A beach chair, sunglasses, sunshine and a good book bring me joy. I was excited to receive a copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass right before our Spring Break trip to The Dominican Republic. Every now and then I get drawn into a young adult series that really captures my attention. My soon to be 16-year-old daughter will sometimes share a few of her favorite books with me, but this time I was the one sharing The Selection book series with her.
My daughter dove into the book first and spent lots of beach time reading under a tiki hut after getting sunburned on the very first day of our trip. She is a quick reader and finished it within two days which allowed me to finish the book while on our trip as well. I’ve been wanting to post a mother/daughter book review for sometime now and The Selection is a great mother/daughter read.
My Review:
The setting of The Selection is a dystopian society where you are born into a caste system. The title of the book refers to a selection process where young Prince Maxon must select a future bride. Thirty-five girls compete for Prince Maxon’s affection and the opportunity to live in the palace as his Princess. If you’re thinking it sounds a lot like The Bachelor, you’re right. However, while romantic there is very little content to be concerned about. The romantic elements are at a sweet and clean stage.
The main character America is beautiful on the inside and out, strong, and hard-working and comes from a low caste. America’s mother persuades her to join the selection process. America however is secretly in love with her childhood friend Aspen who comes from a lower caste. As the story unfolds, America is torn between her growing affection toward Prince Maxon and her first love Aspen. There’s something about a good love triangle that always makes for an interesting plot. I found The Selection to be a quick and entertaining read and it would make a great mother/daughter book club book.
My Daughter’s Review:
To be honest, I was skeptical about my mom sharing this book with me. The first thing she said about The Selection was that it was a cross between The Bachelor and The Hunger Games (which I’m not a fan of). Although there are some aspects of similarity to The Bachelor and The Hunger Games this book is its own. I loved how the main character America is independent and strong. This isn’t a typical story about romance. To me it’s a story about determination. America is determined to help out her family, and it is a plus that she makes friends with Prince Maxon. I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what the other two books bring to the table.
When we returned from our trip I ordered the second book in the series The Elite. We can’t wait to find out how the story progresses. Be prepared to buy the entire series: The Selection, The Elite, The One and The Heir which will be released May, 5 2015.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Fun that you were able to do a book review together!! I love reading on the beach too!!
I hope to do more with her Denise. There are so many great young adult books.
My 13 year old daughter loved this book too! She has suggested that I read it, and now with both of your good reviews as well, I am on it! Sounds like a fun read and a good summer read too.
I think you’ll really enjoy it Anne 🙂