A review by kittykornerlibrarian
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

2.0

I was hoping to like this better than I did. I mean, the protagonist and her love interest both quote Jane Austen, how could I not? Except I didn't much, really. I suspect this book of Having An Agenda; namely, through the main character Charlotte's thoughts and reactions, those of us who think beauty pageants are shallow are also supposed to revise our opinions and come to the glowing realization that they are all about confidence and women supporting each other. And maybe they are. I wouldn't know. Still, Having An Agenda doesn't really work for me. Especially because it's clear that beauty pageants are very much about spending a LOT of time and money on makeup and clothes and uncomfortable shoes. I'd like to put it out there that a person can be confident in comfortable clothes as well; and while the idea that wearing some sort of costume can make you feel bolder and safer is certainly valid, the story didn't convince me. And I think the pacing didn't work for me either; it felt awfully rushed and it skimmed over a lot of things, including important relationships, that I would have liked to see developed further. This one wasn't for me.