sarah's Reviews > You Should See Me in a Crown

“I never needed this race, or a hashtag, or the king to be a queen. I was born royalty. All I had to do was pick up my crown.”

You Should See Me in a Crown took the book community by storm around June, so naturally it took me six months to pick it up. I feel like the last person to have read this- but if you haven't either- here is your push to start it!

This book is a YA contemporary following Liz as she competes for prom queen in order to go get financial support to attend her dream school. But when Mack, a new girl enters into the race too, things begin to get complicated. It is filled with amazing rep- in terms of race, sexuality, chronic disease and mental health among other things. This is one of the few f/f books I have read, something I hoping to improve on in 2021. I adored that the main relationship was between two girls, but there was also a strong platonic relationship was between a boy and a girl. It was like the book took typical teenage rom-com plots and flipped them on their heads, refreshing them entirely.

I read this audibly which I would really recommend. The audiobook was narrated by Alaska Jackson, who I think did a brilliant job.

I do think there were some elements of the book that left something to be desired. I would have liked certain side characters to be developed more, I felt the romance to be a little insta-lovey and found some parts to be unrealistic. But that could also definitely be due to cultural differences. As a non-american, I was incredulous about how much prom meant to not only the students, but the school, community and even colleges. That is just so bizarre to me that the whole story took on a sense of unbelievability. Anyway, I quickly learnt to suspend my disbelief and just go with the flow of the story- not thinking too hard about what was happening.

The writing made it really easy to do so, supported by the audiobook. It was an immersive experience, and really easy to be absorbed in. If you are in a reading slump, or need something quick and light hearted to break up heavier reads- I would without a doubt recommend You Should See Me in a Crown. I am now also super excited to read Leah Johnson's sophomore novel coming out next year- Rise to the Sun.