The story follows 16-year-old America Singer, a member of the mid-class Five caste who is trained as a musician. When America gets an invitation to compete in the Selection, a competition where 35 young women compete for Prince Maxon's hand in marriage. Her mother is desperate for her to win so they can become rich. However, America has a boyfriend named Aspen, a Six, and doesn't want to participate. America originally wants to go back home and get Aspen to be her boyfriend again, but she discovers her feelings for Maxon later and now she doesn’t know what to do.
Some obstacles she faces are that she wants to leave the Selection, but the longer she stays in, the more money her family receives. She makes a plan with Maxon to help her stay in and then kick her out in a way that makes it believable. It also doesn’t help that this girl named Celeste, basically hates America and all the other competitors and will do anything to get her eliminated. The book ends with America still part of the selection and not picking either Aspen or Maxon, yet.
I thought this book could’ve been better if they got rid of or improved the love triangle. I feel like it was added for no real reason except to make the reader want to read the rest of the series. However, I love the backstory of how the Selection started.