The Selection (The Selection, #1) in And So It Begins Reading Challenge

Sep 22, 2012 Zey rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya, meh, disappointing, annoying-heroine, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, why-the-hype, hall-of-shame, i-hate-it, authors-gone-bad

I want to make this review as concise as possible. So let me get this straight: I hate America. Half of the time I was reading this book, all I wanted to do is to punch her. Hard. In the face. With barbwires around my fist.

Oh, America, you just earned your spot in the most annoying/whiny/selfish/stupid/hypocrite heroine that ever graced the YA genre. Congratulations!

God, I hate the girl. And having 2 gorgeous guys fall for her is beyond my understanding.

So, as I said earlier, half of the time ...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Ezmirelda rated it did not like it

Shelves: 1-star, romance, books-i-own, beautiful-cover, love-love-love, for-those-who-love-cheese, dystopian-2012, young-adult

Never re-read books you thought were cute. Sigh.

08/30/2012
Awww! This story is too cute.

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Nov 07, 2011 Anasheh Satoorian rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait for book 2! ...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As soon as I saw this book , I knew I just had to read it . Everything from the gorgeous cover to the blurb and premise of the book drew me in, so I sat there and waited patiently and was lucky enough thanks to HarperCollins to get an ARC . The Selection in a sense had the dystopian feel and theme of The Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano mixed with an almost contemporary feel of First Date by Krista McGee. The Selection to me was almost like a Cinderella tale, where the Royal Family of As soon as I saw this book , I knew I just had to read it . Everything from the gorgeous cover to the blurb and premise of the book drew me in, so I sat there and waited patiently and was lucky enough thanks to HarperCollins to get an ARC . The Selection in a sense had the dystopian feel and theme of The Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano mixed with an almost contemporary feel of First Date by Krista McGee. The Selection to me was almost like a Cinderella tale, where the Royal Family of Illea have announced that their son Prince Maxon must find a wife and how the Royal Family have gone about it is that their sent an application form to all the households with females over 16years , the applicants then had to drop the form off at their local post office along with a photo and from the thousands of applicants, thirty-five lucky females will be chosen to be part of The Selection and their goal is to win the Prince's heart and one of those lucky thirty-five will have the chance at becoming the next Queen of Illea . One of the chosen thirty-five is America Singer , she is still recuperating from a broken heart and as no interest in falling in love with the Prince but soon it comes apparent that her and the prince have more in common than they both realise. As the novel goes along , we read as girls are eliminated and America at times shows a bit of jealousy. What will happen though, when the guy who broke her heart Aspen shows up as one of the King's new Guards and of all the rooms to be assigned to , he has been assigned to her room. Will America realise that she is meant to be with Aspen or will she discover her true affections now lie with the Prince ? Will America make it to the next round of girls as more and more are sent home ? I personally loved The Selection and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, the only downside I found was that it finished quite abruptly with the cliffhanger.
Other than that , for me The Selection deserves a Highly Recommended and a 5P's. ...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Carrie Ardoin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-this, favorites, dystopia, audio

4.5 STARS

America Singer is 18 years old, but that doesn't mean she is leaving home anytime soon. She lives
with her parents and younger brother and sister in Illea, where the citizens are divided into strict castes. A One is a royal, while anything Eight or below is considered a pariah. The Singers are Fives, which doesn't mean that they have the best of everything, but they definitely lead better lives than many less fortunate others.

So when the chance comes for America to enter a contest where
4.5 STARS

America Singer is 18 years old, but that doesn't mean she is leaving home anytime soon. She lives
with her parents and younger brother and sister in Illea, where the citizens are divided into strict castes. A One is a royal, while anything Eight or below is considered a pariah. The Singers are Fives, which doesn't mean that they have the best of everything, but they definitely lead better lives than many less fortunate others.

So when the chance comes for America to enter a contest where she could have the chance to marry Illea's crown prince, everyone--except America--jumps at the chance for her to join. Because no one knows that America had plans of her own. But those plans unravel, and she soon finds herself in the castle vying for Prince Maxon's heart. Living with 34 other girls all there to become princesses, castle life, and Maxon himself are nothing like America could have imagined.

As I've said in my book reviews before, I don't take stock in some of the most popular reviews for books on Goodreads. This book in particular has had so much pointless drama surrounding it. But I'm glad I ignored it, because I would have missed out on a really great book.

In my mind, I kept describing this book as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games. I have a serious princess complex that's existed my whole life, so of course I had to read about a princess competition. Wish I could have competed, actually. SIGH...

America is a plucky girl who is outspoken but devoted to her family. She helps her parents put food on the table for her younger siblings. But the nights are hers...she meets her first love Aspen in secret. They plan to marry, which is somewhat troublesome in itself since they are of two different castes. Their romance is believable and passionate, but eventually becomes heartbreaking.

Then there is Prince Maxon. Smart, loyal, and kind, he is unfailingly honest with America and despite her resistance, works his way into her heart. Two guys, a love triangle, you say? Ah, but this one is different. I actually adored and connected to both Aspen and Mazon. Honestly, if I were in Americs's position, I have no idea what I would do.

With all the girls in the castle, cattiness was a given and there was definitely some here. But there's also political unrest, which makes this more than just a fluffy novel about a dating competition.

My heart was twisted at the end, but I finished it with a smile because I know the next book should be just as amazing.

...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Nicole marked it as to-read

Wow... a lot of drama... don't hate me if I decide to just put it all off to the side and decide whether I enjoy this book on the contents. But, I would like to say that someone's agent may be jobless soon with that kind of attitude. Twitter is public people. ...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Christy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Selection is one of those books that I have been wanting to read since it came out last year, but I have been putting it off because I had heard such amazing things about it and I was afraid that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I know that sounds kind of crazy but I’ve come to find that a lot of the books that I’m really excited about disappoint me and I really didn’t want that to happen with this book. After finally breaking down and reading The Selection I’m very happy to say that ...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Kirstyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dystopian, beautiful-cover

I loved this book! Never thought I would say that about a book that reminded me of The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, but it's true! I love the characters, they're very relatable and you feel yourself pulling for both guys vying for America's attention. That being said..TEAM MAXON! The story was unique and the love story is cute..and that dress! Can't wait to read The Elite :) ...more

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