You Should See Me in a Crown

An Indiana teen struggles to find her place as she balances her passion for music with her anxiety and her high school's ingrained prejudice against her. Despite the heavy subject matter, this book is so full of joy. Liz felt so real and was easy to connect with. Her vulnerability and strength were beautiful and you can't help rooting for her.

*As a Hoosier, I absolutely loved all the Indy references in the book. From Rick's Boat Yard to the Arts Garden to Ritters, it was so fun to recognize the westside where I've lived for most of my life.

“Just because it could be worse doesn't mean you don't get to acknowledge how much it sucks, you know.”

“High school is complicated, and the lines of demarcation that The Breakfast Club said show more divided us aren’t quite so clean-cut. The athletes are also the smart kids; the theater kids are also the presidents of the student council. But there’s still those outliers. The people who are everywhere but fit nowhere.” show less

Liz Lighty is "tall, Black, and broke." She's a musician who dreams of attending a private college with a music program and a pre-med track, so that she can continue to play music and work toward her dream of being a doctor - specifically a hematologist, like the one who helps her younger brother, Robbie, who has sickle cell anemia, like their mom did. But Liz's acceptance to college comes with bad news: she didn't get into the music program, and she didn't get the scholarship she needed to make attendance possible. She knows that her grandparents will sell their house to get her the money to go, but she doesn't want them to, so she reluctantly agrees to run for Prom Queen. In Campbell County, Indiana, prom is a big deal - and winning show more comes with the exact amount of prize money that Liz needs to make her dream college possible. Liz's friends rally to help her, and she reconnects with an old friend as well - but when a new girl (a new girl with pretty green eyes who has the same favorite band as Liz) comes to town, it throws all Liz's plans off kilter.

See also: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

Quotes

When you already feel like everything about you makes you stand out, it makes makes more sense to find as many ways to blend in as you can. (ch. 1)

I know how to do that. I know how to make it look like I don't care. (ch. 11)

Silence and shame aren't the same thing - not by a long shot. But sometimes silence is simpler. (ch. 13)

But that limbo, the space between the people we used to be and the people we are now, feels like it's always going to hang in the air between us. (ch. 15)

Like maybe things don't need to be exactly as I've imagined them. Like maybe in this universe I've suddenly found myself in, things could be different. I could be different. (ch. 21)

"Campbell ruins good people." (Jordan to Liz, ch. 22)

But the people who win are rarely the people who deserve it. Like with any monarchy, they're just closest to the top. (ch. 22)

I've learned all the ways to keep my head down, to hide, to make myself scarce. But I never really learned how to say when enough is enough. Until now. (ch. 27)

"Just because it could be worse doesn't mean you don't get to acknowledge how much it sucks, you know." (Jordan to Liz, ch. 34)

This town has never been good at allowing people to be their full, imperfect-but-still-worthy selves. (ch. 38) show less

I've read a LOT of YA novels, and a lot of them have very similar plots. The main character is a high school senior who's been mostly a wall-flower throughout their high school career with the exception of maybe one or two special hobbies or classes. They (usually a she, if I'm being honest) are forced out of their comfort zone in order to do something that will help them secure their future, often times a way out of their small town. I've even read YA books where that "something" is a competition, complete with winning a crown! And there's nothing wrong with a standard YA plot. As anyone who's been forced to study literature knows, all stories are the same story. That said, I'm not sure I loved any of those other standard plot YA show more novels as much as this book. Leah Johnson takes this very standard plot and keeps it fresh and funny. I love the addition of the Campbell Confidential and how that adds a better look at how being a young adult nowadays truly is. I love being able to watch Liz grow out of her shell and realize who she is and wants to be. The romance in the story is super adorable, and I love that Liz and Jordan are able to make amends. I truly feel that a lesser writer would've taken Johnson's concept and made it "okay" while Johnson knocked it out of the park. I can't wait to read more from her in the future! show less

Loved, loved, loved this! Leah Johnson does a fantastic job of bundling hard issues into a fluffy ridiculous event and the result is a readable, heartfelt, and impactful story that isn't too on the nose or too depressing for teens. Liz Lighty is devastated when she finds out she didn't get the expected scholarship to go to college. She doesn't want her grandparents to worry about money so she decides in an act of desperation to enter her high school's prom competition - the winner receives a 10kk scholarship. Liz has always been more of a wallflower - she has her small group of friends - but it's hard being black and queer in Indiana. How on earth will she win that crown?! Humorous, smart, and brave - everyone needs a friend like Liz show more Lighty - a fantastic teen read about acceptance, courage, staying true to yourself, and doing the right thing in the face of adversity. show less

Loved, loved, loved this! Leah Johnson does a fantastic job of bundling hard issues into a fluffy ridiculous event and the result is a readable, heartfelt, and impactful story that isn't too on the nose or too depressing for teens. Liz Lighty is devastated when she finds out she didn't get the expected scholarship to go to college. She doesn't want her grandparents to worry about money so she decides in an act of desperation to enter her high school's prom competition - the winner receives a 10kk scholarship. Liz has always been more of a wallflower - she has her small group of friends - but it's hard being black and queer in Indiana. How on earth will she win that crown?! Humorous, smart, and brave - everyone needs a friend like Liz show more Lighty - a fantastic teen read about acceptance, courage, staying true to yourself, and doing the right thing in the face of adversity. show less

And finished! That was a super fun and fast read. I feel like people talked about the relationship in this a lot so there was less romance than I was expecting but I still really liked this.

This is much more of contemporary than I was expecting. Again, in all the reviews I had seen people discussed a romance a lot but that really only a small part of this book. My expectations for this book being different than the actual content is not a problem with the book but I did end up getting a book that was a lot more than a romance and I'm really happy about this because the whole story was really good.

The other thing I heard about this was that it was really cute. It is really cute! But a significant part of this book is about really show more serious issues and this author does not shy away from tackling those issues and she did a really good job. I really cared about Liz and wanted to see here succeed and find happiness. Part of that was her relationship but it was also about her career and her family. I think her relationship with her family is the most central part of this story and really the part of this book that left a lasting impression on me.

There were a few small things that kept me from giving this five stars but they're minor and it definitely wouldn't stop me from recommending this broadly. I'm very excited to read this author's next book and see what she does next. show less

You Should See Me in a Crown is a perfect YA contemporary book.

The book's so well written and the realism and issues folded together nicely. My critical brain was fully able to step back and just enjoy this book. And what a great book it was?

Liz Lightly is a music nerd, a Black girl, and likes girls. In the small town of Campbell, none of the things really endear her to running for Prom Queen, especially not in a town where Prom is a Really Big Deal. When a scholarship for her dream school doesn't pan out, the $10,000 awarder being voted Prom Queen feels like the only way out. And Liz is game. She's a fighter. It's the Lighty way.

I like Liz or many reasons, but one of these reasons was because she's messy. Liz Lighty is an underdog in show more so many ways and she's such a strong person because when the world kicks her down, so gets back up again. Every. Single. Time. Most of this book feels like just a normal semester in Liz's life but as you read further and further, you feel Liz's exhaustion and the burdens she bears every day by just being who she is, let alone trying to get the scholarship. There are so many brilliant thing Leah Johnson did in You Should See Me in a Crown, one of which was that the fact that Liz would be the first Black Prom Queen in town... but that was never the Point of the story. Johnson keeps this story about Liz, not about making a statement about changing the world. Instead, she showed the world from Liz's perspective and helped make the reader aware of the problems. There are people who are terrible in the universe and people who are trying to do better.

I liked that this story about about Liz, and not about racism, homophobia, or a specific issue. Issue books are important and have their place, but books about people are important, too. This is an important book in its own right, but it's important to see the people in stories and not just the issues. And You Should See Me in a Crown touches on so much! Liz feels so alive in this book, with so many interests and worries and small joys, and I was really rooting for her the whole time. And, don't get me wrong - the issues here are important and need to be given their consideration. But Liz isn't taking on the world here. She's taking care of her world.

You Should See Me in a Crown is a great story about life and love and friendship and dreams and fear and hope and just... it's genuinely such a good book. It has a lot to teach its readers, it makes you mad at times but in the ways it aims to. It's an enjoyable read alongside being an important one. I totally, completely, 100% recommend it. show less