The Accidental Beauty Queen
By: Terri Wilson
Published Year: 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 304
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian, and is content to experience life through the pages of her books. Which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant, has been chasing a crown since she was old enough to enunciate the words world peace, and she’s not giving up until she gets the title of Miss American Treasure. And Ginny’s refusing to do it alone this time.
She drags Charlotte to the pageant as a good luck charm, but the winning plan quickly goes awry when Ginny has a terrible, face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades.
Woefully unprepared for the glittery world of hair extensions, false eyelashes, and push-up bras, Charlotte is mortified at every unstable step in her sky-high stilettos. But as she discovers there’s more to her fellow contestants than just wanting a sparkly crown, Charlotte realizes she has a whole new motivation for winning.
First Impressions
100% this is a book I’d pick up based on the cover alone. The tagline describes this story for fans of Miss Congeniality as well as fans of Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella. Since Meg Cabot is one of my favorite authors and I have enjoyed the majority of Sophie Kinsella’s books, I even more wanted to pick the book up before even reading the description!
What I thought
I loved this book. From page one it grabbed my attention and I flew through the story.
Charlotte and Ginny are identical twins, but Ginny is a pageant queen whereas Charlotte is an elementary school librarian more interested in touring Harry Potter World in her robes than walking down the runway in a formal gown. When Ginny has an allergic reaction that causes her face to swell, she begs Charlotte to take her place. This is the last year that she can take part in the competition that their deceased mother won in the 1970s. All Ginny needs is for Charlotte to make it through to the finals, where Ginny can take over. Charlotte agrees to step completely outside her comfort zone, but ends up learning more about herself and her sister than she ever thought possible.
I relate to Charlotte on so many levels. She takes a trip to Orlando to support her sister in a beauty pageant, but truly goes so that she can spend the week laying by the pool, reading her stack of books, and visiting Harry Potter world. She is a homebody who much prefers to be in jeans and a t-shirt than dresses and bikinis. It was fun to watch her step into the world of beauty pageants and see that they are more than they’re cracked up to be.
Wilson does a wonderful job at working the relationship between the sisters. The complexity of being identical twins and balancing the connection with being individuals was done so well. I also greatly enjoyed Charlottes growth throughout the novel. While there is a bit of a love story (which was so cute), her growth was not based around falling in love which I much appreciated.
After finishing the book, I looked up to see what else Wilson has written (which is always the sign of a good book) and saw that she has written a few books that have been adapted into Hallmark movies! Now, unfortunately, I don’t know if this one would be picked up and turned into a Hallmark movie because it’s more of a sister story than a romance story, but I would love to see this book made into a movie. It’s a great balance of silly shenanigans and dealing with growing up and finding oneself.
If you enjoy contemporary fiction I highly recommend this book. It’s a quick easy read that is the perfect balance of fluff and substance. Even though this book comes out in December, I think it would make for a great beach read. Although, if you’re someone who wants a quick read around the holidays that you can squeeze in between family functions, this might be a good choice! I’m also excited because I might have even found a new go-to author! I am looking forward to reading more books by Wilson and will even try to pick up her book Sleigh Bell Sweethearts which was adapted into a Hallmark Christmas movie this year!