You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
Release: June 2nd 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Amazon
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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?
Leah Johnson is a writer, editor and eternal Midwesterner, currently moonlighting as a New Yorker. She is a graduate of Indiana University and Sarah Lawrence College, where she received her MFA in fiction writing, and currently teaches in their undergraduate writing program. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her on Twitter, ranting about pop culture and politics. You Should See Me in a Crown is her first novel.
Author Website: byleahjohnson.com
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You Should See Me in a Crown Review:
I absolutely loved this! It’s cute, funny, hopeful, uplifting and romantic and also covers some very serious topics. It has everything that you want in a contemporary YA romance.
Liz is feisty, awkward, lost but also SO funny and adorable! She was wonderful as the main character. It’s really hard to hate any of the supporting characters, because they are drawn out so well. At times you hate Gabi and Jordan for the way they treat Liz. But then, you see all the nice things they did for her too, so you really cannot stay mad at them. One person who I really liked and wanted to see more of was Quinn. She was more complex and unpredictable than what I expected. Also, Liz and Mack are so cute together! Mack is wonderful and charming, and loves Liz unconditionally to easily forgive her mistakes. I couldn’t get enough of them.
I am now a fan of Leah Johnson! It is a difficult job to talk about coming out AND racial injustice, but the author gives equal importance to both. Moreover, she highlights these issues in a poignant yet lighthearted manner without making it sound like a lecture. She paces the story well, where Liz is always falling into one dilemma or another that she has to get out of. It was hilarious seeing her juggling between different versions of herself. On a side note, I wasn’t aware of sickle cell disease and how serious it is, until I read this story.
I hope the author continues to write many more books in the future! Overall, “You Should See Me in a Crown” is one of the best YA contemporary books to release this year.
