This June, I promised myself I’d read as many LGBTQ+ books as I possibly could, because I wanted to educate myself more. This one was on my list because I wanted to read a sapphic romance. If you’re looking for a soft, light and cute story about two girls in love, this is it.
You Should See Me In A Crown takes off like you would expect from a teenage high-school romance. There is the expected prom event, the popular mean girl of the campus, a very much common gossip mill in the form of a social media platform — the Campbell Confidential, among many more clichés. But where it differs, and where the story manages to pull you in is the characters.
Liz Lighty is that poor, socially awkward teen that we’ve all seen and heard of in many stories. But, as a black teen in the midwestern town of Campbell, Indiana, Liz believes she has it tougher than most and rightly so. Her dream is to somehow get out of the small town filled with affluent white kids. She has plans to make music and become a doctor (so she can treat people like her brother who have Sickle Cell Disease, a genetic blood condition) and everything hinges on her getting a scholarship to her mom’s alma mater — the elite Pennington College. But, reality intervenes when her scholarship application gets rejected.
Now, Liz is faced with one way out without putting her grandparents through the burden of getting enough money to pay for her college. All she has to do — become the Prom Queen of Campbell County High. Sure, sounds simple enough right? Or maybe not, considering she’s a wallflower, but also because she likes girls. Which you know, makes her even more different than she already is.
But hey, she has her brother Robbie, her best friends Gabi, Britt and Stone in her corner so things start off positive. Now, Liz has just over six weeks to win herself a crown and the $10,000 that comes with it. Things get complicated real fast though, when she meets fellow contender and new girl Mack. She’s immediately drawn to the no-nonsense out-and-proud drummer with the gorgeous green eyes and even though Liz knows she need to concentrate on her campaign, she cannot help but fall for Mack.
As Liz gets thrown into the highly competitive Prom Campaign, she also has to deal with her brother’s illness, her ex-best-friend Jordan suddenly wanting to be friends again, her budding romance and her identity amidst all this. You see, while Liz has never hidden her sexuality, she’s also never been open about it, mostly because she fears how people would react and Rachel Collins already picks on her enough, thank you very much. Now, how will she deal when things get tough and when her secrets cost too much is the story.
There is this moment between Liz and Mack — just so random but it’s that moment when things click, you know. It goes something like this:
Mack doesn’t answer me, just laughs as her eyes search my face. But her hand — which she must realize is still holding my own — releases mine. And then, almost like she needs a new way to busy it, she reaches up and smears some now-spilled cheesecake batter across my cheek with her index finger. She must not have intended to, but she manages to get it dangerously close to my lips. So close, in fact, that before she pulls away, I probably could have kissed the tip of her finger. Without thinking or breaking eye contact, I dart my tongue out and quickly lick away the batter. And suddenly neither of us are laughing. At once, I’m both terrified and thrilled about what that might mean.
This is a story of a socially anxious, awkward teen trying to muddle through her high school experience. But also, it is a story of a girl with so much spirit, that nothing can break her. Even when the going gets tough, she never stops working hard. Liz definitely reminds me of my nerdy wallflower self when I was in high school and I was so, so glad to see her in a crown!
In a world where racism and hate towards people of colour are rising, Liz’s story is a reminder of how people’s behaviour can impact black lives even at such young ages. For them, being seen as “other” or “different” or “lesser” becomes a part of their identity and I don’t think that’s fair. In many ways, a lot of us are guilty of propagating racism, even if it’s just as simple as remarking that a girl is too dark-skinned in passing. It’s the same with treating a lesbian friend differently too. I hope after reading this book, you manage to introspect and do better like I have tried to. If nothing else, Liz and Mack will make you smile the whole way. ❤
