Book Review: Cracked Up to Be

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Released: December 23, 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 214
Rating: 5 stars

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.

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 she wants is to alienate herself from society. But what happened to cause her attitude and lifestyle to do a complete 180? The mystery aspect was great. Piece by piece, the mystery unravels by little snippets here and there throughout the novel.

This was a different type of read compared to what I normally read. But I enjoyed every minute of it! Summers created a very straight forward novel with a powerful message about what it means to be perfect and the struggles with choices in life. This is definitely an author I will be looking out for in the future.