The Selection (The Selection, #1)

by Kiera Cass

[paperbackjedi]

America doesn’t want what every girl wants. She doesn’t want to be part of an elaborate reality tv contest that will win her the hand of the handsome crown prince. She doesn’t want to be royalty. She just wants to be with the people she loves. And she wants to play her music. That’s it. Unfortunately for her, that’s not going to happen. America and her family are Fives which means that they rank low on the caste system and have to work to stay afloat. And times are getting rough. Pushed by her family to help support them and hurt by her boyfriend’s dismissal, she throws her name into the competition, never dreaming she’d get picked. Only she does. And then everything changes.

I don’t often read books heavy on romance, but a friend recommended it to me and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. America is a pretty strong character and I could relate to her as a reader. I found her honesty and loyalty admirable. Cass does a good job illustrating the struggles a family can face while living in near poverty. I enjoyed the family dynamic a lot and it definitely felt realistic to me, especially with what happens when someone in the family becomes successful (and both directions it can take). America’s relationship with her father and sister was heartwarming and often brought a smile to my face.

The world building is interesting, although a little spotty. The novel takes place in a post apocalyptic world in the future. We get different bits and pieces of history throughout the novel and references to holidays that no longer exist in the future. There’s mention of rebels and war and an insurgence, but it’s not clear how we got to this point. Hopefully, it will be explained in the sequels because I was more than a little confused at the state of things. However, the premise is pretty interesting and I like that there’s a caste system complete with all sorts of people who are assigned professions by their caste. Also interesting is that you can climb the social ladder and enter a caste above you if you’re lucky enough.

This book also features a pretty typical love triangle. Girl is torn between two boys; one of which she grew up with and the other she just met and had figured all wrong. What’s interesting is that her first love is painted as more of the bad boy rebel and the crown prince is the good, kind-natured nice guy. Her love for each boy is vastly different and she encounters issues as those relationships evolve. I felt that both boys could have done with a bit more personality as they seemed very basic and I would have liked more exploration into their characters. All in all, this is a good book to read at the beach or on a rainy day if you want to pass a few hours. I read it in one sitting and it felt like I flew through the pages. If you like romance, reality television, and the movie Miss Congeniality, you’ll probably like this book.