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tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
Wellll... this was my first book by Courtney Summers. I went into it without having read the blurb (well, I mean, I read the blurb when I bought it, but by the time I got around to reading it, it had been on my Kindle for about a year -- so of course I forgot what it was about). And... well, I'm not sure what to think.
I liked the fact that Parker was a 100% different heroine from your average YA heroine. I liked the fact that she was a smart-ass. I didn't so much like how bitchy she was, but I guess that comes with just who Parker is. That being said, I never really clicked with any of the characters in the book. Becky was horrible, Chris seemed insincere, and Jake -- as another reviewer described him -- seemed to be very much a lost puppy.
Overall, not sure if I'd recommend. It was a good read, went by pretty quickly, but honestly? I'm still not 100% sure what happened between Evan and Parker... still not sure what the whole deal between them was about Jessie... I don't know. I mean, I followed the way that Summers wrote Parker's flashbacks, but there was just too little there for me to 100% grasp what was going on.
(Or maybe having read this in 2 days with a lot of interruptions confused me more than I realize, I don't know! ha...)
I liked the fact that Parker was a 100% different heroine from your average YA heroine. I liked the fact that she was a smart-ass. I didn't so much like how bitchy she was, but I guess that comes with just who Parker is. That being said, I never really clicked with any of the characters in the book. Becky was horrible, Chris seemed insincere, and Jake -- as another reviewer described him -- seemed to be very much a lost puppy.
Overall, not sure if I'd recommend. It was a good read, went by pretty quickly, but honestly? I'm still not 100% sure what happened between Evan and Parker... still not sure what the whole deal between them was about Jessie... I don't know. I mean, I followed the way that Summers wrote Parker's flashbacks, but there was just too little there for me to 100% grasp what was going on.
(Or maybe having read this in 2 days with a lot of interruptions confused me more than I realize, I don't know! ha...)
jcrawford728's review against another edition
5.0
Another amazing book by Courtney Summers. I get why I cannot keep this on my shelf. Parker is honest and real. What Parker has been hiding and trying to deal with was shocking and I am still thinking about it and processing it. Well written and a great overall book.
meganhagmaier10's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book in middle school but could not for the life of me remember what it was about
parker_beyers's review against another edition
4.0
This is the only book I've read where the MC's name is Parker. I mean, she's nothing like me (thank god), but it was cool to experience. I felt called out every two seconds, even though I have absolutely no involvement in the story. TBH, it's sort of the same feeling as when the new Spiderman trailer came out, and I kept seeing this everywhere:
Fun times.
Anyway, book Parker is kind of a terrible person, and I love that. She's so mean to literally everyone, and that made for a refreshing reading experience. I don't want to go into plot details, but if you're looking for a character you can love to hate, maybe give this novel a try. It's interesting to see how the mind of someone like this thinks.
Fun times.
Anyway, book Parker is kind of a terrible person, and I love that. She's so mean to literally everyone, and that made for a refreshing reading experience. I don't want to go into plot details, but if you're looking for a character you can love to hate, maybe give this novel a try. It's interesting to see how the mind of someone like this thinks.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a little torn with this book.
I thought the main character, Parker, was very well done. Angsty, struggling and imperfect. And she's really going through something - and you are there with her. Through her horrific attempts to make everyone leave her alone, her drinking and these flashbacks to a party and her panic attacks (for anyone that hasn't had one, this book does a very good job of giving some of the nitty-gritty about having them). And Parker's break - it all makes sense. I understand her as the book goes on and I sympathize and don't hate her at all. Her angst and anger is forgivable. Her cruelty - well, I don't know but everyone seems awfully quick to be okay with it...
The only thing I didn't like about this book....I didn't understand Jake. I understood Chris. There was history there. He still loved Parker - but not because she is Parker and is so great but because he knew who she was before AND because he was willing to go through whatever with her. He'd always wanted more of her- and to know what was going on. He loved the whole package and was ready to go through hell and back with her (if that's what it took).
But, she always sounded like a rough person to like - perfectionist that DEMANDS perfection from everyone, not just herself. And Chris had already put up with that (she certainly wasn't nice, she must have been VERY pretty.....)
Except Jake. He's new on the scene. He doesn't see the cool cheerleader girl. He sees the totally spastic one that snaps her fingers all the time, won't answer questions without sarcasm or complete cruelty (and he's a stranger here!)and goes full days without even speaking to Jake even when he tries to talk to her!!!! and YET - he just keeps going back to her, over and over - trying humor, trying to talk to her, trying to follow her...I mean REALLY?!
I just kept thinking 'Why Jake? Why are you taking this from her? How on earth can she be the only hot girl in your school for you to take this abuse?!' I remember high school boys - I don't think he would have tried that hard.
I thought the main character, Parker, was very well done. Angsty, struggling and imperfect. And she's really going through something - and you are there with her. Through her horrific attempts to make everyone leave her alone, her drinking and these flashbacks to a party and her panic attacks (for anyone that hasn't had one, this book does a very good job of giving some of the nitty-gritty about having them). And Parker's break - it all makes sense. I understand her as the book goes on and I sympathize and don't hate her at all. Her angst and anger is forgivable. Her cruelty - well, I don't know but everyone seems awfully quick to be okay with it...
The only thing I didn't like about this book....I didn't understand Jake. I understood Chris. There was history there. He still loved Parker - but not because she is Parker and is so great but because he knew who she was before AND because he was willing to go through whatever with her. He'd always wanted more of her- and to know what was going on. He loved the whole package and was ready to go through hell and back with her (if that's what it took).
But, she always sounded like a rough person to like - perfectionist that DEMANDS perfection from everyone, not just herself. And Chris had already put up with that (she certainly wasn't nice, she must have been VERY pretty.....)
Except Jake. He's new on the scene. He doesn't see the cool cheerleader girl. He sees the totally spastic one that snaps her fingers all the time, won't answer questions without sarcasm or complete cruelty (and he's a stranger here!)and goes full days without even speaking to Jake even when he tries to talk to her!!!! and YET - he just keeps going back to her, over and over - trying humor, trying to talk to her, trying to follow her...I mean REALLY?!
I just kept thinking 'Why Jake? Why are you taking this from her? How on earth can she be the only hot girl in your school for you to take this abuse?!' I remember high school boys - I don't think he would have tried that hard.
bethany6788's review against another edition
3.0
Finished this one today. It was definitely different. I have read a couple books by this author and Sadie is still my favorite.
I think Parker was made pretty unlikeable on purpose. That sort of makes her endearing. I know she’s a teenager who saw something awful and did nothing, but she treats everyone so badly around her. The end was satisfying enough though!
I think Parker was made pretty unlikeable on purpose. That sort of makes her endearing. I know she’s a teenager who saw something awful and did nothing, but she treats everyone so badly around her. The end was satisfying enough though!
linamclane's review against another edition
5.0
I could write a review because I have a lot of thoughts but... oh my. That is all. Gonna rec this to Steve and Rachael, though, because I think you will love the main character as I did.
juliannacamryn's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
i read this entire book in one afternoon/night, four sittings, and liked it a lot. not nearly as much as sadie, but it was an enjoyable read. courtney summers is excellent at portraying the raw, realistic results of mental illness and trauma. parker may be insufferable at times but she’s just a girl trying to cope and i heavily relate to a lot of what she does. i think the people giving this book such a low rating haven’t been in high school for a LONG time because this was not bad at all you guys just don’t get it
i read this entire book in one afternoon/night, four sittings, and liked it a lot. not nearly as much as sadie, but it was an enjoyable read. courtney summers is excellent at portraying the raw, realistic results of mental illness and trauma. parker may be insufferable at times but she’s just a girl trying to cope and i heavily relate to a lot of what she does. i think the people giving this book such a low rating haven’t been in high school for a LONG time because this was not bad at all you guys just don’t get it
toesinthesand's review against another edition
3.0
This was.... Okay. I liked the writing, I liked the main character even though she's awful (and she's supposed to be) and the reveal is terrible, but all the other characters are one dimensional. I mean I guess they're supposed to be, if you figure Parker is narrating it and she's deliberately pushing people away, but it makes the book lack depth.
Oh, and the dog dies.
Oh, and the dog dies.