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A review by readingcat1832
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
5.0
It's been some weeks since I finished re-reading this book for the first time in years, this time on audiobook.
I loved this book. I loved it so much, and I'm not even sure there's words for it. The prose is absolutely stunning, though that's no surprise coming from a writer as talented as Libba Bray. Sure, I recognise that her brand of humor might not be for everyone, and while most of the time, I kind of loved how unapologetically cheesy and ridiculous Beauty Queens is, it did get to be a little bit much for me right towards the very end. But apart from that...
Beauty Queens has one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen featured in a novel, and touches on so many important issues, including several that I rarely see discussed in YA. Libba Bray plunges into topics like slut shaming, internalised racism, internalised misogyny, and the exploration of sexual identity, to name just a few. Maybe a few of them went a little over my head when I was 14, the first time I read this, or maybe I was still too stuck in my own internalised misogyny at the time to fully appreciate the discussions that take place. But reading the audiobook again, there were times I felt just about ready to cry because of how much they impacted me.
There are a lot of characters in this book, but none of them get confused with one another, and all of them are unique, wonderful, complicated, strong characters. I loved every single girl in this book, I loved all of their dynamics. Their voices all felt so raw and authentic and, for lack of a better word, real.
Bravo, basically, Libba Bray.
I loved this book. I loved it so much, and I'm not even sure there's words for it. The prose is absolutely stunning, though that's no surprise coming from a writer as talented as Libba Bray. Sure, I recognise that her brand of humor might not be for everyone, and while most of the time, I kind of loved how unapologetically cheesy and ridiculous Beauty Queens is, it did get to be a little bit much for me right towards the very end. But apart from that...
Beauty Queens has one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen featured in a novel, and touches on so many important issues, including several that I rarely see discussed in YA. Libba Bray plunges into topics like slut shaming, internalised racism, internalised misogyny, and the exploration of sexual identity, to name just a few. Maybe a few of them went a little over my head when I was 14, the first time I read this, or maybe I was still too stuck in my own internalised misogyny at the time to fully appreciate the discussions that take place. But reading the audiobook again, there were times I felt just about ready to cry because of how much they impacted me.
There are a lot of characters in this book, but none of them get confused with one another, and all of them are unique, wonderful, complicated, strong characters. I loved every single girl in this book, I loved all of their dynamics. Their voices all felt so raw and authentic and, for lack of a better word, real.
Bravo, basically, Libba Bray.