Beauty Queens

By: Libba Bray

Narrated by: Libba Bray

Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The 50 contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. What’s a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness.

©2011 Libba Bray (P)2011 Scholastic Audio

Great fun.

The first part of this story is BRILLIANT. Absolutely hilarious, great satire. The ending (well really as soon as the pirates .. yes pirates... show up) its starts to get a little bit too 'out there' for me.

FEMTASTIC!

What did you love best about Beauty Queens?

I loved how this book was narrated! The author does an amazing job and it really brings it to life.

What did you like best about this story?

This story has no one main character. It follows many without being confusing.

What about Libba Bray’s performance did you like?

Mrs. Bray narrates this book with style. She brings it to life with voices and special effects.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I love how this book is so crazy! It was a wild ride and I laughed the whole way.

Any additional comments?

This is a credit well spent! Highly recommended

Great laughs with a ton of heart

As a heads up, YA isn’t usually my genre. I tend to stick fast to Fantasy and Sci-fi. And I am older. But I am so glad I branched out for this one. This book was magnificent and the author proved a truly wonderful reader who made her own book sing. I smiled most of the book and laughed out loud often. It made the drive to work a joy and made it feel too short.

While a few of the girls get lost in the shuffle of the large ensemble cast, the majority of them are completely endearing and you want to see them succeed and bond. Which made for a happy but not saccharine story of friendship.

Definitely recommend. 5 stars on all fronts.

Laugh out loud funny

Any additional comments?

I struggled with this book at first- so many stereotypes, so many cliches. Once I let that go I just enjoyed the hilarity. This book is supposed to be over the top and once I embraced the exaggeration it made me laugh out loud. I still chuckle just thinking about the characters in this book.

The audio performance kept me in it

The best thing about this book is Libba Bray's narration. The character voices she did were spot on and entertaining BUT the plot of the book was silly and over-the-top and many of the chapters could have used editing (do editors even exist anymore? So many books would be better with judicious editing). I walked away from the book several times when it veered too far into the absurd but kept coming back in hopes it would right itself. It didn't, unfortunately. Worth a credit? I guess. I did laugh out loud a couple of times and enjoyed the voice acting of the author. Some books, like this one, seem tailor made for Audible - I just wish the plot had been better.

Funny, Satirical, Ultimately Cheesy

I hoped that the excellent satire of act 1 would develop into something a little deeper. It did, but in a very cheesy "be yourself!" way, that I would have liked even less as a teenager. The characters aren't really developed past tagline personalities, with the slight exception of Petra. The way that the trauma of almost dying several times would actually affect a bunch of teenagers is completely ignored. But it's good fun, and the satire is funny enough to make it worthwhile.

OMG! This is most horrible and awesome book ever..

Where does Beauty Queens rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's currently at the top of my list...I loved the quirky and twisted tale, but I also appreciated the deeper issues addressed throughout the insanity and chaos.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Can't pick one...they all rock...even the bad guys.

What does Libba Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is the reason I loved this book...the book is quirky and fun all on its own, but Libba and her portrayal of her characters MADE the book. I loved her, loved her voices...

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not a freakin' clue...

Any additional comments?

I have a serious and many say unhealthy hatred of doughnuts...they are so beyond gross...the smell, the taste, the texture...YUCK!!! Totally random I know, but if you listen through to the very last second it will make total sense.

Good!

It provided for a good escape from reality and had some funny parts to it.

Not for very young adults

I would recommend the first six chapters of the book. They are laugh-out-loud funny and satirical. But after that the book bogs down with too many politically correct messages to convey, a silly story line, and the outrageous humor gets dimmed. The language and sexual suggestions make this a book for older teens, not younger teens The narration is outstanding and I looked forward to each time the characters of Taylor and Tiara spoke.

A funny, lighthearted read

If you’ve listened to books by Libba Bray before, how does this one compare?

I've read Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty series, and this book was written in a completely different tone, its hard to compare them. It was fun and lighthearted and seems to be Libba Bray just writing for the fun of it!

Which character – as performed by Libba Bray – was your favorite?

The narration was absolutely great! All the characters had their own very distinct and hilarious voices that really made the book fun to listen to!

Any additional comments?

The book was a pretty fun listen, my only criticism is that after a while the not-so-subtle "see guys, I'm a feminist!" lessons get a bit old, but keeping in mind that I am not of the intended teenage audience (to which some of these ideas may be new) it still didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book!