Some Girls Are [Paperback]

Courtney Summers (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 5, 2010

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.

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

High-school senior Regina Afton has been what she believes is an important part of the most popular girls’ clique during middle and high school. And then she’s not. Summers spins a story in which kids are mean, abusive, and quixotic, while adults are for the most part absent or ignorant. Regina, nearly raped by her best friend’s boyfriend, pays for telling by being victimized in a hate campaign. Only her deceased psychiatrist’s teenaged son seems to really care, and when she tries to take revenge on his behalf after her former friends bully him as well, egregious behavior spins out of control. Comeuppance-seeking readers won’t mind that most of the characters are flat: Regina and her once and future crowd make up for their lack of depth with spiteful tongues and dangerous degradings of themselves and their fellow students. An additional choice for collections where Gossip Girl maintains a loyal following. Grades 8-10. --Francisca Goldsmith

Review

"Powerful and compelling."

--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

 

"Regina’s every emotion is palpable, and it’s impossible not to feel every punch—physical or emotional—she takes."

--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

 

"Summers knows her way around bad girls.... a true page-turner."

--RT Book Reviews

 

"This story takes an unflinching look at the intricacies of high school relationships .... Fans of the film Mean Girl will enjoy this tale of redemption and forgiveness."

--School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312573804
• ISBN-13: 978-0312573805
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Courtney Summers lives and writes in Canada. She is the author of CRACKED UP TO BE, SOME GIRLS ARE, FALL FOR ANYTHING and THIS IS NOT A TEST.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Odd Duck Out... March 7, 2010

By A. Grey

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

So I apparently march to a different drummer, or maybe you could say I crunk to a different bagpipe, considering how different my opinion is and that I gave 'Some Girls Are' just two stars. Those two stars are because Courtney Summers has a great voice and a gift for storytelling. I read the book in one sitting.

The thing is, EVERYONE (or everyone not home schooled) knows what high school was/is like. I felt that Summers' characters weren't well developed. I know others have said the opposite, but I think what Summers did was to perfectly capture every TYPE of kid you come across in a high school. But as for being fully developed, I have no idea why any of the characters act like they do. I don't know what most of them look like, beyond Anna's auburn hair and Michael's brown hair and blue eyes. I wanted to know WHY Regina was so afraid of everything. I wanted to know what made Anna the 'it' girl, why she decided certain kids needed to be picked on - even if it was just because the whim hit her. Things like Liz's story are just left hanging. Frankly, at one point I thought Regina was going to turn out to be gay because there was mention of a 'girl crush' on Liz and then Liz got banned from the circle of friends. There was just something vapid about the relationships and interactions between people.

Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert Spoiler Alert

My other main problem with Some Girls Are is frankly, it came across as a tad over the top. I've attended schools of a similar size, and I've attended large schools with serious problems, like gangs and drugs. But everything that went on in Some Girls Are just seemed a bit much. I get that Regina's parents aren't attentive, but did they have to be so bone-crushingly stupid? And honestly, full blown drunkfests at various houses with no parents, no ADULT EVER noticing... I simply can't buy into that. I mean, even bad parents notice things. I also had trouble swallowing how the entire school was in awe/terror of Anna. I went to school where guys from opposing gangs carried GUNS and not everyone was that afraid of them. Because there's ALWAYS someone bigger and badder. Always. There were 'it' girls in my school, mean girls, really really dangerously mean girls... but teachers DID actually catch them on occasion, and believe it or not, they DID actually get punished. Things like how Regina always got caught in the halls, or in the bathroom, and got reprimanded, while her enemies miraculously snuck POUNDS of rotten meat into the school, got into her locker and left it all for her to find - WITHOUT getting seen by one, just ONE person, adult or kid who would say something are what ruined the book for me. And while I did like Michael's character, I had waaay too many emo friends for me to really get into him because beyond the stereotypical writer with a journal, there wasn't much emo about him. And the emos I know never said they wanted to kill anyone. Ever. All in all, I found Some Girls Are to be a very frustrating book. It was well written, but depressing, and, for me, unrealistically dramatically awful. I HATED high school, I was one of those oddballs who didn't fit in with any group, who got talked about and sometimes laughed at. But I had friends, I wasn't afraid of everything in the world, and no matter how bad it was, it just wasn't THAT bad. Oh, and the only people in school who cussed like these girls were the ladies pimping with the boys in various gangs. The 'it' girls didn't want to sound anything like trash... So I'd read more from Courtney Summers, she's a snappy writer and a great storyteller. I just wouldn't recommend Some Girls Are to any girl who has self esteem issues, or fears of school. They might end up thinking that the real world is really that hopeless, and it simply isn't.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story Siren reviews January 16, 2010

By The Story Siren VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Three words: (some girls are) very very mean

I really wish I could write an intellectual, well thought out, comprehensive review, that could do an exceptional book justice. Because if a book ever deserved that type of review it would be Some Girls Are.

I honestly don't know how Courtney does it. How can she write a character that is a b****, in all essence of the word.... and make me like her.... feel sorry for her even! I should hate her, hate all that she stands for, for all those b****es in high school that thought they were.... well that's another story for a different day.

That's who Regina is- a b****, and yet, I empathized with her. I felt sorry for her. I found myself nodding in agreement, with her conniving plans to get back at the girls that were making her life a living hell. Who brainwashed me into feeling this way... Courtney Summers did, that's who. She manipulated me with her words! She used her amazing talent to deconstruct my view of something that had always been black and white, b**** and non-b**** and made it... GRAY! How dare you!? Now I'm wondering... do b****es have feelings too....? Do b****es deserve second chances. Do b****es deserve the sweetest guy on the planet?

Speaking of sweetest guys on the planet.... was anyone else feeling that tension between those two, or was it just me. I know it couldn't possibly be just me... but I just wanted to scream..KISS HER ALREADY! I know you hate her, but give her a big ole' I hate you kiss!

I really wanted to do intellectual, but it's obviously not happening.

Seriously though... I can't say enough good things about this book. Courtney has a very distinct style, and I really enjoy reading her books. She has great characterization, the plot is just insane... when you think these girls couldn't be more mean, well they can and they Are.

I could not put this book down, and yet.. it was hard to read. I literally picked it up hoping to get a few chapters in and ended up reading the whole thing through.

The realistic portrayal of these girls is absolutely disturbing, in a grossly addicting way. You don't want to see what horrible things they do next... yet you do. How is that possible... am I just a masochist like that?

And here I raise my glass... to Courtney Summers... the queen of mean. Not that I'm saying Courtney is mean, she is in fact very sweet, but damn, she knows how to write some mean ass girls.

I'm ready for book three, NOW.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read! April 27, 2010

By Katie Dahlberg

Format:Paperback

At first glance at the synopsis of Some Girls Are, I completely passed it up. It sounded like your average popular girl bullies loser girl story. But after noticing the extremely high ranking on Goodreads and extreme praises of my blogger friends, I decided to give it a try. I could smack myself for not picking it up sooner.

Some Girls Are is a demented combination of Mean Girls and Sarah Dessen's Just Listen. The bullying, pranks and humiliation in this novel are so intense. The things these girls do to Regina are just unthinkable. Inhumane, even. Though it's contemporary, I found myself shivering more than I've done with legit horror novels.

Courtney Summers writes incredible characters. I didn't want to like Regina. She was just as much of a bitch as any of the other girls in the Fearsome Fivesome. But I did like her, because her emotions were so well written that I couldn't help but feel pity for her. Also, the developing relationship between Regina and Michael was another thing I loved. In the beginning, I wanted Michael to jump into another novel and fall in love with some other literary character more deserving of his attention. Courtney Summers wrote me out of that as well.

Overall, Some Girls Are had me appreciating that I went to a decent high school with decent human beings. With raw emotions, an authentic teenage voice and morbid shenanigans, this is definitely a novel you should check out!