The Selection

To be totally honest, I went into this book expecting to hate every word of it. Lately it seems that every popular YA book is either dystopian, fantasy, or a combination of the two. The Selection just seemed like yet another play on a Hunger Games type story; this one just added The Bachelor into the mix. And in regards to that assumption and pretty much all the others I made, I was correct. The characters had ridiculous names, one dimensional personalities, and the story was absolutely typical. Now I know that I probably shouldn't have even read it because of all the assumptions I make about popular dystopian YA, but this one had a gorgeous cover and a few of my reader friends love the series so I thought I'd give it a shot. It lived up to all my low expectations BUT I couldn't put it down. In the past I have really struggled with finishing some YA dystopia (i.e. The Maze Runner) but this one I finished in a day, only pausing to get a drink or a bathroom break. I'm not sure why I was so enthralled in it considering my previous opinions, but I didn't hate the characters despite their flat personalities and struggle with being just too beautiful and kind. I somehow felt a connection with them and although it was predictable, still wanted to see what happened next. I actually really enjoyed reading the book, the imagery was lovely, as well as Cass's writing style. I plan on reading The Elite and I'm anxious to see what happens with the rebels more than anything. What are they looking for??