You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
CW: Racism, Dead Mother, Financial Problems, Queerphobia
4.5/5
Most of the fictional prom stories I've seen are either a part of a series (such as The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot) or are on the screen (like Prom by Disney), so it is refreshing to experience it slipped into the life of this nerdy, adorable, black, gay girl. You Should See Me in a Crown is the story of Liz Lighty deciding to run for Prom Queen so that she can go to college. Her town is to Prom as Pittsburgh is to the Steelers. Freshmen blog about it even though they aren't even invited. More importantly, alumni give the King and Queen a scholarship for college.
Liz starts her story off by getting into her dream college, but being passed over for the scholarship she needed. Her grandparents are willing to sell the house for her to go, but she doesn't want that. Her memories of her mom are there and she knows it would put a lot of stress on her family. Her brother approaches her with the outlandish idea of going to the Prom scholarship, but when her friends agree with him, she goes for it. Sure, it's not easy for a black nerdy girl in a small town to rise to the top, but she has a supportive, if complicated, team to help her there.
Of course, this story wouldn't dare be without a romance! Amanda MacKenzie is the new girl, a redhead skater, and competition for the crown. Except Liz falls for her immediately. Liz isn't out and really shouldn't let anything get in the way of her becoming a hematologist one day. Liz has to figure out what matters most to her while trying not to burn out from everything she has going on.
One of my favorite things about this book is how healthy it is. While characters certainly make mistakes, the way each one is dealt with serves as an example for the audience. The characters have to face the reality of living with sickle cell, controlling best friends, homophobia, racism, digging up the past, preparing for college, and relationship struggles. If you decide to read You Should See Me in a Crown, which is available on audiobook, you'll also get pop culture references that were clearly curated by a Millennial, lots of Beyoncé love, this school's version of Yik-Yak, and an adorkable first kiss. What more could you want aside from more time with the characters?
While I have your attention, please check out this fanart for the book by Laya Rose Art on tumblr:
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