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

This is a very cute YA sapphic romance! Liz is a really compelling and likeable protagonist, and her struggles with being a minority among her classmates (being a black, queer girl), as well as dealing with severe anxiety, are really well articulated - especially when it comes to dealing with her more privileged peers who mean well but don’t fully understand how much harder Liz has to work for acceptance.

I did find parts of the book pretty cheesy (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing!) and some of the supporting characters felt kind of flat and one-dimensional - I think if I’d read this book when I was 16 i would have eaten it up, but being 22 I didn’t absolutely love it but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

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sophie42's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.75

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zefancifulreader's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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

5.0

I’m so glad I finally got around to listening to this audiobook!
I’ve been reading a lot of YA queer highschool romance lately and this sets a new bar for me.

Some general thoughts:
- Loved that this wasn’t just a “I’m-not-like-other-girls” main character, even though she IS a unique and passionate character.
- I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Black Characters written by Black Authors hits different. There is so much more depth to the characters.
- I can’t decide if I’m in love with Mack or I want to BE Mack. We love an Alt-Girl.
- The Jordan - Liz Relationship is PERFECT.
- A burnt out, hardworking, people-pleaser bisexual?! 👀👀👀
- I was so impressed with Alaska Jackson’s reading of Madam Simoné and the commitment to the rather ridiculous French Accent. 🤣

- This book tackled racism, homophobia, bullying, xenophobia, death of a parent, outing, critical illness of a sibling, financial insecurity/financial privilege while also somehow creating a fun YA prom/highschool drama story. The DEPTH.

I really loved this story and I honestly would recommend it to anyone. Such a wonderful read. ♥️

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andloveistoolong's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

5.0

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alexiconic's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.25

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bookishdiya's review

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

The story was engaging and I didn’t want it to end. The representation of anxiety was also spot-on. I liked that the main characters were portrayed as flawed beings with redeemable qualities. Overall, a very good debut!

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morganperks's review

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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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