I was hesitant to read this because I'm opposed to beauty pageants in principle. Women are so much more than their appearance. The premise of this book (or at least the culture portrayed in the book) is offensive: women are property. I hate the author's use of the repulsive yet ubiquitous stereotype: women are catty and are quick to compete for and fight over men. Yet... Despite my feminist leanings, this book was actually fun. I love that the heroine doesn't play the game; she chooses to stay true to herself, despite pressure to change herself to attract the prince's attention.

I enjoyed the book, but I wish the author had done more to portray the Selection as reprehensible and I wish the heroine was stronger and fought against the misogynist system. ( )

Amazing start

I don't know why I have waited so long to start on this series... it is an amazing start to the story and I can not wait to see what happens next with America, Maxon and Aspen ( )

Leichte Unterhaltung, gut zu lesen und nicht unspannend. Das Hörbuch gefällt mir nicht so gut, die Betonung ist quasi nicht vorhanden, das konnte meine Tochter in der 6. Klasse besser.
Ich bin dann auf's Buch umgestiegen, die Geschichte reißt es raus. America ist sympathisch, Prinz Maxon ist fast zu gut um wahr zu sein. Das Wieder-Auftauchen von Aspen hätte ich nicht gebraucht. Insgesamt macht die Geschichte aber Spaß und lässt sich sehr leicht lesen. Drei Sterne für gute Unterhaltung. ( )

This book is a pleasant little escape from reality. It isn't deep or anything, but it is a light, enjoyable read with enough humor to make me laugh out loud a few times. In this story, the royal family is holding a lottery of sorts which any girl in all the land may enter if she wants a chance to marry the prince. 35 girls will be selected to participate in their version of "The Bachelor." I heard this book described as "The Hunger Games" meets "The Bachelor" - and I see why the reference to that ridiculous (sorry - I do not like reality TV) television program...but this novel sooo did not have a Hunger Games feel to it - not to me, anyway. Now, having admitted that I do not like "The Bachelor" television program, I had doubts that I would want to read about something like it - but it didn't bother me in the book. Maybe that is because this fiction doesn't pretend that it isn't fiction - unlike the TV show. Or maybe it's because nobody cried and carried on and had an over-emotional exit interview when they were dismissed right away - you know, after knowing the bachelor/prince for 5 minutes. I don't know. Anyway, the whole gaggle of girls vying for the chance to woo the prince into marriage just didn't bother me like I thought it would - it actually worked for me. I really enjoyed reading this. And I could easily picture the castle in which most of the action takes place. And, so...I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Okay, so here's the deal - there is a whole caste system going on in this land, but any girl from any caste can enter for a chance to move to the top of the food chain by marrying into the royal family. America, the main character whose family is fairly low on the totem pole, does not want to participate, but she is pressured to do so - and she is selected as one of the 35 contestants. And since original boyfriend, Aspen, has just dumped her, she goes. Now, I think there is supposed to be some kind of love triangle in there, but original boyfriend was not a developed character at all for me, so I didn't care about him. On the other hand, I liked Prince Maxon. Several times while reading, I wished that all talk of Aspen would cease. However, America needs to have some inner turmoil, so... Of course, she has reservations about participating in "The Selection" over more than just the whole deal with original boyfriend. That part just seems to be the main concern. By the way, the whole love triangle thing is not resolved in this book, and although the field has been narrowed down to six contestants, the final "Selection" has not yet been made by the prince - look out for book two. The book sort of just ends. There's no real cliff-hanger. It just...stops. **Cue sequel... :)

If you are looking for something deep and meaningful to read, this probably isn't it. But if you are just looking for a quick, fun read - give this one a try. You may like it - I certainly did. ( )

Quick read and super interesting story. ( )