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Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
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Beauty Queens (edition 2011)

by Libba Bray (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,1232487,485 (3.8)112
A plane of Beauty Queens on their way to a pageant crash lands on an island in the middle of the ocean. The survivors have to figure out how to get along, keep up their pageant skills and how to survive. Unfortunately there is both more to this pageant and more to the island then meets the eye.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved meeting the surviving beauty queens and finding out their reasons for being a part of the pageant. I loved watching each girl grow and change and becoming better versions of themselves. The changes took time and it was really interesting to see what parts of the experience brought each girl out of their shell because it definitely wasn't the same for all of them.

I especially loved Adina and Jennifer. In the beginning they felt the most normal and I think that made the two of them the easiest to relate to but there is definitely someone there for everyone. A lot of laughs come out efforts to maintain beauty pageant standards, however you can definitely see that the author is trying to say something here about the focus on maintaining rediculous beauty standards.

I loved the mystery aspect of the island and the corporation. It was definitely something I wasn't expecting. I thought she did a great job making them seem over the top evil. All in all I loved the laugh and i thought the rediculousness of some of it kept the book from feeling super serious and issuey. ( )
  Rosa.Mill | Nov 21, 2015 |
Showing 1-25 of 248 (next | show all)
I might have hated this book if I'd read it, but listening to the audiobook was a treat. My stars! I cracked up over and over again, not just because the story and the narration were so outlandishly ridiculous, but because I couldn't believe Libba Bray herself did such a good job performing all the characters (there were tons of accents going on in this book--British, southern, Australian, Midwestern, weird-fictional-country). Completely over the top, but totally fun. ( )
  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |
Okay. Was this book super well written? No. It was maybe a 2-star book story-wise. But it made me laugh out loud a lot, which made me really enjoy it. So for that i'd give it 4 stars. I'm averaging it out to 3 stars. ( )
  karenhmoore | Jan 1, 2024 |
I don't normally enjoy satires, but this wacky romp about beauty queen contestants on a desert island was recommended to me. In fact, it's the best kind of satire - it starts as black comedy but blossoms into a madcap but totally genuine celebration of friendship and girl power.

If you are in the mood for a light, inspiring, delightfully anti-capitalist tale of giant snakes, pirates, corporate conspiracies, and exploding hair removal cream, look no further.

I strongly recommend the audiobook, as Libba Bray's voice-acting is INSPIRED and gives the whole production a Daria meets Lord of the Flies vibe. ( )
  raschneid | Dec 19, 2023 |
14 of the 50 Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant contestants survive a plane crash on a strange and mysterious island (I know, sounds like a start of a certain ABC series). At first the girls sit tight and wait out their rescue by continuing prep for their pageant. But soon enough it becomes obvious that rescue may take a while, so the girls (Team Sparkle Pony and Team Lost Girls) start to improvise survival. It's not easy. There are giant snakes, psychedelic trip-inducing fruit, men in black shirts, jars of explosive hair removal cream, pirates, and an Elvis-worshiping dictator to contend with. Through their adventure, we learn more about the little Misses, and share their journey of self-discovery, true friendship, and of course, there is always more than meets the eye.

Reads like a teen Hollywood feel-good comedy, complete with mock commercial breaks. Most of the characters show depth and have barely-believable but interesting backgrounds to discover, though a few are kept vacuous as reality for humor's sake. It will be a fun summer read for most. ( )
  mimo | Dec 18, 2023 |
Such a great story. Miss Congeniality meets Lord of the Flies.

I love all the back stories for the beauty queens, they aren't shallow people or air heads like they tend to be portrayed. ( )
  wallace2012 | Nov 4, 2023 |
The book is very funny and over the top. It was a 3.5 star for me. My only real issue was its length. I really felt it dragged in the middle. I found myself wishing it would hurry up and get rolling towards the conclusion. It is a great social satire though. I think it would have been a 4 to 5 for me if it had been a little shorter and tighter. ( )
  cdaley | Nov 2, 2023 |
I wanted this to be amazing, but I'm afraid that after a while it got a little tiresome. The premise is fantastic. It's funny, it's clever, but it's also just a little much. As always, everything is timing. When you're not in the mood, you're just not. ( )
  nogomu | Oct 19, 2023 |
A clever satire of our consumerist culture. It manages to tackle LGBTQ issues, misogyny, and racism all while being hysterically funny. ( )
  LynnMPK | Jul 1, 2023 |
CW: sexual content, obsession with physical appearance leading to restrictive dieting (mentioned), transmisia (mentioned), Misogyny

Well there were so many laugh out loud moments in this completely bonkers and over the top satirical look at beauty pageants!

I had so much fun with our Miss Teen Dreamers as they put all their beauty pageant talents to good use after they crash land on a remote island. I thought the advertising and footnote interludes were hilarious and clever. This will not be for everyone as it is totally ludicrous at times and I did think it needed to be shortened as that level of cray cray and narration style felt a bit much at times. The characters were wonderful and diverse with the theme of identity a strong focus of the book. I would have cut out a couple of the minor story arcs myself but still a solid 4 stars for me! ( )
  Mrs_Tapsell_Bookzone | Feb 14, 2023 |
I got more than I bargained for when I picked this up. I read it for a book club, and I thought it would be good for some laughs, and that's about all. I had no idea Libba Bray had it in her. I was not expecting such a wonderful combination of wit and silliness. The author seemed to hit on every issue she had an opinion about, Daffy Duck style, bouncing maniacally from one to another. She was not subtle in the least. It was over-the-top and chaotic, but I never felt like she lost control of the story. And there was girl power, lots of it!

I've read a couple of other books by Libba Bray, but this was by far my favorite.

( )
  Harks | Dec 17, 2022 |
I loved this book. It was a slow start, but it was worth it. And Libba Bray as the narrator was great! It was fun! ( )
  meimeiminimochi | Dec 2, 2022 |
My book group was evenly split on this title. Two members hated it. I loved it. Another thought it was good, but uneven. Obviously not a book for everyone, but I enjoyed the humor and cleverness. The characters were pretty stereotypical at first, but evolved as situations forced changes. If you're not a fan of parody, you probably won't like this adventure into the wilderness with beauty queens. But, if you like a good joke and appreciate an unusual twist or two in your stories, it may be your cup of tea. ( )
  DebCushman | Aug 25, 2022 |
A fellow bookstagrammer suggested Libba Bray to kick a reading slump. This read like was a fun cross between Miss Congeniality, Lord of the Flies and Airplane! I felt like Beauty Queens could have benefited from some heavy editing since some chapters felt long and drawn out. Overall, it was a light, silly read that made me chuckle and ultimately drew me out of my reading funk. ( )
  MC_Rolon | Jun 15, 2022 |
I don’t know what I was expecting? Whatever it was, it wasn’t the delightful dark romp that was this tale, and I’m so glad I chose it! Libba Bray narrated it herself, and she did so brilliantly. I loved absolutely everyone (well, except for Harris, Ladybird, and Momo), though I never anticipated Taylor stealing the show and my heart the way she did. Ahhh, Petra! And Tiara! And, and, and…I can’t choose favorites. Definitely enjoyed this book. ( )
  clrichm | May 1, 2022 |
This book was highly entertaining, with engaging, enjoyable characters. Though the end was satisfying, its in-your-face empowerment was annoying. ( )
  et.carole | Jan 21, 2022 |
I am a big fan of Libba Bray the human being, but I also happen to be a pretty big fan of Libba Bray the author. This book only further cemented my love on both accounts. I'm a girl, so I get the insane shit that goes down when it comes to shaving, hair, make-up, beauty stuff etc. Its insane, completely filled with unrealistic crap that makes girls want to kill themselves. This book takes that and runs with it in the most awesome way. You could sort of describe this book as a satire of beauty pageants, mixed with Lord of the Flies, mixed with the tv show Lost (epic). The characters are realistic and funny, the writing its beyond hilarious - Libba even drops in product placement (fake) and pokes fun at everything she can think off. The thing is though, while its wildly funny and totally poking fun at the commercialized way the world has become - especially the way we focus on pretty people - it is also crazy smart and thought provoking. Why do we focus so much on pretty? Why are their ridiculous standards that no one can ever live up too? How the hell can we learn to say fuck all that shit and simply be happy? Well, I've asked myself those questions more than once, and I still will, its a process, one that one book won't change, but it sure will help. All in all, this book made me laugh on multiple occasions and made me really think on others. Libba, is in fact a genius. ( )
  banrions | Dec 7, 2021 |
a crazy book meant for women of all background, sizes, ages, and origins ( )
  MorbidLibrarian | Sep 18, 2021 |
ridiculous and I loved it. ( )
  Septima | Aug 21, 2021 |
Read for YA LIT this spring. ( )
  allan.nail | Jul 11, 2021 |
teen fiction. It was funniest at the beginning, when it spoofed all the beauty queens, but sort of dulled out in the middle when giving the girls more "dimension" , then picked up a bit with some pirate satire action, but was never quite the same. ( )
  reader1009 | Jul 3, 2021 |
What an entertaining couple of hours I spent with this book. It didn't take itself seriously, was actually laugh out loud funny and a good satire of "scholarship programs." (enter Drop Dead Gorgeous and Miss Congeniality jokes here). This was definitely something light to cleanse my palate from all the serial killer mysteries I've been reading. You've gained a new fan Libba Bray. ( )
  Stacie-C | May 8, 2021 |
Fantastic satire on beauty pageants, reality TV, scripted TV, and American politics.

I listened to the audiobook version, and, holy cow did it ever deserve its Audie award. It's narrated by the author herself, and she did a fantastic job with the characters' voices. From the Sarah Palin-esque former-beauty-queen-turned-politician to the ditzy, Christian-pole-dancing pageant contestant to the London-born "Pirates," Bray gave each character a wonderful, distinctive voice. The other production elements -- commercials, newscasts, footnotes -- were also very well done and helped paint the picture. If you're at all interested in audiobooks, definitely give this one a try. ( )
  ssperson | Apr 3, 2021 |
I really wanted to like this book since the other books I've read by Libba Bray I have really liked. Her writing style is something that I can usually really get into and appreciate even if the story line isn't the greatest. Unfortunately I didn't feel any of that with this book.

There were too many characters to keep track of, which left me confused from time to time about who was being talked about. I appreciated that they weren't your typically broken and weak girls who need rescuing of some stories, but nonetheless, there were too many to keep track of even if some you weren't supposed to identify by name (Miss Arizona, Miss Montana).

This was supposed to be realistic fiction and there were some parts of the plot you were supposed to suspend your belief for for who know what reason, which is something I just couldn't do. Snakes swallowing a person whole is something I can believe in, but not when the snake has burst out of nowhere to basically jump the person in order to swallow them. Also, sorry, but there is no way I can believe that a character was able to survive an airline seat tray being jammed into their head and left there because no one can perform surgery to remove it. For the most part, the plot was easy to follow, but very difficult to swallow based on the unrealistic elements that it was overridden with.

I did, however, appreciate some of the messages and themes if this book. I have taught Lord of the Flies for several years and so liked seeing this parody of the story. I think there would have been a little more cattiness from the ladies if it were real life, but overall this rendition of girls being stuck on an island was pretty good and empowering toward females.

I also appreciated seeing the parody of what our society is becoming in reference to buying beauty related products for men and women. We know exactly what is happening, yet we don't try to do anything to stop it or slow it down. We continue to acknowledge the unrealistic ideals that continue to be set up in our society and then feel bad about ourselves even though we know what we see presented to us by corporations is unrealistic and not possible to achieve.

Overall, the book had great messages which were presented in unappealing ways. Characters, while believable in their flaws and personalities, were a little too over the top and difficult to keep track of. I like Libba Bray, but feel like this should have been play and not a novel. ( )
  courty4189 | Mar 24, 2021 |
I was long overdue for a book like this! It wasn't just chock full of sarcasm, satire and snarky humor (although there was plenty, which is why I chose it) - it also touched on a deeper level with lessons I wish all people could learn. This should be required reading, especially for teenage girls. One of the best messages of any YA book I've read this year. ( )
  ShannonHollinger | Feb 15, 2021 |
I had the great good fortune to listen to the audio version of this book. Libba Bray's reading is absolutely spectacular; her talent for accents and voices frankly blew me away. And while I started this book thinking it would be a fun romp (I mean, a planeload of teen beauty pageant contestants crashes on a deserted island?), it is actually a magnificent and entertaining satire of the first order. I think it should be recommended reading (or listening) for all teen girls, and I can't wait for my own seventeen-year-old to enjoy it. Even if you're not of the female persuasion, if you love a good send-up of our over-commercialized and objectified world, you'll enjoy this book. I'd give it an extra star just for the reading if I could. ( )
  sdramsey | Dec 14, 2020 |
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