Review: Cracked Up to Be

Title: Cracked Up to Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Date published: 2009
Type of book: teen fiction,drama

I received this book from/at: Walden Books
My interest in this book is: plot, reviews

Ideas expressed/message/plot: From back cover: “WHAT’S THE WORST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE? When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all the St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular girl 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 I just might be her fault.

Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Parker: I read in a review that Parker was a lot like Veronica Mars… and I’d have to agree, that was actually one of my favorite aspects of the book, I also really liked how Summers was so realistic about Parker’s guilt; Jake: I was definitely rooting for him!; Chris: He was really caring and composed considering what had been happening between him and Parker, etc.

When I finished this book I felt: This book was really intense… it wasn’t what I expected, but it was really, really good. It made was deep, it was emotional, and it was entertaining: all at the same time.

Other books to read by this author: this is her first novel

I would recommend this book to: everyone… it really is appropriate for all readers (above elementary school for the most part…)