10 queer YA books to add to your TBR this Pride Month

You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson

Liz Lighty doesn’t feel like she can possibly fit in in her small Indiana town where the most important thing is prom. However, she has a plan–get a music scholarship for college where she can study to become a doctor and help treat sickle cell patients like her brother and deceased mother.

But when she doesn’t get the scholarship, Liz has to scramble for a way to pay for college and a way out, leading her to run for prom queen and the scholarship that comes with it.

Along the way, Liz meets Mack, a fellow competitor and music nerd that Liz is drawn to against all her willpower. As the two grow closer, Liz has to decide whether to live as her true self and risk the scholarship or to lose something even bigger.

You Should See Me in a Crown is a heartfelt and moving story about family, loss, and identity, perfect for fans of romance tropes with fresh takes.

The official synopsis reads:

"Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor. But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington. The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?"

You Should See Me in a Crown is available now wherever books are sold.