REVIEW: SOME GIRLS ARE BY COURTNEY SUMMERS.

Title: Some Girls Are
Author: Courtney Summers
Edition: eBook
Published: January 5, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 246
Source: Amazon
Category:
Trailer: not applicable

Amazon ▲ Book Depository ▲ Goodreads ▲ Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder.  Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around.  Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

*Could be spoilery.*

Some Girls Are is a total kickass!

Being kicked out of the popular Fearsome Fivesome group, Regina is a mess. Her former group makes her life in school a living hell just to pay for something she didn't do -- sleep with her best friend's boyfriend. Anna wouldn't listen to her at all because Kara brainwashed her that Regina did it on purpose. But the truth is, she was almost raped. Not saying anything, she battles her former group with a newly found friendship with Michael. She has damaged a lot of lives and the hell she's currently into is just what she deserves. But Michael is different -- he even tries to forgive her and rescue her.

This is my second Summers book and what do you know? Am seeing an awesome pattern here! Her protagonists are full of rage or yet broken and always THERE'S HARDCORE BULLYING. But they fight the hell back and that's what I loved about this novel. It has this simple premise but with an extraordinary take on bullying and friendship. I actually asked myself if this is really happening in real life and who knows? It could be which is frightening to be honest. If I went through all of this hell in high school, I wouldn't know how to handle it, I might probably have left the school altogether. I loved how Summers showcased what are the key points in handling terrifying events such as rape, peer pressure, drugs and physical abuse. YOU HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE. Though the protagonist didn't do it, the readers would definitely sense that she should have. Its like letting the readers know what the first thing they have to do in cases like this by letting the protagonist NOT do it. The fact that people would go to this extent to ruin others, I don't know.. its completely mean. I've watched documentaries worst than this but still, it gives me goosebumps to even think that other people have the guts to be evil. It's just wrong no matter how they justify it.

There are wrong group of friends. I've had some in the past and I've seen others go through the friendship without knowing how wrong it is. Regina obviously became too obsessed with the fame of her group and how they intimidate people but I am so glad that at the end, she saw how wrong she was -- how wrong her friendship was with the Fearsome Fivesome and how wrong she treat people. If Kara didn't spread the rumor about Anna's boyfriend, she wouldn't go through what she called hellhole and she wouldn't see the gravity of the situation. She wouldn't learn. Her character *from what I see* has insecurity issues and I am just so glad that even if it took while, she starts to accept how miserable and hateful she made people. She sees the right kind of friendship and thankfully, engulfs it.

I cannot reiterate how much I loathe Kara, Anna, Josh and Donnie. How in the world these people can wake up everyday and still feel good about themselves?

I don't completely understand how Regina ruined Michael but the little moments they had together sprinkled some light in this novel. I loved how Michael took care of Regina no matter how obnoxious she was to him. He saw through her! THROUGH HER MEAN PERSONALITY. It isn't everyday that a special person would accept you through your worst and still believe in the goodness of your heart. I liked how Michael defended her and how he gave himself a chance to forgive. This is the kind of romance one cannot easily forget. Yep. I want my own Michael.

Some Girls Are is a novel that opens up minds about how society really works. It plays dirty but the novel shows redemption and compassion that despite how dark our lives seemed to be and how mean the people towards us, there's a grain of kindness in everyone's heart. This novel just gave so much meaning to friendship.

"Funny how the last thing we want the world to see is almost the first thing to show."

"People have to live with things they doesn't want to live with all the time."

REVIEW: CRACKED UP TO BE BY COURTNEY SUMMERS.

Title: Cracked Up To Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Edition: eBook
Published: December 28, 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 225
Source: Amazon
Category: Romance, Contemporary
Trailer: not available

Synopsis:

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Cracked Up To Be is very intense novel!

I would like to thank Ciara of Lost at Midnight for hosting Courtney Summers' Read-a-long because without this, I wouldn't even learn about this novel! I must say I am impressed, this is my first Summers novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it so much!

Parker is perfectionist. It shows in her life: she's the cheerleading captain, snagged the hottest and most popular boy in school as her boyfriend, she tops all her classes and actually runs as valedictorian. But something went askew. She started drinking in school and became the meanest person alive. She was kicked out from the cheerleading team and her grades started failing. Even her relationship got affected. No one really knows what happened. She wouldn't tell anyone.

High school life is full of pressure but it is one of the most memorable parts of our life. It's tough but you get to keep friends and bond your friendship till you get old. Cracked Up To Be somehow mirrors the bad part of high school. The bullies will never cease, the sleepless nights caused by never ending homework/projects will drain you and always, the peer-pressure will always haunt you. Some snip-sets of the story really does happen in real life and any tragic event could cause anyone to change and put up a wall/defense mechanism to bury any bad memory. I liked how the novel describes the dark part of going to school and how it encourages not to go beyond drinking limits if that even made sense. I am not actually a fan of any kind of liquor so reading such novel with this intensity of partying that eventually lead to "circumstances", it makes me thank my dad's horrible liquor-tolerance-gene. Being drunk gives you so much confidence that you think you can anything you want to then if you screw up, you can blame the alcohol. Like what happened in this novel. That confidence could make you SAY things you're not even supposed to say when you're sober and it affects lives. I just never thought it would end up this horribly for some of the characters.

Parker is the best protagonist I have encountered when it comes to "being yourself" and "honesty". She's so damn mean but also so damn smart. I actually liked her brutality because its not everyday people would have the guts to tell you your flaws or how you honestly look or if your ideas are absurd. She may have changed because of what see SAW happened to her friend and she didn't help in a very unreasonable way but the fact that she remained honest, like straight-to-the-point-honest? I really like that. However, she's also very conceited. Like how confident she is that her Chris isn't over her yet. As a girl, that's pretty much the only thing I couldn't assume because one way or another, it will blow back to your face. No matter how beautiful she is, it cringes me up whenever I think about that scene. Chris loved her and I hope he didn't stop. Not only that I ship them but also because they know each other well and they go back several years. I still think that Christ is good for her no matter how nutty Parker is. I also don't understand her "relationship" with Becky. Like, I totally don't. And Jake. I don't get it, how can you be so interested in someone who pushes you away every time? Parker's so mean to him and I hope Jake liked someone else. He deserve better.

Cracked Up To Be shows extremely destructive events that some people wouldn't know how to handle. It gives not only moral lessons but also encouragement that there are people out there who are willing to listen and help. Being perfect is too mainstream that the novel surprisingly elaborated. Perfection doesn't exist at all thus we have to be what we ought to be. It is written beautifully and I really can't get enough of it!

"The sooner you make a mistake and learn to live with it, the better. You're not responsible for everything. You can't control the way things end up."

"The problem with alienating, self-destructive behavior is people get it into their heads it’s a cry for help. It wasn't."

"Becky, you're only standing there because I decided I didn't want to."