The Selection

The Selection, the first book in a trilogy, focuses on the life of America Singer, a girl who is low in her land's caste system but is selected to compete for Prince Maxon's heart. The premise of the story is very similar to The Bachelor. Thirty five women from all different castes are chosen to live in the palace and from those 35 women, the prince chooses a wife. America has no desire to be a part of this but as a reward for being selected, the 35 womens' families are financially compensated. In addition to that, her boyfriend Aspen, who is in a lower caste than she is, tells her to sign up and then breaks up with her.

America feels that she has no choice and doesn't want to be around Aspen at home, so she leaves. She expects the process to be dreadful and expects very little of the prince. Her attitude changes quickly when she becomes the prince's confidante and she starts to realize that there is more to him that meets the eye. But America finds herself in a love triangle while trying to figure out if she wants what she thought she did or if she wants something entirely new.

This is another book that I found through BookTube and I wasn't exactly sure how I'd feel about it. I took a chance on it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually read this at a really good time. It was a fast, easy read. It's subject matter is a lot lighter than what I've been reading recently and it was really refreshing. I really enjoyed Maxon's character and prefer him to Aspen. Sometimes I thought that things came a little too easy to America but it didn't bother me too much.

I really enjoyed seeing America's relationship with Maxon blossom and grow. I also really loved that it wasn't an insta-romance kind of relationship. It started out purely as friendship and grew into something more. I'm still unsure about how I feel about Aspen but I'm sure that I'll figure that out in the second book. All in all, the story pleasantly surprised me and I enjoyed it more than I thought. I finished it very quickly and I plan on picking up the next one, The Elite, very soon!

4/5 stars

-Chelsea