I knew I wanted to write a story set at a debutante ball in Paris. It always felt like the dreamiest backdrop! When I was 18, I was supposed to participate in a debutante ball in New York, which involved months of preparation: dress fittings, waltz lessons, portrait sittings, and a packed calendar of pre-ball events. Although I ultimately became a debutante dropout, the experience left a lasting impression on me. It made me realize how fascinating that world is and how strong the sense of camaraderie can be among debutantes. The themes of female friendship and connection largely inspired the core of By Invitation Only. I figured that if I found this world compelling, perhaps others might too, and that planted the initial seed for the book.