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A review by lauren_soderberg
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
5.0
Cracked Up to Be is an exposed nerve—raw and unflinching—from beginning to end.
Parker Fadley would do anything to be perfect, even if that means being controlling and dictatorial. After something terrible happens at a party, something that Parker sees as unforgivable and solely her fault, she becomes convinced that the only way through is to burn everything down. She puts as much effort into alienating herself as she did at being perfect. And it seems to be working, until a new student and a persistent rescue dog start to break down her defenses. The question becomes whether or not Parker will let them, and if she is capable of acknowledging and processing all of her trauma in order to truly heal.
I’ll be honest, Cracked Up to Be is a difficult read. It deals with heavy topics like suicide and sexual violence. It’s a complete immersion into Parker’s burgeoning breakdown, and it is as riveting as it is heartbreaking. The way in which Courtney Summers deftly weaves in portions of the past that build and build until the reader knows everything that Parker knows is genius. This slow unraveling ratchets up the anxiety and stress of not knowing, and also makes you feel like you’re experiencing what Parker is experiencing in real time.
I appreciate the way that Summers encapsulates the adolescent experience, and that she presents a protagonist that isn’t stereotypically “likable.” Parker is suffering, she is unable to process her pain, and she employs flawed logic… all of these attributes humanize her and imprint her more fully onto the reader. I am so glad that the publisher decided to reissue this novel; it is too important to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Parker Fadley would do anything to be perfect, even if that means being controlling and dictatorial. After something terrible happens at a party, something that Parker sees as unforgivable and solely her fault, she becomes convinced that the only way through is to burn everything down. She puts as much effort into alienating herself as she did at being perfect. And it seems to be working, until a new student and a persistent rescue dog start to break down her defenses. The question becomes whether or not Parker will let them, and if she is capable of acknowledging and processing all of her trauma in order to truly heal.
I’ll be honest, Cracked Up to Be is a difficult read. It deals with heavy topics like suicide and sexual violence. It’s a complete immersion into Parker’s burgeoning breakdown, and it is as riveting as it is heartbreaking. The way in which Courtney Summers deftly weaves in portions of the past that build and build until the reader knows everything that Parker knows is genius. This slow unraveling ratchets up the anxiety and stress of not knowing, and also makes you feel like you’re experiencing what Parker is experiencing in real time.
I appreciate the way that Summers encapsulates the adolescent experience, and that she presents a protagonist that isn’t stereotypically “likable.” Parker is suffering, she is unable to process her pain, and she employs flawed logic… all of these attributes humanize her and imprint her more fully onto the reader. I am so glad that the publisher decided to reissue this novel; it is too important to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.