I've read so many great books this month and You Should See Me in My Crown has just been added to the list. This book was both fluffy and serious at the same time. It brought up a lot of feels, both protective and sad, but also made me laugh, tear up, and just smile way too much.

I want to thank Leah for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Lighty has a lot on her plate. She’s trying to get into the music program at her mother’s alma mater, trying to find money to may for this college program/education, look out for her younger brother who has sickle cell, and deal with not drawing in too much attention at school. When her scholarship falls through, there seems to be only one solution if she doesn’t want her grandparents to sell their home: run for Prom Queen.

In Campbell, Indiana, prom is a serious matter. There’s an entire competition that involves volunteering, campaigning, and let’s be honest, the entire town is way too invested in this plastic crown. The upside to it is, the prize money is exactly what she needs if she wants to pay for college. With the help of her best friends, she enters the race. Unfortunately, she has to deal with a racist prom queen legacies, all eyes on her, and an ex-best friend who left her out to dry back in freshman year. Liz may be content with who she is, but will who she is actually cut it when it comes to this race? She’s black and queer and in a town that only allows traditional values and ideals at Prom, how can she really win? Then of course, there’s the new girl, Mack, who’s also running. Is she really who she seems to be or is she too good to be true?

First, let met say that I don’t think Black readers get the opportunity to see ourselves in such normal stories. A lot of our stories are centered around pain, our shitty history, the BLM movement or tragedy and while, yes those stories absolutely need to be told, can I just get a cheesy ass contemporary starring a Black character please? Well guess what? Leah Johnson said, yes you absolutely can.

Where there are so many nuances and undercover layers to this story, at it’s hearts it’s just about a girl who is trying to survive high school and high school traditions, rekindle friendships and maybe find a little happiness.

Leah said Black Girl Joy Rights and we have to stan.


Leah manages to weave in a fun coming of age story with real life issues. What happens when you’re confronted with the best friend who ignored you for years? What happens when you’re forced into the spotlight because it’s the only way to get what you want? What happens when suddenly you meet the girl of your dreams, but no one can know? What happens when you’re faced with the sickness that took your mother from you because your brother has it too? What happens when the racist white girl in school just won’t leave you alone? And what happens when everyone, including your best friend, is telling you that who you are just isn’t enough? We get the answers to all of this and more in this story and I had such a good time reading it.

The one issue I had with the story had to do with Liz’s relationship with her best friend Gabi. I won’t give spoilers because those are no fun, but essentially while everyone makes mistakes, I really wanted Gabi to be held more accountable for hers. At the same time I understand why the story took the direction it did because it’s high school right?

At the end of the day, this was a great read and honestly, you should definitely see Liz in her crown because she’s gorgeous.