Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Parker has determined that she is not going to be perfect anymore- she’s quit the cheerleading squad, dumped her perfect boyfriend, is failing her classes at school, drinks heavily, and has attempted suicide. What Parker refuses to admit to anyone is that she knows what happened the night her friend Jessica disappeared and the events that unfolded prior to that were all caused by Parker.

Summers debut novel is an intense read packed with emotional issues and teenage angst. Parker is flawed- a compulsive liar who treats everyone around her horribly- yet reader’s can not help but wonder what secret she is hiding that has caused her to implode in such a dramatic fashion. Parker’s secret is one that readers will not see coming and once it is revealed, they will completely understand her self-deprecating behavior. While she is unlikable at first, Parker is real and the more time that readers spend inside her head, the more they will want to see her pull herself together and succeed. The novel is not at all the light-fluff that the stock photo cookie cutter cover makes it seem and readers expecting light-hearted chick lit will be very disappointed. This is a story to pass along to fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak which has a similar voice and tone.