Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Title: Some Girls Are
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: January 10, 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 256/Paperback
Source: My personal library


Summary: Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder.  Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around.  Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

Review: Intense. That's really the only word I can think of that accurately describes Some Girls Are. Courtney Summers has written, yet again, and astounding novel. Some Girls Are shows just how far bullying can go and how girls (or people in general for that matter) can be not only mean and cruel, but outright viscous. 

One aspect of Courtney's writing that I'm surprised I like so much is the uncertainty of it. You don't know exactly what happened in the past with Liz, and the ending is resolved, but it's still open for more. However, it's not an ending leaving you wanting more. It left me satisfied, but it also left me wandering what would happen next with Regina. 

Courtney's characters are also a major accomplishment. They're all so realistic. I can say that she's the only author that ever made me want to throttle a character in a book. I was a little conflicted with Regina. I felt bad for her about what was happening, but then I would think, "But isn't this exactly what she was doing to other people? Doesn't she deserve this?"

And that leads us to the heart of this novel. This book shows just how mean people can be and how no matter what the truth is there's always someone willing to believe the lie.

Overall this was yet another success of a book for Courtney Summers. I have read her books out of order it seems, and I still have to read her first, Cracked Up To Be.