America tries to teach Marlee how to play the piano, but Marlee is musically hopeless and bungles up all her lessons.  While it’s nice to see two female characters develop a friendship, notice: Marlee is America’s only friend in the Selection, and she’s the only one that isn’t going after Maxon.  However, America was friends with her even before she know Marlee had mentally dropped out.  I can’t help but wonder what came first: the decision to make them friends, or the decision to make Marlee fall for a guard.  Did the author think “Oh, shoot, I can’t have them going after the same guy” or did she think “Marlee’s not going to be competition, so it’s okay for them to be friends”?

Either way, you see this a lot in fiction.  Not this clearly laid out, but still.  It’s common in a novel for the female heroine’s only female friends to be those who aren’t in competition with her.  And most often, that “competition” is sexual competition.  Any sexually viable girl becomes an antagonist, while anyone too old, or too lesbian, or too young, or too poor, or too married, or too ugly to be a “threat” is acceptable for friendship.  Oh, it’s not stated that way.  But take a good hard look at who the MC’s friends are the next time you read a book.  Odds are it won’t be anyone who stands a chance as competition for the love interest.  (Either that, or they’ll be “frenemies.”)

“He hasn’t come right out and said it, but I know that I’m here because the public likes me.  With the majority of the girls gone, it won’t be long before their opinions change and they have a new favorite

Wait, what?  So they picked you as a favorite out of everyone, but now that you have even less competition, you’ll no longer be the favorite?  Why?

Marlee teases America about Maxon being in love, then America gets super jealous until she realizes Marlee means her.  Uhg, I’m so bored already.  Come on, book.  We already know they have squishy feelings for each other.  We don’t need to be teased with this when it’s already been hammered into our brains.

America repeats her “I need more time” excuse.

I was afraid.  Afraid that Maxon’s feelings weren’t as genuine as they seemed, afraid of what being a princess might mean for me, afraid of losing Aspen.

First, you’ve known him a couple of weeks, a couple of months at best.  (Can’t remember the first book’s timeline.)  His feelings could be every bit as genuine as they seem, just not long lasting.  I’m really sick of this idea in fiction that people only get to be in love once, therefore if it’s not forever then it must have been fake.  Second, THAT’S A BIG CONSIDERATION, STOP THROWING IT OUT THERE AS AN ASIDE. 

And then they talk about weddings and bridesmaids again because OMG we’re four chapters into this unholy mess and STILL NOTHING IS HAPPENING.

At least in the first book we were getting introduced to people and settings and ideas.  Things were happening.  They were stupid things, but they were happening.  People arrived, situations changed, decisions were made.  Here?  There’s nothing.  There is absolutely nothing.  We have no new ideas, no new conflicts, no new characters.  This is the exact same bullshit that we were dealing with at the end of the last book, repeated over and over.  Four chapters in and the repetition is already making me nauseated.

She flirts with Maxon.  I don’t care.  She flirts with Aspen.  I still don’t care.

But how was I supposed to decide between two good possibilities?

QUEENHOOD!

ROYALTY!

RESPONSIBILITY!

THERE’S YOUR DECIDING FACTOR.  IF YOU LIKE BOTH BOYS EQUALLY, THEN DECIDE BASED ON SOEMTHING ELSE!

I FUCKING HATE YOU.  WE JUST STARTED AND I FUCKING HATE YOU.

OMG, AND THAT’S THE WHOLE CHAPTER.  THAT’S ALL THAT HAPPENED.  THE FUCK, BOOK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?