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hannahnana73's review
5.0
I'm rating this 5 stars NOT because I liked it. I hated how they behaved. I hated the downright cruelty in their actions. Ig it made me a lot more grateful that I don't school in a place like Halloway High, and that I have classmates that are a billion times nicer. I loved how Courtney Summers by writing this made people aware of what some had/have to go through, not just writing about a happy high school where it was all fun and games. She wrote realistically, which was why I rated this the way I did.
mehsi's review
3.0
I expected more of the book. It was ok. But I felt like the ending was just rushed, like oh we have to stop now, so lets just do this and that, and done. Like wait what? The girl went through hell and it is ends that easily? Sorry I am not believing it will end like this.
afroditi's review
4.0
I cannot really say how realistic the description of events is, I assume quite accurate and makes it quite a gripping read. The way the circle of violence and bulling is depicted in this book, made me really uncomfortable, but still I couldn't leave it of my hands. The need of teenagers to belong and how important is the social ladder in high school, where you think that nothing exists outside the doors of the school and the actions it leads people, was soooo relatable to me that made me stomach twist.
jenhurst's review
5.0
Everything Courtney summers does just works for me. Whether it’s zombies, bullying, Courtney summers just knows how to write. I really like Regina as a protagonist and I found her very relatable. Michael surprised me as a love interesting, because I wasn’t expecting much from him. The extremity of the bullying by the other girls was next level mean girls.
My one complaint is the ending was really weak.
My one complaint is the ending was really weak.
sam_hartwig's review
3.0
Wow! What a bunch of cruel girls. A friend recommended this book to me a while ago, so I thought I should give it a go. Well after listening for only a short amount of time I realised what kind of book this is. Most people during their time at school have faced bullying or been a bully, I know I have! Years 8 & 9 at high school were some of the worst years of my life. So this book brought back some bad memories. I don't know why I kept reading, I think it's because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It was a little like a train wreck where you can't look away. I also think it's because I wanted to see if the girls would realise what they've done and feel some sort of remorse for it. Unfortunately that never happened.
Listening to this it felt very much like the movie "Mean Girls" but 10 times worse mean pranks and no humor at all! The story is about a popular group of girls and one girl from the group is ostracized by the rest because of a rumor that was spread, even though we know the truth and it is horrible. Through the whole book the popular group are making the main character, Regina's life a living hell. Regina does get a bit back though, but after all of this I don't know if the girls really learnt a lesson in realising to take responsibility for there actions.
It's very hard to rate a book that you didn't particularly like the characters or like the story but I guess that's the whole point to this story to make you dislike the characters etc, so actually the author has done her job well. Because of this reason and also it was written so well, I decided to give it 3 stars because it deserves it but not 4 in my eyes. Even saying that I will definitely pick up and read any other books I find by Courtney Summers because I think she has a fantastic way of writing about something that feels so real and everyone can relate to.
Also on my blog
Listening to this it felt very much like the movie "Mean Girls" but 10 times worse mean pranks and no humor at all! The story is about a popular group of girls and one girl from the group is ostracized by the rest because of a rumor that was spread, even though we know the truth and it is horrible. Through the whole book the popular group are making the main character, Regina's life a living hell. Regina does get a bit back though, but after all of this I don't know if the girls really learnt a lesson in realising to take responsibility for there actions.
It's very hard to rate a book that you didn't particularly like the characters or like the story but I guess that's the whole point to this story to make you dislike the characters etc, so actually the author has done her job well. Because of this reason and also it was written so well, I decided to give it 3 stars because it deserves it but not 4 in my eyes. Even saying that I will definitely pick up and read any other books I find by Courtney Summers because I think she has a fantastic way of writing about something that feels so real and everyone can relate to.
Also on my blog
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I prefer Summers's debut novel, mostly because the topic in this book was a little too.. much? Almost too shocking for my taste, and that is saying a lot.
These girls (and let's not forget the boys) are more than mean. More than bitchy, popular highschoolers. They're awful, sadistic individuals. There's backstabbing, rumor-spreading, cyberbullying and real life bullying, rape and revenge. And somewhere along the lines I began to wonder when this would come to an end. It's such a long downward spiral, and everytime Regina seemed to have hit rock bottom, something even worse happened.
I love my dark and mature YA books, but there are so many difficult topics tackled in this one, it turned into a very tragic claustrophobic story and the only thing I felt for the narrator was sympathy, but no more. Unlike Cracked up to be I didn't have any strong feelings for the main character. Parker was just as bad as Regina, but she had more personality and was more than a perfect girl gone bad.
I still think Courtney Summers is a very talented author and her books should be read, acknowledged and talked about, especially in schools. But maybe I've read too many sad and lonely books lately, and this was an overdose.
Full review to come.
I prefer Summers's debut novel, mostly because the topic in this book was a little too.. much? Almost too shocking for my taste, and that is saying a lot.
These girls (and let's not forget the boys) are more than mean. More than bitchy, popular highschoolers. They're awful, sadistic individuals. There's backstabbing, rumor-spreading, cyberbullying and real life bullying, rape and revenge. And somewhere along the lines I began to wonder when this would come to an end. It's such a long downward spiral, and everytime Regina seemed to have hit rock bottom, something even worse happened.
I love my dark and mature YA books, but there are so many difficult topics tackled in this one, it turned into a very tragic claustrophobic story and the only thing I felt for the narrator was sympathy, but no more. Unlike Cracked up to be I didn't have any strong feelings for the main character. Parker was just as bad as Regina, but she had more personality and was more than a perfect girl gone bad.
I still think Courtney Summers is a very talented author and her books should be read, acknowledged and talked about, especially in schools. But maybe I've read too many sad and lonely books lately, and this was an overdose.
Full review to come.
hollyyym's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
abbyreads2's review
3.0
I'm shocked. So many things happened and the book felt short and long. I extremely liked the ending. It felt realistic. But the fact that those girls didn't get in any kinds of troubles was outrageous. They get to be such nightmares and go on with their lives never having to worry about it is completely unfair. Although life is unfair, I wanted them to get expelled or something. That part was disappointing. I don't have much to say besides that it was good. It would've been better if she had dealt with things differently but everyone is different. They deal with things different. In the end, she didn't really feel at peace. I can tell she's on her way there though.
Edit: This book was infuriating. She kept fighting back and that was a bit admirable but at times, it didn't feel like she was fighting back. It felt like she was stepping to their levels, bullying them back rather than being stronger than they were. And that bothered me. At times, she could've easily let it go or report them but chosed to rather start a physical fight or worsen the situation. I hate how the story failed to acknowledge the assaults (sexual and physical). There were no consequences and none of them paid for their actions. Donnie may have lost weight and looked terrible but for all the wrong reasons, he should've been locked up. Josh should've been locked up for his dealing and suspended for bullying. Anna should've been expelled and arrested. And kara really needed to see a therapy as well as get suspended/expelled and arrested. They all basically got away with it. And I'm still upset that no one acknowledged that she was raped or almost raped (not sure) by donnie. It pisses me off. Till the end. And another thing that pisses me off is HOW NO ADULTS INTERVENED WHILE ALL THIS SHIT WAS GOING ON???? What the fuck were they doing? Sleeping? Eating? I mean all this shit AND NO ADULTS. None of them got caught or anything (besides the incident with Regina's locker). That is one horrible school with horrible teachers and horrible parents. I fail to understand how not a single adult noticed all this was going on. So disappointed. The ending was okay but it would've been better if they had gotten at least something out of it. If they had to deal with the consequences of their actions.
Edit: This book was infuriating. She kept fighting back and that was a bit admirable but at times, it didn't feel like she was fighting back. It felt like she was stepping to their levels, bullying them back rather than being stronger than they were. And that bothered me. At times, she could've easily let it go or report them but chosed to rather start a physical fight or worsen the situation. I hate how the story failed to acknowledge the assaults (sexual and physical). There were no consequences and none of them paid for their actions. Donnie may have lost weight and looked terrible but for all the wrong reasons, he should've been locked up. Josh should've been locked up for his dealing and suspended for bullying. Anna should've been expelled and arrested. And kara really needed to see a therapy as well as get suspended/expelled and arrested. They all basically got away with it. And I'm still upset that no one acknowledged that she was raped or almost raped (not sure) by donnie. It pisses me off. Till the end. And another thing that pisses me off is HOW NO ADULTS INTERVENED WHILE ALL THIS SHIT WAS GOING ON???? What the fuck were they doing? Sleeping? Eating? I mean all this shit AND NO ADULTS. None of them got caught or anything (besides the incident with Regina's locker). That is one horrible school with horrible teachers and horrible parents. I fail to understand how not a single adult noticed all this was going on. So disappointed. The ending was okay but it would've been better if they had gotten at least something out of it. If they had to deal with the consequences of their actions.
b0hemian_graham's review
5.0
this novel was painful to read. it was nauseating, breathtaking, heartbreaking, and just all around miserable to read. it needs to be read. still trying to wrap my head around what I read. this shouldn't be banned because parents don't want to face that this goes on in real life. too many girls like Liz, Anna, Kara, Regina, etc.
aliza503602's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape