I've wanted to read this one for awhile, but then I was on TikTok and there was one of those "Pause and the book you land on is what you should read next" videos. I landed on this book, so when it was time to choose my next audio book and this was available, I felt it was meant to be. I'm actually very happy the way it worked out because I ended up loving this book SO much!
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You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
This book was SO amazing. I listened on audio and it was very difficult to pause it when I had real life things to do.
I love that there were so many social issues addressed in the telling of this story. Not only did it deal with race, but also social class and sexuality. There were some very backward rules in this town regarding prom and who could attend and how. It's a very real problem that rules like these can cause people to feel they need to hide who they really are in order to succeed.
Liz ran for Prom Queen for a good reason, she wasn't going for popularity or trying to defeat a "mean girl." This made her more real, in my opinion. In addition to being a person of color, she had to deal with the loss of a parent, a sibling who is sick and some issues with friendships. She had a lot of adult type pressures on her shoulders from a young age. I found this led to a unique voice in a young adult novel. Add to that her sexuality and the struggles with hiding that, Liz was a complex and diverse character.
Earning the respect and the support of her classmates was probably the best part for me. It's nice when we can see a world that isn't all bad and people who aren't all close minded. I think it was a very powerful ending as well. This is definitely going in my list of favorite reads for the year!
