Wow... I really had low expectations for this book. However, this exceeded them and surprisingly was a pretty decent read mainly because the writing was so well done. They way the story was paced and how the events unfolded naturally really helped sell this as a book that makes you want to keep reading when it so easily could have failed. This book can be described as The Bachelor in a castle with a dash of The Hunger Games because its set in post World War 3 America. 
 I really ended up enjoying this book because the protagonist, America, was a genuinely likable character. Considering this story could have easily just turned into a vapid beauty pageant, it was really refreshing to have a heroine that wasn't a whiny brat. Yes, it's super romancey and there is a lot of talk about dresses and cat fights but America is someone you really don't mind. She's super relate-able and is someone you would want to be friends with. 
 I felt the build of a relationship between America and Maxon was actually handled well. Definitely wasn't insta-love and wasn't overly antagonistic to add needless drama. Overall, it felt well paced and sweet. (view spoiler)[Ok, I admit that her an Maxon's first kiss was super SQUEEEEE worthy. What can I say, I'm a softy at heart! (hide spoiler)] 
 There's a love triangle because of course there is. There always is. America is obviously confused as to where her heart and head are but she's not whiny about it! (Seriously, her lack of griping saves the day for this story!) Again, I felt the writing was particularly well done in describing the two different relationships. The pacing and America's personality really helps the whole triangle thing to not be hideously annoying. 
 They have a side plot involving the political intrigue of the new nation. There is talk of rebels and attacks throughout the country. They also hint that the royal family may be hiding some of the truth about their rise to power and other secrets from the people. However, they only hint at these things. It would have been interesting to cover more ground on that front. The story mainly focuses on the competition and the romance. If more of the political aspects were addressed I may have given this 5 stars. Since they weren't I had to take away 1 star. Maybe they will be more prominent issues in the next book? 
 Overall, Kiera Cass is a very talented writer. This is usually a book that would be a DNF for me. However, her writing and characters were so well done that this turned out to be a surprise hit for me. Will continue with the series. :)