Beauty Queens

It was unexpectantly awesome! You fall in love with the characters and root for them the whole way through. It's lighthearted and keeps you interested, almost like watching a movie unfold in your hands.

this book is beautifully written; it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and made my family worry about me because i was laughing at my book so much!! i would love to read this again and again and again. I don't know what more to say exept...... READ THE BOOK!!! :)

I get the whole satire thing, but this just drifted way to far into the Land of Bizarre. I had to force myself to finish, and if truth be told, I really just skimmed the last 20 pages or so. Very disappointing, because I like Libba Bray.

All the discussions about diversity in YA? All the times authors have said "I write about X because it's underrepresented in the marketplace"?

Yeah. Those conversations can stop.

The heart of Beauty Queens is the diverse cast. Granted every character has the "thing" that makes them special (being Deaf, gay, transgender, Texan) but they also have intriguing characteristics and backstories that keep them from being only this trait. Additionally, certain revelations--particularly about the trans character--are done so skillfully that you care about the person before the trait.

In a way, I think the thread of satire with the Corporation--serving to remind the reader of the way the image of beauty is controlled--might be overdone a bit. It serves a purpose, and for some might be the heart of the book, but for me the diversity won hands down.

Sosie, the Deaf character, has so much else going for her. She's a badass warrior, a dancer, questioning her sexuality and more. However, Bray isn't afraid to delve into the effect her disability has on her life--the choices she makes to prove people wrong. In one particularly well-drawn flashback she describes interaction with a girl in a wheelchair who is taking the The World Sucks attitude toward disability whereas Sosie is all My Disability Doesn't Get Me Down. I've seen both perspectives to this extreme and think Bray hit the nail on the head.

I also think this puts the nail in the coffin for the "can you write what you haven't experienced?" question. Bray can, and does.

This book came in a reasonable time (definitely faster than I thought) I was laughing, crying and thinking all throughout this book. It has a diverse set of people and helps me understand world issues that I wouldn't be able to understand from my point of view. It has literally everything, romance, drama, hot girls, pirates, secret agency, a plan to overthrow the government, feminism and comedy. I wish I could erase my mind of reading this so I could read again with the same reactions.

book came in perfect condition! great plotline - very Lord of the Flys, with only around half the death, gore, and general (actual) insanity that occurred on that island. also, takes place in this authoritarian utopian regime and it's great because you really don't expect it when you start the book and it's basically super subversive.

This book was excellent. A feminist icon in the making, Libba Bray knocks it out of the damn park with this clever, witty, and empowering book. Honestly, I HIGHLY recommend that everyone reads this. I laughed a LOT, got attached to every character, and got some truth bombs dropped on me. It's now one of my absolute favorite books.

I really enjoyed Libba's books about Gemma, but this one was one of the only books lately that I decided not to finish. Too much slapstick style writing and inserting "commercials" throughout the book. Felt too drawn out. I decided to cut my loss and move on.

Promising premise, but after page 60 in my seemingly new copy, pages 30-60 repeat them selves, and pick back up on page 90. Seems to be a binding error. So I Cannot read the book past page 60 without skipping 30 pages. Unsatisfactory.

Started out funny, was even reading it to my husband in the car on the way home. But got irritating fast. So many of the characters were based on stereotypes, the whole crazy dictator thing was just ridiculous and unoriginal, and way too many characters - the whole thing was just stupid. Don't even bother.

I really enjoyed Libba Bray's Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy. And I thought this book sounded like it might be funny. I thought it started out good. I was laughing at the beginning. But then I think she took it too far. I think she threw the F word in there too often and it wasn't necessary. And It just got nonsensical and not in a funny way. I was intrigued enough to want to see how it ended, but I skimmed most of the book because it was just boring. I think it had potential, but I was greatly disappointed. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends.

Beauty Queens comes from Libba Bray, aka, the Author who Devastated me with the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Going into the book, I had a different picture in my mind. After all, this book recently came up in discussions when Hollywood announced a female-driven Lord of the Flies movie, and I haven’t read Lord of the Flies, but I know it is a dark story. Beauty Queens, on the other hand, is a feminist satire that commentates on consumerism, beauty standards and capitalism. The story is simple enough in the start – a plane full of teen beauty pageant contestants crash on an island, and in the absence of adult supervision, figure out a way to survive, nay, thrive, while discovering themselves.

The story is interspersed with ‘commercials’ and ‘interviews’ and is presented as a story that is in third person while speaking from the viewpoint of different characters. At first, it seems like most of the girls are vapid and to be honest, I thought it would be a story that would only tackle beauty standards and all, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. The story, while rooted in the misogyny of our society and how it keeps girls under control with the sham of ladylike standards, intersects with racism, and different sexual orientations, and gender identities. We have a bisexual/pansexual (though it isn’t specifically mentioned in text) disabled girl, a transgender girl, two girls of color, and other girls who have their own stories be it about manipulative parents, or an absent mother, or forced chastity. The first half has the girls discovering what they really want out of life, and them learning to stand up for themselves.

But because this is not just a story about transformation, the story also includes a subplot about an evil corporation, a dictator, and some lost boys. Most of it is very comical and exaggerated but it works with the vibe of the book, and it balances all the fun moments with the poignant ones. Some of the girls’ stories are presented differently, with Petra’s story likened to a fairytale, and Marie Lou much like a werewolf transformation. The second half falls apart a little with the introduction of the boys, but it also shows the effect of the girls’ transformations more clearly. The end is, well, a little cheesy but I liked that we get the ‘future’ stories for all the girls. Their friendships that developed during the book, despite all the initial disagreements and hate, was a beautiful aspect of the book and I loved that.

I would like to add that if you plan to read this book, consider the audio. It is read by the author herself, and she does an amazing job with the accents, and characters. And actual music and jingles are used in the advertisements and interview sections, which makes the experience that much more fun and immersive. Seriously, do yourself a favour and get the audio!

Content warnings: Violence, transphobia, murder

Story: I loved the story! I especially loved how I felt that I was watching a reality T.V. show at times with all the "Commercial Breaks" and the Introduction. I also really liked the ending!

In this novel, we follow the last remaining beauty queens that survived the plane crash on the island. The question is, was this planned or was someone trying to attack America by shooting down the beauty queen plane? The beauty queens must try to survive while on the island. Beauty queens are used to much better treatment than this. They have to build huts, find their own food, have a leader, and learn to just get along.

Characters: I thought the characters in this story were very unique. My favorite character would of course be Adina, who ends up being the leader after the former leader, Taylor, goes crazy. Adina was the only one throughout half of the novel who thought that they shouldn't be pretending to still be in the competition. Instead, they should be finding food & trying to survive. The former leader, Taylor, was the one who really wanted the competition to go on. She was having everyone practice their dance and practice answering questions everyday. I also liked "Bollywood", who always thought that Nicole was her biggest competition because no two people that were the same skin color ever won and recieved runner up at the same time. I especially loved how they never became good friends until their near-death experience failling into a quick sand pit.

I especially loved how we learned all about each character in specifics at some point throughout the novel.

All in All: I thought this book was amazing. I'm definitely re-reading this book. I borrowed this from the library, and I'm definitely going to have to buy my own copy. I really need to read some of Libba's other books.

In full disclosure: this was one of the few books that I didn't finish. I was listening to the audiobook that I borrowed from the library and I ran out of time to finish it; I probably got about 3/4 of the way through. BUT I could've renewed it and I didn't. I kept hoping that it would get better and then I just had to surrender the fantasy. I get that I am not the intended audience for the book but I do enjoy YA books a lot, usually. This is not normally the type of YA book I would read but I had heard so much about it being a "Lord of the Flies" but with women and I love LOTF so yeah, sign me up! Um, it is so not a LOTF with women. It is comedic and silly and I just didn't love it at all. I don't think I liked it at all but perhaps I am just missing something? I wanted the darkness and desperation of LOTF. I wanted to question what I would do in that situation; I wanted to reflect on the nature of humanity and compassion in humankind. Yeah, this is NOT that book. I also wasn't a fan of the narrator, who I think was actually the author, Libba Bray. Again, perhaps this resonates with younger girls and I hope so, actually, because it does include diverse characters and storylines, however trite they might be, there is at least representation there. Really, I am just not the reader for this book.

I was a little skeptical about this book mainly because of two things: low rating on a Libba Bray book (I have always enjoyed her books) and because it’s about bimbo beauty queens who are trying to survive on a seemingly deserted island. However, I still picked up the book because it was still a Libba Bray book and because I had picked this book for my NYPL ReadingChallenge. I was expecting stupid blondes (sorry, stereotype) who end up doing more harm than good. What I didn’t expect was to actually find this book not only highly entertaining but quite educational as well.

I actually listened to the audiobook for this one (I think it was read by Libba Bray herself but not 100% sure about this) and it seemed more like a TV show rather than a typical audiobook. Especially because of the music during the “commercial breaks” which showcased different feminine products from the Corporation or some of their TV shows. It was definitely a unique experience listening to the audiobook and I’m glad I did it rather than reading the book in print.

Beauty Queens covered a lot of controversial topics: women rights, LGBT, and the stereotype of females in a relatively male-dominated society. There were a lot of snarky and satire about the expectations of females today and female sexuality. I found the topics to be riveting and engaging especially because, yes, we talk about such things today but I don’t see many YA novels that outright makes fun of these issues. It points a light at these issues and even though this book was written 5 years ago, it’s still very relevant today.

The beauty queens in this book exceeded my expectations. Sure there were certainly a few really dumb bimbos in the group but they were only dumb because people expected them to be dumb. Once they were thrust into this situation, they really came out of their shells and eventually learned and helped a lot. In the beginning when I first started listening to the book and was listening to these beauty queens discuss the situation, I wanted to smack them in the face. I mean, when faced with the accident, the “team leader”, Taylor, wanted to practice their routines rather than figuring out how to survive. They failed to realize the situation they were in until they were faint with hunger and dehydrated. While a few were the typical bimbos, there were also a lot of smart ones. It was also interesting to see their family backgrounds and where they come from because it helped a lot. For example, Taylor, Miss Texas, because she had history of shooting live animals and whatnot, she was able to use some of her hunting skills to help the other girls survive. This other one grew up in a fishing community so she knew how to make fish lines to capture fresh fish. It was quite amazing to see how these seemingly uninteresting skills can make or break survival.

The plot also had a lot of twists and turns. From the synopsis, you don’t get the impression that there is some dark sinister plot lurking in there; however, there was this huge scandal and conspiracy where the girls not only had to survive to live on the inhabited island but also to fight to survive against deadly scheme.

The book was incredibly fun to read. Definitely exceeded my expectations on both the beauty competitions and many controversial topics discussed in the book. I highly recommend it. But you should listen to the audiobook instead.

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On the surface Beauty Queens is a hysterical satire about a bunch of teen beauty queens stranded on a deserted island, but this novel is so much more than that. This was a great social commentary on today's ridiculous beauty standards, and the crazy things women go through to achieve them. Libba Bray manages to tackle issues of race, sexism, sexuality and survival with humor and sarcasm. If you pick up this book with an open mind you should enjoy the hell out of this story and the wonderful characters within.

The characters are fantastic. Each of our surviving contestants has a back story that is so much more than fake tans and sparkles. There are girls struggling with their sexuality (from embracing sex positivity to coming to terms with their sexual identity), some hints of mental illness, issues of race, and a character with a physical disability. Libba Bray did an amazing job handling all of these controversial topics and weaving all the girls stories and struggles together.

Now let's talk plot. So we have a bunch of beauty queens who are stranded on an island after their plane crashes. All of the adults died in the crash and about 80% of the contestants. At first, the girls keep up the pageant queen charade, thinking they'll want to be prepared and Miss Teen Dream ready when they are rescued, and for the possible camera crews that will accompany their rescue. They quickly realize practicing dance numbers is much less important, and figuring out how to survive the hostile climate, giant snakes and hallucination-inducing plants, takes precedence. Now this plot in another YA author's hands would most likely contain less humor and more Mean Girls like sabotage. Libba Bray took this plot line and showed what would happen if women set aside their differences, and stopped looking at each other as competition (seriously, why do we do this? Who does this benefit?), then we can basically do anything we set our minds to. Each girl has a skill and knowledge the others don't, and this is a great example of using that to work together instead of tearing each other down.

Every time I reread this book (3 times now) I feel so empowered. It makes me want to stop apologizing, for having an opinion, for being a woman, for not living up to society's standards of beauty, and start embracing who I am and the individuality of each and every one of us.

And the whole thing is written like a made for TV movie, commercial breaks and footnotes included. If you thought a book titled Beauty Queens couldn't be a great work of feminist fiction, think again! Libba Bray is an incredible author, and proves that with every new novel she writes.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

I really, really loved the representation, the cast is handful of teen beauty queens, which might seem limiting at first thought, but we've got WOC, a disabled woman, more than one queer character, AND a trans woman. Not a bad showing. We get bits from all of their POVs, and I adore how authentic each of their voices sound: the deaf girl trying her best to be the "cheerful disabled girl" so that abled people won't feel uncomfortable around her, the Indian girl feeling resentful at first of the well-rounded black girl, because she knows that the pageant won't have two dark skinned girls in the top 10, the trans girl thinking of her journey to this place, and fighting for her right to be considered "girl" enough to compete, when she knows that's what she is. It beautiful seeing each of these character's individual struggles, and how being on this island frees them of society's standards and expectations, and allows them to be their full, complete, beautiful selves.

I did think the novel sometimes tried too hard to make its point, and I ended up skimming over some of the bits that felt redundant. We get it, society hates women, the corporation is evil, etc. etc. I think some of it was just overkill. I also found Adina pretty annoying, which I think was part of the point, that even those "I'm not like other girls" can be super annoying in their quest to, well, not be like other girls. :)

After their plane crashes, thirteen beauty queens are stuck on an island. They start off panicked and mostly still pageant-centered, as many of the girls have dedicated their entire lives to beauty and competition. They wait for someone to come and save them. As time goes by, they begin to worry more about survival - if they aren't found, how will they make it on their own?

Ultimately, this book is about realizing that, while society has a million expectations for people - especially girls - we each have to make our own choices. Some will go out of their way to be pretty whether it's expected or not, and some prefer not to put in the effort. And sometimes, beauty only gets you so far anyway.

I really enjoyed the variety of characters in this book, not only for the diversity but the personalities. Each girl was so different from the others, and they all felt like real people. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to get into the heads of so many people, and to do it right. Beauty Queens gave readers insight into so many of the characters, as it was told in third person and changed perspective quite often.

The format of the book was also brilliant. I'm not sure how it would look in print format, as I listened to this one on audio, but this wasn't only a straight-forward story line. The plot was broken up occasionally by facts about the girls, sheets filled out by them for the pageant, that gave so much insight into their lives and their thoughts, despite being pretty short. There were also "commercials" from time to time, and I don't think any of them failed to make me laugh.

This book managed to be both very funny and incredibly honest. Sometimes things the girls would say or think broke my heart, and other times I couldn't hold back laughter. I'm not sure I've ever reacted to another book quite the way I did this one, and it was just really fun. It definitely brightened my day listening to the audiobook, and I found myself cleaning just so I had something to do while I listened longer. (I spent hours doing that. I was so productive that day.)

Overall, I cannot think of one negative thing to say about this one. I'm already wondering when I can pick up Libba Bray's other books, because I'm almost positive I will enjoy them as well. I can't believe I didn't read this sooner!

When I stumbled across this book the description reminded me of one of my favourite tweenage films Drop Dead Gorgeous. Looking for a fun, light summer read I figured I'd give it a go. Boy am I glad I did!

Libba Bray tackles important subjects such as racism, misogyny, transphobia, feminism, sexuality (and I could keep going), all while still maintaining a fun, breezy, and often ridiculous atmosphere. It made me very excited to know this is the stuff the youth of today are reading about. The core message of loving yourself and being respectful of others is clear without feeling as if you are being preached to and you can't help but feel good every time you pick it up. Thoroughly impressed.

This novel is all over the place tonally, and the satire doesn't always land the way I think author Libba Bray intends it to. But there's still a lot to enjoy in this girl-power comedy of teenage beauty pageant contestants crashing on a deserted island and discovering their inner strength in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. The girls are a diverse bunch, and even the shallower characters are more enjoyable to follow than the petty figures in Bray's earlier book A Great and Terrible Beauty. Bray also does an outstanding job as her own audiobook reader, adding extra hilarity to her written words with the way she inflects them and all the different character voices she adopts. It's far from a perfect novel, but it's mostly rather fun.

My review is based on the audio version of Beauty Queens read by the author which I enjoyed very much. There is satire galore because the story is a send up of every stereotypical beauty contestant, beauty product and the culture that perpetuates so much of the stupidity.
Perhaps more than anything, the blind followers of the Beauty and Fashion Industry, is made fun of and ridiculed, which does not mean that Corporate Greed and Corruption, or Stupid Dictators are neglected.

Interspersed between episodes there are commercials that are hilarious.

Overall this is an over the top entertaining and hilariously cynical satire where nothing is sacred.

This is the complete review as it appears "http://ianwoodnovellum.blogspot.com/2015/01/beauty-queens-by-libba-bray.html" at my blog dedicated to reading, writing (no 'rithmatic!), movies, & TV</a>. Blog reviews often contain links which are not reproduced here, nor will updates or modifications to the blog review be replicated here. Graphic and children's reviews on the blog typically feature two or three images from the book's interior, which are not reproduced here.

Note that I don't really do stars. To me a book is either worth reading or it isn't. I can't rate it three-fifths worth reading! The only reason I've relented and started putting stars up there is to credit the good ones, which were being unfairly uncredited. So, all you'll ever see from me is a five-star or a one-star (since no stars isn't a rating, unfortunately).

I rated this book WORTHY!

WARNING! MAY CONTAIN UNHIDDEN SPOILERS! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

I've been somewhat of a fan of this author since I read the A Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy - a trilogy that made sense, was well-written, and enjoyable. I looked at other titles by Bray, of course, but I've never found one which appealed as much as that did. Until now!

Beauty Queens is one of the funniest and best-written novels that I've ever not read. I say that because I didn't read this - I listened to the audio book read by Libba Bray herself, and she does a damned fine job of it. I recommend getting the audio book over the print or ebook because she reads it perfectly.

This just goes to show how brain-dead it truly is to insist upon actors for reading the audio versions of published books. Actors may be fine at acting, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're any good at all at reading novels for an audience, and audio book publishers simply don't get that for some reason. Another book I enjoyed in the audio book version was The Golden Compass narrated by Philip Pullman and read by an ensemble cast. The Subtle Knife was just as enjoyable in the same format. I haven't got to the third in that audio trilogy yet.

The big problem with audio books is the expense, of course: the CD versions are way expensive, but with the advent of audio ebooks, perhaps this will change - although with Big Publishing™, I wouldn't hold out much hope. I got mine from the Libba-rary(!), and once I knew how good it was, I went out and bought the hardback - which I got at a nice discount - just to have it on my shelf.

This novel gripped me from the start and made me laugh out loud repeatedly. I routinely by-pass introductions and prologues in books, but this is hard to do with audio-books, so I just let this play. I enjoyed every bit of it right from the start, fortunately.

The story begins with fifty teen beauty queens, one from each US state, surviving a plane crash on a remote island, and their dealing with the aftermath. The first couple of chapters were so hilarious that I was pretty much ready to give this a 'worthy read' rating even if the rest of it was crappy!

Fortunately, it wasn't. The author creates a whole set of characters (not all fifty get a significant part, but a bunch of them do), and each has a distinct personality and behavior - and they all have interesting back-stories. There was some serious work went into this one. The sly, anarchic humor runs rampant through every chapter.

It's not simply stranded beauty queens, which is hilarious enough in itself, especially with the author's writing subtly undermining the whole concept of beauty pageants. It's also the behind-the-scenes machinations by the pageant organizers and, believe it or not, arms running! I fully and highly recommend this one - the audio version in particular.

Beauty Queens. Oh Beauty Queens.

For the first 200 pages or so, I had a really hard time getting through this book. Especially at the beginning. The characters were so vapid and boring. They didn't have much to them and it seemed like it was going to be this long book about boring, whiny, image-obsessed girls being freaked out by being stranded on a deserted island. I had such a hard time getting through it, they seemed so dumb and I just couldn't get into this book.

Boy, was I wrong.

Beauty Queens is a fantastically awesome feminist book. The messages in this book are strong and positive, and I think the characters all exemplify what it means to be strong, powerful, positive female characters. This book talks about EVERYTHING about being a woman. Being pressured to watch your diet, the effect of your race on how people you perceive you, learning to be yourself and embrace who you are and be open about that, embracing sexuality and being sexual not being an inherently bad thing, not letting men be your life while being in love, what being "female" even really means, the fact that women always feel the need to say sorry....the list goes on and on and on.

All of these themes are hidden under this book with the plot of a blockbuster action movie.

I am such a fan of this book if only for the themes present in it and the fact I felt really empowered as a woman after finishing it. It was a fun, light read that made me want go go "OH YES GIRL YOU TELL THEM" and "FUCK YEAH YOU ROCK" to the characters the whole way through.

It's so awesome to see a feminist book that also has more to it. Like, this book had such a bad-ass plot, it wasn't just about feminism, it was about girls kicking ass and learning how to survive. And learning about friendship. I love girl friendship, there's not enough of that in books. It was great to read a book that wasn't centered on a romance.

Anyways, I think this is a great read. I would love to see many young girls reading this in school. I think there are SO many positive messages and...ugh I just loved so much about this book. I only gave it 4 stars since I felt like the good meaty stuff took a little long to get to and I wish it hadn't. I did have a hard time in the beginning.

If you are a feminist, or even if you aren't and you just want a book about awesome women, this one is for you.

Oh and shoutout to Kristina Horner for recommending this. And for her awesome videos on answerly about this. Knowing that you loved this book is what gave me hope that it would get better and it SO DID.

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide

Completed: July 17, 2013
Publishing Info: May 24th 2011 by Scholastic, Inc
Source: Digital audiobook borrowed from local library
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Satire
POV: Third person, multiple POVs

BEAUTY QUEENS is a hilarious jab at — well, I guess American society in general. Beauty pageants, yes, but also commercialism, stereotypical ideas of beauty, government, and so much more. Satirical is really the best way to describe it and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments, though at times (as satire tends to do), I felt like things went a bit over the top and I do have a tendency to reach a point where I feel like it’s overkill and then I end up rolling my eyes, and I won’t lie — BEAUTY QUEENS had several moments like that as well.

Let’s start with the characters — at first I though that Adina was our main character because the story started with her vantage point, but really the book covers the POVs of several (and I mean several) of the key beauty queens along with some members of the Corporation. At first I thought I would be confused with so many different perspectives, but the girls’ personalities really stood out on their own, especially having read this book on audio (which I’ll get into later). The girls are so much more than beauty queens and we really get to know each one of them individually. I actually came to appreciate and care about many of their stories, but there did come a point where I felt like the book should have focused on a few less to not spread the readers so thin.

I actually really enjoyed the storyline with these pampered and over-the-top girly girls having to figure out how to survive on this (seemingly) deserted island. Some flounder and some let their leadership take control and after many trials and tribulations, the girls finally figure out how to not only survive but to get along and make true friendships. There is a lot of social commentary and insinuations about how girls are expected to act and how some of those expectations are completely unrealistic and demeaning. I’m not a feminist by any stretch, but I think there’s something to be appreciated from what these girls learn — not only in the way of how they’re perceived as “respectable women” but just allowing themselves to be who they are and act how they really want. The girls just learn a lot about themselves as individuals and they really learn to be comfortable with who they are and what they really want out of life.

What I wasn’t quite a fan of in the book was basically everything to do with MoMo B. ChaCha (which I had to look up how to spell since I read the audio haha). I just found his whole character and everything to do with it entirely too ridiculous, past the point of satire and social commentary and hilarity. I was just annoyed and those parts of the audio definitely dragged because I was also tired of listening to him. Some of the ways the plot resolved were just a bit too contrived for me and things got too silly for my tastes. Things all wrapped up well in the end, but I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary moments and dialogue and backstories that really just made the book feel a bit too long. Especially listening to the audio… I was enjoying the book but it felt LONG. I was about 75% of the way through and I felt like it had just been dragging.

I think BEAUTY QUEENS is a different type of humor that I haven’t seen a lot of in YA. It was definitely enjoyable, but I think for my tastes it was maybe a bit too much to spend a whole 14 and a half hours with (400 pages if you’re reading it). I really think that’s a personal taste though, as I know many people really appreciated and loved the book! I’m interested in reading more of Libba Bray because she definitely knows how to write her stuff and I’d really be interested in reading something more serious from her.

Audiobook Impressions: Libba Bray narrated BEAUTY QUEENS herself and she is a damn good narrator! She had so many different voices which really was necessary considering how many characters she had to portray differently. Her different accents for all of the beauty queens were great (although Miss Nebraska sounded a little too Northern MN/WI/Canadian… does Nebraska really sound like that? I assumed they’d sound midwestern). Her non-American accents… Not as convincing to be realistic, but still better than I could do! The “commercial breaks” had music and everything so that was really entertaining! It was almost like listening to a real radio commercial so that was pretty neat. Overall, the book was just LONG on audio — I’m not sure how it comes off actually reading it — but I hadn’t listened to a long audiobook before so it just felt like it kind of dragged on!

Beauty Queens might be one of the strangest books I’ve ever read. It starts off with a note from the sponsor of the Teen Dream beauty contest, a corporate entity called. . . The Corporation. Subtle, that. And yet, despite the strange 20 pages I read that had me contemplating if this book was worthy of finishing, I grew to really, really like it–and maybe even love it.

Make no mistake, Beauty Queens is heavy-handed satire. It’s funny and mostly well-drawn, but there’s hardly a single issue related to gender, sexuality, and media that Bray doesn’t address at some point. Most of the time, that worked, but at others I felt that there was such a push to put EVERY! SINGLE! ISSUE! into Beauty Queens that some of the issues the book attempts to address suffer because of it. Being that the girls are confined on an island for so long and have discussions about being beauty queens, the book handles that sort of topic–gender identity, what women are expected to be, etc, really well. But Beauty Queens also addresses some topics that fall flat, such as the inclusion of a cross-dressing reality TV pirate. There just wasn’t enough time to draw out some of those things fully.

Other than that, the only real complaint I have about Beauty Queens is the large cast, and how some of the girls aren’t known by anything other than their state, which just got confusing. I didn’t learn one of the character’s name until the last chapter.

While these aspects did affect my enjoyment of Beauty Queens, the parts I liked and thought were important greatly outweighed these flaws. The humor and satire in Beauty Queens made me chuckle, which rarely happens in books. There are so many great lines I had to read multiple times to appreciate. The way everything came together in the end was, like most of the book, ridiculous in the best possible way. I never thought I would use the word ridiculous so many times in a review and mean it as a compliment, but in this case it absolutely is.

Even though the main story of Beauty Queens is the surviving pageant contestants being stranded on what they believe to be a deserted island, there’s small breaks throughout the book. These breaks act as “voice-overs” on TV would, notes from The Corporation. There’s also footnotes throughout the book that give more information about the various products mentioned in the book, which I love, since most of them read as advertisements for things you would NEVER want to buy(like a beauty product to “fix your earlobes”). Whenever the girls did something that went against the what The Corporation would want the girls to do, there’s a note about it, such as this one:

“The Corporation would like to apologize for the preceding pages. Of course, it’s not all right for girls to behave this way. Sexuality is not meant to be this way – an honest, consensual expression in which a girl might take an active role when she feels good and ready and not one minute before. No. Sexual desire is meant to sell soap. And cars. And beer. And religion.”

I thought the characters in Beauty Queens was really well done. Almost all of them start off as mostly self-imposed stereotypes, but along the way they learn and grow and decide to not be afraid to show their true selves. And I liked that Bray didn’t try to make their enjoyment of dresses or pageant things or make-up a bad thing. They decide it’s not so important after awhile, at least not as important as building shelter or you know, drinkable water. But they all slowly get to decide what their REAL interest are: do they like these things only because they’re “suppose” to? And for some things, the answer is YES, and for others the answer is no. It’s the perfect development in the middle of all the weird things in the novel that makes it work so well.

“As one, they leap, laughing, and that is where we leave them – mouths open, arms spread wide, fingers splayed to take in the whole world, bodies flying high in defiance of gravity, as if they will never fall.”

Beauty Queens might be a weird book, but it’s worth it.

This audiobook left me with some mixed feelings. But, in regards to the performance, the author herself reads the book aloud in a wonderful manner. She has a lovely and lively reading voice and the accents all sound quite convincing - not only in just keeping the Miss Teen Dream contestants apart, but also in the accents of Ladybird Hope, the Bodacious Babes British pirates and even a crazed dictator. On this level it is an entertaining and lively and well-performed listen with special effects at just the right parts to augment the fun. And this Audible edition concludes with a bonus interview of the author which offers insight into Bray's motivations and inspirations for telling this story. Actually, the interview contains more emotional depth than the entire novel that precedes it.

It's not that I disliked the book - it's a campy, fun idea for a novel that works well in engaging readers from the very beginning. A plane, full of beauty pageant contestants, crashes and maroons the surviving girls on what at first appears to be a deserted island. Despite the storyline, the book is less Lord of the Flies and more Gilligan's Island. Not all 50 contestants make it, but it's a sizable enough crowd that there are still major and minor characters (poor Miss New Mexico runs around the whole novel with her only remarkable trait the airplane tray that is lodged in her forehead) but with the varying accents it is quite easy to keep them all straight.

The book is set in a vaguely dystopian future where all is run by The Corporation. This drives the entire plot and also provides ample fodder for the satire (Bray puts her past experience in advertising to hilarious use here). Unfortunately, the soapboxing that comes with all the satire goes beyond mocking The Corporation. As almost (sorry, Miss New Mexico) each girl begins to be developed each one deals with a different key issue - being Indian, black, gay, transgendered, intellectual, ditzy, deaf, slutty. It's a lot to cram in one book - and ultimately, it leaves none of their struggles feeling particularly genuine. Plus, despite some references to diets, makeup, waxing, at the end of the day, they are all still beauty queens so body image - a topic that I fully expected to be beaten over the head with - isn't really addressed at all. When mixed in with the hunky pirates, utterly ridiculous plot and by the tenth hour, I was just anxious for the book to be over. I wish that it had been more tightly edited, less politically motivated. It had some very fun moments, though, some genuinely funny moments, but it just wasn't the book I had hoped for - especially considering the rather shallow "happily every after" epilogue that wraps up the novel.

4.5/5
This was so funny. A satirical cross between Lord of the Flies and Beauty Pageants. Set in a hyper-capitalist world with corrupt presidents, dictators, and commercial breaks.
This book was amazing. Each girl was so unique and awesome. And despite all their differences in talent, upbringing and values, they band together to survive and look great while doing it.

It explores views and concerns that girls, and all people, have about relationships, sex, family, ambition , identity and finding a place in a world that wants to shove you into a box.

4.5- audiobook
5- narration
What a fun unexpected read this was. I struggled through the first 20% not sure if it was a comedy or what. I went into this book with no knowledge of what it was really about, it was recommended by a friend. I would not have read it normally, the blurb sounds like something I'd avoid. Don't read the blurb people, jump in and have some fun with these beauty queen hopefuls. This is fun in the sun summer reading enjoyment, LOL for days reading.
What was the book about ? A plan crash, over the top stereotypical beauty pageant girls, corrupt companies, more corrupt people in power and self discoveries. There is also a lot of slimy snakes, bombs, bullets, death, sparkles, and moisturizers. This is a book about girl power.
Loved it !

Beauty Queens was everything I wanted it to be, especially since I read it over audio and Libba Bray really just needs to be everyone's BFF. SO.GREAT.

Beauty queens marooned on an island. What a great concept (apparently conceived by David Levithan). These girls are the stereotype of all things QUEEN. They're slightly ditzy, slightly fake, obsessed with themselves...But also, they're a team. They manage to survive the island (and the corporation, who is about as creepy as can be).

Highly recommend when you're trying to get out of a book slump, get through a book hangover, or just when you want something continuously funny and ridiculous.

4/5 stars because it dragged a bit at the end.

I avoided this book for the longest time because it just looked silly, sillier than what I normally would have read and enjoyed. I don’t think that blurb does it justice and while the cover is poignant I don’t think it quite services the book either. It’s so much more than just beauty queens meet Lord of the Flies. It’s a satirical, elegant and, at times serious, look at very real issues that girls face. It just does it with the world’s largest bucket of sarcasm and I loved it. Thanks to Laura for sending me this three Christmases ago now.

I know some would say that this is poking fun at the whole beauty pageant circuit and yes, it is, but that’s really a small part of the book. I’d have to read the book again to really keep all of the characters straight but there was one girl who basically infiltrated the pageant they’re all trying to win in a bid to bring it down as the misogynistic machine that it is. But, of course, the world isn’t black and white like nearly every one of these girls sees it as and over the course of the book their rather narrow views of their world are broken down and replaced with understanding.

That’s not to say that I enjoyed every second of it. At times I did think the circumstances got a little too perfect and people became and little too understanding too quickly. Acceptance was just right there and they just took it without much thought or protest. But since it was encapsulated within a book that was in and of itself outlandish it really wasn’t much of a stretch to believe that things could develop like they did. It poked at my suspension of disbelief but not enough to shove me out of the story. At least those moments didn’t happen very often and they seemed to cluster so once it did happen it was done and we didn’t really revisit it.

I liked how Bray defined each girl so staunchly at the beginning and then broke them down as the book went on. She wove the changes in attitudes so deftly into the plot that there wasn’t one character whom I felt did a 180 for the sake of the plot. Bray paid such close attention to each and every one of these girls that despite my inability to remember who was who (that just lends itself to me never remembering names, makes work kind of awkward) each girl stood out as her own person on the page. And it’s a large cast of characters too so to make them all become so independent of each other is a feat and it made me enjoy the book all the more.

And it was so freaking funny. The range of humor used, from outright slapstick to intelligent witticisms, I found myself laughing out loud. At work. People already think I’m weird anyway. I’ll live. I love authors who write smart humor. I’m also not above a dictator named MoMo B ChaCha whose second in command is a taxidermied rodent. Or to have such static caricatures as villains who might as well be evilly twirling their mustaches while petting fluffy white cats. It all just added to the fantasticness of BEAUTY QUEENS.

Bray’s range as an author is phenomenal and it makes me want to read everything she puts out. For the sake of BEAUTY QUEENS, don’t ignore it because the blurb sounds ridiculous and why is the bikinied chick on the cover wearing a bandolier of lipsticks? Just read it. The plot, the commercial breaks, the beauty bios, everything just blends together in a seamless read of awesome that I plan on revisiting again and again. I don’t think too many people can make a tray imbedded in someone’s forehead funny. Bray does.

4.5

Although this book was recommended to me, I really didn't like the beginning and almost quit listening to it early on. Teen beauty pageant contestants whose plane crashed on a deserted island, no adults survived. The jokes were absurd and monotonous, just really too silly.

And I trudged on, mainly because I didn't have anything else to listen to at that moment.

In the end, I loved this book. Absurdist, farcical, absolutely no connection with reality, and very funny. Even the cartoonish, stereotyped characters became people I cared about. The whole stereotyping thing made its point. The story paints good lessons for teens in a very entertaining way, and the lessons are ones that adults need to be reminded of now and then.

And there are PIRATES!

And BOY BANDS!

And DANGER!

The audio version I heard was read by the author, and she did a wonderful job with the voices. The acknowledgments and author's notes at the end are almost as entertaining as the book, and should not be skipped.

So, if you don't get fed up with the beginning and you keep reading, you may find, as I did, a funny, and highly entertaining book with a serious side to it, and lessons about acceptance.

I was so excited to read Beauty Queens. It sounded like such a fun, superficial-in-a-good-way contemporary. And everyone seems to love Libba Bray. But it just didn't work. I didn't hate the book or anything, but I didn't love it like I'd hoped I would.

Beauty Queens turned out to be very different from what I'd expected. I'm not even sure it's contemporary; it's somewhere between contemporary and dystopian, taking today's society's values to extremes. I was surprised by how much of this is social satire - I'd expected it to be ridiculing the whole beauty-queen thing, of course, but I thought it'd be more a part of the story. In Beauty Queens, it felt like social satire came first and story came second, and I think some parts, like the character development, suffered from that. For example, the novel is embedded as something the Corporation - the company that produces everything and pretty much rules the world Beauty Queens is set in - is giving to consumers, with comments from the Corporation and advertisements in between the chapters. The idea is fun, but it doesn't make much sense, because the story is very anti-Corporation. While the social satire and taking everything to extremes is entertaining, I wish the characters and their story would have been focused on more instead.

Then there's the craziness factor, which is a lot higher than I'd expected. I knew Beauty Queens would be weird, of course, since it's about a plane of beauty pageant contestants crashing on a deserted island. But the craziness doesn't stop there. I can't really talk about this without spoiling anything, but things get a lot - and I mean a lot - crazier after that. And not necessarily in a good way. The ideas by themselves are fun, but I thought it was just too much. It just got ridiculous, at some point, and I found some parts hard to follow because there's so much going on.

The social satire and the crazy plot twists left little room for character development. Most of the girls have something about them that makes them stand out, and I do like how many different groups of people are represented. But we never got to go deep enough to really explore their characters; there's no emotion. There are a lot of POVs, and it was kind of hard to keep track of all the girls, especially because they're sometimes referred to by the states they're representing instead of their names. Not really getting to know any of the characters means I never got fully invested in the story. And things just got worse when the "sexy pirates" showed up because I did not like the romance at all - a lot of it is insta-love and it just felt forced.

All of that said, Beauty Queens does have the entertainment factor. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny, and I did like seeing our society taken to the extreme like that, just because it's so ridiculous. I also liked the empowering, feminist message and the whole girl-power feel of the novel. But that got in the way of character development, and some of it was too out there for me, making Beauty Queens just an okay read for me. I will have to check out some of Libba Bray's other books, though, to see if I click with one of those.

This book started off being pretty hilarious for me. I was laughing out loud just in the first fifty pages, which made me want to continue reading it even more. I love a good book that can make me laugh right from the beginning. I quickly begin to notice that this book wasn't just going to be a fluffy and funny read about some clueless beauty queens stranded in an island. It was about more than that, as we begin to know each of these girls, we find out that they all have things that they hate about themselves, insecurities and plenty of skeletons in their closets. So of course, a deeper message would be hidden within the pages of Beauty Queens.

We get to know more about each one of these girls deeply as each chapter begins to focus on one at a time and we get their secrets revealed within the midst of hilarious antics. It was a bit confusing at first because there's just so many girls and you can easily forget who's who at the beginning but the book begins to focus a lot more on a just a few and once you get to know their personalities it makes it easier to keep track. The book plays out like a TV movie, we have these "commercial breaks" in between chapters which are really funny because of the ridiculousness of them all, it seems like a joke the world these girls are living in. There were some things that I could've taken out like the commercial breaks and the footnotes but I guess that would make the book more fun for some people but I found them annoying sometimes, I stopped reading the footnotes about halfway through the book. I wanted to know more about what was really going on with the girls.

Beauty Queens wasn't the fluffy contemporary I expected when I started reading it, but a novel about serious issues and insecurities that make women hide their true self, it was still pretty entertaining with hilarious dialogue, danger and a bit of romance. I found myself not laughing as much during the second part of the story, but taking it more seriously as we begin to see the girls changing and opening up, discovering what they really want and that they're not just some brainless pretty girls but ambitious, clever and talented women. It's a great read for anyone even if you've never struggled with insecurities, it's a light hilarious read with a great message that I think anyone will enjoy.

I've heard such great things about Libba Bray and her Gemma Doyle Trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy)) (I haven't read them yet), so when the opportunity to get her new book I jumped at it. The idea of beauty pageant contestants stranded on an island intrigued me, but I had no idea this was to be so silly in its satire never taking itself seriously.

This is a book that people are either going to love or shrug their shoulders at. I kinda just shrugged my shoulders at it. Even though it was fun and silly, it seemed like overkill at 390 pages. I just couldn't seem to stay engaged in the story. I'd read a few pages, put it down and read another book. Then I'd see this on my nightstand and say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about this," and read a few pages. And repeat.

I had a hard time caring about the characters. The book starts with the survivors picking themselves up after the plane crashed with luggage and bodies everywhere. They seem to realize that there are only 13 left and have no real supplies, but are more concerned with keeping up their pageant skills and well...this:

***
"Ohmigosh. No food at all." Tiara sank down on the sand as if the full weight of their predicament had finally hit her. She blinked back tears. And then that megawatt smile that belonged on cereal boxes across the nation reappeared. "I am going to be so superskinny by pageant time."
***

There are a lot of really funny parts. There are "commercial breaks" that showcase beauty products from "The Corporation" (Doesn't that sound like Prison Break - Season One?) and the absurd commercials to sell over-the-top products. We also get to read the contestants "Miss Teen Dream Fun Facts Page" unedited, the versions not necessarily seen by The Corporation.

Even though this was a funny read, I don't think it was a fit for me. I think lovers of the show Toddlers & Tiaras: Season One would appreciate this more. Yes, I know it's a satire, but it was just too heavy handed and too long for me to enjoy. I will still give her Gemma Doyle Trilogy a try.

Well, well, well...what to say about Libba Bray's young adult novel, Beauty Queens? Tongue-in-cheek? Check. Laugh out loud at times? Check. Teens learning to be themselves? Check. Over the top? CHECK. Different? Oh, heck yeah, CHECK. Interesting? To say the least...check, check, check.

I first picked this novel up back in August and it didn't click at all. The exaggerated stereotypes of Miss Teen Dreamers seemed to be trying too hard and I just couldn't get interested in what these superficial bimbos were doing and saying. But when it started calling to me in late January, I figured it was time to give it another try; like many readers, sometimes it's all about the timing. And this time, it clicked. I was engaged in the stereotypes, the survival, the silliness...at no time did I ever take this book seriously as it explored humanity, beauty, sexuality, and pirates, but it was FUN. There were moments when I did get a little weary of the undercurrent of "learning to love yourself"-ness running throughout, but as these young women learned they could rely on themselves, I got very attached to them. And even Adina, who seemed to be in the pageant solely to destroy it, came around in a different way, and all of the girls recognized the good, the bad, and the ugly within.

So, yeah, the storyline is goofy but I could totally see this novel working as an Austin Powers type movie. Ms. Bray's wit is laugh out loud funny at times and even a bit poignant. Don't be fooled, though; these girls are open and up front once they get rolling, and nothing is off-limits (and hilariously so). I could have done without the "commercial breaks"--they really didn't add much and were often forced. But I would definitely recommend this very different, very layered book to those with the sense of humor to appreciate it. Don't take it too seriously, build your hut, decorate it, and observe the fun.

Please understand that Libba Bray is an INCREDIBLE Young Adult author, who explores ALL of the many questions young adults might have. She IS NOT a children's author or even a junior author, although one day she may endeavor to be one or both of these. I strongly suggest this book be reserved for Young Adults in grades 10 and up AND adults (particularly women) who really, really want to experience some laugh-so-hard-you-wet-your-pants moments that SO remind you of your own angst-filled teen years. Fifty Miss Teen Dream contestants step on a plane, but when the plane crashes and leaves only 12 of them alive and stranded on a deserted island, what will they do? One thing for sure, they are going to keep right on practicing for the talent portion of the pageant, because when they ARE rescued, the world is going to want to see them perform! As they encounter genetically mutated snakes, learn to eat bugs for breakfast, build living quarters, and figure out how to survive, this bevvy of beauties also begins to learn more about each other, themselves, and the world. Then the pirates show up! Some of my very favorite moments include Christian pole dancing routines, facial hair remover that can be altered into an explosive with very little effort, Bi-Polar Bears - vitamins that also "level off" your mood, and the fact that the male pageant announcer is named Fabio Testosterone. Oh, and the animal shaped feminine products. How fun! This was my first Libba Bray book and I have to say I am so sad it took me so long to discover her. I am now and hope to forever be one of her ardent fans. Read Libba Bray books...just hide them from your young children!