When I first tried to read this book almost a year ago, I couldn't get past the first fifty pages. After the incident here on GR surrounding it, I was mad. So mad, I think, that there was no possible way I could have read The Selection unbiased. Every little thing about it got under my skin. But now that some time has passed and things have settled down some, I decided to give it a try again since I purchased the first book for cheap. Originally, what drew me to it was the cover. I'm not usually a huge fan of ones featuring pretty dresses, but these are simply gorgeous. The pose of the model is a little weird, though. 
 The Good: 
 - I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. If you go into it knowing what to expect (it's a book almost entirely focused on the love triangle), it's entertaining. 
 - The story itself is quite addicting. Despite whatever issues i was having at any given point, I still wanted to finish it. 
 - Though I still find the Selection itself to be little disturbing (Shows like The Bachelor have never been my thing), I liked reading about ask the different stages/interviews and such. 
 The Bad: 
 - Weird thing to complain about, but I hate how much this is compared to The Hunger Games. The only similarity is a big competition and though I don't like the selection, I'd still be in that contest over the games ANY day. Other than that, they're completely different. 
 - America is not the greatest protagonist. In fact, she can be incredibly annoying sometimes. She is repeatedly told that she's pretty, but she can't take a compliment. She is also very indecisive, floundering between one decision and the next. Personally I think that's why she wouldn't be the best princess for the country. 
 - In particular, I really didn't like the part where America knees Price Maxon in the leg when they're simply walking together in the garden and she fears for her virtue. She's incredibly lucky that she didn't get kicked out right then and there because she basically accused him of trying to rape her. 
 - What's with the weird names? I'm kind of eating my own words here, but The Hunger Games did have the same sort of oddness to it. However they didn't bother me there, maybe because I felt like a lot of the names were after the districts or something. In the Selection, it seems like they're just there to be there. America, Aspen, Clarkson, Sosie, etc. 
 - The world building is questionable to say the least. I'm not going to pretend to understand about how the counties operate, but China suddenly invading the USA seems kind of weird. The rebel attacks were scattered throughout the novel, but there just felt kind of random. Like a subplot I wasn't getting into. 
 - I wish there was more substance to the characters. I feel like I got to know America and her story and all that. I also got to know Maxon a little. But Aspen wasn't around much, so at this point I'm undecided about who I like better in this love triangle. I didn't really care when a contestant left because I as a reader did not know anything of them besides their names. 
 I can't say I have much hope that any of my issues will be fixed in The Elite (based off a lot of reviews), but I own it. And I'm interested enough to want to know what happens next. If I recommended The Selection to someone, it would be lighthearted entertainment only. Not a lot of substance/world-building/character development to be found. 
 3 stars