Reviews with content warning for Racism - You Should See Me in a Crown

THIS WAS SO CUTE. I wanted to read something light and queer for pride month, and this was perfect for that. Liz is such a loveable and relatable main character, and I liked the depth given to her world (her family, friends, history, fears, etc). The banter/tension between her and Mack was so well-written and cute - it felt so real! The story was a good balance of fun and serious/grounded. I loved this so much!

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morganperks's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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_forestofpages's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lillianslittlelife's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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chapkip's review against another edition

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5.0

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stephmcnutt28's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I listened to this book on Spotify. The narration was done well and really kept me in the story! The story itself was fantastic. I feel like I felt every emotion in this book. I loved the diversity in this book, and I appreciated how individual all the characters were. A story of the underdog vs the mean girl told in a fresh way. I loved it. I feel like there were some plot points not tied up, but it didn’t take from the overall story.

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onceandfuturereaders's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A YA novel set in small town in Indiana, this book follows Liz through the obstacles of high school. When she finds out a scholarship she needed for college has fallen through, Liz decides to run for prom queen to get a scholarship that comes along with winning. Her main problems? She hates spotlight, has to deal with competing against more privileged classmates (including their bullying behavior), and develops feelings for one of the other prom queen contestants.

This book explores the intersectionality of Liz’s identity as a young, queer Black woman in a small, conservative, predominantly white town. It is such a beautiful coming-of-age story that explores first loves, friendships, grief, racism, homophobia, and finding who you are. This story felt very real. It was beautifully written and the characters spring off the page. I absolutely adored this book and my only regret was not reading it sooner.

I read and listened to the audiobook jointly and both were excellent. The audiobook’s narrator, Alaska Jackson, brought Liz to life and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately checked out Leah Johnson’s second novel Rise to the Sun, which is also co-narrated by Alaska.

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