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boombaeyah's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Such a fun, hilarious and enjoyable book! I listened to the audiobook on my drives to and from work and found it to be a very easy and pleasant, I flew through it in a matter of days. I loved the premise and the humor and most of the characters. I would have loved to give the book 5 stars, however about half way through the book it loses some of its charm due to how repetitive it becomes. The foot notes and commercial breaks are almost too frequent towards the end of the story and somewhat interrupt the flow of the story. Plus, I personally found entire character of MoMo ChaCha to be obnoxious and takes up too much of the plot. The second half of the book almost felt like a chore to get through at some points but the feeling didn’t linger for long because as soon as I was read to drop the book it would get back on track with the enjoyable parts of the story.
Despite those minor criticisms, Libba Bray did a wonderful job with the book and her reading of it! Underneath the gimmicks of it all, the girls were all engaging and their connections were the real heart/appeal of the story. If you enjoyed the shows Yellowjackets or The Wilds, this is like a comedy version of that.
Despite those minor criticisms, Libba Bray did a wonderful job with the book and her reading of it! Underneath the gimmicks of it all, the girls were all engaging and their connections were the real heart/appeal of the story. If you enjoyed the shows Yellowjackets or The Wilds, this is like a comedy version of that.
herperfume's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A few years ago two male authors were proposing writing a female Lord of the Flies and then Libba Bray and everyone who has ever read/listened to Beauty Queens said SHUT YOUR MOUTH IT ALREADY EXISTS AND ITS PERFECT. Beauty Queens is a modern, capitalist fever dream and It. Has. Everything. Teen beauty queen contestants of all stripes. Survivalism on a tropical island. Reality TV. Commercial interludes. What happens when men intrude on an all female society. Destroying corporations threatening us all. And the author herself narrating the audiobook to perfection.
jgurniak's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure what I was going to make of this novel and in some ways I'm still not sure. I liked it in the beginning and was sure that it was going to wind up being a great story on survival. Well, I wasn't wrong on the survival part but it wasn't what I had in mind. *SPOILER ALERT* Once the pirates came in I thought it became unrealistic and dumb. I could have lived without the pirates and the whole corporation. One thing that I did like though was that the author included LGBT. I give it 3.5 stars with the potential to be 4.
wendythegeekgoddess's review against another edition
3.0
SYNOPSIS:
It's time for the very famous Miss Teen Dream Beauty Pageant! 50 beautiful contestants are on their way to the pageant when the unexpected happens! The plane crashes and the girls land on a deserted island, leaving them to fend for themselves! Yet these beauty queens do not give up hope and keep practicing for their upcoming pageant. But what happens when the hot pirates from America's popular show show up?
REVIEW:
Bray's 'Beauty Queens' was extremely well put together! When I began reading this book these girls were so obnoxious and fit directly into "the beauty queen' stereotype! Along the way you start to see deeper into each of the girl's lives and you realize that they each have their own personality, they're deeper than a stereotype and thats when it hit me! Libba Bray very cleverly did this on purpose! She made the readers judge these girls out of first impressions which is what we do in everyday life, an amazing moral cleverly disguised! This book was written to play out like a made for tv movie and it was like something I've ever read before. Unfortunately a few of these girls constantly annoyed me and the story didn't grasp my attention to much until about the last 40 pages, 3 out 5 stars!
RECOMMENDED TO:
Those who love to watch Toddler's and tiara's and Lost (back in the days lol)
IF YOU LOVED "BEAUTY QUEEN'S" By: Libba Bray then you'll like:
1. [bc:Reality Check|7146693|Reality Check|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268924s/7146693.jpg|7411385] [b:Reality Check|7146693|Reality Check|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268924s/7146693.jpg|7411385] By: [a:Jen Calonita|114528|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1337182833p2/114528.jpg]
2. [bc:Spoiled|9415966|Spoiled (Spoiled, #1)|Heather Cocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879074s/9415966.jpg|14300285] [b:Spoiled|9415966|Spoiled (Spoiled, #1)|Heather Cocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879074s/9415966.jpg|14300285] By: [a:Heather Cocks|1141204|Heather Cocks|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg]
3. [bc:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] By: [a:Kiera Cass|2987125|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1318605410p2/2987125.jpg]
It's time for the very famous Miss Teen Dream Beauty Pageant! 50 beautiful contestants are on their way to the pageant when the unexpected happens! The plane crashes and the girls land on a deserted island, leaving them to fend for themselves! Yet these beauty queens do not give up hope and keep practicing for their upcoming pageant. But what happens when the hot pirates from America's popular show show up?
REVIEW:
Bray's 'Beauty Queens' was extremely well put together! When I began reading this book these girls were so obnoxious and fit directly into "the beauty queen' stereotype! Along the way you start to see deeper into each of the girl's lives and you realize that they each have their own personality, they're deeper than a stereotype and thats when it hit me! Libba Bray very cleverly did this on purpose! She made the readers judge these girls out of first impressions which is what we do in everyday life, an amazing moral cleverly disguised! This book was written to play out like a made for tv movie and it was like something I've ever read before. Unfortunately a few of these girls constantly annoyed me and the story didn't grasp my attention to much until about the last 40 pages, 3 out 5 stars!
RECOMMENDED TO:
Those who love to watch Toddler's and tiara's and Lost (back in the days lol)
IF YOU LOVED "BEAUTY QUEEN'S" By: Libba Bray then you'll like:
1. [bc:Reality Check|7146693|Reality Check|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268924s/7146693.jpg|7411385] [b:Reality Check|7146693|Reality Check|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268924s/7146693.jpg|7411385] By: [a:Jen Calonita|114528|Jen Calonita|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1337182833p2/114528.jpg]
2. [bc:Spoiled|9415966|Spoiled (Spoiled, #1)|Heather Cocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879074s/9415966.jpg|14300285] [b:Spoiled|9415966|Spoiled (Spoiled, #1)|Heather Cocks|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879074s/9415966.jpg|14300285] By: [a:Heather Cocks|1141204|Heather Cocks|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66-2a9d702c2a0f483c9f7dd119cc28a9a7.jpg]
3. [bc:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183] By: [a:Kiera Cass|2987125|Kiera Cass|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1318605410p2/2987125.jpg]
kaitiecakes's review against another edition
4.0
To say this book was interesting would be a huge understatement!! This book was INSANE! I wasn’t sure what to expect from it at first I picked it up because of the name Libby Bray and the cover dragged me in. I thought it was romance about some girl. But that’s not what I got lol it made me laugh and parts and question what I was hearing at others. I feel like that’s how you know you read great book!
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Libba Bray. How you make me laugh! I enjoy Bray's satirical humor, and this "Lost" meets "Miss Congeniality" story is full of it. Sure, the satire is heavy-handed, but it gets the point across. Although most of the characters seem to be just stereotypes at first (exhibit A: the gun-toting, Bible-quoting Miss Texas), the layers peel back as the story progresses and before long I was rooting for every one of them. The story is extremely far-fetched, but isn't that what fiction is for? I rolled with it. In fact, the ridiculousness is one of the things that entertained me the most. Anything goes with this story, so I had no idea what was going to happen next. The ultimate conclusion is a bit predictable, but I'd probably have been upset if it had ended any other way so I'm okay with it. The overall message--"be yourself and don't listen to what society tells you about your worth"--has been preached to teens quite a bit. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I don't think anyone expects it to be after seeing the cover and reading the description. It lives up to what it claims to be: a fun, engaging story that will entertain many adults as well as teens.
wanderingjedi's review against another edition
1.0
Yet another book that promises a bisexual character and then fails to deliver in a decent manner. When she and another character are talking about sexuality we are provided with what amounts to a well defined "yes, I'm gay" from the lesbian character, while the supposedly bisexual girl gets these gems:
and
Ugh. Why do writers always feel like they have to make bisexual characters seem confused, or worse yet, go down the road of "oh I don't like labels". This is a trend that needs to stop. Bisexuality exists, and it's really frustrating to have representation dangled in front of you only to have it yanked away at the last second. Later on we are treated to even more of this sort of thing, and while she does at one point say "I don't know what I am, yet", which is nice because it clarifies that she's still figuring herself out, it doesn't really do much to make me less annoyed.
Now, to be fair, I know there are people who genuinely don't like labeling their sexuality, and that's totally fine. I also understand that there are people who are confused by their sexuality (believe me I've been there), and that's also fine. However, maybe people would be less confused if they actually got to see themselves represented every once in a while.
Incidentally I went to write a review after I finished re-reading this book, and discovered that last time I read it I only gave it one star. Apparently re-reading didn't change my opinion.
Sosie wasn't sure how to answer. Since she could remember, she'd had crushes on both girls and guys. They were person-specific infatuations...It seemed odd to Sosie that she had to make some hard-and-fast decision about such an arbitrary, individual thing as attraction, like having to declare an orientation major: I am straight with a minor in gay
and
Sosie didn't know if she was a lesbian; she was, however, a Jenniferian.
Ugh. Why do writers always feel like they have to make bisexual characters seem confused, or worse yet, go down the road of "oh I don't like labels". This is a trend that needs to stop. Bisexuality exists, and it's really frustrating to have representation dangled in front of you only to have it yanked away at the last second. Later on we are treated to even more of this sort of thing, and while she does at one point say "I don't know what I am, yet", which is nice because it clarifies that she's still figuring herself out, it doesn't really do much to make me less annoyed.
Now, to be fair, I know there are people who genuinely don't like labeling their sexuality, and that's totally fine. I also understand that there are people who are confused by their sexuality (believe me I've been there), and that's also fine. However, maybe people would be less confused if they actually got to see themselves represented every once in a while.
Incidentally I went to write a review after I finished re-reading this book, and discovered that last time I read it I only gave it one star. Apparently re-reading didn't change my opinion.
guillevaldata's review against another edition
5.0
AAAAAAA OMFG THIS BOOK! DIVERSITY, FEMINISM, GIRL POWER, HUMOR. IT WAS AMAZING! 4.5 <3
lyakimov's review against another edition
2.0
Well...this was SOMETHING. I went into this book expecting one thing, which was to read about beauty queens on an abandoned island, but came out of it with a full story and totally a plot that I was not expecting.
I feel like the messages were portrayed in a pretty realistic way, in terms of the objectifying of women and the slut-shaming. The character development for all of the girls was really interesting, but I still felt like the development was rushed.
I also felt like the romances were rushed in the novel, from one to the other it's just so dang fast-paced. Not that you can really flesh out multiple romances in a standalone about a bunch of girls, so it's not really that much of an issue for me.
I loved the writing style and how easily it was to read this book, and I liked the snarkiness that all the characters had, and that the Corporation had in all their commercials and their "alternate versions" of events. (That "alternate version" thing made me laugh so hard idk why). And I also really loved Taylor, but her development, if you could even call it that, was too rushed, and I don't believe she could've gone that far into the deep end that fast.
Overall, this book was just crazy and weird and went very unexpected ways. It's probably a 3.75, rounded up to a four.
I feel like the messages were portrayed in a pretty realistic way, in terms of the objectifying of women and the slut-shaming. The character development for all of the girls was really interesting, but I still felt like the development was rushed.
I also felt like the romances were rushed in the novel, from one to the other it's just so dang fast-paced. Not that you can really flesh out multiple romances in a standalone about a bunch of girls, so it's not really that much of an issue for me.
I loved the writing style and how easily it was to read this book, and I liked the snarkiness that all the characters had, and that the Corporation had in all their commercials and their "alternate versions" of events. (That "alternate version" thing made me laugh so hard idk why). And I also really loved Taylor, but her development, if you could even call it that, was too rushed, and I don't believe she could've gone that far into the deep end that fast.
Overall, this book was just crazy and weird and went very unexpected ways. It's probably a 3.75, rounded up to a four.