This book was absolutely adorable!
It follows the life of Parker, a high school student who is told that his college admission essay is too boring. He decides to enter his small town’s beauty pageant through a loophole that allows men to compete. In the process of challenging gender norms, he is forced to confront his past and learn to trust.
I really loved how the characters in this book were flawed, but working on themselves. They felt very human and realistic. The family dynamics were complicated, but beautiful. Matthew Hubbard did such a great job of encapsulating the good and the dark sides of small-town life in the South.
As a mom of teens, I would feel very comfortable with any of my kids reading this book. I think it’d be appropriate from middle-grades on. It is not spicy and the romance was very wholesome and heartwarming. I loved the bi representation and it felt very true to how first love can feel.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Romance for the ARC.
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