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dayniw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Classism, Bullying, and Child death
nottheexplorer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Kidnapping
danicampbell0506's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Rape
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
2nd read: April 2022 - 4.5 stars
This was so much fun the second time around! The plot was the perfect amount of lightheartedness that I needed, and it truly reads like a reality television show at times. Although I find the plot to be interesting, it was lacking at times, it just felt very repetitive and lacked substance at times (ie. the "dates" weren't unique to each other, and a lot of the same conversations were had between our main characters). I did notice that Kiera Cass borrowed a LOT from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: from the caste system to the love triangle to the Selection itself. I don't think it's a bad thing to be inspired by another story for your own, but it just felt as though I were reading the same story at times (minus the murder lol). It got a little distracting at times. I also felt like the ending was incredibly rushed, which contributed to me not giving it another five star rating.
I thought our two main characters America and Maxon were good, but like I just stated I felt as though they were clones of Katniss and Peeta. America was very abrasive, self-sufficient and opinionated (much like Katniss) and I loved to see it! Prince Maxon started as being very soft-spoken, gentle and romantic in a shy way (hello, Peeta??) which gave me butterflies. I just loved how they complemented each other, and how they put a lot of emphasis on their friendship: it was refreshing, especially in the YA romance genre. I did enjoy the supporting characters as well, I just wish America developed more relationships with the other girls in the Selection (aside from Marlee and Celeste) so their departures would hold more weight. I cannot STAND Aspen, and I am not invested in the love triangle whatsoever. I will say, the reason why I docked it half a star on my re-read was due to the characterization - I felt as though Kiera Cass struggled with this at times, specifically at the end. There was a particular conflict with Maxon that felt incredibly out of character, and was obviously put in place to push the plot forward to book 2, which took me out of the story.
I am excited to continue on with this series though!
1st read: July 2018 - 5 stars
This was so much fun the second time around! The plot was the perfect amount of lightheartedness that I needed, and it truly reads like a reality television show at times. Although I find the plot to be interesting, it was lacking at times, it just felt very repetitive and lacked substance at times (ie. the "dates" weren't unique to each other, and a lot of the same conversations were had between our main characters). I did notice that Kiera Cass borrowed a LOT from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: from the caste system to the love triangle to the Selection itself. I don't think it's a bad thing to be inspired by another story for your own, but it just felt as though I were reading the same story at times (minus the murder lol). It got a little distracting at times. I also felt like the ending was incredibly rushed, which contributed to me not giving it another five star rating.
I thought our two main characters America and Maxon were good, but like I just stated I felt as though they were clones of Katniss and Peeta. America was very abrasive, self-sufficient and opinionated (much like Katniss) and I loved to see it! Prince Maxon started as being very soft-spoken, gentle and romantic in a shy way (hello, Peeta??) which gave me butterflies. I just loved how they complemented each other, and how they put a lot of emphasis on their friendship: it was refreshing, especially in the YA romance genre. I did enjoy the supporting characters as well, I just wish America developed more relationships with the other girls in the Selection (aside from Marlee and Celeste) so their departures would hold more weight. I cannot STAND Aspen, and I am not invested in the love triangle whatsoever. I will say, the reason why I docked it half a star on my re-read was due to the characterization - I felt as though Kiera Cass struggled with this at times, specifically at the end. There was a particular conflict with Maxon that felt incredibly out of character, and was obviously put in place to push the plot forward to book 2, which took me out of the story.
I am excited to continue on with this series though!
1st read: July 2018 - 5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
Minor: Death and Miscarriage
kaycluck's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I absolutely love this book! I read the first book in high school and 9 years later I'm still just as in love with the plot. I love the world building, I love the way the author writes (I even read her acknowledgements!), I love America, May, Marlee, Aspen, and Maxon. I honestly can't get enough!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and War
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
wet_towlette's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was most definitely enjoyable. I genuinely couldn’t put it down and I am now writing this at 1:30am lol. It’s a fast lighthearted read and was just a good time. Technically, this book is not very good. It’s not bad but America can be very “not like other girls” and the writing certainly isn’t anything special. But, oh my god, it is so entertaining. It was cringey and funny and frustrating. Definitely something I would have gotten more out of if I read it when I was a bit younger but Maxon still got me giggling and shit so it’s fine 🤪 mostly what I got out of this is that friends to lovers is just the superior trope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Slavery
gothmiku's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Bullying, War, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage and Infertility
nina17's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Death, Miscarriage, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
michellemaas's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
* Beware of minor spoilers
2.5 - ⭐⭐💫
The first installment in The Selection series. Young Adult Dystopian novel with a The Bachelor-like concept and featuring the "he falls in love first", "fake dating", "forced proximity", and "love triangle" tropes.
The Selection was blissfully mediocre. I don't know what happened or when but up until 75% I was really enjoying it. Enjoying it so much that it was on the road to a strong 4 stars but then it somehow just fell apart.
"I hope you find someone you can't live without. I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them."
America Singer comes from a lower-class family, so when she gets picked to compete alongside 34 other girls for Prince Maxon's heart you think she'd be thrilled. You'd be wrong. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing on America's mind is impressing some boy, but the longer she stays there and the more dangerous the rebel attacks become, the more America starts to wonder if a future with Maxon would really be that bad . . .
"True love is usually the most inconvenient kind."
First and foremost, I think that America is quite annoying. She just has such "pick me" and "I'm not like other girls" energy that she's difficult to root for and I know that was very much the stuff that 2014 female main characters thrived on and I also realize that it is very likely a product of her age, but it's still tough to swallow. Maxon's a cutie though and I would for sure marry him if he asked. Then there are the rebel attacks (seriously though, name 1 dystopian novel that doesn't have some sort of rebel group) which could have been cool but were wholly underutilized. I'm assuming Cass is going to elaborate on them in the coming books but as for now, it was just a plot device to make Maxon and America forgive each other for losing their tempers without needing an actual apology.
"It's always the fear of looking stupid that stops you from being awesome."
Some points I enjoyed: I like that Maxon and America were real. They acted their age, in the sense that they were prone to impulsive emotional outbursts, but they are also mature enough to acknowledge that and apologize when they were in the wrong. Their relationship development also felt very natural. America mentioned how she couldn't just get over her relationship of 2 years simply because she was developing feelings for Maxon which is not something a lot of writers remember or care to admit. Maxon was also just so charming and cute and inexperienced in a way that made him endearing, but he was also emotionally intelligent and compassionate. He really is the perfect guy.
"No, I’m not choosing him or you. I’m choosing me."
Overall there was nothing really creative about the plot (I said this during every update but it is LITERALLY just The Bachelor with the worldbuilding of The Hunger Games. Seriously, everything from the concept to the girls getting jealous and the speed dating is exactly what happens every season on the show . . .) and the writing was average at best but I'd be damned if I said I wasn't entertained for the most part. This is not a book I will be jumping to reread by any means, but I wouldn't consider it a waste of time and I am happy to finally know what all the hype was about.
2.5 - ⭐⭐💫
The first installment in The Selection series. Young Adult Dystopian novel with a The Bachelor-like concept and featuring the "he falls in love first", "fake dating", "forced proximity", and "love triangle" tropes.
The Selection was blissfully mediocre. I don't know what happened or when but up until 75% I was really enjoying it. Enjoying it so much that it was on the road to a strong 4 stars but then it somehow just fell apart.
"I hope you find someone you can't live without. I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them."
America Singer comes from a lower-class family, so when she gets picked to compete alongside 34 other girls for Prince Maxon's heart you think she'd be thrilled. You'd be wrong. Nursing a broken heart, the last thing on America's mind is impressing some boy, but the longer she stays there and the more dangerous the rebel attacks become, the more America starts to wonder if a future with Maxon would really be that bad . . .
"True love is usually the most inconvenient kind."
First and foremost, I think that America is quite annoying. She just has such "pick me" and "I'm not like other girls" energy that she's difficult to root for and I know that was very much the stuff that 2014 female main characters thrived on and I also realize that it is very likely a product of her age, but it's still tough to swallow. Maxon's a cutie though and I would for sure marry him if he asked. Then there are the rebel attacks (seriously though, name 1 dystopian novel that doesn't have some sort of rebel group) which could have been cool but were wholly underutilized. I'm assuming Cass is going to elaborate on them in the coming books but as for now, it was just a plot device to make Maxon and America forgive each other for losing their tempers without needing an actual apology.
"It's always the fear of looking stupid that stops you from being awesome."
Some points I enjoyed: I like that Maxon and America were real. They acted their age, in the sense that they were prone to impulsive emotional outbursts, but they are also mature enough to acknowledge that and apologize when they were in the wrong. Their relationship development also felt very natural. America mentioned how she couldn't just get over her relationship of 2 years simply because she was developing feelings for Maxon which is not something a lot of writers remember or care to admit. Maxon was also just so charming and cute and inexperienced in a way that made him endearing, but he was also emotionally intelligent and compassionate. He really is the perfect guy.
"No, I’m not choosing him or you. I’m choosing me."
Overall there was nothing really creative about the plot (I said this during every update but it is LITERALLY just The Bachelor with the worldbuilding of The Hunger Games. Seriously, everything from the concept to the girls getting jealous and the speed dating is exactly what happens every season on the show . . .) and the writing was average at best but I'd be damned if I said I wasn't entertained for the most part. This is not a book I will be jumping to reread by any means, but I wouldn't consider it a waste of time and I am happy to finally know what all the hype was about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
emma_lyn's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death