As a relatively casual royal-watcher drawn in by the excellent premise, I wanted nothing more to like this book. Unfortunately, I think it suffers from not daring greatly enough. A premise like this should provide a launchpad for both satire and character study. However, the book tends to neglect both, in favor of working through twists and double-backs about whether the woman who claims to be Princess Diana "really is" Princess Diana, which is even less interesting than it sounds.

This failure of focus means that the satire element is not heightened enough to register as satire, and that the character work is under-written and largely reliant on tired stories about these public figures. Top billing is given to the idea that Charles is a grown man fixated on one or more teddy bears; true or not, this is decades-old tabloid fodder. In contrast, the recently-confirmed fact that this family routinely leaks stories about one another to the press as a form of cannibalistic PR is relegated to one afterthought throw-away joke. So little of the fresh, colorful weirdness lurking in recent non-fiction accounts of the British Royal Family is conveyed here, and the narrative expresses little insight or even interest into the environmental dynamics between the family, those they rule, and the larger world.

That being said, the book is a fast read with good momentum, and I would likely recommend it to readers interested in the sub-sub-subgenre of "impactful 20th century figure causes stir by being unexpectedly alive" (see: Timor Vermes's "Look Who's Back," the mystery of Princess Anastasia, etc).

A woman jumps into the Seine stating that she is Diana. She bears a resemblance to the People's Princess. Could Princess Diana really be alive? Is this woman a fraud? Told through a very satirical look at the royal family's different perspectives, this story highlights how obsessed the media and people are with the royal family and likewise, how obsessed the royals are with how they are perceived.

I did generally enjoy this book for what it was. It was silly and funny. The writing is pretty good! I can tell that the author has written plays in the past. I do think that it would actually be better in play or novella form. The constant switching of perspectives in short bursts did feel like scenes in a play or movie. I enjoyed the sensationalism of the possible Diana and how the public reacted to this news. The ending was a wild ride and I wish more of the book was like that. I don't think it necessarily does anything new in its critique of the royal family. The Diana aspect was interesting; I found the mystery of is she or isn't she to be compelling to a certain extent. The narrative ended up being a little tedious for me with the constant switching of perspectives, as it didn't lead to deeper characterizations of some of the side royals used in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Riverdale Avenue Books for the eARC!

Duch offers a unique and satirical take on the British royal family, imagining a world where Princess Diana never tragically died. The premise is bold and intriguing, offering a fresh lens through which to view the royals and their relationships.

In the first half of the book, I found myself genuinely laughing out loud, particularly during the bits involving Harry and Meghan. The humor is sharp and engaging, with a keen eye for poking fun at the absurdities of royal life. The author clearly has a knack for wit, and the playful exploration of these characters adds a lot of entertainment value.

However, as the story progresses, it begins to feel overly long. At times, the plot drags, and it seems that there are simply too many characters and subplots vying for attention. While the royal family dynamics were fascinating, the focus on Diana's life started to feel a bit tiresome and repetitive. There's no doubt that the central idea is strong, but the execution would have been even more impactful had the book been edited down by about 100 pages.

Ultimately, Duch is a good read with a strong premise, but it could have benefitted from a tighter narrative. If you’re a fan of royal satire and enjoy a bit of humor at the monarchy’s expense, you’ll likely enjoy this, but prepare for a bit of a slog toward the end.

Duch is the story of a woman who jumps into the Seine proclaiming “I am Diana”, with more than a passing physical resemblance to the former royal Princess of the same name.
The book started really well for me. Lots of laugh out loud moments especially following King Charles and I appreciated that we had short and snappy plot lines following various members including the royals and other narrators. Charles visiting his therapist had me in stitches.
I enjoyed the journey of Duch but it did get a little confusing at times trying to work out the theories behind her identity. The storyline with Alice didn’t add anything for me though. I’m not sure I felt satisfied with the read by the time I had finished it; it felt a bit repetitive at times and the conclusion a little underwhelming.
A quirky fun read and I did feel the author captured the essence of Britishness really well.

This book was definitely a fun read! It was casual but not overwhelmingly light-hearted, and discussed obviously somber topics without making things upsetting. The author pokes fun at both the Royal family, obsessive fans, and the media, without coming across as too serious. I would definitely reccomend this book to a friend if they were interested in anything related to the Royal family.

What if Princess Di were really still alive? When a 64-year-old woman is fished out of the Seine and announces her name is Diana, wheels start to turn. Soon this crazy train is shooting down the tracks without brakes.

Here are three things I liked:
🌹Duch, the unknown, receives so many flowers at her hospital room. She takes all the petals off, puts them in baskets and showers her fans with them. Creative!
🫅I was thrilled for the chance to explore how Diana might have survived and what she would be doing now.
👑There was some fun royal satire. While I do love reading about the royals, they can seem a little silly at times to folks on my side of the pond (Harry and Meghan included).

The style of the book lends itself to a quick and juicy gossip of a read. There was some of that, but I think there were just too many characters involved in the end and some really wacky plot choices. For me, the book was too long! And there was too much French that was not translated. Unfortunately my French is very limited. (Yes, I know there are many technological helps out there. I just wish that all the phrases would have been more conveniently supported.)

Thank you to Riverdale Avenue Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Duch is an entertaining and sometimes hilarious satire that takes a sharp, witty jab at the British royal family. JB Miller’s humor is definitely the book’s strongest point, especially in how the story plays with modern-day conspiracy theories and the absurdity of celebrity culture.

I was intrigued by the character who calls herself Diana - I am impressed that, while she denies that she is the deceased Princess, she continues to deny those allegations, something that few would do if placed in a comparable situation. "Diana" was very human, and I was more inclined to read her parts than any other POV's in the story.

That being said, the pacing was a bit uneven. While the beginning pulled me in with its quirky premise, the story started to drag as it went on. By the final stretch, I found myself losing interest, and it didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

Still, I appreciate what Miller was going for, and I think readers who enjoy dark humor and satire—especially at the expense of the monarchy—will find a lot to like here. It just didn’t fully hold my attention all the way through.

A woman in France is rescued after jumping off a bridge, claiming to be Diana, and the press dubs her "her royal maybeness," though the royal family wants nothing to do with her. Meanwhile, King Charles searches for his lost teddy bear, Prince William earns a BAFTA for playing a commoner on *EastEnders*, and Queen Camilla is in disbelief over her marriage to the royal family. This humorous, satirical take on the royal family and the media's obsession with them was enjoyable, though it did feel a bit repetitive toward the end.

Duch, by J.B. Miller, is a work of speculative fiction in which Princess Diana may have actually survived the fatal crash that took her life. After Diana Inconnue is pulled from the Seine with a loss of memory, it is speculated that she is in fact the late Princess Diana. What ensues is a sprawling story that involves the British Royal Family, fictional news reporters, and, strangely enough, Jean-Paul Gaultier. It’s a fairly amusing novel, with some biting insights about celebrity, royalty, politics, and international relations. It will be interesting to see how this is received when published wide. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

so, is she or isn’t she? that’s the question that drives this book. a woman wakes up in a paris hospital with no memory—just the name diana and a suspiciously deep knowledge of the british royal family. people start whispering. the media goes wild. could princess diana really be alive? and if she is, what does that mean for the world?

what to expect:
✔️ conspiracy theories & royal chaos
✔️ satire that toes the line between hilarious & unsettling
✔️ a mysterious woman who may or may not be the princess diana
✔️ social commentary wrapped in fiction

this book is so different from your typical diana-inspired fiction. it doesn’t just rehash the same old theories—it turns them into an actual story. the writing? great. i don’t know how to explain it, but there’s something about the way j.b. miller puts words together that just works. it’s informative without feeling like a history lesson and filled with moments of satire that make you stop and think.

but… it gets confusing. really confusing. sometimes it felt like the story was running in circles, and even though it’s not a long book, it felt long. like, let’s get to the point already.

that being said, if you love royal drama, conspiracy theories, and books that blur the line between fact and fiction, you might have a lot of fun with this one. just be ready for a bit of a mental workout.

thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publishing team for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley (Edelweiss) and Riverdale Avenue Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Duch was a very interesting read! When I was in high school, there was a book that came out posing the theory that Elvis was still alive; he had just faked his own death to avoid the hordes of people pestering him. Duch is that book except for now it is Princess Diana who faked her own death.

I thought of the Anna Anderson case while I was reading this book. She was a young woman who was fished out of the water somewhere in Europe in 1922 and claimed that she was Anastasia Romanov, whom everybody thought died with the rest of her family in 1918. For the rest of her life, she said she was Czar Nicholas’ daughter. The similarities of Anna’s story and Diana’s story are so similar, it’s even brought up in the story.

I really liked the different points-of-view presented in the story. First, there’s Diana, then King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Prince Harry, all with a satirical bend to them. Also featured is Charles’ private secretary, a journalist, and the whole world of Diana-obsessed followers. This is black comedy, and I totally fell in love with this book.

The book works well as an indictment of the celebrity-hungry press, who have made royal watching a blood sport. I was quite amused that the main journalist in the story is named Fox, because Fox News stinks and we all know it.

I really needed a silly, sartorial book to get me out of a reading slump I feared was taking over. Even the casual royal observer would be able to follow along with the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds the modern media a joke, royal watchers, or anyone who enjoys dark comedy.

I think this was a very cool concept and good book!
A story following the world’s princess had she survived.
Great characters and loved the multiple povs! There were a lot of details and I loved that there was a lot of French used too!

I will also say there were some parts that seemed to drag on and be overused but overall I enjoyed it. 😊

This was a wonderful play in the dream of the question "What id she did survive?" I liked how the Royals were pulled in to this book and loved the funny hashtags through out the book. I expected the book to be essentially what Diana had been doing since 1997. But the book was way more than that! It was a fast read. I read it over one weekend. Thank you for allowing me to preview this book for my opinion.

What a bonkers book! It's absolutely hilarious in places and had me laughing out loud. It's a complete send up of the Royal Family, but I didn't find it offensive. (They might though!) I think the author is simply elaborating on things we already have wind of. We all know about the teddy bear, right?

Some members of the RF have in the past stepped into the thespian world so it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination that William might be a cockney postman in EastEnders!! Haha!!

My only slight criticism is I felt that there were parts in the middle that needed to pick up the pace, and I found the ending to be a tad rushed.

If you need a light-hearted, very funny read then this book will do the trick. I enjoyed it!

I downloaded this yesterday, sat down and read it in one go.

I adored its dark, droll, incredibly English wit; Charles is exactly how I'd imagine him to be. If you loved Brass Eye and Spitting Image, JB Miller's handling of parasocial relationships, celebrity culture and media will similarly appeal.

I requested and received an eARC of Duch by JB Miller via NetGalley. I can't lie, I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover. Although, I prefer my royal reading to be nonfiction, the image of Diana and and the blurb really sold me. In a hospital in Paris, a woman in her 60's leaps into the Seine. Upon being rescued, she only remembers one thing: that she is Diana. Meanwhile, Charles III contemplates his reign and position in the world, as well as his role on EastEnders, threatened by the introduction of a character portrayed by Prince William. Harry and Meghan live doing whatever it is they aspire to do in California, the reveling in the chaos of their own narcissism.

What a wild ride. I wasn’t really sure how Miller would approach this story, so I was excited to dive in, and was instantly charmed by the humor of the story. I have to admit, I wasn’t exactly all that invested in the Diana storyline. It didn’t necessarily hook me in the way I hoped, but I was absolutely sold on the often hilarious character portraits that emerge of the royals in Duch. Miller relies on the normal cultural depictions of figures like Charles III and Meghan and Harry with an added dash of something special that really make them quite interesting to follow in the story.

Not much happens in this story, but then again not much needs to. I was admittedly always waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I really enjoyed spending time with the characters along the way. Like true satire, this book was quite funny but would often make me do a double-take and reconsider. Miller excels at exploring the current state of cultural production and consumption in regard to celebrity and royals. I have to admit, wouldn’t it be sort of fun? For Diana to magically reappear? Sure, we’d instantly cast her aside with claims of being some sort of Anne Delvey, but I thought this was a wonderfully whimsical premise that plays to an idea many have, however wrongly, harbored for years! I say wrongly, but who knows. Maybe there is a Diana Inconnue roaming around out there. An interesting reading experience!

liked it pretty well. it was definitely funny and had a strong sesne of self, as well as its discussions of the royal family, parasocial relationships, identity, and such. 3.5, rounded up. tysm for the arc.

I really don't lnow what to think of this book.

Like many I loved Princess Diana and this book is very unique telling a story of 'what if Diana didn't die'

It has an 'Anatasia' kind of vibe and is a very interesting read.

3 stars

A woman jumps into the Seine in Paris. She is rescued. She says her name is Diana and she appears to be in her 60s. She is taken to a local hospital. She has a locket with pictures of William and Harry. She looks like she could be an older Diana. She knows things that only Diana, Princess of Wales would know. A friend from boarding school vouches for her. But she says she has no memory of who she is and doesn’t claim to be that Diana…but doesn’t say she isn’t, either.

The book covers the three weeks of the fallout from this with the mystery woman, Charles, his private secretary, Charters, Camilla, Diana’s sons, their wives, a reporter and, well, the whole world (concentrating mostly on France.).

I was less interested in the Diana character than in the other royals in the book, particularly Charles, who is struggling to come to terms with finally becoming King as well as the loss of a very important bear and saving the world. This was fun and I enjoyed it.

Good premise, and I loved the way the real characters felt real and also a novelized version of themselves. The pacing is also very good overall, the ending goes off the rails a little bit, I think some things the author could have handled with a bit less rush but this book was a surprised that I enjoyed very much.