The Queen Bee of Bridgeton (Dancing Dream)

by Leslie DuBois

[Angie]

I really enjoyed The Queen Bee of Bridgeton! The whole mean girl, high school drama, cattiness did go a bit too far for my liking, but other than that, this was a wonderful, refreshing read! Sonya and her sister Sasha have grown up in the ghetto, but both girls got scholarships to the prestigious Bridgeton school. Sonya's was an art scholarship because she's a ballerina. She lives and breathes dance, and has worked her butt off to get where she is. So when the mysterious Bitch Brigade targets Sonya and her dream, she either has to stand up for herself and lose the person closest to her, or lose out on going to a dance academy in Rome.

The Queen Bee of Bridgeton was great and has an amazingly positive representation of African Americans in a bad situation. I could totally relate to Sonya feeling out of place in her mostly white school, but also not fitting in at her previous mostly black school. Before she was told she wasn't black enough because she doesn't use slang or listen to rap music, but now she sticks out because there are only a handful of black students at Bridgeton. Students also confuse her for a sister a lot, because hey, black people look the same! Sonya doesn't let it get her down though. She is who she is and that's okay. Even her gang banger neighbor had depth!

The plot does get a bit ridiculous. I'm generally not a fan of secret societies, which is essentially what the Bitch Brigade is. We do learn who they are early on, but I find it hard to believe that all of this has been happening for decades at this school. What those girls do is awful and illegal! And what's it for?! They're just jealous and have to ruin people to make themselves feel better? They try to get Sonya expelled because the basketball star, Will, asks her out! He's a nice guy and doesn't want them, and he and Sonya are totally adorable together, and those bitches can't take it! Ugh.

I do recommend The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. Sonya has a refreshing voice and POV, even if she is really naive at times. She's super optimistic and doesn't let where she lives define her. She knows her mother is trying hard, so Sonya and her sister do what they can to better their lives too, which is great. While the plot is quite over-dramatic, I loved the romance and dance elements and do want to know what comes next for Sonya when she gets to Rome!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.