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 favorite boo More...

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, but t More...

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, Parker, is hard to like. She is More...

Based on what I've read so far, Courtney Summers is easily one of my favourite young adult authors. Her books are incredibly raw and emotional and her talent for getting inside the mind of troubled teens isn't very common in young adult literature.

I admit that I didn't like this book quite as much as Some Girls Are but that isn't saying a lot, it was still powerful and moving. I expected to not like this novel as much because of the lower average rating than Some Girls Are, but I think the main More...

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 gets. She doesn' More...

Ever since I read this novel, I've been judiciously punishing myself. I made a vow to not pick up another Courtney Summers book until I had tackled this review first and although I have sat down to type out this review on more than one occasion, the words never came. Even now, over two months since I last held this in my hands, I struggle to find the words to adequately express what an emotional wreck this book rendered me. Parker are her struggles are still as real and visceral to me today as t More...

Already being a big fan of Courtney Summers since I read This Is Not a Test, I knew before going into this that it was going to be a ride with a lot of feels! So much feels!

Parker is the definition of a snarky bitch. She has an attitude you want to slap her for, but as a protagonist she's especially amusing and definitely entertaining. The used-to-be cheerleading captain turned angry emo tells us that something has happened to this girl to change her so drastically. This "something" is told to u More...

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! it probably wasn't even the point, because you were supposed to develop empathy, not sympathsize with her.

parker was nasty and 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 getti More...

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 Fadley, it was, What's the point in trying to be More...

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.

Her parents have her on a tight leash More...

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 can’t be selfish then who can?
That is the real question, I think.

Heroine.
You know how I really like More...

THIS BOOK SUCKED. BIG TIME. I didn't understand why Parker didn't tell anybody about her witnessing her best friend getting raped and being dragged off to die somewhere, and why she thought she was punishing herself for not telling. It was injustice. It was cruel. It was her best friend. And she didn't tell anybody. Not a single soul. WHY? Who the heck does that? She made things worse by not telling. She could've made all her problems go away if she told someone. One little spill and the whole d More...

3.5- Team Chris

Sooooo I wrote this long review then pressed that back button by mistake. :-(

This will be a summary of that now. I thought it was a very good read hence the 4 star rating but I don't know if I actually personally enjoyed the story so the 3.5.

Parker was a straight b* and I sorta loved it. Maybe because I had/sometimes have that urge to say the rude things that flow through my mind, especially while I was in high school. It came out some in college, but I care about appearances and More...

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 from the reviews but I w More...

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 as both a person and wr More...

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...

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 best friend wa More...

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 through More...

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 of that night and we only More...

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.

Review can also be found here.

I had various reactions while reading this book. The one that won above the rest was the urge to stalk this author's books until I've read them all, because I keep being amazed at the way she writes. She takes a plot that might seem usual or overdone and gives it a twist and a subtleness that makes the story entirely her own. I'm overly impressed with her. She's that good. Of course, this book wasn't as breathtaking as This Is Not a Test, but considering this is her More...

Thankfully, Cracked Up To Be is a short book. It was excruciating to follow the detailed narrative of Parker Fadley's self loathing and destructive behaviour. She remained a very unlikeable character till the end, when the reason behind her actions were finally revealed. I found it unbelievable that her family would wait so long - specially for someone supposedly on suicide watch - to have her see a medical professional. Despite her horrible attitude to her parents & school authorities, they More...

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 triangle More...

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 - but all s More...

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 way her 'relationship' with Jake start More...

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 -- the onl More...

Review Posted on Reading Lark 12/8/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

My first experience with Courtney Summers' writing was Some Girls Are - a book that I didn't expect to like, but I was totally swept away by Summers' writing and her ability to shed light on tough teen issues. I truly appreciate the authors who write within this arena; I wish that books like this one and Some Girls Are had existed for me when I was a teen. It would have made life a little easier knowing that I wasn't More...

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 -- quits the squad More...