Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Published: January 5, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
(256 pages, paperback)
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.

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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.

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My thoughts: Courtney Summers has created another amazing novel that is as simplistic as it is poignant. Regina is one of the elite popular group, the girls everyone loves to hate. She's not a nice girl either; she takes cues from her supposed best friend who is just as nasty. And then nasty rumors spread that Regina slept with her best friend's boyfriend. Regina's friends turn on her and start making her life a living hell, one complete with torture and more nasty rumors. After reading Some Girls Are, I'm kind of stunned. Summers is a brilliant writer, and she captures the cruelty of high school girls perfectly in this one. I simultaneously felt bad for Regina and was glad she was getting what she dished out for three years of her life. It was honest and brutal and beautiful because of it's honesty and brutality.

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Regina is definitely a mean girl. Her friends and her have spent the last few years of their life being nasty to other girls and making life miserable for anyone not willing to worship them. And even some of those who do worship them. While I didn't feel that Regina herself was the nastiest of the girls, she certainly wasn't the sweetest either. It's really something when you're reading a novel and you're torn between hating the main character and sympathizing with them. Regina was a twisted girl, but Summers portrays her as a victim of circumstance, almost. I almost couldn't blame her at times. She didn't really change much during Some Girls Are, but she was transformed in that, she realized how horrible she had been, and in a way, gained the perspective of her previous victims.

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Again, the Summers' writing is amazing. It's breathtaking, truly. It's simple and to-the-point in a great way. It fit the tones of the book and revealed Regina's life and struggles in a way that made me feel like everything single thing that happened was actually happening.

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The plot was not for the weak of heart. It showed really how cruel popular girls can be, and to what lengths they will go to get what they want. It might be considered stereotypical, but in my opinion, Summers does a fine job of exploiting how vicious girls get, whether they are popular or not. I loved everything that happened (in a Living Dead Girl kind of way - I loved that Summers wrote it, but I don't love that it happens) in the story, and it was all perfectly paced and perfectly realistic. Even the romantic (if you can call it romance) parts were great. I loved Michael, and I felt his emotions too.

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Overall, Some Girls Are prove the point that some girls are nasty, cruel, and learn their lessons. Every pages, from the first sentence to the last meaningful word, was well-written and honest. If I wasn't a fan of Summers before, I definitely am now, and will look forward to any of her other books, if this one proves what talent and skill she has. Recommended to any readers, all ages, looking for a deep, emotional, brutally honest novel.

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Covering the Cover: It's fitting, and simple, which I like.
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5 stars