Books Like Dumplin

Beauty pageants began as competitions in which contestants were ranked based on their physical attributes. Great emphasis was placed on the competitors' physical appearance, which put a lot of pressure on women to conform to the conventional beauty standards of the time. While modern pageants are a lot more inclusive, there is still a cutthroat element to them, and it's not unusual for the contestants to be ruthless toward each other when the cameras are off. These behind-the-scenes antics have inspired many authors to write stories about beauty pageants. For example, in Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, a self-proclaimed "fat girl" named Willowdean Dickson takes on her small town's beauty pageant to regain her confidence. For more novels based around beauty pageants, check out the following books like Dumplin'. The Accidental Beauty QueenBy Teri WilsonThe Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson is a romantic comedy starring elementary school librarian Charlotte Gorman. Charlotte also has an identical twin sister, Ginny, who is the complete opposite of her. Where Charlotte prefers experiencing life through the pages of her books, Ginny is an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant. Ginny is determined to get the "Miss American Treasure" title and drags a reluctant Charlotte along to the pageant as a good luck charm. Unfortunately, Ginnxy experiences a face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant. She convinces Charlotte to take her place to salvage her chances, thrusting the librarian into a world she is woefully unprepared for.Ms America and the Offing on OahuBy Diana DempseyMs. America and the Offing on Oahu is the first book in Diana Dempsey's Beauty Queen Mysteries series. Happy Pennington is Ms. Ohio but competes for the first national title of her life when she takes part in the Ms. America crown on Oahu. Unfortunately, she becomes a prime suspect when her fiercest competitor dies under mysterious circumstances during the televised pageant finale. The only thing left for Happy to do is to try and find the real killer before the Honolulu Police Department exchanges her crown for handcuffs.What I Like About MeBy Jenna GuillaumeWhat I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume is the story of a plus-sized sixteen-year-old named Maise Martin. After spending most of her life hiding her body from everyone, things change when Maisie is pushed aside once too often. First, her best friend starts flirting with Maise's crush, and then her pageant-winning older sister returns home and steals the spotlight. Maisie steps out of her comfort zone and forges new friendships before boldly entering the local Miss Teen Queen beauty pageant. For Maise, it's a journey towards confidence and self-love, but with all eyes on her, she must prove that she has what it takes to be in the spotlight.Murder at the Beauty PageantBy Helena DixonMurder at the Beauty Pageant is the twelfth book in Helena Dixon's A Miss Underhay Mystery series. It is set in the Spring of 135, with a newlywed Kitty Underhay enlisted to help organize the Miss Darthmouth Jubilee pageant at the Dolphin Hotel. Kitty is excited to launch the glamorous show despite her old nemesis, Mrs. Craven, being the one who enlisted her and is bossing her around. Things take an even darker turn when one of the contestants, Peggy Blaine, is discovered dead. None of the other contestants seem to be particularly shocked by Peggy's death, so Kitty decides to investigate with the help of her husband, Matt. Peggy's death is not an isolated incident either, as another entrant dies, and the pageant becomes even more deadly.Miss MeteorBy Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemoreMiss Meteor is a collaboration between Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore based on a beauty pageant called Miss Meteor. The pageant seems to be won by thin, blond, mean girls and never by anyone who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla. However, in an attempt to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita enters the contest, aided by her ex-best friend Chiky. There's more than winning at stake, as both Lita and Chicky will have to face their failure and shortcomings.Deaths at a PageantBy Eliza BrookesDeaths at a Pageant is part of Eliza Brookes's An Allegra Mitchells Mystery series. The story sees Allegra's luxurious hotel getaway interrupted by a mysterious death at an ongoing beauty pageant. Allegra is happy to let the local police take care of the case, but an old friend implores her to get involved as well. As Allegra delves into the behind-the-scenes world of the beauty pageant, she discovers a world of back-stabbing and terrifying ambitions. Thanks to all the lies and cheating, it would seem that someone has decided to do something drastic to get justice. Allegra has to figure out if the threats are coming from an angry victim or someone looking to get ahead in the competition, but with the life of a friend on the line, time is running out for her to solve the case.The Last Pageant In TexasBy S.L. CunninghamS.L. Cunningham puts a horror spin on the beauty pageant theme with The Last Pageant in Texas. Katherine "Kat" Abbot is a teen contestant at the Miss Biscuits & Gravy beauty pageant, but her time on the stage is cut short by the arrival of flesh-eating monsters. Kat discovers that her only hope of getting home alive requires her to team up with a rival pageant queen and two of the biggest losers from her high school. Surviving the end of the world is bad enough, but having to do it with people who can't stand each other makes it even worse.