Title: You Should See Me In A Crown
Author: Leah Johnson
Published: 2020
Rating: 5.0/5.0 Stars
Synopsis: Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black,
too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay—Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever:
attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down, until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
Source: GoodReads
I am a huge fan of YA contemporaries. I would go as far as to say they are my favorite genre to read, so when I heard about this book from multiple Booktubers and book bloggers I knew I had to pick it up. The main character of Liz is not only POC, but part of the LGBTQ community. She has overcome the death of her mother, her brother’s chronic illness and anxiety all while living with her loving grandparents who are struggling to get by paycheck to paycheck.
Liz’s life was very relatable, and though I don’t deal with all her struggles I understand her anxiety and fears about not affording college. The main character has such amazing growth, which didn’t happen all at once, but progressed naturally throughout the the book. She ran for prom queen with the hopes of getting a scholarship and nothing more, yet it turned into something greater. She set free a part of herself that she was too sacred to show and learned to stand up for her rights. I feel that the anxiety representation was done well and I connected with her fear of other’s opinions.
“I’m so tired of the way this place treats people who are different, tired of feeling like I exist in the margins of my own life. I deserve better than that.”
She did face friendship struggles, which was probably my least favorite aspect of the story. I enjoyed the fact that she reconnected with an old friend, still I wish that it showed how friends change and grow apart especially at a young age. Instead it went another route, which was completely fine just not my favorite. Also, there was some major conflict between Liz and her best friend that was mended by the end of the book. However, I feel as though it was resolved rather quickly and there wasn’t much closure to it.
The romance was one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was so cute! Of course the girls go through some ups and downs, but you cannot deny how adorable they are together. I will say that the romance had an instant love feel, but probably very relatable to high-schoolers. I have never been to high school, home schooler here, still in every teen movie there is an instant crush. The love interest was a perfect contrast to Liz since she was outspoken and quirky, and helped Liz come out of her shell.
Someone compared this book to a 90s teen movie and I completely agree. I got all those classic teen romances flick feels that I love so much. If you are in the mood for a super cute contemporary than I recommend you give this one a chance. I hope that you liked this review and please let me know your thoughts on this book. If you want to support me please share and like this post. Also, follow the blog to get notified when I post.
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny
