The Selection http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/5e/ea/0d/_theselectioncover_1322174759.jpg Featured

Note: As I do not read any reviews on the books I read before I write my own, I had no idea about the controversy surrounding this book and the author. The rating is solely based on my opinion of the book and that alone.

Well, what can I say about this book? I had so many mixed emotions about it, its hard to put what I want to say in words. There were some things I LOVED about it, but there were other things I HATED about it. But there were so many people talking about it that I just had to give it a try. Yes I fell victim to the hype.
This isn't something I would typically have on my radar because I'm not really into dystopians, but because it wasn't like hardcore, all about the different world building, I decided to give it a try. In The Selection, America is NOT hoping to to be Selected. She wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with her love Aspen. Unfortunately Aspen is in a lower caste and wants better for America. He leaves her broken hearted, making her promise to sign up for the Selection. Suddenly America becomes one of the Selected and is whisked away to the palace where she meets Prince Maxon. He makes her want things she never knew she wanted in the first place.
Ok, this may sound stupid, but I love the show The Bachelor (yes I watch reality tv... so what?!) and this is what it reminded me of. I really felt like I was reading a season worth of it. I also liked the idea of the futuristic USA. As I stated, I'm not a huge fan of dystopians, but because of the romance in this one it balanced out for me. And with Cass giving a history of the country (Il'lea) I wasn't completely lost about what happened before hand or what was causing them to do things so differently now. As for the romance, I LOVED Prince Maxon. He is so genuine and sweet. And although the romance is getting more heated between Prince Maxon and America, it didn't seem to be rushed. Especially with the conditions that America sets with Maxon when she first gets there.
What I didn't like was the world building and the writing style. I wanted to know so many more details about the palace and what it looked like and other treasures it held. It seemed as if the story was held in the same rooms; the dining hall, the Women's Room, and America's room. It would have been nice to see more of the grounds. As for the writing style, I think it lacked emotion. Although America is so distraught about losing Aspen, I didn't feel that in the story. Then when she began to have feelings for Maxon, I didn't feel that either. I didn't feel much of anything from or for America. She seemed indecisive and like a hypocrite. She criticized Marlee about something, but wasn't she doing the exact same thing? I'm just saying....
In all, this story isn't too bad, but I'm not sure it lived up to the praise that everyone put on it. But, with that being said, I will be continuing on with the series in hopes that she comes to her senses and sees that Aspen is a jerk and Maxon is who she needs in life!

Not bad, not bad at all.

At first, I thought I was going to be disappointed — I was prepared to be disappointed. After reading numerous reviews and seeing a lot of 1 star reviews, I wasn’t expecting it to be a decent read. So why did I even bother? I just wanted to, I mean, look at the cover! It’s gorgeous. I also wanted to see my own insights and reactions.

Let me put out now I was thisclose to putting the book down after reading up to page 20. It was a really stupid read: Ms Cass was writing anything, jumping to different scenes, and it was all too confusing. She also added unnecessary passages. The names were stupid, America Singer? Maxon Schreave? Honestly, why do authors think that, because they’re writing a dystopian novel, they could name their characters with weird names? She never explained the caste systems. Not to worry; after reading up to 145 pages, I get the drifts. So let me explain the castes to you before you pick up the book. Your caste system is based on your ancestor’s income.

Castes 1-8:

Ones: You’re a royal; you’re filthy rich. Forget about starving, forget about shabby clothes, and forget about cleaning.
Twos: You’re living large; this is because your husband was in the military (from what I’ve read. Please correct me if I’m wrong).
Threes: You’re a normal citizen. You’re neither rich nor poor. You’re living comfortably.
Fours: The income is pretty low, but it’s enough to feed your family. The clothes are so and so. Not bad, but not good either.
Fives: You have to use your talents to make money. You have to work kind of hard and you’re barely making enough to feed your family.
Sixes: You’re a maid; you cannot refuse to help whoever (only from castes 1-5, mind you) ask you to do what needs to be done. Sometimes you miss out on food because you failed to make enough money.
Sevens: Sorry guys — didn’t read much on the Sevens. :/
Eights: You have no homes, no food, and you have to wear filthy rags for clothes. You can’t work.

With that being said, I hope it makes the first chapter not as confusing. Let’s begin with the review.

America Singer receives a letter to enter in the Selection to become a wife of Prince Maxon. Her mother couldn’t be more proud. So she pesters her daughter all the time to enter. America doesn’t want to go, she rather she’d stay at home with her secret lover, Aspen . . . a Six. It’s not recommended for someone to marry below a four, but can you truly help who you love? With America being a Five, she doesn’t see anything wrong with it. Unfortunately, things have to end between the two lovebirds because Aspen wants what’s best for America. He wants her to enter the Selection.

35 girls are picked (America included). They have to make the Prince fall in love with one of them. America befriends one girl; she’s the only one who would talk to her. All the other girls are throwing her dagger eyes. She doesn’t mind it, though. She wants to hurry and be done with it so she can return home. She used to hate Prince Maxon, but after meeting him, she sees some good in him and they become friends.

She doesn't want to marry him, but wants to be there for him and help him find a wife. I like their friendship. Maxon isn't a bad guy. The story reminded me of Wither by Lauren DeStefano, not The Bachelors. I don’t think the reviewers literally mean this is like The Hunger Games, just the fact that women from a lower caste has to compete to win the crown and Maxon’s heart to become rich; in The Hunger Games, people are selected from different districts to compete to win for fame and be drowned with riches.

Kiera Cass is brilliant writer! I highly recommend to pick her books! You love them!

I’m team Maxon all the way!

I know there was a lot of drama surrounding The Selection, but I wanted to read it, so I read it. I was intrigued by the “The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor” comparisons, although the only similarity to The Hunger Games was that the people are defined by a number. Instead of that number representing their district, it was their caste level. America’s number is 5, so she’s closer to poverty than to royalty.

I’d say that The Selection is more of Dystopia-lite. There’s too much glitz and glamor, and it’s quite fluffy and fun. The cattiness of the girls in the competition is entertaining, and I had a great time reading it. I did find myself questioning the world that this is set in though, but it didn’t bother me too much. By the end there was more excitement and danger, so I’m looking forward to the next one.

America is a bit of an inconsistent character, constantly contradicting herself. One page she’ll say that she’s plain, then two pages later she “feels pretty” in her pajamas! One moment she’s perfectly sweet, and the next she’s kneeing the Prince in the crotch! She was just every back and forth with everything. She did grow on me a bit as the book moved on, but I would rather her have been either sickeningly sweet, or super feisty, not a flip-flopper.

I know a lot of people hate love triangles, but I’ll admit that I mostly love them. Sure, the one in The Selection is the definition of forced, it was at least unique. America has a boyfriend at the start of the novel, Aspen, who she hopes to marry despite him being a caste below her. Unfortunately, like most men, he has a hero complex and can’t stand the idea of her providing for him rather than the other way around. Then of course, she’s selected for the Selection and is in the running to marry Prince Maxon. She may claim to hate him in the beginning, but it’s obvious she’ll grow to care for him. Their interactions were very sweet.

Prince Maxon is very stiff. Everything he says feels very scripted and rehearsed, even when he’s off camera and in private. It was hard to get a sense of who he was, other than just the Prince and the token of 35 girls affections. I did like his vulnerable side that came out with America though. It was kind of cute.

Basically, I loved this book despite its flaws. It was fun, highly entertaining, and had just the right amount of Dystopia-ness to not be overly fluffy. I flew through The Selection in one day and now I’m eager to get my hands on The Elite!

Oh my goodness, The Selection b Kiera Cass was an amazing book. I know I’m a little late reading it but I’m kind of glad because now I don’t have to wait to read the next book, it’s on my shelf staring me in the face while I write this review.

The story was amazing. I love it so much. America right from the beginning caught m attention with aversion to the letter. She has a feisty, stubborn personality that kind of reminds me of myself. I like the fact that she’s not a typical blonde hair, blue-eyed princess but a red head. That makes it so much better!

Aspen was a jerk to America and I felt sorry for having to deal with that. I mean I see where he was coming from but did he really have to be so mean about it. And then to try to get her back and thinking that sorry was enough, jeez.

Maxon on the other hand was a real gentlemen, genuinely caring about his society and the problems and America. I love how he takes what America says and doesn’t kick her out. I enjoyed the things he said and his thoughtful and generous personality. He’s defiantly what girls look for in a guy.

I enjoyed the laughs I got from this book and all of the smiles. America and Maxon both made me want to laugh out loud but that’s not possible at two in the morning nor is it allowed during advisement, but I love them nonetheless. Her dialogue was beautiful written with the way that teenagers and young adults speak and treat each other. I also think that even though it is a dystopian novel, its not set too far off. I appreciated that she found a creative way to give us the background information of what happened the U.S. and the back story of the characters.

This book is definitely a five. I loved it so much that I stayed up until two in the morning on a school night. I am so glad I bought this and won the elite from epic reads that I want to jump on my bed. I recommend this to the fans of romance, dystopia and lovers of Divergent!

Thank you guys for taking the time to read this review. If you’ve already read it let me know what you thought in the comments section!

The Selection drew me in from the beginning. I really connected with America. I could see similar character traits in her as myself, and then others that makes her stronger, others that I knew she had much room to grow and change. Character development and growth is really what gets me involved emotionally and otherwise in stories, and I knew that watching America would be a journey that I did not want to miss out on.
I feel like I have read this before. And I can't figure out where. Maybe it is just my readings of Ester or a christian fiction that was based on Ester... But anyways. The addition of Aspen and her loving a lower class definitely makes it unique and puts America, the main character in a more precarious position. I understand completely her choosing to participate in the selection to help her family because while she isn't the lowest class, they do struggle for food. She also decides to do it because Aspen doesn't want to live with the guilt of holding her back. There was a lot of tension going into making this decision, and that was just the beginning of what kept me reading this book.
The other girls in the competition were fun to read about. Some, like Marlee made me smile. She was so open and I loved the budding friendship between her and America. Others, like Celeste--well, let me just say that she made a perfect character to hate. There are others that I wished I could get a peek inside their mind and their time with Maxon.
And oh, Maxon. At first, I thought much like America, that he was stuck up and unreachable. But as she got to know him, my heart melted and I was pulling for her to be able to leave Aspen in her past and chose him. Ms. Cass did a great job writing this and set this up, because I was all prepared to pull for first love and forbidden romance, but I loved the interactions between America and Maxon. How their friendship formed, and their bantering and open, vulnerable moments together.
The ending completely took my breath away, and I can't wait for The Elite so I can figure out where America goes next in her journey, and figure out more to make my decision as well as find out hers.

Bottom Line: Breath taking romance with an underdog main character that I was cheering for with all my heart.

This was an amazing book. Light-hearted and fun, with some romance and a bit of action, the perfect protagonist, one forbidden love, a cute prince and 34 girls vying for his hand... what could go wrong?

Well, I am going to put it out there. What was Cass thinking when she chose the name America Singer? Who lives in America... and is a singer? Really. I mean, they are living in the future, but that's a bit pushing it. And the name Aspen reminded me of aspirin. Just putting it out there.

When I was reading the blurb, I was thinking something along the lines of "I think I'll read it first, to get it over and done with." It just sounded all a bit too fairy-tale like and fluffy princesses and spoilt girls and paparazzis and stuff. And of course, there was some of that, but it all worked beautifully, not annoyingly like I suspected it might. It had all the pretty dresses (I took special care to imagine the dresses :P), the spoilt girls (one in particular... grrrr you, Celeste), and the paparazzis, and the prince, with the shy romance, but it all worked.

I am definitely going for Maxon. He seems so sincere in his emotions, and friendly and nice (and of course it doesn't hurt that he is the Prince). I really hope that America chooses him. But she loves Aspen, who is right there in the palace as well, after he broke up with her just because he didn't want her to support him. So poor Maxon. He's so nice. But I can't believe he kept Celeste. But anyway.

America is a great protagonist. She doesn't even want to be queen, and she wanted to know about the rebels, she stood up for her maids, and was just generally outspoken and... just great. I burst out laughing (not that breathy sound you do when something's kind of funny, actual laughing), when she kneed His Royal Majesty The Prince in the groin. :D

If you're looking at the cover/blurb of this book, and thinking "Ummm... looks a little too princessy for my taste..." Don't exit this page. Trust me. America is not princessy at all.

I advise everyone to give this book a go, it is so good. I can't believe I have to wait until April for the next one!!!

I loved the Selection, it was way better than I thought it would be. Sooooooooooooo much better. From the cover, it looked like it be very fancy and girly, which I hate, but it was very different from that, but still with touches of that girly magic, as well as humour and a tiny bit of action.

When I read the name America Singer, I was confused. It was such a weird name, since I think they were living in a future America, and that she sings. It was a really weird name, as with most characters in the book. But I guess the names give this book a certain charm to it.

I thought the plot would be all dresses, make up and paparazzi. But it was different, it did have the dresses and a bit of paparazzi, but it had shy romance, friendship and action. Yes, action. Rebels attack the palace regularly, which brings a little excitement into the story.

The Selection is so much better than expected, for everyone. I believe that everyone should give it a shot, and you will be blown away with this amazing book.

Loved this book!

My rating: 5 stars.

This book was AMAZING.

I initially got interested in it because it reminded me of something else that I read a couple of months ago. This book got me hooked almost instantly. The first few chapters were a bit slow, which may be due to my immediate dislike of Aspen, but once we got to the actual Selection I couldn't stop reading. The way Kiera Cass slowly evolved America and Maxon's relationship while creating character development for all the other characters was remarkable.

Yes, there is a love triangle aspect in this book, but I think it's done in a way that's different from other novels. We see both relationships develop and it's not something that came out of nowhere. The book is just really interesting. I finished it in two days and on the last day I just sat there reading it for about 3 hours straight. I can't wait for 'The Elite

A good start to a series. I admit I'm one of those people that hate reality TV shows, especially "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette". I abhor those shows and I go out of my way to avoid them. So, when I was attracted to this cover (look how pretty it is) I hesitated when I read the synopsis. It did sound remotely like one of those TV shows but I gave it a chance.

I'm glad that I read it because I ended up really enjoying it. Some people say that it's too much like "The Bachelor". Yes, it does have similarities, but I wouldn't go as far as saying they're the same thing.

America Singer is apposed to the idea of becoming a princess. She is in love with a boy from her neighborhood so she doesn't see the point of trying to fall in love with Prince Maxon. She only ends up going to the "competition" because in doing so, her family will be compensated in money and status. What unfolds between all the competitors and the Prince, I'll let you find out for yourself, but I will tell you that America's reason for staying close to the Prince changes with time.

With all the controversy surrounding this book, it's bound to get very good and very bad ratings. Before joining one camp, read the book and make up your own mind. We live in a free world, not a dystopian one like in "The Selection", so try to think for yourself and give your OWN opinion.

My first thought: this is just like The Hunger Games. My second thought: this is so much better than The Hunger Games. Yes, better, but still hauntingly similar. It's no secret that this book is a Bachelor and Hunger Games mash up, but it was done very well.

Plot: The ever present love-triangle. Usually, I'm really decisive on who I like better, but this book made it really hard. At the beginning, when she and Aspen (her current boyfriend) are together, I was thinking, there's no way I could ever want her to be with that stupid prince. Now, I 'm not so sure.

But there is a major difference from The Hunger Games that I am very pleased with. We don't know if she's going to win. If you've read HG you can't tell me that you didn't know Katniss was going to win. It was obvious. If she died we wouldn't know who won. But here, I honestly have no idea because she says flat out from the beginning, she's not there to win. It ends in a major cliff hanger and I'm dying to read The Elite (which comes out next spring).

Characters: Remember how I said it was just like The Hunger Games? Well it is, even down to the characters. Aspen is just like Gale, the brooding best friend left behind. There's the guy who does all of the interviews (Gavril/Caesar), the slightly or overly peppy coach (Silvia/Effie), and you could even say the mean girl from a higher class (Celeste/Clove). I wasn't really drawn to any of the characters because I'd read them all before. Prince Maxon is quite charming though. America is a great main character and I often found myself giggling at her name in context. (I love you, America! and What am I to do, America?)

Genre: So I wanted to bring up a point about the way this book was written. It's a dystopia, but there was a major difference from all the other dystopias I've read. We all know Katniss as the fiery leader of the rebellion against Snow/Coin. You may know Cassia and how she stumbled up the rebellion with Ky.

But America has no part in the rebellion. She has no problem with her country Illea, sometimes talking about the parts she likes. There is a rebellion though. Unlike all of the others, its threatening her, and she's not the heroine that saves the country. I thought that was a nice twist a stereotype of the genre.

Overall: I finished it in a matter of hours. I got it from the library when I was done for the day and I was done before I went to sleep last night. (I do this quite often though...) I'm a sucker for chick lit and this had a healthy dose of romance in it. I've also been on a dystopic kick right now, so I found this book absolutely charming, despite the ever present thought of HG there.

I enjoyed reading this book but was really miffed with the ending....I wanted to know and read more! The book reminded me a little of Matched by Ally Condie though I can't put my finger on exactly why. I enjoyed the whole love triangle, though I have the guy in mind who I hope America will end up with in the end.
The concept of the different castes was a great idea, though nowadays we don't have numbers that tell us where we are in our class/caste system it still exists.
The relationship between america and her little sister May is great and provides the book with some humour too.
America goes into the selection very reluctantly, and not interested in Prince Maxon and the crown at all. America literally joins the selection to put food on her families table. america thinks Prince Maxon must be a spoilt arrogant man, but her opinion rapidly changes when she meets Maxon and gets to spend some time with him.
So basically as the byline on the book says there are 35 girls, and 1 crown that they are competing for....let the fun and games begin! Of course there is lots of jealousy and bitchiness among the girls, regarding who the Prince will finally choose., though Maxon seems blind to these goings on. Some of the girls are there for the romantic element of falling in love with a Prince, some are there to gain themselves a better caste number, as all those who take part in the Selection leave as number 3's. Other girls are there for the crown and the power they think it will give them.
The girl who wins will become a 1 the highest caste number possible, her family will also be lifted up the caste system.
So for a girl like america that would mean her family would never be hungry. Her brother Gerad could choose to do whatever he wished, he wouldn't have to be an artist just because his caste number dictates he should be.
I love the cover as I would say it represents America in a beautiful blue gown
The book is well written with good descriptions of the palace and the surroundings as well as descriptions of the beautiful dressers that the Selection girls are provided with to wear whilst at the palace.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes Would I recommend it? Yes Would I read more by this Author/in this series? Yes I have to read books 2 to see what happens to America, and to see who becomes Maxon's Princess.

This book was just fun. I really don’t understand the constant comparisons to The Hunger Games. Yes, they’re both dystopian, but The Selection is VASTLY different from The Hunger Games. America and Katniss are nothing alike, except that they’re both kind of socially awkward. There is no violence (except for a subplot involving rebels that keep attacking the castle for no reason the monarchy can understand). The families in the lower castes may go hungry, but the world doesn’t feel nearly as impoverished and depressing as the Districts of Panem. And while the losers of the Hunger Games die, the losers of the Selection go home to wed prominent businessmen and politicians.

So yeah. Not the same thing.

No, the pop culture phenomenon The Selection most closely resembles is The Bachelor. A bunch of pretty girls trying to win the hand/money (or in this case, crown) of a studly guy. There’s even camera crews and a weekly televised broadcast.

But whereas I can’t stand The Bachelor, I absolutely LOVED The Selection.

Beyond just the abundant prettiness (and there WAS abundant prettiness), this book just gave me happy fluttery feelings in my tummy. America was fun and feisty. Sometimes a bit dense, yes, but that’s when I had to remind myself (as I have to do often in YA books featuring female protagonists) that she is a teenage girl, and so it makes sense for her to be a bit dense.

Prince Maxon was sweet and charming and I’ve got to say, I know the whole point of the book was that America has two viable options in Aspen vs. Maxon, but I am Team Maxon all the way [I can't believe I just said that]. Aspen is stoic and intense and responsible and B-O-R-I-N-G. Granted, we don’t have nearly as much time to get to know him as Maxon, and most of our perception of him is through America’s lovesick and swoony eyes, so I will try not to be too disappointed if she runs back to him in Book 2. But I sincerely hope that Maxon is the victor.

There is a brief attempt to explain how the country of Illéa came to be, although the caste systems are never explained. Maybe in Book 2? I found the explanation reasonable enough. I know there are others out there saying they didn’t buy or understand it, but in the context of the story, and especially since America is narrating in first person and she herself doesn’t fully understand it all, I thought it was fine.

And while there’s very little action or nail-biting suspense in this book (unless you consider a will-they-or-won’t-they romance nail-biting suspense), I still found myself completely enthralled in the beauty of the Palace, the developing relationship between America and Maxon, and the tentative friendships between the girls in the Selection.

The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the ending. I wanted there to be MORE. Even though I knew it was going to end without resolving a lot of things (since my friend who loaned me the book warned me of as much), I was still sad and surprised when I hit the last page and still had questions. There’s a lot of subplots (and main plots) left hanging at the end. Consider yourself warned.

I think The Selection isn’t so much for Hunger Games fans (although I am a Hunger Games fan) as it is for fans of stories like The Princess Diaries or anything by Jane Austen. Or, obviously, fans of The Bachelor. It’s a fun, sweet, and highly entertaining romance, and the future dystopian setting adds some interest and uniqueness. I enjoyed it immensely.