The One by Kiera Cass (The Selection #3)

America, Elise, Kriss, and Celeste are the four remaining girls at the palace. Soon, three girls will be returning home. The victor will be crowned the princess of Illéa and be married to prince Maxon, heir to the throne. The competing girls hold an uneasy peace, each determined to win. America Singer, like the others, wants badly to be crowned victor. Even though she loves Maxon, she is also secretly seeing ASpen, her old love, on the side. In doing so, she is breaking the law, and she will have to choose one boy or the other. The prince or the guard? Meanwhile, the rebel attacks increase in their violence and strength, and people everywhere. In order to win the Selection, America will have to win over not only Maxon and his father, but also please the country's restless people.

There wasn't a ton of character development with America, but there was some with Celeste and Elise. Elise doesn't love Maxon, but that doesn't matter to her. Winning the Selection is about honoring her family and proving that she's the best, just like she was always raised to be. It's sad that she's willing to be married to someone she doesn't love for the sake of her reputation. While I agree that love doesn't solva all your problems, she should be happy. As for Celeste, well, I don't want to give too much away, but she may not be as bad as she seems.

The book... my gosh, guys! It was great! If you've seen what I had to say about The Elite, you know I wasn't super thrilled about how things went down. I think America is better in this finale. She's back to her kind, brave self and is being much more fair with Maxon. Also unlike the sequel, this edition in the series had plenty of crazy plot twists! There were sweet moments like when you learn more about Celeste, plenty of romance with America and Maxon, and even the odd fight with rebels or other unsavory figures thrown in. One might expect that it would be clear who would win the Selection, but it was very suspenseful! The end was bittersweet. I cried throughout other part in the book, but the ending in particular was a tearjerker! Overall, I loved The One and am happy we're not saying goobye to the world of The Selection. 4/5 stars! This was a roller coaster of a novel, leaving me breathless and all warm and fuzzy inside. I have high hopes for The Heir.

#romance #lovetriangles