Book: Cracked Up to Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC. I’m not really sure that we can call this an ARC since this is a reissue of a book.

Anyway, Courtney Summers entered on my radar last year with Sadie and when I was given the chance to read this title, I jumped. Courtney wasn’t even on my radar until Sadie and I don’t know how she escaped me. I love hard hitting contemporaries and that is what Courtney writes. Her writing is haunting and real and it just pulls you in. I love the way she takes real people and puts them in such difficult positions. While you are reading, it just pulls at your heart and you just can’t get away. It’s so raw and real.

What I loved about this book was the fact that we have a main character who isn’t all that likable. Parker is your typical high school mean girl who doesn’t care who she hurts and, even does it, on propose. She pushes people away and just tears out their hearts. You are not supposed to like her. She was the girl who also had everything going for her, then she fell from grace. She’s mean and a brat. People complain about her character, but this is just who she is. Not everyone in YA is supposed to be likable. I loved actually getting a story from the mean popular girl. It was just a nice breath of fresh air to have something different.

Parker is just a fine example of why I am drawn to Courtney’s works. Here is a girl who had it all and is completely messed up. I like how Courtney writes books that shows that life isn’t always prefect. Yes, I do like cute stories, but I do get more out of books like this. These are the types of books that invoke so many emotions. On the outside, Parker was the prefect girl and now she’s not. We get to see her struggle with trying to keep it together and not being afraid to lose it. We actually have a character who doesn’t want help and wishes people would just give up on her. It just felt so real and presented what some people do actually go through.

This book is deep. It’s not a long book, but, guys, it is deep. We have what looks like a prefect world, but once you get into the meat of the story, it’s clearly not. Like with Sadie, we have a lot of dark stuff going on here. I’m just going to say it now, because people can’t seem to use their best judgement anymore: THIS BOOK IS NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG TEENS. There, I said it. There’s a lot of things in things in this book that are dark and unsettling. It’s going to mess with you.

Anyway, this book comes out again on February 4, 2020. It has new content including a letter for Courtney. If you enjoyed Sadie and want to see more of what this author has to offer, then I highly encourage you to check this title out. You will not be sorry.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/DWIN_fe-7tI

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Wow. It’s hard to review a book like this. I mean, it’s really good and you should totally read it. You can read a plot summary on Amazon etc. So I don’t need to say any of that. What I will say is that it’s a pretty accurate picture of what it’s like to be a fucked up teenage girl. It’s always refreshing to see books about teenager girls first of all where the protagonists swear, drink, enjoy sex, and be bitchy the way teenagers actually are. So there’s that. But it’s also nice to see a girl living with trauma who is not a martyr or a saint, who is sexually active but doesn’t get a clear cut HEA, who knows she needs help but recognizes the systems in place to help fucked up teenage girls don’t always really help. That parents can be non-existent even when they are right there, that social workers and counselors don’t know what they’re doing anymore than anyone else. I don’t know. I don’t have a ton of faith that everything’s gonna work out for Parker 100% because that’s not how life or trauma works, but I enjoyed spending this time with her.

**YAY- this is a re-issue of Cracked Up to be, with an added forward from the author**

Parker Fadley is a high school senior dealing with some pretty heavy stuff! Parker’s story starts at her boyfriends party, a night she will never forget, and never forgive herself for.
Parker was the captain of the cheerleading squad, the most popular girl in school, and a better than straight-A student before that night. The flashbacks she has weave into the storyline so effortlessly, and they continue building until the very end.
Parker is not a very likable protagonist, she is an asshole full of teenage angst....but I found myself heartbroken over and over agin while reading her story, and I completely fell in love with her.
The new forward from the author is beautiful and poignant; it is so raw, and fits this story so perfectly that I thought about it a lot during the course of the book. While this is a YA novel, it deals with heavy subject matter- rape, suicide, sex, and drug & alcohol abuse.
While the book builds and builds up to the climax, it came so suddenly, and poof it was over. I would have liked to have seen the story play out more in the end. I felt like the story was a long fuse building to this very short, abrupt end.
*I originally gave this book 4 stars, but after some thought I am giving it a solid 5 stars. I gave it 4 stars because of the abrupt end, but I keep thinking about this book, and how I’m only sad about the ending because I wanted more!*

This book is a fantastic read, I enjoyed it so much that I devoured it in two sittings, and I’m already looking forward to reading the authors other books as this was my first!

I hope you all love Parker Fadley as much as I did! Happy reading, friends!

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book!

Cracked Up to Be by author Courtney Summers is another awesome novel!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading “Sadie” and became speechless, numb, screaming for two days in pain, I learned from the experience, this author is a shining gem at the literature’s treasure box! And I promise myself everything Courtney Summer writes even they’re shopping list, ridiculous post it notes, greeting cards or restriction order against me for being half witted fan, I’m going to write them without questioning!

As soon as I heard this book’s republishing, instead of reading the previous works (yes my tbr list already threatens me to explode into my face any second and it’s getting fatter than my husband’s belly reminds you of an elephant’s belly after eating his girlfriend.) of writer including “All the Rage” (I swear I’ll read next week! I’m telling same thing every week and another Arc copy hits on my face and distracts my attention!) and “This is not a test”

So when I saw this book’s arc copy on the Netflix, I clicked the request button, feeling myself like a Voice judge, turning her chair at the blind audition. As soon as I saw it on my library, I began my salsa moves and in the mean time I dived into without waiting any further.

It was fast pacing, intriguing, interesting and brilliantly written book. I should give it 3.5 stars and round them up! Wait! What! If I love the writing, why am I cutting points? What the hell is wrong with me?

Wrong question! I wanted to ask the same one to the anti-heroine Parker Fadley from the beginning of the book. I wanted to say: “Hey, you self-absorbed, mean, manipulative, lying, shameless bitch! Why are you acting like that? Why are you self-sabotaging yourself by alienating your friends, your family?” She didn’t treat well to her new dog, which made me more pissed off and I wish I could jump into the book and slap her several times and come back after getting my hate out of my system!

Parker was shining star of her high school before she goes nuts and turning her life into a mess. She was cheerleader captain (she quitted), Chris, most popular guy of the school’s girlfriend (stole his money and broke up with him), future valedictorian ( now she steals her friends’ essays and copies them)! Something is really really really wrong with her but she denies to talk about even though everyone tolerates her antics and remains patient with her.

The author chose to create a heroine WE PASSIONATELY LOVE TO HATE HER! But we were hooked from the first page because we understood that something happened at Chris’ party and Parker’s close friend Jessie disappeared at that night. Parker keeps a big secret and she keeps treating the people around her like hell to try helping her. Especially new guy Jake who recently transferred to their school turns into a punch bag of her (Oh Parker, you gave me so much reason to drag you throughout the school halls by pulling your hair!) So you keep telling yourself! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HER?

The author’s tricky story-telling for giving us some quick glimpses and special sneak peeks from the night is the smartest way to keep our attention intact. We want to know the reasons, we want to know where the hell Jessie is and we want to know how far this crazy bitch Parker can go for self-destruction!

And BAMMM we got the answers. The ending is realistic, satisfying but not so much emotional or heart wrenching as I expected. And yes, I understand Parker’s motives but I still cannot empathize with her.

Overall: It was realistic, questioning, unconventional, riveting reading even though there are too many characters with not likeable behaviours and too much flaws. It was a great, fast YA fiction book. Not my favorite Courtney Summers book but it’s still so much better from too many books I’ve read from the same genre.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’sPress/Wednesday Books for sharing this fantastic ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

I was so excited to read this one since I absolutely loved Sadie! I recommend that book all the time.

This one started off good. But I could not stand the main character. I had to stop reading this one before finishing unfortunately.

Three-ish stars

I've read and enjoyed several books by Courtney Summers, but this is not among my favorites.

Parker is clearly troubled. She has gone through a major shift in personality and priorities, she has - according to the perceptions of some - potentially attempted suicide, and she is now under the close watch of various school officials, parents, and other adults. How, then, is every single one of these adults so inept? It drove me bananas that none of these adults - particularly the trained professionals - could find a way to work with Parker effectively. This notion that they're all going to tiptoe around her and give her special treats (a dog, BTW, should not be a special reward) when she is not overtly misbehaving is exhausting.

Repeatedly, Parker mentions that no one really sees her, hears her, etc. At least she is aware of the failures surrounding her. But I actually found this somewhat tough to stomach. Working in a space with many 17 and 18-year-olds, we're trained on what to look for and how to deal; Parker displays all of the classic signs.

The worst part of this for me was everything relating to Bailey. NO.

This is an okay work but it is more upsetting than didactic or enjoyable or empathy building in any way. It's not going on my list of recs for students any time soon.

‘Cracked Up to Be’ is an exposed nerve—raw and unflinching—from beginning to end.

Parker Fadley would do anything to be perfect, even if that means being controlling and dictatorial. After something terrible happens at a party, something that Parker sees as unforgivable and solely her fault, she becomes convinced that the only way through is to burn everything down. She puts as much effort into alienating herself as she did at being perfect. And it seems to be working, until a new student and a persistent rescue dog start to break down her defenses. The question becomes whether or not Parker will let them, and if she is capable of acknowledging and processing all of her trauma in order to truly heal.

I’ll be honest, ‘Cracked Up to Be’ is a difficult read. It deals with heavy topics like suicide and sexual violence. It’s a complete immersion into Parker’s burgeoning breakdown, and it is as riveting as it is heartbreaking. The way in which Courtney Summers deftly weaves in portions of the past that build and build until the reader knows everything that Parker knows is genius. This slow unraveling ratchets up the anxiety and stress of not knowing, and also makes you feel like you’re experiencing what Parker is experiencing in real time.

I appreciate the way that Summers encapsulates the adolescent experience, and that she presents a protagonist that isn’t stereotypically “likable.” Parker is suffering, she is unable to process her pain, and she employs flawed logic… all of these attributes humanize her and imprint her more fully onto the reader. I am so glad that the publisher decided to reissue this novel; it is too important to be missed.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Parker Fadley was perfect...she had perfect grades, was the perfect daughter, she had the perfect boyfriend, and she was captain of the cheerleading squad. After an incident at a party, she decides to put all of her effort into becoming socially isolated. Her self-destructive behavior has her parents on a constant suicide watch, and she is given one last chance to put forth effort at school or she won't graduate. Parker’s plan to isolate herself from others becomes complicated when a new transfer student, Jake Gardner, decides to befriend her despite her efforts to discourage his attempts.

All the stars! Cracked Up to Be is a re-release of Courtney Summers debut novel with a new look and foreword from the author. I fell in LOVE with her book Sadie and enjoyed This Is Not a Test so I was very excited to get the chance read her debut novel. One of the things I love about this author is her ability to write strong, often damaged, and unique main characters. In this novel we have Parker, a young girl who experiences a mysterious traumatic event which she feels responsible for. She determines that the way to atone for this is to remove herself from others, much to the dismay of her family and friends, by taking part in some pretty awful self-destructive behavior. Although the book covers some behaviors that may be disturbing to some readers, the main character's intentions are not always understood until later on. Her interactions with Jake are charming and often witty adding a touch of humor to some of the darker content. Some of the content may be a trigger for some readers and includes topics on: drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, and rape. I personally thought this book was fantastic and devoured it in an afternoon. A must read for 2020!

This was the first Courtney Summers book that I read and since then have gone on to read two of her other books. I'm so glad that she finally has gotten the recognition that she deserves. This is one of my all time favorite books and I'm so excited to read it again. This is such a good hard hitting contemporary. Not super long making it a very quick read.