Review - Beauty Queens

Title - Beauty Queens 

Author - Libba Bray

Genre - YA Humor

Published - May 24th 2011

Publisher - Scholastic Press

Format - Ebook 

(Goodreads)(Amazon)

Synopsis

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Your tour guide? None other than Libba Bray, the hilarious, sensational, Printz Award-winning author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Going Bovine. The result is a novel that will make you laugh, make you think, and make you never see beauty the same way again.

Review

For this week’s challenge I decided to read a Beauty Queens which has been on my TBR list for ages. This seasons Miss Teen Dream will be held on a tropical island all the girls will fly down on one plane loaded with everything they will need including staff and handlers. However the plan goes down crashing on an abandoned island only thirteen very different girls survive. Taylor from Texas steps up telling the girls they need to keep up with getting ready for the upcoming pageant even after the crash. While Adina from New Hampshire is more concerned with survival over being ready for the pageant.

When Taylor heads off into the jungle only to be found having eating the native flowers a little crazy. Adina takes over as the leader of the girls pushing them to worry about survival. They build huts, learn to collect water, fishing, and how to survive on the island. The girls are surprised to see a pirate ship off the coast sinking after having been on the island after weeks. They rescue the pirates to learn that they are Rocker Pirates from a TV by The Corporation. They help the guys fix the ship but before they can be rescued the guys take off in the middle of the night leaving the girls. While Taylor has lost her marbles the girls go in search of Mary Lou when disappears. They find men in black shirts who claim that they are rescuing them but have a more sinister plot. Will the girls make it off the island safe?

I honestly didn't read the synopsis but more glanced at it. I knew it was beauty queens on a island like survivor but that was it. I found the concept interesting the way The Corporation has its hands in so many different things aspects of everyday life. The characters are engaging even though they aren't your typical beauty queens there is more to them. I love the way the author gives us little bits and pieces of each one giving all the girls their own voices. I really enjoy the characters I cheered them on, it was a emotional roller coaster but it’s enjoyable. Beauty Queens is a crazy ride from start to finish it keeps you on your toes guessing and guessing. So many twist and turns filled with surprise’s both good and bad. This book has it all, emotional moments, drama, self-discovery, romance, action, mystery and a whole lot of beauty queens. It was a quick read I started yesterday night and finished it this morning. 

4 out of 5 stars