Some book jackets describe The Selection as The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, but we think we can craft an even better mash-up. Just watch us.

It's Divergent meets The Kardashians. It's Mean Girls meets Battle Royale. It's I Wanna Marry Harry meets The Purge. It's 1984: The Romance Novelization.

In case we haven't made things clear, The Selection takes the established genre of YA dystopian fiction and adds a clever twist to the formula, trading the all that dirt and grime for some glitz and glamor. It centers on this thing called "The Selection," which takes place in this weirdo monarchy called Illéa. In the Selection, 35 women are chosen to compete for the heart of the country's prince, earning themselves a spot on the royal throne if they win.

All right, then.

Seems elaborate and a bit silly, but with the royal throne at stake, most Illéans would jump at this opportunity. So why isn't sixteen-year-old America Singer interested? Well, there's her secret boyfriend, Aspen, for one. There's her family for two. And for three, well, that Prince Maxon just seems like a stiff. A cute stiff, but a stiff nonetheless.

So you should understand why America is shocked when she's Selected and whisked away to the palace. We'd be, too. There, she not only grapples with her homesickness and feelings for Aspen, but she also confronts the exploitative nature of the Illéan government as a whole. Add some good old class warfare to the mix, and you've got the makings of a compelling story.

Bolstered by the success of The Selection, author Kiera Cass would go on to dive way deeper into the world of Illéa, writing four additional novels, several novellas, and a plethora of short stories to flesh out her world. So get ready, Shmoopers, because once you start this one, you're going to feel compelled to see America Singer's crazy story to its end.

And stay, tuned, folks: Keeping up with the Illéans will be returning after this brief commercial interruption.

Putting aside its royal romances, its illicit make-out sessions, and its ever-frustrating indecisiveness, The Selection is all about individuality in the face of conformity.

After all, America isn't anything like the other girls in the Selection. She's from a lower caste. She's a musician. She lacks the refined manners and delicate, upper crust sensibilities of the others. Thrust into this situation, most people would just curl up into a ball and call it a day.

But there's no curling up here, folks. No matter what gets thrown her way—whether typical teenage cattiness or socio-economic exploitation—America retains a strong sense of identity and refuses to budge an inch. That's an admirable trait. What's more, it might be exactly the thing that wins her the heart of a certain prince we know...

If you're feeling like it's tough to hold on to your identity in the face of peer pressure or society's expectations, this is just the book for you.