**This article contains spoilers for The Selection**
As someone who spent the majority of her childhood reading more books than humanly possible, I’m often floored by how little I remember about them. Usually, I can recall the barest bones of the plots and vaguely how I felt about the books themselves at age eight, 12, or 15.
Now that I’m older and have moderately better taste in literature, I’ve realized my true calling: revisiting these books and seeing if they stand the test of time, or if nostalgia’s clouded my judgment.
Last week, my friend and I started discussing books we wished had gotten the same fan-crazed treatment as the other young adult juggernauts of the 2010s. My mind immediately went to The Selection by Kiera Cass, a book series I have nothing but fond memories of, but has faded into relative obscurity in recent years.
Maybe it’s because it never got a screen adaptation, despite the rights being purchased by the CW and then passed like a hot potato to Warner Bros. and then Netflix, who still hold the rights, despite their formal decision in 2023 to not go forward with the movie.
Obviously, this conversation told me exactly what I needed to do. I needed to reread the series and see if it was actually as good as I remembered.
The Selection is a 2012 young adult dystopian romance novel. It follows our main character, America Singer, as she enters a process called the Selection, where 35 girls compete for the hand of the prince, Maxon Schreave, in a competition reminiscent of The Bachelor, only with higher stakes.
America, however, doesn’t want to enter the competition, even though being selected would bring in a lot of money for her family, because she’s in love with her secret boyfriend, Aspen, and would marry him if only there weren’t the issue of castes. Because there’s a caste system in these books.
The series progresses as you might expect: America is chosen, goes to the capitol to participate, makes friends and enemies amongst the other selected, bonds with the Prince, gets caught in a love triangle, and navigates uprisings from two different rebellious groups seeking to end the current monarchy of Illéa.
That’s… a lot.
Here’s my verdict: I’d tentatively call these books good. Are they great? Well, no. And honestly, they are absolutely worse than I remember them. But they’re not awful, and I can see what I loved so much about them growing up, and there’s enough to love that I don’t think my opinion is entirely founded in nostalgia.
These books are first and foremost a romance, and America and Maxon’s chemistry? Off the charts. America didn’t enter looking for love, but she found it anyway. Maxon could have any of the 35 girls, but from the moment they meet, he only has eyes for her. It’s incredibly romantic. Their relationship is easily the best part of the book.
Unfortunately, we have to suffer through two books of my least favorite fictional love triangle ever. And I’ve read a lot of fictional love triangles, so this is a big statement. If you’re into watching America go back to Aspen, her ex-boyfriend and first love, whenever she has second thoughts about her relationship with Maxon, I’m so happy for you. Unlike me, you’ll enjoy that aspect of the book.
Here’s the thing about Aspen: by the time he re-enters the picture, he’s so clearly an afterthought to America, so every time he fights for her attention, I had to put the book down and take deep breaths. She would string him along, using him whenever she felt like she couldn’t have Maxon. I reached a point where I didn’t even want them to be friends.
And, frankly, America doesn’t need friendship with him! The way Cass writes female friendship in these books is so wonderful. As much as I’m rooting for America to end up with Maxon, I’m just as invested in her relationships with the other selected and her maids, and watching those friendships develop is just as satisfying as any good romance.
Look, the character relationships are certainly the best part of these books, but not my personal favorite. I loved learning about the fictional country of Illéa and the world the series inhabits. The politics of this series were always so intriguing to me. This world is supposed to feel like a utopia, but there’s literally a caste system.
The monarchy is going through with the Selection process as a PR move, despite the life-threatening danger the contestants are put in due to the rebel attacks. Prior to this reread, I would’ve said that these books have equal parts political and romantic drama.
Upon my reread, I made a shocking discovery: that is not true. I was genuinely shocked at how subtle the political subplot was. My memory of this book failed me in a way it didn’t for my other rereads. Maybe this says more about me as a reader than anything else, but I definitely thought the political upheaval in Illéa was more prevalent throughout the series.
Obviously, I didn’t make it up. It’s there. But it’s hiding in the background, probably because the books are told in America’s first-person perspective, and for a long while, she isn’t actively involved in the political plotline.
I wish I could say I don’t love these books, but I do. Sure, the love triangle is kind of unbearable if your frontal lobe is developed. America makes plenty of decisions that give me second-hand embarrassment, and the ending feels super rushed.
However, the chemistry between Maxon and America is incredible; even when America is at her worst, I can’t help but root for them. And America is so earnest and passionate that I want her to succeed at everything, despite how frustrated she made me as a protagonist.
Coming back to my original discussion, I stand by my statement: a movie or television adaptation of The Selection would work really well. The love story between America and Maxon is incredible and always has been, and, despite my hatred of the love triangle, I know people will eat it up.
We wouldn’t have spent all summer watching The Summer I Turned Pretty if love triangles weren’t a hit. The glitz and glamour of the Selection would also lend itself well to the screen — who doesn’t love pretty dresses and beautiful balls, high stakes, and a swoon-worthy romance?
What do you think? As always, if you have any suggestions for books to reread or other nostalgia-filled book recommendations, feel free to let me know!
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