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Feb 08, 2012

Tatiana rated it:

As seen on The Readventurer

3.5 stars

The more of Courtney Summers I read, the more her work reminds me of Sara Zarr's. They write vastly different characters - Zarr's are more subdued, quiet; Summers' are often in-your-face obnoxious and loud. But what is similar about these two authors is how well-realized their narrators' voices are. Zarr's and Summers' characters are unique and real, often unlikable, but always unforgettable.

The protagonist of Cracked Up to Be More...

7 comments like (19 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

This book was everything that I hoped it was going to be and then some. And I wish that I was a good writer so that I could write a review worthy of this book. Why can’t I just say that I loved it and that it was one of the most compelling books I’ve ever read and that just be enough? Because really I don’t know why I like any book, I just do. But if I must, I guess I will.

The writing. If I hadn’t known that this was Summers’ debut novel, I wouldn’t have believed it. One of my most More...

6 comments like (21 people liked it)

Nov 10, 2011

Catie rated it:

So, I guess I just read these in opposite order…3…2…1. It’s hard to pick a favorite but this one definitely hits the closest to home. I don’t know why, but I had it in my head that Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are were going to be similar novels – like twin manifestos on the psychology of mean girls. Parker and Regina may both sort into the mean girl category, but they are completely different, as are these two novels. I think that Some Girls Are is a book about moving forward and away, b More...

17 comments like (24 people liked it)

Oct 20, 2010

Ash added it

I had very high hopes for this book. It had nothing but raving reviews and I was looking forward to reading it. I'm not saying that it disappointed me, but I guess I wasn't as prepared for it as I thought. I knew that it was a fairly raw and somewhat sad book with crude humor and some bad language but I thought I might still be able to get into the book. That I'd be able to finish it.

Parker is just a sad character. She pushes everyone away by being mean and rude any chance she get More...

8 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jan 04, 2010

Yan rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

Stefanie rated it:

Clarification 4.5 Stars

I really love Courtney Summers' writing. I find it to be raw and ralistic and I think she captures the emotion of her protaganists really well.
I was first introduced to her when I read FALL FOR ANYTHING with the Bookers and totally fell in love with her writing style.
In CRACKED UP TO BE, we have another "messed up" teen with angst and issues and that one big moment in her life that made her go "what's the point?" For Parker Fad More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

Parker Fadley was captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. She'd been on the honor roll for the first three years of high school, and Chris, the most popular guy at school, was in love with her, the most popular girl in school. Now, no matter how awful she is to him, she knows he still loves her, but she's not worth it.

Not since the party. Not since her life took a radical one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn.

H More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

joє rated it:

I couldn’t have cared less about any of the characters, especially our main character – Parker. None of them were likeable, because there was nothing to like. I don’t think Courtney Summers could have done a better job at that!

Parker was nasty & only wallowed in her self-pity.
Chris was pathetic,- I have this crazy feeling that when he told Parker he loved her, he only meant he loved getting in her pants. He did say he loved her & always would, at one point in the story, but the More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 05, 2012

Leanne rated it:

3.5 stars (These are times when half stars would be much appreciated, Goodreads)

Right off the bat, author Courtney Summers introduces the reader to Parker Fadley, a teenager who is starting to fail school, recently quit the cheerleaders squad, and broke off with her boyfriend. Parker isn't very likeable; she's loud, brash, cynical, lashes out at people who try to help her, and basically, just wants to be left alone. Parents and teachers are watching her moves carefully, think More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 12, 2012

Jo rated it:

4.5 stars.

Slight spoilers follow…

“I’d rather be certifiable than perpetually boring.”

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
ME TOO!

High Points.
I loved everything: the writing, the characters, the emotions, the subject.
Done.
*bats off hands*

Low Points.
This book was so small it could get lost in my back teeth.
I’m just being selfish because I wanted to spend more time with this book but hey, if book reviewers More...

17 comments like (18 people liked it)

Sep 30, 2011

Victorie (Saved By The Book) rated it:

Holy. Effing. Wow.

Cracked Up to Be was Courtney Summer's debut novel back in 2008 and I would never have guessed if I hadn't read reviews for it first! This novel was more than what I though it would be, it was better, it was fantastic, it was one of the most compelling books I have ever read! I adore this novel, the characters, the plot, the writing, the author! Everything was perfect, down to the last word!

Parker Fadley is a total bitch! I knew this going into the book More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 16, 2011

Alyssa rated it:

I realize that there are some authors out there, in a booklover’s world of literature, that can surprise you constantly and sweep you off your feet. I realize that there are some authors out there that don’t really need practice to do so – many a first book is better than the author’s next works.

I also realize that there are only a limited number of these authors.

Formulas are very constant in literature, especially in YA. Take Sarah Dessen – an author I respect and love More...

9 comments like (11 people liked it)

Dec 08, 2008

Rachael rated it:

Parker Fadley used to be perfect, but now, she’s a perfect mess. She used to be captain of the cheerleading squad, the girlfriend of the hottest guy in school, and on consistently on the honor roll. But she’s traded all that popularity away for frequent visits to the school counselor, minimal privileges at home and school, and social difficulty. But why? Why would a girl who had it all do such a thing to herself? To everyone else, it’s a mystery. People think she’s just messing around, but she’s More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 08, 2008

Runa rated it:

I really loved this book. While the very beginning left me slightly queasy (the language/content really needs to be toned down), I highly enjoyed the rest. The other reviewers were right. This is one book where the ending really reverberates and it's not one you're likely to forget. I loved the big moments. There were times when I thought I knew, without a doubt, what was going to happen, but then pleasantly found out that I was completely wrong. The revelation that Jessie was her be More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 28, 2010

Arlene rated it:

Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers is probably one of the more difficult reads I’ve encountered in the YA genre. The protagonist, Parker Fadley, was flawed, damaged and on a downward spiral. In most cases, that’s enough cause to have me sympathize for a main character, but the way the story developed, she never really pulled at my heartstrings. I carried more angst for her ex-boyfriend Chris, and the new guy Jake that was dumb enough to fall for her. She really put everyone in her life throug More...

13 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 14, 2008

Alea rated it:

I have no idea how to express my feelings about this book. It's powerful, emotional, important, and really spoke to me.

The book takes place a good time after some sort of upsetting event has occurred. Everyone has gotten over it to the best they could except for Parker and that's because she finds herself guilty for some reason and no one else knows about it.

When reading this book you literally see Parker fighting with her memories. Everyday things bring up the memories o More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 25, 2009

Ursina rated it:

This book opened deep wounds. Had I know what it was about, I probably would not have read it. A really good book but it cut too close to home for me. Atleast Parker got help, I fought that demon alone. I highly recommend it. The problem is out there and not enough people know about it. I can really relate to Parker's dislike for her guidance counsellor. Animals do help, as do friends. A well-researched novel.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 09, 2011

Beth rated it:

In short, Cracked Up To Be is a fantastically written, intense novel by Courtney Summers. In fact, if I had to pick one word for Cracked Up, it would be that: intense. It's a fantastic, gritty character study of "Perfect" Parker Fadley, who's bitter and sarcastic and cruel to everyone - but especially to herself. If you want a rollercoaster ride in the head of a sometimes-unlikeable, extremely three-dimensional, complex and compelling character, Cracked Up To Be is that novel. The love More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Casey (A Passion for Books) rated it:

Courtney Summers is a genius!! Her writing style is brilliant and addicting, especially her talent to create realistic dialog and characterization. Parker is perhaps one of the best narrators in the YA world. Her voice is unforgettable! She's witty and sarcastic, I couldn't help but love all the snarky comments she came up with.

Parker used to be an obsessive perfectionist - popular, captain of the cheerleading team, straight-A student, winter ball queen, and had the perfect boyfriend More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 04, 2012

Ari rated it:

This review can be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com

The beginning was so, so great and funny, and all. I was so happy to choose this book because it felt perfect for me.. but I don't know why my interest got lost by the middle of the story, and the ending was not better than that.

I guess it's a nice book and some people might like it more, but it didn't really work for me.

I liked Parker at the beginning (as mean as she was), and in a way I really liked the w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 08, 2011

Tammara added it

WOW. This was not what I expected. The voice of Parker Fadley was so incredibly spot-on, and this novel gets superkudos for being one of the best examples of "show, not tell" writing ever. The backstory -- what happened a few months previously to turn Perfect Parker into Parker-who's-a-complete-mess -- meanders through the frustrating story of Parker's senior year. She appears to have just freaking lost it, but really, she's not lost it, she's shoving it away with everything she's got More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 10, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2010

Daisy added it

Courtney Summers' debut novel “Cracked up to Be” is the reason I became a YA author. Her novel released in December 2008, but I wheedled an advance copy out of her way back in August 2008 and I devoured it. We are talking a-can’t-put-down-mystery.

“Cracked up to Be” is the story of Parker Fadley, the most popular girl in school who also happens to harbor a horrible secret. Something very bad happened and it just might be her fault. So she does what any good cheerleader would do -- qui More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 02, 2008

Little rated it:

Sometimes, what you don't do can be as consequential as what you do.

Parker was a good girl. A nice girl. A cheerleader. A straight-A student.

Then something happened. Something which changed Parker completely. Something she wishes she could change. Her mood, her grades, and her spirits have all plummeted. Haunted, Parker is no longer the girl she once was - and she doesn't want to be, not anymore.

From its first page, Cracked Up to Be is raw and real. Courtney More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 03, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I scrambled to Amazon to buy CRACKED UP TO BE after I saw its awesome book trailer...and boy did it deliver. I read it in one sitting...simply couldn't put it down. Parker is a fantastic character--beautifully written in her witticisms and confusion and self-exploration...and her past is perfectly doled out in little morsels that keep the pages and mind turning, until everything comes together in an explosion of wow.

Read this book. Now.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 23, 2009

Justin rated it:

Cracked up to be is a sad reminder of how truly messed up the life of a teenager can be. It's a painful look at the life of one very confused and out of control eighteen year old girl named Parker Fadley. The simple version of Parker's story is that she took a fall from perfection after her best friend turns of missing, Parker suspects dead. Parker's problems aren't so much because her best friend is gone, but because she feels it's all her fault.

It's definitely not a happy go luc More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2012

Misty rated it:

Finding a book that discusses the nature of addiction is really not all that hard. It’s even less difficult when you are trying to find a novel about TEEN addiction, but what many fail to see, are the books out that there have abstract addiction. The first thing people think of when the word “addiction” is drugs, but limiting yourself to only a few narrow paths can ultimately hinder a persons understanding. In “Cracked Up To Be” “Courtney Summers” tackles a whole new line of addiction… GUILT. More...

0 comments like

Jan 03, 2012

Busy rated it:

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

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school, 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 fall 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 demandi More...

0 comments like

Nov 28, 2011

Rena rated it:

I am not a huge fan of Courtney Summers at first, but after finishing reading her book, Cracked Up to Be, I want to pay more attention on her. This book is not very long, and you can read it as a light read. I personally adore Courtney Summer’s writing style, she can catch your curiosity to read to the end of the book. She also captures the emotions of each character. I love everything in this novel, especially the plot, the writing and characters. Once you start reading this book, you don’t wan More...

0 comments like

Apr 03, 2009

Tina rated it:

The writing was good but for me, the story line was hard to get through. Maybe because I couldn't relate to the protagonist and I found her unlikeable.

Parker is a perfect mess. She pushes everyone away. When they finally start to let go a little, now she's pissed that no one is paying attention to her. They start to show they care again and she pushes them away with force ... the cycle continues.

She's punishing herself for her friends death. When It's revealed what she More...

6 comments like (7 people liked it)