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A review by isabelthearcher
The Selection by Kiera Cass
3.0
3.5 stars
Wow! I had so much fun reading this book when I really expected it to be quite a drag. The angst, love triangle, dystopian setting and all the glam of being a princess was so great. And oh my did I swoon over Maxon, I'm just a simple girl ok. Definitely the perfect short book to help you get out of a reading slump :)
"If your life is as upside down as you say it is, then she has to be here somewhere. In my experience, true love is usually the most inconvenient kind." I smiled weakly.
Probably my two main issues of this book was
1) how dated it was / America Singer being a pick me
2) the love interests XD... hear me out.
This book was published in 2012 and you can tell, I mean the dystopian 'fourth world war' setting and the Bachelor / Love Island spin off selection. Not to mention the 'castes' that are basically a copy of the Hunger Games’ districts. I can look over all that, an interesting new setting and learning more about the rebels was pretty cool.
Another reason it was so dated though was America Singer…. First issue: her name. Guys her name is America and they’re living in the, now deceased, America. And Singer? When she is literally a singer/musician? Wow, so quirky. All the plot points about her miss America, darling, you’re not unique.
These didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book, I had a great time reading America being #cute and #quirky and #notlikeothergirls because I mostly just laughed to myself and it brought me back to 2014 honestly. But I had to reflect this issue in my rating, as I do think it’s significant enough in this light.
With the love interests, Aspen gave me suspicious vibes, at one point I remember thinking he could literally be A in Pretty Little Liars and no one would bat an eye. Especially with the crap he pulled near the end of the book. Y’all female narrators need to realise that no man is worth breaking the rules of a massively strict and structured society… we would have half the dystopian books we had today if the heroines could just box in it. Anyways, Aspen was a big no and I understand why America was obsessed with him… because I have been there… but if I suddenly went to a palace with a hot and rich guy I would also suddenly forget my boyfriend of x years. Maxon: darling, sweetheart, amazing, outstanding, never been done before. He gave me prince charming vibes, too good and too pure to be true. I think the whole choosing the Selection thing was convoluted, but that’s literally the point of the book so sucks to be me I guess haha. But the love interests were good, they did their job, they weren’t fully two dimensional but to me Aspen and Maxon weren’t perfect. Maybe they are not supposed to be, and in that case kudos to Cass. But I was just ehhhh about both of them. Apart from when they say things to make me and America swoon… because, say it with me, I’m a simple girl.
I think I am going to read the rest of the series, bc I bought the box set lol, but maybe not the last two books? Time will tell, slightly dreading 'The Elite' as I've read reviews saying that it is just America being indecisive... and man I cannot handle anymore of that.
Wow! I had so much fun reading this book when I really expected it to be quite a drag. The angst, love triangle, dystopian setting and all the glam of being a princess was so great. And oh my did I swoon over Maxon, I'm just a simple girl ok. Definitely the perfect short book to help you get out of a reading slump :)
"If your life is as upside down as you say it is, then she has to be here somewhere. In my experience, true love is usually the most inconvenient kind." I smiled weakly.
Probably my two main issues of this book was
1) how dated it was / America Singer being a pick me
2) the love interests XD... hear me out.
This book was published in 2012 and you can tell, I mean the dystopian 'fourth world war' setting and the Bachelor / Love Island spin off selection. Not to mention the 'castes' that are basically a copy of the Hunger Games’ districts. I can look over all that, an interesting new setting and learning more about the rebels was pretty cool.
Another reason it was so dated though was America Singer…. First issue: her name. Guys her name is America and they’re living in the, now deceased, America. And Singer? When she is literally a singer/musician? Wow, so quirky. All the plot points about her
Spoiler
not wanting to be called dear by Maxon, or having her reward on a wager being “Just let me wear pants for a week”...These didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book, I had a great time reading America being #cute and #quirky and #notlikeothergirls because I mostly just laughed to myself and it brought me back to 2014 honestly. But I had to reflect this issue in my rating, as I do think it’s significant enough in this light.
Spoiler
I gotta say though, just for laughs I kept pairing everyone up in the Selection as queer couples because that really just added to the angst and romance I felt throughout. Especially Celeste and America, a sapphic enemies to lovers dystopian in a Bachelor fight to the death over a cishet man? I would pay so much money.With the love interests, Aspen gave me suspicious vibes, at one point I remember thinking he could literally be A in Pretty Little Liars and no one would bat an eye. Especially with the crap he pulled near the end of the book. Y’all female narrators need to realise that no man is worth breaking the rules of a massively strict and structured society… we would have half the dystopian books we had today if the heroines could just box in it. Anyways, Aspen was a big no and I understand why America was obsessed with him… because I have been there… but if I suddenly went to a palace with a hot and rich guy I would also suddenly forget my boyfriend of x years. Maxon: darling, sweetheart, amazing, outstanding, never been done before. He gave me prince charming vibes, too good and too pure to be true. I think the whole choosing the Selection thing was convoluted, but that’s literally the point of the book so sucks to be me I guess haha. But the love interests were good, they did their job, they weren’t fully two dimensional but to me Aspen and Maxon weren’t perfect. Maybe they are not supposed to be, and in that case kudos to Cass. But I was just ehhhh about both of them. Apart from when they say things to make me and America swoon… because, say it with me, I’m a simple girl.
I think I am going to read the rest of the series, bc I bought the box set lol, but maybe not the last two books? Time will tell, slightly dreading 'The Elite' as I've read reviews saying that it is just America being indecisive... and man I cannot handle anymore of that.