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

This book is so lovely! It is a happy, feel-good YA book that is exactly what I wish I could have read when I was younger. The writing and plot development is pretty simple but I think it accomplished just what it set out to do. Reminded me a lot of Simon vs. The Homosapien Agenda.

Spice level: 🌶/5

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competencefantasy's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.75

This is so much fun. I never thought anything could make me want to engage with football culture, but the events in this sounded like a hoot. There was also more serious content, especially in the MC's backstory than I anticipated and it really helped balance the book out. All of the characters, even the minor ones really seemed to work. The ending really hit the level of cultural catharsis I didn't know I was hoping for, and there was a scene near the end with a teacher that had me yelling out loud with delight. Overall this is a really great romp, and I'm so glad I gave it a try.

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN is about a Black bi girl in small-town Indiana who needs to win Prom Queen in order to secure her scholarly dreams. With excellent characterization, a ticking clock which felt like noting time instead of playing up the deadline, and tender portrayals of platonic and romantic relationships, don't miss this one.

The way the timeline was handled was nice, since each section was a whole week it was a good reminder of how much time was left, but without feeling rushed. The MC has a lot of stuff to get done, but the days will take however long they take. Her relationships with her family conveyed a lot of depth even though the story was very focused on what was happening at school. I got a sense of their dynamic and it was nice. Her friendships in general are well-developed, with several of them changing (not always for the better) as the tension of the competition brought some things to light that had languished for far too long.

I love the way the MC's relationship with her male best friend is handled. She's unafraid (especially later on) to say she loves him when describing her feelings about him. That's especially important when she's bi and it could so easily have been set up as "will she date a guy or a girl". Some of the bigoted reactions to her being bi do have that connotation, trying to set her up with him even though she already has a girl she likes, but the MC's view of their relationship is very clear. She likes him, loves him even, and is not trying to date him. The actual sapphic romance is sweet and earnest, with some really great moments and a lot of work put in later in the book to fix some broken communication from earlier on. It's realistically messy without being overwhelmingly stressful, and I love how it turns out.

I was worried that her brother's illness (sickle cell) would be used as a plot device to derail her and that is Not what happens. He's just her younger brother who's living as best he can, and while it does affect him (and sometimes her) in the book it didn't feel like his illness was used for dramatic tension. I'm not qualified to speak on its nuances as disability rep, but at the very least it didn't seem like a gimmick to me.

As a Midwesterner I loved this portrayal of high school in the Midwest. I'm not from Indiana but there are enough similarities to my former Ohio home for this to feel very familiar. If you're also Midwestern a lot of this will probably spark recognition. If you're not Midwestern, yes it's really like this, especially outside of the scattered big cities. If anything, it could have held even more mentions of cornfields and still been spot on. The world-building is great, every new detail fit in to build this picture of a place I know well, and I think it was done in a way that would convey a sense of it to someone unfamiliar with this setting. Yes, I'm including the racism and queerphobia when I say it felt familiar, familiar isn't always nice.

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pagesofquinn's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

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leahlovesloslibros's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

Liz Lighty never thought she'd run for prom queen. She's not exactly what most people would consider popular, and she definitely doesn't fit the stereotype for the gorgeous rich white girl who normally dons the crown at her upper-class Midwestern high school. Rather, she is a nerdy, average-looking black girl who is being raised by her middle-class grandparents, and who depends on a large scholarship if she's going to attend the prestigious music school of her dreams on the way to becoming a pathologist.

When her scholarship falls through, and the only way left for her to pay for college is to win the scholarship that comes along with being crowned prom queen, Liz is forced to put herself in the running. The new girl at school, Mack, is also in the running....and Liz is falling for her. Can she land both her dream school and her dream girl, or will she be forced to choose?

I found Liz to have many relatable qualities, at least for me personally. I was raised in a middle-class family where both of my parents worked and we depended on financial aid to help us through college, while many of my peers came from upper-class families that included a lot more privilege than I would ever know. Additionally, I was a total music nerd in high school, and never would've considered myself someone who would run for prom queen, much less actually win the title. Finally, I can remember so many of the feelings that came along with my first "real" (self-aware) girl crush and the relationship that followed; the dynamic between Liz and Mack bright up some nostalgic moments for me. Overall, I enjoyed not only the story, but the fact that the minorities fought for what they believed in, even when the school tried to shut them down.

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thewildmageslibrary's review

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inspiring

4.0

I loved this prom story! Liz is a well-rounded character and very relatable. The depiction of small-town life is also spot on, sometimes painfully. And, our prom theme was also Midnight in Paris. XD Guess it's popular! The Campbell Confidential app sounds like my worst nightmare though. High school is full of enough humiliations without them going viral.
The exploration of Liz's various relationships was great. Every time she connected more with a certain someone, I got happy butterflies. The Lighty's are a family that would do anything to take care of their own. And Jordan! Absolutely loved him.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about a band geek shattering barriers and carving a place for herself. Lighty Strong!

4 stars only because it is written for teen readers and I find myself shifting away from high school drama more and more.

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