Cracked Up to Be

by Courtney Summers

Book Overview

Available now: I'M THE GIRL, the new "brutally captivating" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) queer thriller from Courtney Summers, based loosely on The Epstein case and "not for the faint of heart"... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031238369X
• ISBN13: 9780312383695
• Release Date: July 2011
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Amazing quick read

Cracked up to be was the second book I’ve read by. Courtney Summers and so far her books don’t disappoint. I found myself fully invested in the book, hard to put down wanting to know what happened/happens in the book. It wasn’t poorly put together either.

Amazing!

All the reviews I read of this book were nothing short of glowing, which only raised my expectations. But I'm happy to report that my expectations were met and maybe even exceeded. This book was ZOMG AMAZING. When I finished it, I was so happy because it was so good. The plot was so exciting, in a calm sort of way. Yeah, that kind of made no sense. Allow me to (attempt to) explain. There's the Horrible Thing That Happened that made Parker all sarcastic and bitter and mad, but the Horrible Thing That Happened isn't revealed until the very end. But throughout the book, Parker has flashbacks to the Horrible Thing That Happened, revealing that story pieces at a time. It's a slow buildup, but it brings a lot of anxiety. I wanted to know what the Horrible Thing That Happened was so bad that I couldn't put the book down, even though I was really hungry when I was reading this and wanted food. There was so much buildup to the Big Reveal and I was guessing the whole time. And when the Horrible Thing That Happened was revealed, I was so shocked. Not because I was wrong about it (I was wrong), but because it actually wasn't anticlimactic! I was kind of expecting it to be anticlimactic because of all the buildup, but it wasn't, which I really appreciated. I must talk about Parker. Parker was AWESOME. She was so developed and had so many issues that she's one of the most believable characters I've read about in a while. I loved how she mentioned things from when she was still "perfect" and how they crazy they made her. You can definitely see the change the Horrible Thing That Happened brought, and that change was completely believable. A short summary of this long review: This book is awesome. Read it.

Breathtakingly Unforgettable!

I find it hard to believe Cracked Up to Be is Courtney Summers' debut. The writing is breathtakingly unforgettable. Cracked Up to Be is definitely not a light~hearted read. I was stunned speechless. Summers stretched her literary muscles & crafted not any "teen angst fluff", but a lyrically spellbinding tome! I'm not going to summarize the plot for fear it will ruin your reading pleasure. In fact, I don't want to discuss much of Cracked Up to Be for fear of tipping off too much. Courtney Summers is an author that has a natural gift for telling a story; she doesn't need bells & whistles to get her point across. As I was burning through the pages, I kept wondering, "where on earth has Courtney Summers been?" Courtney's riveting prose will hypnotize you from the first page. The players lining Cracked Up to Be are mesmerizing, but Parker is resplendent w/ every hue shimmering like stained glass. Parker's narration is nourishingly illustrative, which Summers generates deftly. Parker seems to "have it all" but things aren't always what they seem. Parker has a fierce longing for approval & a hunger for love which isn't over the top or wishy washy. Kudos to Ms. Summers for hitting a home run w/ Cracked Up to Be. Cracked Up to Be is a profound story w/ rich layers you unearth while turning the pages! I thought I had it all figured out, but I didn't. I'm usually spot on but Summers got me good! Summers vividly showcases that it isn't all that it's "cracked up to be" being a youth in today's society. Summers' somber view makes you sit up & take notice. Cracked Up to Be is an alarming introspection into the barbarity of high school life. Cracked Up to Be is definitely a novel to remember long after you close it. Grab a copy of Cracked Up to Be. Definitely a novel to remember look after you close it.

An Unforgettable Heroine Caught Up in Her Own Horrific Past

Parker Fadley is brash, rude, and intent on alienating everyone around her, from her parents to her friend and ex-boyfriend, to the new kid, Jake, and her former cheerleading squad members. Yet the ruder she is, the more people take a liking to her, and even her teachers and guidance counselor give her many second chances. Why she acts the way she does is revealed in flashbacks in this excellent novel, and even as we find out what has made Parker the way she is, we still cheer for her. The slowly unraveling mystery/crime story is shown as Parker starts to collapse, her carefully crafted world falling apart. It's often hard to tell what she really feels because she's so busy trying to keep those who care about her at bay, with plans to escape. She hates herself so much, yet doesn't do much to make herself likable. Courtney Summers has written an outstanding first novel with an unusual, guilt-ridden heroine who is dealing with issues far beyond her years. She's tender and tough and when she is forced to confront her feelings, whether for Jake, Chris, or her dog Bailey, she starts to slowly crumble. As she owns up to her feelings, as dark and ugly as they are, she starts to see that there is life beyond that one fateful night. I don't want to give too much away, but this book is definitely worth reading, but be prepared to read straight through.

Powerful, Emotional and Important

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 get a little taste before they are pushed back out of her mind. Because of the way this is written you can't put the book down and also can't pinpoint what this upsetting event is. You can guess, but you are probably wrong. I was so wrapped up in this book that in the end when that night is fully explained and I found out just what has happened, I sat up and said out loud, "Oh My God" for me that moment of understanding Parker was very powerful. Everything came full circle and I found myself identifying (to a less severe degree) with her feelings of guilt and loss of control. This book is amazing. Just read it, immediately. I could talk about the tons of other things I liked, like Parker's sassy Veronica Mars-like attitude, the great secondary characters etc. but I rather you read the book and fall in love with it just the way I did!