I put off reading Beauty Queens for a long time because between the cover and the blurb I thought it looked pretty stupid. This book is many things.... Very smart, funny, silly, at times cringe worthy, slow in spots but its most definitely not stupid.

It's the story of group of teen beauty queens who find themselves stuck on a tropical island after a plane crash. Here they become more than their title; While facing starvation, bad weather and the hidden dangers of the island, they become themselves.
It contains a diverse range of characters and some pretty on point themes, it uses humour and satire to get its points across so it never comes across as preachy. It takes the mickey out of everyone, from beauty pageants and reality TV, to the government.

"Petra sputtered. "Christian pole dancing?"
"Yeah. It was my talent for a while. I was a virgin bride on her wedding day - kinda like in that TiffanyJeanTiffany video? I wore this mini wedding dress and these white stockings with garters and some pretty silver handcuffs. It was a real fun routine." She sighed. "But once I turned ten, my mom said I needed something new."
"That is total crazytown."Petra said.
"I know! I think I could have done it till I was at least twelve.""

Once I got to about 50% I began to get bored and I skimmed the last 25% or so otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it. The epilogue was great, I loved that we got a quick look at the girls futures.