"I was born royalty. All I had to do was pick up my crown."
This was SO GOOD! If every contemporary novel was like this, I'd read so many more than I do.
I went into this book expecting it to be a cute story about a queer girl breaking the norms of her school's prom queen race. It did have that, but it was also so much more. There are so many redeeming qualities about this book that I'm not even sure I'll be able to give them justice through a review.
This novel follows Liz Lighty through the last few months of her senior year. All Liz has wanted is to go to Pennington for college...but something happens and she realizes that this, maybe, isn't an option. Her only hope is to run for prom queen, and as someone with anxiety, that's not going to be easy. Not only is she stepping out of her comfort zone – the most coveted title not only at her high school but in her entire county – but she's also discovering her sexuality, finding out who her true friends are, dealing with her brother's sickle cell anemia and the loss of her mother, all while being documented on the popular Campbell Confidential app.
This novel has so many layers, and out of all the contemporaries I've read (especially ones recently), it really feels like a story that would happen in real life. Liz is a well-rounded character who feels like a real person, and not someone written just for the page. I was rooting for her every step of the way, and in some cases, I was laughing and crying right alongside her.
If you want a feel-good contemporary novel that covers heavy topics with grace and contains cute queer girls doing things that make your heart thump, I would recommend this a thousand times over.
(also if you're able to, listen to the audiobook narrated by Alaska Johnson. 10/10 recommend.)
I went into this book expecting it to be a cute story about a queer girl breaking the norms of her school's prom queen race. It did have that, but it was also so much more. There are so many redeeming qualities about this book that I'm not even sure I'll be able to give them justice through a review.
This novel follows Liz Lighty through the last few months of her senior year. All Liz has wanted is to go to Pennington for college...but something happens and she realizes that this, maybe, isn't an option. Her only hope is to run for prom queen, and as someone with anxiety, that's not going to be easy. Not only is she stepping out of her comfort zone – the most coveted title not only at her high school but in her entire county – but she's also discovering her sexuality, finding out who her true friends are, dealing with her brother's sickle cell anemia and the loss of her mother, all while being documented on the popular Campbell Confidential app.
This novel has so many layers, and out of all the contemporaries I've read (especially ones recently), it really feels like a story that would happen in real life. Liz is a well-rounded character who feels like a real person, and not someone written just for the page. I was rooting for her every step of the way, and in some cases, I was laughing and crying right alongside her.
If you want a feel-good contemporary novel that covers heavy topics with grace and contains cute queer girls doing things that make your heart thump, I would recommend this a thousand times over.
(also if you're able to, listen to the audiobook narrated by Alaska Johnson. 10/10 recommend.)
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