Book Reviews: Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers. St. Martin’s Griffin (2008), Paperback, 224 pages.

Parker Fadley used to have it all. She was head cheerleader, got straight As, and was dating the hottest guy at her Catholic high school, but she gave it all up after one eventful party her senior year and now everyone’s on constant suicide watch. Now the new guy at school may be the only one who gets her to open up about what happened and survive.

In Courtney Summers’ debut novel, she has created a compelling narrative that begs to be read in one sitting. Revealing the events of the fateful party slowly and from Parker’s hazy memory keeps the reader wanting the full story, even though all signs point to the truth being tragic. Summers also has a way of making characters that are extremely flawed, yet somehow still sympathetic and relatable. Parker makes so many questionable decisions, but you still root for her until the end.

Reviewed from a personal copy.

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Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. St. Martin’s Griffin (2010), Paperback, 256 pages.

Regina Afton has been second-in-command of the Fearsome Fivesome since high school started. Their inner circle is known for wild parties, cool clothes, and their ability to make anyone’s life miserable. But after Regina gets sexually assaulted by Queen Bee Anna’s boyfriend, Regina finds herself on the receiving end of the group’s vicious tactics.

Courtney Summers paints a brutal picture of high school bullying that is all but ignored by school administration and parents. With a subject matter that can easily fall into after-school special, cautionary tale tropes, Summers creates a main character that is tragically flawed, yet is still someone the reader wants to root for. They story is hard to read in its unflinching depictions of vindictive one-up-manship, but it’s also hard to put down in the hope of some sort of redemption for Regina.

Reviewed from an ARC received through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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January 30th, 2010  ♥  Books, Reviews  ♥  No Comments »