I really wanted to like this book since the other books I've read by Libba Bray I have really liked. Her writing style is something that I can usually really get into and appreciate even if the story line isn't the greatest. Unfortunately I didn't feel any of that with this book. 
 There were too many characters to keep track of, which left me confused from time to time about who was being talked about. I appreciated that they weren't your typically broken and weak girls who need rescuing of some stories, but nonetheless, there were too many to keep track of even if some you weren't supposed to identify by name (Miss Arizona, Miss Montana). 
 This was supposed to be realistic fiction and there were some parts of the plot you were supposed to suspend your belief for for who know what reason, which is something I just couldn't do. Snakes swallowing a person whole is something I can believe in, but not when the snake has burst out of nowhere to basically jump the person in order to swallow them. Also, sorry, but there is no way I can believe that a character was able to survive an airline seat tray being jammed into their head and left there because no one can perform surgery to remove it. For the most part, the plot was easy to follow, but very difficult to swallow based on the unrealistic elements that it was overridden with. 
 I did, however, appreciate some of the messages and themes if this book. I have taught Lord of the Flies for several years and so liked seeing this parody of the story. I think there would have been a little more cattiness from the ladies if it were real life, but overall this rendition of girls being stuck on an island was pretty good and empowering toward females. 
 I also appreciated seeing the parody of what our society is becoming in reference to buying beauty related products for men and women. We know exactly what is happening, yet we don't try to do anything to stop it or slow it down. We continue to acknowledge the unrealistic ideals that continue to be set up in our society and then feel bad about ourselves even though we know what we see presented to us by corporations is unrealistic and not possible to achieve. 
 Overall, the book had great messages which were presented in unappealing ways. Characters, while believable in their flaws and personalities, were a little too over the top and difficult to keep track of. I like Libba Bray, but feel like this should have been play and not a novel.