The Selection

By Kiera Cass

Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals…

It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon’s love.

Swept up in a world of elaborate gowns, glittering jewels and decadent feasts, America is living a new and glamorous life. And the prince takes a special interest in her, much to the outrage of the others.

Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret – one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jun 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9780007466726

Kiera Cass

Kiera Cass is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series and The Siren. She is a wife and mom and too many other things to list. If she could make a crown out of anything, it would be the unending tears of her readers. You can learn more about Kiera and her books at www.kieracass.com.

Reviews for The Selection

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I originally marked to read this because I liked the cover art. That sways me a lot toward a book. Then a friend posted on Facebook about reading this and was mad she had started the series before it was completely done because she couldn't wait to read the next one. She told me I HAD to read this. I'm glad I did. It's a nice, fun love story. The book has components that make me think of the Hunger Games in the fact there are castes instead of districts and they are numbered like HG with one being the best and all the rich people to 8 being the ones who have almost nothing. Then there is a selection. In this book it's not to fight to the death but to become the princess. They also do reports to the castes over the TV and there is a specific male host, again like the Hunger Games.

I can't tell when this is taking place as it mentions China taking over the bankrupt US and something about a fourth World War. Yet the technology advancements are not further along than us and the clothes they wear sound medieval. So it's a little mixture of everything. I like the characters and you get pulled into hoping that Maxon and America get together, which I'm sure it's a given by the end of the third book they do or it wouldn't be a true love story and it would tick off the readers. If you like this sort of story then give this trilogy a try. It is a fun read and a quick read and it is entertaining.

[jthierer_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is about what you would expect from a YA romance novel about a contest to select a princess. The main character is "spirited" (AKA kind of a rude bitch) and everyone loves that about her. There's a love triangle that's designed to make you declare yourself "Team Whoever." There's a lot of danger but nothing really bad happens to any of the main characters. And, of course, the story isn't resolved by the end of the book. That said, if you're looking for a fun light read, you could do much worse than this.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"The Selection" was a cute, easy read for teenage girls looking for a feel-good romance. Although it lacked depth and had the dreaded love triangle, it was an engaging read. I liked both America and Maxon, despite their names. America was strong, kind and determined, while Maxon was a sweetie as he awkwardly navigated his way through the Selection, having very little idea how to mix with the opposite sex. Aspen I wasn't so keen on. It annoyed me that he couldn't accept America's help when she provided a meal for him.If you're looking for an intellectual read, don't bother with "The Selection". It is light, fluffy and saccharine sweet, but plenty of girls will love it.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

America is in love with a completely unsuitable boy from a lower caste. She is persuaded to enter a lottery held to find the crown prince a wife. She's chosen and whisked away to the castle where she fights opposing impulses - one to keep her heart safe and be mercenary about the money she is earning for her family - and the other where she finds herself falling for Maxon despite herself. The story was entertaining but never engaged my interest about the inequalities of the kingdom.

[cindywho-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A marvelously trashy, addictive read - Cass rips off a reality show, throws in a caste system, a love triangle and lots of fancy dresses.

[simplykelina · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know, I know! How am I just now reading this series? I actually attempted this earlier in the year, but I just could not get into it. I was just not in the mood and knew I would grab for it later. Now I own the series so I want to binge read the entire series.This was ok. I did not love it like everyone else seems too, but I did like it enough to continue with the series. It was cute and I would like to see the development of the romances, and to see what happens.This is hard to rate. I hate Goodreads rating system. I only thought this was ok which is a 2 stars on here, but I feel like I should give it a three star.

[faith_murri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's like The Bachelor meets the biblical book of Esther, with some occasional rebels trying to kill everyone, but in the future in a post-USA country with a numerically based caste system and a cheesy love triangle. And, against my better judgement, I strangely loved it.

The Writing and Worldbuilding

The writing wasn't anything special, but the romantic tension was well done and the silly parts honestly made me giggle out loud and grin like a fool. I really found myself enjoying this.

It was really hard to remember what time period this was supposed to take place in, and it felt more almost fairytale medievally, and much less futurey. A lot of that had to do with the prince's dialogue, the clothing, and the general structure of the country, but I don't live in a monarchy, so I can't really say if they're actually like that or not, can I? I can say that it felt a bit separate from reality, like a fictional European Hallmark movie kingdom. The threat of the rebels and how slowly they moved only increased that strange out-of-time feel; didn't they have cars? Cross country car travel doesn't take weeks, especially from the southern US to mid-East coast. I can go from Seattle to Salt Lake City in less than a day, though the West is a lot less populated between those two points than the East coast. But I've also never been to the East coast, so I guess I can't really say for that, either, can I?

The Characters

America Singer: I have to admit, the moment I read her name in the blurb, I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my own brain. But I found her nice and relatable, albeit a bit brash and somewhat annoying sometimes, but I also had to remind myself that she's 16, and therefore allowed a certain degree of immaturity.

Maxon: I loved Maxon! He's so sweet and somewhat awkward and he's just my baby and I love him. While his dialogue and actions made him a tad cliché, I didn't mind at all. He was caring and probably more woke than most people in his position, or at least more open-minded.

Aspen, or as I like to call him, Pigpen (or another name I dare not type): He was so annoying! Like, I understand his desire to provide, and how that lack made him feel immasculated, but like, dude, cool it with the neediness, okay? Let America choose herself and move on already.

Marlee: I have the deepest suspicion that she's secretly gonna betray America, or is actually lesbian; one or the other—or both! Both would be pretty interesting. (Or she could be in love with someone else, like another guy, but this is too white and straight atm, which normally doesn't bother me too much, but this genre usually has more diversity and substance, sooo)

Conclusion

This was literally the last book I ever planned on reading—and I was obvious about it too! I was that hypocrite jerk who trash talked and rolled her eyes without having even tried reading it first. And for that, I apologize. After reading a review that finally gave me a better idea as to what genre this even was, and needing something a little lighter than my usual preferred books (which tend to be quite dark and depressing), I decided to read this, and I'm very glad I did. It made me smile and laugh, and was altogether fairly wholesome and fun, albeit cheesy. I'm not particularly eager to read the sequel quite yet, but I know I will eventually. I suspect this series and I will have an off-and-on-again kind of relationship.

[kitkat1242 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

LOVED LOVED LOVED!!PRINCE MAXONNN <3333

[daffimere · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed 'The Selection' more than I thought I would. It was one of the books I was told over over again to read. When I finally did pick it up, went straight to the bottom of my TBR piles... I wasn't planning on getting sucked into the story or even falling in love with some of the characters. But I did. Oh, I did. I'm off to find book two, which is in one of my many TBR piles.

[sunset_x_cocktail · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The plot of this book is obvious and predictable. I detest shows like The Bachelor and Bachelorette so I avoided this because that's just what the premise is. 35 girls, 1 crown to be won.

The main character has an air of something....annoying about her. (And a rather annoying name, usually if I don't like a character name I won't read the book but I got this from Amazon when I was drunk). Despite the annoyance of the characters, and the asinine plot, its actually a very compelling read.

I was admittedly ready to dislike the price as on first meeting he came across as a pompous asshole. His character did develop quite well throughout the story, he had a personality and mind and wasn't a card board cut out swooner. The world building was interesting as well, its a dystopian but there was a rather well thought out reasoning and history as to how to the world came to be.

I'm not sure its the smartest way to find a Crown Princess, but admittedly this is a guilty pleasure read for me. Its annoying, but impossible to stop reading. I had to go out and get the other two books in the series, one paperback, one hardback and wound up getting the Selection again in paperback so I could have the complete set.

I know how it ends, but I'm still looking forward to the in-between book to see how the plot develops.

[rabidgummibear-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I feel like this book is just fun. It's a new take on an often told story but it's also about America growing up in a really great way.

[mmoj_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Selection is set in a dystopian future where Canada & North America have become a new country of Illea. There is a numbered Caste System, where artists and performers are only a 5 out of 8 caste levels. America Singer is one of those performers. She's a singer and plays a few instruments. Her family is a 5 which means the family struggles to make ends meet. None of this matters to America because she's trained herself to go without as little as possible. She does have a problem - she's in love with a 6, one of the working castes and the two usually don't mix. Before they can get married there's a lot of paperwork and an added difficulty that her boyfriend doesn't want to get married yet because he wants to be able to provide for her. There's a coming of age prince and by tradition all of Illea's of-age young women and put into a Selection. America fights applying because she won't give up her boyfriend Aspen. It's Aspen himself who encourages America to sign-up so she does, never believing she's be selected. America is chosen and has made a connection with Prince Maxon. Someone has to be chosen, America is sure she can convince Maxon to choose a girl she thinks would make a good Princess. The book ends with the choosing of the Elite, the final 6 girls.

I liked this story, it had good pacing and interesting characters. I had a hard time believing though that there was such a difference between a 5 and 6 caste and that an artist/performer was only 5, a little unbelievable.

[laura.w.douglas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not bad. I'll read the second one.

[danaenicole-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I had heard that America is annoying, but I didn't find her so.I wouldn't exactly call "The Selection" dystopian, as it doesn't really seem any worse than reality. This story is a beautiful conglomeration of elements from "The Hunger Games", "Matched", "Princess Academy", Cinderella, "The Bachelor" and the biblical story of Esther. I'm sure there are more, but these are the stories I was reminded of as I read "The Selection".The love triangle, in particular, reminded me of those in "The Hunger Games" and "Matched". I love both Aspen and Maxon and have had a hard time deciding which one I want to be with America, just as she struggles to decide. I love the friendship between America and Maxon and at this point in the series, I want America to choose Aspen (despite his hissy fit) and remain a good friend to Maxon.There were other things that reminded me of "The Hunger Games" as well, such as the lottery, the payments to the families of the Selected, "The Report" along with its host Gavril, etc.The training to be a princess is what reminds me of "Princess Academy" and I really enjoyed that aspect of it as well.The gathering of women, some from less fortunate backgrounds, wearing dresses and competing for one man's heart was reminiscent of Cinderella and Esther as well as "The Bachelor".It does contain the common mistake of using "Your Majesty" and "Your Highness" interchangeably, and the also common insistence that "even though EVERYONE says that I'm beautiful, I promise you, reader, I'm not even pretty." So, that was kind of annoying.I won't pretend this book is excellent quality, but it did its job as entertainment and I really enjoyed it. On to "The Elite"!

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked America who really didn't want to win the handsome prince preferring the boy of the lower caste that she has known and loved for years. But he pressures her into signing up by convincing her that he would feel guilty if she let the opportunity pass her by. She is also being pressured by her mother who loves her but wants her to better herself it it is possible. America signs up never believing that she would be one of the thirty-five girls chosen as potential mates for the prince. Once chosen, she is still determined not to marry the prince. She has a distorted vision of who he is. It isn't until he comes to her rescue when she is having a panic attack that she learns that the prince isn't at all who she thought he was. She still doesn't want to marry him, but she offers to be his friend. Friends are something neither of them have had before. This was an interesting society where people are born into castes which dictate what sort of job is available to you. America's caste is composed of artists of various kinds. America is a singer and plays lots of instruments. Aspen, her first love, is one caste lower and is in service to anyone who will hire him. None of the lower castes, America's or Aspen's have enough to eat. That is one incentive for America to take part in the Selection, the meals at the palace are far beyond what she can get at home. Life isn't idyllic at the palace. There is some rivalry between the girls who are competing for the prince though most of them do become friends. There is the requisite mean girl in the story who makes life harder for America than it would have to be. But the main problem is rebels who attack the palace. There are two factions - the North and the South. One faction seems to be searching for something in the palace and the other just seems bent on destruction.This was a great beginning to a series and I am eager to read more books to find out what happens to America and which boy she chooses. I'm rooting for the prince.

[emma_manolis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Recently, I received an ARC copy of Selection by Kiera Cass via Around the World ARC Tours . I've been a little hesitant about books with pretty covers every since reading The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers. That book really taught me you can never judge a book by the cover. What a doozy. This cover grabbed my attention immediately and the concept sounded right up my ally. Hunger Games meets The Bachelor? Yes please! (Although I was a little irked because I had been working on my own little story that I described in a similar manner. Bummer for me.)

Then I did my own little research and stumbled across some not so nice trolling done by the author and her agent. Urgh. I realize receiving a one star review sucks. This is practically your baby after all. However, as an author you really need to develop some tough skin and you have to realize that not everyone is going to love everything you do. Take it as constructive criticism and keep their comments in mind for the future! (To be honest it seems the agent is the one who really needs some etiquette manners. When one female calls another female a degrading name of the five-letter variety, it really shows lack of class. Ms. Cass, is it too late to look for someone classier to represent you?)

Anyway, back to the book. This novel hooked me from the very start. I don't quite agree that it's The Bachelor meeting Huger Games. I personally could see more of a connection to Princess Academy by Shannon Hale than any existing dystopian novel. To be honest this story, really could have taken place anywhere. I don't quite see this society as a plausible option for our future. For me it was far more reminiscent of the past, if in the past we had the occasional cell phone / television shows. China doesn't own quite as many U.S. bonds as they once did, but I can understand why the author would see this takeover as a feasible option.

As for the actual plot. My heart began to break very early on as I realized that America and Aspen really couldn't ever be together despite how they may feel. Oh, the agony! Then, she meets Prince Maxon and I could feel my feelings split. Usually where love triangles are concerned I can remain loyal to one side, but not this time! I found myself unwilling to put the book down and read it far into the night. Very well done.

I'm disappointed that this is yet another trilogy. It seems everyone is trying to milk everything for what it's worth with all these stupid trilogies. This book really could be condensed into maybe a 600 page novel. Sure, I'll read the next installment but I'm annoyed that my gratification will be delayed.

My rating? I'm giving this a 5/5 stars, because of the mere fact that I feel completely invested in these characters and I need to see what happens next.

[hunybadger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable to a point. Others have expressed the failings of the story better than I could but still, I enjoyed it. I kept hoping for more (better political intrigue? Read Phillipa Gregory, better altruism Maria Snyder, better world building...everyone) but somehow I still like dAmerica Singer, so found time spent reading this not a waste, slightly vapid and insipid, but not a total waste.

[erlangerfactionless · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I am so tired of poorly-though-out dystopias, I could scream. And this one was poorly thought out. The world-building is almost nonexistent. The whole caste system Cass has created fails to make any sense. In what universe would having a caste of *artists* make sense? What if you can’t do anything artistic? (In fact, this is even brought up in the case of the main character’s little brother who cannot paint, nor sculpt, nor sing, nor play an instrument…. you get the idea.) What about rich pop stars? Are they still “lower caste?” It was confusing and weird. Second of all, I am so tired of love triangles… especially love triangles in dystopian novels. Arrrrgh! I can’t really write anything intelligible on the subject. I just don’t want them anymore. And the one in this book is super-noxious because as soon as Cass mentions on, like, page two of the book or something, that there’s a draft for the guys and some of the drafted men end up as guards in the palace, you know exactly what is going to happen. (To top it all off, it conveniently puts the drafted dude in a really high caste, which would totally do away with one of the major points of tension in the novel, so again… obvious.) Why not just put a neon sign on it? Also, in every last YA love triangle, it is always so freaking obvious who is going to “win” in the end (actually, _The Hunger Games_ is a major exception to that, which is another reason it is a cut above its many imitators) and there’s really no suspense. Who on earth ever thought Bella would ever pick anyone but Edward? I mean, clearly some people did, but they were also delusional. Speaking of Bella, I am so tired of self-deprecating heroines. You know what song I hate? I hate that One Direction song, “You don’t know you’re beautiful/That’s what makes you beautiful.” What load of crap are we feeding our young women these days? Why must we hate ourselves to be lovely? Why is being confident in one’s beauty always a hallmark of a “bad guy” character? And speaking of ideas we are feeding our young women, why is it acceptable in this novel for the main character’s boyfriend to freak out because she makes more money than he does? I’m serious. They guy goes on a full out, “It’s my job to provide for you” rant and actually breaks up with her over this! And how come if a girl marries a boy in a higher caste, she moves up, but if she marries a boy in a lower caste she moves down? I mean, I can sort of accept that as part of the “dys” in “dystopia,” but it is still sexist claptrap that I don’t appreciate seeing perpetuated. And trying to make your main character not appear to be the girly ball of sexist ideas she actually is by making her prefer to wear pants? Puh-leeze.Last of all, I am so tired of trilogies. Look, you can’t write a third of a book, end it abruptly, and then call it a “trilogy.” That’s not a trilogy. That’s milking a cash cow. Can’t anyone write a stand-alone novel anymore?For all that, I really liked this book. I’m not going to go into the whole Bachelor meets Cinderella style plot or anything -- which is both a ridiculous and interesting at the same time -- but for some reason, once this book gets going, it really gets going. I almost put it down at the start, due to the aforementioned issues, but for some reason (okay, I was waiting in the car for my husband and I didn't have anything else to read) I kept going and I really, really enjoyed the story. I mean, it isn’t life-changing and if it didn't have a sequel built in, people would probably forget about it before the summer, but it turned out to be a fun read. I read through it pretty quickly, laughed a bit, really enjoyed the character of Prince Maxon, was surprised by more than a few things and will definitely read The Elite when it comes out. Go figure.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought this one would be complete fluff, but I really enjoyed it. I liked that it focused on the political structure more than just the reality-show-style competition. America was a strong character, a bit wishy-washy when it came to love, but that's to be expected in this sort of series. I was glad that friendships between the women were an important part of the story.

[wassilissa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

„Selection“ spielt in einer Zukunft, in der Amerika zu den vereinigten Staaten von China gehört, bis auf einen Teil des Landes, nun das Königreich Illéa. Der Prinz sucht sich seine zukünftige Frau bei einem Casting aus. Das Buch ist eine Mischung aus Panem und Bachelor, entsprechend schlicht ist die Dystopie: Es gibt Kasten und Rebellen, die jedoch politisch nicht weiter erklärt werden. Eher kommt es zu einer sozialromantischen „Hohe Kasten geben den niedrigen was ab“-Lösung, die natürlich das politische System nicht wirklich erschüttert. Das Buch ist wirklich „Tribute von Panem“ weichgespült.Trotzdem habe ich es gern gelesen und werde auch die anderen Bände lesen. Es ist einfach nett, wie die sympathische America ihren Weg geht. Auch Prinz Maxon ist einfach perfekt. Americas früherer Freund Aspen hat genau die richtige Mischung aus Männlichkeit und Leidenschaft, die den Gegenpart zu Maxons Gentlemanhaftigkeit aufmacht. Also alles sehr klischeehaft, aber auch unterhaltsam.

[jadedog13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the world of The Selection, there are 8 different castes or levels in society (1-8). Ones are the highest level and have the most money. Eights have the least of everything and many are homeless and starving. The Selection itself is the process by which the prince chooses a wife. One woman from each province is chosen to meet the prince (a total of 35). They live at the castle and the prince gradually narrows the group down to the woman he wants to be his wife. America is disgusted by the whole process and has no interest in participating. But her mother insists that she enter. They are Fives and could use the money this opportunity would bring, even if America is not chosen. Then America's secret boyfriend, Aspen also insists that she enter. Aspen is a Six and he feels like he would be holding her back if she doesn't enter.

America finally agrees to enter. After all, what are the chances she will even be chosen to participate...

My opinion
First I have to say that I enjoyed the book and I am already well into the second one. But, I must admit that I am a little annoyed by love triangles. Maybe it's just me, but I really don't understand why these girls are always so wishy-washy. Other than that, America is a very strong and admirable female character and a good role model. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't try to change herself to please others.

[spoiler]
Just like Bella in Twilight, America seems to think she can have it both ways. How much time can she expect these men to give her? And why does she take so many chances? I wanted to scream at her to just make up her mind already. And since the author didn't give us a lot of information on Aspen but let us watch America fall in love with Prince Maxon. I was totally behind her and Maxon. It is so obvious he loves her (to everyone but America). She is so insecure about how he feels and so scared to commit to him. I get that because he is "dating" the rest of the women too. But, Maxon tells her that he is just waiting for her to tell him there is a possibility she could love him. Then Aspen shows up at the castle and America lets him into her room and they kiss. Seriously?? I was on the edge of my seat for the rest of the book waiting for Maxon to find out about Aspen and get hurt and angry. I just started book 2 and I'm still waiting for the moment Maxon finds out and America's whole world falls apart. That's part of why I've been reading so quickly.
[/spoiler]

Anyway, I definitely enjoyed the book and I am enjoying the second one as well. I love the world and the story and the characters. The other women in the selection have a lot of different personalities and the rebel attacks keep it interesting too. And watching America and Prince Maxon together kept me on the edge of my seat.

Recommended to
Fans of dystopian novels who enjoy love triangles and strong female leads.

[crazy4reading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had picked this book up from the book store because I had seen it as a possible book I might enjoy. Well I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of a world after four world wars. The world is different and United States is now called Illea.This is the start of the series. There is a Selection of 35 girls for Prince Maxon. America receives one of these letters to fill out an entry form. Every household that has a girl between the ages of 16 and 20 are sent a letter and a form to fill out.The Singer household has one girl who is between those ages and her name is America. America has a secret boyfriend and does not wish to fill out the form. Her boyfriend Aspen makes her promise she will because he doesn't want to have what if in their relationship. So America fills out the form and has to wait to see if she will be one of the 35 girls Selected.When the girls are announced America is among the 35. She is surprised. Before she leaves Aspen and her break up over the fact that Aspen doesn't feel he can support America like she is used to since he is a lower caste than her family. America is a Five and Aspen is a Six.The first encounter with the Prince is an interesting one. America feels claustrophobic and decides to try and get out to the garden because she likes to be outside. She actually almost faints in the Princes arms but he makes the guards open the doors to the garden so America can get outside. That encounter is one of many entertaining ones.This book ends with the Final girls chosen to become the Elite girls. This is a very interesting book and I feel the rest of the series will be just as entertaining.

[taleofnight · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was very hesitant picking this book up because of everything that has happened around it, but I finally decided to get it from my library because it sounded to interesting, and I'm so happy I did. The beginning kind of dragged for me, but once America got to the castle with all the other girls, I was hooked. I loved America's relationship with Prince Maxon, and well, I loved Prince Maxon in general. I was kind of confused by the whole caste system and why America and Aspen had to be so secret about their relationship. Was it just frowned upon for America to marry down a caste? Or is it not allowed? But that doesn't make sense. Anyway, the caste system doesn't really matter to the book entirely, so I was able to look over that and enjoy the book. I pretty much loved this book and can't wait to read what happens next.

[dk_phoenix_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I admit, I picked this one up because of the cover. Gorgeous!!! But the story sounded decent, so I gave it a shot... now, I have to say that honestly, there isn't a whole lot here that we haven't seen before. The story is very similar to a lot of things you've likely read -- for example, any teen book that involves a competition -- with hints of the biblical story of Esther around the edges (not sure if that was intentional, though). My biggest complaint is that America comes across as a little too mature and straightforward once she gets to meet the prince, particularly when compared with what we see of her before entering the Selection, so I think I would have liked to see more development pre-Selection of her character. I found it a little off-putting at first, not because I wasn't enjoying it -- the banter is great -- but because I didn't see hints of her no-speech-filter in the first part of the book. So, that was more than a little surprising.HOWEVER... despite that and despite the somewhat redundant plot (and I don't say that in a mean way! it ends up working...), I sat and read the whole thing through in one afternoon. Why? Because ultimately it's a good story with characters you begin to care about, and by the end? You'll yell at the last page because it means you have to wait until next summer for the next installment. I'm really looking forward to the next book, and I'm eager to see where Cass is going with this.

[bduke_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a really fun, light and fluffy read. There were some things that irritated me (particularly the poor world-building), but it still kept my interest and was very enjoyable. The last section was kind of disappointing, the love-triangle felt rather forced, and sometimes America did silly things that bugged me, yet I still really liked it. I appreciated that it was a clean read, with only a handful of cuss words. My middle-schoolers LOVE this book, although one of them mentioned to me that it looked like the girl on the cover was smelling her armpit, and now that is all I see when I look at it!

[justablondemoment · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book. Yes it was simple and a very fast read but something about it really captured me. I'm a sucker for Cinderella like stories and this reminded me of those. Oddly enough it kind of reminded me of Hunger Games. The whole class thing and the competion. I had heard they are making this book into a movie and I hope they do it justice. Looking forward to the next installement.

[carolvanbrocklin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hunger Games meets Cinderella. Yes, it's one of those books that won't stand the test of time but considering the stuff that is now out there for teen age girls, it was honest and yet sweet.

[bridhett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical on reading this book but as soon as I started reading it I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. America is such an honest, defiant, down-to-earth girl. In the beginning she is basically the only girl that doesn't want to throw herself at the prince just because of his status or his looks, which makes her unique. I really like how the relationship with America and prince Maxon develops and how the soon become "much more than friends." I was definitely rooting for Maxon the more I got to know about his character and just how gentlemenly he is. My heart literally ached for him every time he was with America because he knew that she was in love with some one else. The point I'm trying to make is: America deserves a guy like Maxon and they're basically soul mates and she shouldn't even be considering the other guy! Anyway, I really loved this book because of the way Ms. Cass created a completely different world and tied it with romance. I can't wait until the second book, The Elite, comes out this year.

[laneliterati · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you want a story that is a mix of a modern day Cinderella and "The Bachelor" this is the book for you. A fun read!

[margaly_1 · Rating: 5 out of 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.'