Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Last year, Parker Fadley seemingly had it all. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad, had a popular boyfriend, and was a straight A student -the works. Then something happened that made her shut everyone and everything out. Now, as she does her best to show everyone that she's no longer "perfect" Parker, she still has to contend with parents, counselors, friends, an ex-boyfriend, and a prospective new love interest who are all looking for answers as to why someone who once had everything would disregard it so, seemingly casually. However, she can't tell them -or anyone for that matter- what happened. If she did, they would find out that it was probably her fault.

First, I want to say that the twist, what sent Parker over the edge, wasn't what I was expecting at all. I went into this thinking that it would be a certain predictable thing that I've seen way too much recently, but Parker stated emphatically early on that this was not to be the case. This was definitely one of the few times where something major isn't revealed until the end, where despite clues being revealed, I hadn't already guessed it. And you know what? I don't know if this is a popular opinion or not, but I'd say it's definitely, at least partially, her fault.

Which brings me to Parker. See, this is why it's so hard to write about Cracked Up to Be. I really liked the twist and Courtney's writing (which was great, by the way), but I absolutely loathed Parker. She was just so freaking unpleasant that I couldn't believe that anyone wanted to be with her, let alone two guys. She says the most horrible things to them, her parents, counselors, and even the dog, yet they all give her chance after chance, hoping she'll pull her grades back up and graduate or at least have one pleasant conversation. I would have been more sympathetic if her attitude was supposed to be a recent development, the result of what she's been through (which is a considerable deal, so believe me, I'm giving her some leeway -I'm not totally heartless), but no, apparently she's always been this hateful to people!

For me, it's hard to like a book when I can't like or relate to the main character at all. However, because Courtney is such a good writer, she still managed to keep it interesting and suspenseful and I read it in one sitting. I just had to know what was going to happen next and now you should, too!