i want to preface this review by saying that i'm not really a fan of modern royalty - neither as a trope nor in real life - so my opinion might be the tiniest bit biased.

this book is by no means a quick read with its nearly 500 pages and of course not all of it was interesting. but overall, the drama and gossip kept me relatively hooked until the end. 
i really liked the characters interacting with each other, because conflict was nearly always conveyed through dialogue, and even when the dialogue was only used as a filler or a means to develop the characters, it was still entertaining.

whenever the characters were not interacting with each other however, i was horribly bored. the royal life and its logistics did absolutely nothing for me, and neither did the story. the twist at the end wasn't exciting and the whole thing with georgina's life was underwhelming and just sad.

we had some minor commentary on contemporary topics like mental health, war, etcetera, which were handled well, but not extraordinarily so. the authors didn't add anything of value, but the representation in itself was fine.
underlying social commentary about royal life, about the press shoving their noses into things that aren't any of their business and so forth.
i do think nick's mental illness was sort of glossed over, though. it was solved by him going to therapy a couple of times as if that could cure all you problems. boring.
so was freddie's going to war, and the trauma he supposedly brought home. glossed over, never really mentioned again. missed opportunity there.

but i get it, this book is not supposed to be a social commentary. it's a book probably best read on vacation or when you've got absolutely nothing else to do. it's relaxing, funny at times with its very ordinary and safe humour, and uncomplicated, while still keeping you on your mental toes.

a nice read to de-stress while sipping a glass of wine, but not much more than that.