You Should See Me in a Crown
Ratings86
Average rating4
So good! So good! So good! I loved the writing style. Adding this author to my follow list.
This is just the cutest thing! Such a great nerdy, queer, sweet story and a super quick read. Definitely recommend.
Basically, I'm too old for these.
I found myself irritated with the irrationality of teenager. sigh But to be fair, Liz was upset because Mack “didn't understand” when how could she? Liz was lying or not telling her the truth about what was going on. I'd get irritated with that even if it wasn't teenagers.
I feel like this just checks all the boxes for what a teen romcom should be. Nerdy girl to prom queen contender. Over-the-top “promposal”. Closeted-ish queer girl suddenly finds everyone loves the gays in her historically not tolerant school/town (except they cannot attend prom together) and best friends all get back together.
I did like how the book brings a little knowledge about sickle cell anemia, a disease you read about in books never. I do wish the book would have been more about Liz bucking typical high school stereotypes (band nerd) to become prom queen, other than the reason being because she was queer, but I am not a teenager right now. I'm sure there are many queer teens out there who could find inspiration and comfort in Liz's story. I don't think teen me would have loved the book either though. It was just too slick and too happy-ending for this goth girl.
Where do I even start with this book? I bought You Should See Me In A Crown during the summer when it came out, but hadn't had a chance to get to it yet. When it popped up as a choice on Libro.FM I knew it was going to be my next audiobook and I'm so glad that I made that choice! Leah Johnson has crafted one heck of a story here. Liz Lighty is my kind of character, and I loved every second of my time with her.
First off, can we give kudos to how well the whole relationship is done in this story? So often I get disenchanted with a story because of uncomfortable instant love that appears out of nowhere. Not here, my friends. Not here. In fact all of Liz's relationships, from her friendships, to her family interactions, to her love interest are all beautifully done. Liz feels like someone who could be your best friend. I warn you, you're going to get attached and you're probably going to grin a lot during this story.
I also couldn't get over how well done the high school backdrop is built up here. Liz lives in a city that frowns upon anything that isn't “perfect” and well-mannered. We've seen that before. However I appreciated how this story went deeper and showed how ready the younger generation was to show up for Liz no matter what. I won't spoil anything, but this story perfectly points out how often those kinds of negative attitudes are actually deeply seeded in the adult population. When I tell you I cheered more than once during this book, I'm being serious.
Honestly I could gush about this book for an entire term paper's worth of time, but I feel like I'd definitely accidentally give something away that you should discover for yourself. I'll leave it at the fact that I was so impressed with this entire story. The characters, the plot, the development, all of it just blew me away. If you're looking for a read that is heartfelt, deals gorgeously with some tough topics, and gives the teen population a big old hug for being themselves, this is it.
Really well written and believable, with a few laugh-out-loud lines. As a Midwesterner, Johnson nailed the Indiana setting/atmosphere to the wall, it was so right. Liz felt like a real teenager, and all the secondary characters had nuance and depth. This book is light-hearted enough to sell to romance or prom fans, but has enough grit to also sell to fans of drama/realistic stories. Queer and intersectional in such a loving and supportive way, with an #ownvoices author who hits it out of the park for a first book. Snarkily - this is what Smash It wanted to be - definitely hand kids this instead!
I LOVED this book! It made me laugh, it made me cry. This was well written story of friendship and family. I felt like all characters were well developed and felt like I was watching Liz grow in person.
DNF. There are these weird little info dumps that could so easily have been avoided. And the way new characters are introduced leaves me confused... shifting names, two characters at once, too much backstory, ugh. I was so stoked for this plot-wise but my hand itched to get out the blue pencil.
Liz doesn't fit in her small-town midwestern school, there's no doubt about it. She is black, queer, poor, and at the top of her class of a ultra-rich, elite high school. When her plan to get a scholarship for college of her dreams doesn't work out, she bravely decides to run for prom queen to win the $10,000 scholarship it comes with. She and her friends hatch a strategy (complete with data analytics) to get her to the top. Complete with a homophobic mean girl, best friends who betray you, old friends reunited, and first love—this is a great story for teens. The writing has that corny, cringey teen movie vibe, but, let's be honest, that's what we want from these kind of books.
This is SO fun and charming!! And tho I'm not Black or queer it still felt very relatable in terms of like Midwestern misfit vibes. Also I waffled on 4 or 5 stars but in the end awarded a bonus star for Steak n Shake trip.
And I know then what I've always known: Campbell is never going to make a space for me to fit. I'm going to have to demand it.
This was a delight!! An incredibly sweet and funny queer rom-com that includes serious issues like homophobia, family illness, and racism without becoming an “issue book.”
This BOOK, oh my god. I read the last 10% with a massive grin on my face, it was just so delightful and perfect and sweet. I love how well the characters are defined, even the minor ones like Quinn or Jaxon, I love Liz's brother and grandparents, everyone in this book is so well-written and realistic-feeling - the antagonist is a little flatter, but I'm okay with that, honestly. I don't need a big helping of empathy for her, considering how she treats Liz. Content warnings here: homophobia, forced outing, racism (verbal, no slurs that I recall), deceased parent (before book starts), chronic illness
I don't know if I have much more to say about this book, except even if this doesn't seem like your thing, you should still read it. It was so much fun and just what everyone needs in the middle of These Uncertain Times. It will clear your skin, water your crops, and bake you a delicious cake.
(2020 summer romance bingo: “protagonist plays an instrument that's not guitar or piano,” would also work for “cover has a large piece of jewelry” if you count drawn-on crowns, and for “debut novel.”)
What a wonderful and affirming slice of life YA. I was utterly charmed by these characters and their character arcs were well done if not predictable. I really enjoyed how Johnson took something so typical for teens (Prom) and made it into something more meaningful.
3.5 stars! very fun, super cute, nothing mindblowing though. liz is a very likable character and i really admired her perseverance and all her friendships in the book. def recommend for a quick emotional read :))
I liked this. It wasn't a 5 star for me because the ratio of seriousness of lightness, and the very easy resolution of issues, didn't quite hit the target for me. And that's a really personal thing, and I in no way find it a personal failing of the author. I just wanted more with her brother's illness, the obstacles to not fall away so quickly.
I'd almost compare it to the Schitt's Creek world, in that it was meant to take place in a town without homophobia. Here, there was some bigotry, some homophobia, but very little. There was almost this feeling that all Liz ever had to do was try harder to be popular, athletic, unique, and voila – that her worries were not quite real. I mean, I can't fault the author for wanting it to be a better world, but it seemed like there was one bad person, and once she was dealt with... Just like I understand Dan Levy wanting to make his world one of inclusion, I can't begrudge this for Leah Johnson.
But in the end, I gave in and was moved by the fairy tale ending Liz never expected to receive.
