The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

My rating: five stars

Genre: YA, Romance

Edition: Kindle

Goodreads Summary: The first book in the captivating, #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series! Discover a breathless fairy-tale romance with swoon-worthy characters, glittering gowns, fierce intrigue, and a dystopian world that will captivate readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Ally Condie’s Matched, and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium.

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.

Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

I have heard so many things about this series but I wasn’t really interested, simply because I thought it would be exactly like The Bachelor (which I have never been super into). However, I decided to pick it up because it was free on my Kindle and I was in the mood for some romance. I am so glad that I did!! 

Likes: I loved the pacing of this story. It was pretty fast paced through the entire book which did make me finish it much sooner than I wanted to, but it also kept me hooked the whole time. How the women are selected seems a little strange (very hunger games but with judges instead of picking randomly) but it was funny to see the theatrics all the girls go through to try and be picked. The whole time I was laughing at a lot of the women which was surprising. I honestly didn’t expect it to be a comedic book but it was! The women were really going at each other to try and be with the prince and I enjoyed reading about their endeavors. There was also a side plot that I didn’t expect with the government that was a nice addition to the story. The caste system was interesting but really sad. Basically, if you are a woman it is pretty bad if you marry below you because you are then that level caste. Depending on your caste you can only do certain work and make a certain amount of money. It made the romance at the beginning tragic. 

Dislikes: There was one girl character that was the absolute worst and I just don’t get why the prince didn’t eliminate her immediately. That part just didn’t seem realistic. Everyone in the entire castle knew how terrible this woman – except the prince apparently. She starts to do some horrible things to other girls and I don’t understand how she was getting away with it. 

Overall, this book made me want to fly through the entire series (if only I owned the other books…)! It was less superficial than I thought it would be, it actually had some depth to it. There were side stories that I enjoyed, and a complexity in the world that was unexpected. I still say that it is similar to the Bachelor, but with more intrigue and less pettiness.