“You Should See Me In A Crown” is an own-voices Young Adult debut novel by Leah Johnson.
The book was published in July 2020, and I’ve been wanting to read it ever since. Usually, when I’m too excited to read a book, it ends up disappointing me. I can tell you this wasn’t the case with “You Should See Me In A Crown”; I devoured the book in three days, and if it weren’t for my many school assignments, I would have probably read it even faster — I simply couldn’t put it down.
The book tells the story of Liz Lighty: a black, queer, broke girl who lives in a town that she always believed to be too white, too straight, and too rich for her. Liz doesn’t fit in, and she wants more than anything to go to her dream school, Pennington, and get out of this town.
However, when the scholarship she was counting on falls through, she thinks her dream is over — until her brother reminds her of the scholarship her school offers to prom king and queen.
Liz, a girl who always avoided being the center of attention, finds herself in the spotlight that inevitably shines on those running for prom court in her school. With help from her friends, Liz is determined to do whatever it takes to win that scholarship and go to Pennington.
If having to find a balance between her extracurricular activities, academic work, after school job, and prom duties weren’t enough, Liz starts to develop feelings for a new girl at her school — a girl who is one of her competitors for prom queen.
The book talks about sensitive topics such as homophobia, anxiety, and racism in a way that doesn’t feel too heavy for the reader; Johnson uses an accessible language that makes it easy for the reader to understand Liz’s struggles without diminishing how important these topics are.
When it comes to serious topics in a romantic comedy, it can be hard to find a balance between delving too deep or remaining too superficial, but Johnson found the perfect balance.
It’s a rom-com with ups, downs, and a light-hearted tone, but as a reader, we never forget that this is a story about a black, queer girl, and we never forget how these qualities impact Liz’s life.
Though the book has some cliche, high school aspects (did someone say cute promposals?), its characters make it special. None of the book’s characters are one dimensional; we get to see the many flaws and qualities that make them unique and human.
In addition, I loved how the romance is not the central focus of the book — it’s definitely a big part of it, but this is Liz’s story, and that’s made clear throughout the book.
If you want a book that has a cute romance and explores social issues with a light (but firm) tone, “You Should See Me In A Crown” is the book for you.