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YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN // book review


YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN

BY LEAH JOHNSON

★★★★★

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, mentions of death of a loved one, illness of loved one, homophobia (challenged) & outing  

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. 

    The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?


Review:

    This was one of the best contemporaries I've read in a long while! This book tries to be so many things - exploration of different kinds of friendship bonds and the way they change and develop with time, emotional and endearing coming of age story, heartfelt swoonworthy romance and much more; to say it was impressive of Johnson to have superbly executed all those things (in a debut no less) would be an understatement. 
    There is such heart put into each and every one of the characters, from the protagonist to her friends, to the family members that she has left, to the people she interacts with at school -  everyone seems to have more to them than meets the eye. The members of Liz's friendship group each had very distinct personalities, each with their unique aesthetics and quirks, which brought me so much joy to read about. YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN is a wonderful exploration of the highs and lows that real friendships come with and the complicated ways people navigate these relationships over time. 
    Johnson shows that most people are so much more than the ideas we form of them inside our own heads and they may surprise you when you least expected it. She also shows, however, that some people truly are as terrible as they seem and there isn't always much more to that, so it's best not to waste too much of one's energy on that kind of people. 

    The romance is the main thing people mention when pitching this book, and there's a reason why. This wholesome f/f romance will sweep you right off your feet and have you swooning in no time! I felt myself smiling like an aboslute idiot whenever the two characters would interact because their scenes were so adorable, aah! There is a soft spot in my heart for romances where the characters bond over music they both like AND where there's a concert scene with the two of them, so this book really hit a lot of marks for me. 

    I thought the writing style made it really easy to get immersed in and binge as much of the book at once as possible. However, if you like me find yourself slumping and dipping in and out of books, rest assured that it is really easy to put this down and jump right back into this if need be. 

    Ultimately, the book truly is a celebration of life and everything joyful it brings your way in spite of the obstacles encountered along the way. Such a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what else Leah Johnson has in store for readers. 

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