The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes

The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes

Review of The Princesses of Iowa

Title & Author:
The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes
Publisher:
Candlewick Press
Publication Date:
May 08, 2012
Pages:
464
Source:
NetGalley

What does it mean to do wrong, when no one punishes you? A smart and unflinching look at friendship, the nature of entitlement, and growing up in the heartland.

Paige Sheridan has the perfect life. She’s pretty, rich, and popular, and her spot on the homecoming court is practically guaranteed. But when a night of partying ends in an it-could-have-been-so-much worse crash , everything changes. Her best friends start ignoring her, her boyfriend grows cold and distant, and her once-adoring younger sister now views her with contempt. The only bright spot is her creative writing class, led by a charismatic new teacher who encourages students to be true to themselves. But who is Paige, if not the homecoming princess everyone expects her to be? In this arresting and witty debut, a girl who was once high-school royalty must face a truth that money and status can’t fix, and choose between living the privileged life of a princess, or owning up to her mistakes and giving up everything she once held dear. – Goodreads

I have such COMPLICATED feelings on The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes. For some reason, even after reading the summary, I didn’t expect The Princesses of Iowa to be as heavy and emotional as it was.

I read the prologue of The Princesses of Iowa and immediately connected to it. M. Molly Backes writing style – kind of rambly and flowy like the narrator is saying it all in one breath is so ME. That is how I think. So I loved connecting to The Princesses of Iowa on that level.

But MAN what an emotionally draining book. I was tense from the get-go – car accidents, suspected cheating boyfriend, psycho parents, and then BAM all this even more intense stuff happened and I literally could not catch my breath while reading The Princesses of Iowa. I had to keep reading and more stuff kept happening and nothing was going right and even after I put it down, I was super tense and down in the dumps.

The ending to The Princesses of Iowa was uplifting and hopeful, which I approved of, but even after finishing it, I just couldn’t shake the feelings from my mind.

But the issues discussed in The Princesses of Iowa are SO IMPORTANT. Drunk driving, cheating boyfriends, verbally and otherwise abusive parents, rampaging homophobia – it ALL goes down in this book.

What I guess I’m trying to say is – The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes does not shy away from the tough topics. It’s tough to take and you’ll be holding your breath through parts of it, so definitely have a lighter book ready to read next. But don’t skip The Princesses of Iowa. Definitely worth a read.

(Also, I would just like to point out that since writing this review, I’ve read a couple of reviews describing The Princesses of Iowa as being uplifting and etc. SO even though it was so emotionally draining to me, you could totally have the opposite reaction.)

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