Today, I’m delighted share share an author interview with Laurie Boyle Crompton as well as my review of her latest novel The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High. I love her books, and this novel just about blew me away! It has such a great message and conveys it with much humor and grace.
Laurie Boyle Crompton
Genre: YA Contemporary
Paperback: 320 Pages
Publication: February 4, 2014
by Sourcebooks Fire
Shannon’s ‘clique’ is just her and her best friend and she has a super-embarrassing nickname that won’t go away. It is no huge shock when her classmates vote her least likely to be crowned Prom Queen. What is shocking is the new hidden camera reality show she finds herself starring in, titled The Prom Queen Wannabes! Shannon and two other Wannabes must battle to be elected Prom Queen and snag the One! Million! Dollar! prize. After a summer of makeovers and training at Prom Queen Camp, the hidden cameras watch the three of them enter their senior year equipped with secret skills to help wage war on the popular set. Things at Westfield High are about to get ugly, and Shannon must decide how much she’s willing to give up for a shot at winning that tiara.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
What inspired the writing of The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High?
Would you tell us a little about your experiences with high school and prom?
Prom and reality TV shows play a large part of teen culture today. What impact do you believe they have on teens? Do you believe any changes should be made to the culture?
Though the title implies that prom plays a large role in the novel, it is about more than that. What would you like readers to take away from your story?
What are you working on right now?
The Real Prom Queens of Westfield High is full of adorableness. I’m in love!
Shannon has been a social outcast since the incident that labeled her as the Elf Ucker. When she learns that she was voted as one of the three least likely to become Prom Queen, she knows that it’s time for a change and accepts a role in the upcoming reality television show that prepares her to throw herself into the running for the tiara. What she doesn’t realize is that, in trying to reform herself, she risks losing the things most important to her.
Shannon is a wonderful character. I love her quirky personality: the way she compares herself to a kite at the beginning, her tendency to daydream (I do that a lot too!), and her unique, “embarrassing” hobby. It’s hard not to like her, even as she keeps making decisions that I just knew she would later regret. I liked old Shannon and found myself wondering what turned her into this Prom Queen obsessee who takes pleasure in humiliating those who used to make fun of her. Which is what this book is about. As humorous and fun of a read this is, it also portrays a disturbing picture of how reality television distorts the truth and brings out the worst in people. As Shannon becomes more engaged in the game she’s playing, she finds herself losing and even looking down on the people who stayed true to her during the worst of the Elf Ucker times.
A lot of characters play stereotypical roles, and it works for this story because of the intentions of its message. We also see a lot of drama. A lot of the scenes played out on the show are precisely what we expect to see on reality television. What we also see, however, is the huge amount of editing and cutting that goes into featuring these scenes. We see things that would give us a whole different perspective if only we knew. In addition to the media, the story tackles issues like bulimia, advertising, and the superficial culture prominent in society today. I love how, in the midst of all this, the story doesn’t take itself seriously. In fact, it makes fun of itself sometimes, like with the fail swan dive off the stage and the dramatic charge at prom. There’s also what happens with the One! Million! Dollar! prize.
It just seems like everything wraps up rather conveniently for Shannon. While I heart the adorableness that happens at prom (squeal!), I feel like all the hurt that she’s inflicted on her pre-camp friends should take longer to heal, especially with Rick. I can understand Marnie forgiving her more quickly, as they’ve had years of history behind them, but Shannon does some things I don’t think she should’ve done if she truly cared about Rick. Still, it’s life. We hurt and get hurt and learn to move forward in the midst of all this drama. And Rick’s a pretty nice guy, especially since he continued liking her throughout all this. Or maybe he couldn’t help being swayed by what she does to try and redeem herself. . . .
As cheesy as it is, I’m still filled with giggles and bubbles of happiness over the ending. It is so very cute and sweet. I also love how it goes on to spotlight what the Prom Queen candidates are doing now that they’ve graduated from high school. It’s the perfect way to end the story and show how they’ve all learned and grown from their experience with the reality show.
Like with Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains) (see my review here), Laurie Boyle Crompton blurs the lines of morality and shows us the dangers of social media while navigating the changing times of high school. All the while working humor into the situations her main characters dig themselves into. I look forward to seeing what she brings to us next!
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
MyBookCushion says
Sounds fun. I like this kind of reads, where it makes you feels like a teenager again. Definitely adding to my TBR list. Thanks for the great review. Bheiy @Paranormal Romance Young Adult Book Review
Celine J. says
Aw, this one sounds super fun! I'm usually not too big on high school drama, but this one sounds adorable 🙂 Great review & interview!
Larissa Holt says
I actually quite enjoyed Blaze, so I have high hopes for this one. This book truly looks like a fluffy, fun filled romp to the highest degree 🙂 I definitely need something like it after all of the darker and heavy novels I've been reading recently. Great review!
Brandi Kosiner says
The adorable aspect sounds like it would make this fun to read
Mary @ BookSwarm says
My students are obsessed with prom. They started planning back in October/November and prom isn't until late March. This book sounds a little over-the-top but fun!