This story was billed as Miss Congeniality meets The Parent Trap – The Parent Trap reference had me expecting something to do with setting up parents, but the only thing it drew from that story was the twins switching places. The story had much more in common with Miss Congeniality overall. The Accidental Beauty Queen is the story of two identical twins whose personalities are extreme opposites. When their mother died young, the two girls reacted differently. Charlotte retreated into her world of books and eventually became a librarian at an elementary school. Ginny, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with following in the mother’s footsteps and achieving the crown of Miss American Treasure. At twenty-nine, it’s Ginny’s last chance to win that pageant crown. So when she has a severe allergic reaction on the night before the competition, Ginny convinces Charlotte to secretly take her place in the pageant. Shy, awkward, and nerdy, Charlotte is a fish out of water when it comes to the glamor world of pageantry. And of course, things are made more complicated when she develops feelings for one of the judges who obviously thinks she is Ginny.

While it wasn’t the most original story, it was cute and entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised that the story is as much about family relationships and self-acceptance as it is about romance. I enjoyed Charlotte’s entertaining and endearing journey of self-discovery. I was a little disappointed that you don’t get to know her romantic interest very well. Charlotte’s interactions with Gray were cute and he seemed to tick all of the boxes of dream guy. But while you find about things about Gray, his character still felt underdeveloped. He almost seemed too perfect. Between that and the short time period of the story (events happen over a couple of days), I wasn’t sold that what they had was True Love. But it was a cute Chick Lit story. The book is also very PG13 with the romantic scenes fading out, so the steamy level was low. But I enjoyed reading The Accidental Beauty Queen and easily finished it in a day.

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Charlotte long ago made peace with the fact, she is not the beautiful twin, but the nerdy bookish twin who is cute and quirky, but not beautiful. Charlotte’s sister, Ginny is the twin everyone wants to know, the one the boys want to date, and the girl the other pageant contestants want to beat. With only one change left to achieve her ultimate pageant dream, Ginny has called her twin to her side for moral support as she makes her final run at the Miss American Treasure title.

Though Charlotte doesn’t agree with the whole “pageant life” her sister has carved out for herself, she also wants to support her twin. Additionally, Charlotte really wants to spend her down time at Universal Studios and soak up all the geeky, nerdiness she can. She’s got her nerd shirts and full week pass ready to go, and then, disaster strikes. After what should have been a delicious cheat meal before the competition begins, Charlotte’s gorgeous twin wakes in the middle of the night in the throes of a horrifying allergic reaction that leaves her utterly distraught and unable to compete.

Good thing Ginny has a twin sister . . . .

Though Charlotte initially has no intention of stepping into her twin’s stilettos, her twin plays the one card guaranteed to hook Charlotte, the dead mom card. With nothing left to do but give in, Charlotte tucks in an allows her far more experienced sister get her primped and primed for the Miss American Treasure preliminaries. Charlotte is a witty, intelligent girl, but she isn’t at all certain how her wit and intelligence are going to get her through the swimsuit, short interview, and evening gown portion of the competition. What’s more, once she begins to talk to the other contestants, even her confidence in her wit and intelligence begin to fail her. As it happens, all the contestants are witty and intelligent women which certainly changes Charlotte’s perspective and opinion about pageants and pageant life she has long made fun of. The deeper she gets into the competition, the more respect Charlotte has for not only the other contestants, but also for her sister, and the guiltier she feels for deceiving a group of women she has come to genuinely like.

The Bottom Line: Let me tell you what, I completely enjoyed this book and found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. From the moment you understand Charlotte and Ginny are twins, you understand exactly where this story is going. What you don’t know involves the twists and turns, the trips and dips, the awesome talent competition, and the romance that blooms amid the crazy. What The Accidental Beauty Queen is really all about isn’t the glitz and glamour, but self-discovery, friendship and loyalty, and simply being who you are and were always meant to be. Charlotte and Ginny both have a lot of maturing to do, and that growth happens in the span of one crazy, tumultuous week. I found myself quite taken with this book and look forward to Teri Wilson’s next offering.

To begin, I read this book more quickly than I read a lot of books. I pretty much knew how it was going to go and the character's voice reminded me a lot of others that I've read (or seen in movies or TV shows), but something drew me to read it constantly over a couple of days. For that reason, and for the fact that it doesn't pretend to be different than a light read, I'll give it three stars.

This novel is a cute chick lit work that takes the new feminist stance on beauty pageants (excuse me, scholarship competitions), much like the movie Miss Congeniality. The main character takes her twin's spot in a beauty pageant, something her bookish, make-up-less self would never have willingly entered. Prior to agreeing to the switch, the main character meets a Mr. Darcy character and the whole thing is set in motion.

The plot points are predictable, but, as I said, they kept me reading. The main character's voice is on script for a 2018 sense of humor, but both she and her twin sister sound like they're much younger than the 29 years old they are cast to be. There was some character development, certainly, but some of it was spelled out for the reader.

*spoilers*
Yet, I must mention how many times my eyes rolled with regard to the love story. Again, I recognize the purpose of the genre and I was enjoying it as I read it. It's a reflection on the low standards our whole culture has for what True Love can be and look like that this woman could take so few details about someone she barely knows, plus the physical attraction, and turn that into a night of passion that has her staring into the mirror at a woman "in love" as she completes the walk of shame back to her hotel room. There were so many references to great classical works and their love stories, but that would suggest the main character has a more mature understanding of dedicated, self-sacrificing love. And I don't think that's what she got. It was just as hormone-dependent and sex-first-relationship-later as any other contemporary woman is supposed "to be cool with."

In conclusion, the book entertained me and I sought more time in my day to read it. That has to stand for something! I received this book from NetGalley and Gallery Books in exchange for a fair review.

A sweet fluffy romantic comedy with little surprises but pleasant enough for someone looking for a light romance. I felt it needed more development in parts--I do wonder what will happen next for these characters. This easily could be a movie on Netflix. 3.5 Stars
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Teri Wilson had me laughing out loud at her light-hearted romp through the beauty pageant circuit. Ginny and Charlotte are twins who are complete opposites in life. They may look alike but they definitely don't think the same.

Charlotte takes a vacation from her job as a librarian to watch her twin Ginny compete in a beauty pageant but ends up in the beauty pageant herself when her sister comes down with hives! There are plenty of Meet Cutes in this novel. In reading this book I felt like I was reading the Parent Trap Meets Miss Congeniality.

I really liked Charlotte and enjoyed the rest of the characters in the book. I picked up this book just when I needed it most. I needed a palate cleanser after all those suspense thrillers I had been reading. Pick up this book if you want something that will make you giggle. This is a quick easy read. I will pick up more of Teri's books because I liked this one so much!

Thank you NetGalley, Teri Wilson and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun and easy read about finding yourself and finding love. I did have a hard time believing that the main characters were 29 years old as they acted much younger.

Teri Wilson had me laughing and crying, A story full of sisterhood, love, and trying to do the right thing. Really funny stuff. I enjoyed it a great deal it was a great story that moved quickly. I hadn’t read this author before but now will be watching for her!

This book was absolutely adorable! A mix between The Parent Trap, Miss Congeniality, and The Princess Diaries, Wilson's latest novel is a fun romp into the world of beauty queens, crazy Frenchies, and twins. I enjoyed reading this book and it kept my attention throughout the entire story! Full of heart and love, Teri Wilson does it again!!

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc. This was a cute and fun read!

The main character, Charlotte, ends up having to compete in a beauty pageant her twin sister was supposed to do. The book highlights the ups and downs of the pageant and crazy things Charlotte does. In the end, it shows the true love and bond that sisters have. A great feel good read!

Do you ever need a book to just escape and have fun? The Accidental Beauty Queen does just that. Once I picked it up, I didn't want to stop. I highly recommend this book for anyone who needs a laugh, and a little break from reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this novel.
The Accidental Beauty Queen is a delight to read. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised in how much I enjoyed this novel. Charlotte and Ginny are great characters that I missed as soon as I set down the book. Read this one!

Entertaining, honest look at two sisters who appear to be very different, but discover they have more in common than they realize, with romance thrown in. A good vacation read

Cute story about twins who can pretend to be one another, as adults and get away with it. I have a soft spot for twins (have a set of my own). I really enjoyed this cute and quirky tale!

After reading several heavy novels and somewhat depressing memoirs, I was looking for something light and easy to read. I found it in this book. I really enjoyed the author's writing style, and was thrilled to find that the book was just light enough, without being frivolous. I don't think I am necessarily the target audience; howecer, I did enjoy this and would have an easy time recommending it to others.

Ok, now I'm a girl who in the early 1980's kept the VHS of The Parent Trap out so long, my dad had to pay about $100 in fees. My uncle purposely got Disney for 1 month so he could "illegally" tape the movie for me.

So, I enjoyed this book a lot!

The Parent Trap & Miss Congeniality meet and a fun book was born!

If you are looking for a light hearted, cute read pick this up!

The characters were likable and the story was just outrageous enough to make it quite fun!

<i>"She wants to make me over, just like Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries. And Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada.
Anne Hathaway is spectacularly gorgeous. Why does she keep getting made over?"</i>

For all you Hallmark Channel loving, 90's rom-com loving, bookish geeks who secretly love makeovers out there stand up and take notice, this book is for you! It's a light, fun read I couldn't put down even when I tried.

Heavy with Harry Potter and Jane Austen inside jokes, <i>The Accidental Beauty Queen</i> is the perfect escapism reading that makes you wonder when the movie will be coming out (there will be a movie, right??).

Charlotte and Ginny are sweet characters, easy to root for even when you know they're breaking the rules. The story is pretty straight forward and my only complaint is I wish there was more to the B and C storylines to help flesh-out and add a little more depth. But the book isn't hindered by this at all. You'll still be entertained and laughing your way through Charlotte's missteps in sky-high heels.

<i>"I close my eyes and try to "find my center" as Ginny and her yoga-loving friends always say. But I'm so jittery right now that I'm not sure I actually have a center. I am a doughnut."</i>

Story: 3 Stars
Character Development: 3 stars
Prose/Writing: 3 stars
*Additional fun factor: 5 stars

The Accidental Beauty Queen was the first book that I have read by author Teri Wilson, but it won't be my last for sure! I really loved the flow of her writing!

This book was a great, quick, light-hearted read. I absolutely loved the main character, the dialogue and writing was engaging and easy to follow, and the plot, while mostly predictable and sometimes trite, was enjoyable!

I would definitely recommend this to our followers.

I could not resist the cover or the title of THE ACCIDENTAL BEAUTY QUEEN. And I’m so glad they drew me to this engaging story of a shy librarian forced by circumstance to take her beautiful twin sister’s place at a beauty pageant. So fun and genuinely funny, with such great dialogue and endearing characters, that I did not want it to end. 5/5

Pub Date 04 Dec 2018

Thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#TheAccidentalBeautyQueen #NetGalley

This book was a great, quick, light-hearted read. I absolutely loved the main character, the dialogue and writing was engaging and easy to follow, and the plot, while mostly predictable and sometimes trite, was enjoyable.

Wilson's writing reminded me of writers like Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin. The descriptions were strong, and the dialogue seemed natural. I was immediately captured by the plot line - identical twins, a Miss America-like competition, and of course, an incredibly swoon-worthy love interest. What's not to love?

There were some parts of the book that were predictable - the sort of starcrossed lovers, the fact that the main characters had lost a parent, and parts of the ending (I won't spoil it!). But, Wilson did surprise me a bit in the ending, and gave a great and heartwarming wrap up to the novel.

I'll definitely be searching for Wilson's next book - the book made me smile the whole time while reading it!

4.5 stars. This women's fiction/romantic comedy/chick-lit book was a delight to read! It was whimsical and funny and if you're a fan of "Miss Congeniality" and beautify pageants in general, you're going to love this story. It's a celebration of women and pageants and finding out that you're more than just the stereotype you've assigned to yourself and to your loved ones. That we aren't just the pretty one or the smart one, but all those things together!

There is a romance, which I could have used a lot more of. I did appreciate the tidbits we got, but I wanted more of this couple falling in love and seeing where they end up (considering they live in completely different states). I can see this as a Netflix rom-com, so somebody get on that stat!

Fun book.