Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers, made me incredibly glad not to be in high school. But if you find yourself in that unfortunately situation (called high school) you have my deepest sympathies. The story follows a girl, Regina, who gets frozen out of her clique. But it goes beyond a simple freeze out, as both parties play diabolical mind games on each other in an effort to one up the enemy.
The speed at which the characters go from BFF to sworn enemies leaves you reeling, much like the pace of the book. I picked it up and did not want to put it down. I even risked motion sickness to finish the last few pages on the bus ride home.
One thing I found innovative was the author's use of empty space. The short one sentence chapters seem strange but they truly engage the reader. It allows the reader to not only read the words on the page but get a feel for the emptiness and isolation the character is going through.
My feelings for Regina are conflicted. Part of me was disappointed that she didn’t do the mature thing, the uncharacteristic thing, and rise above the meanness and cruelty. She fought back constantly, perpetuating the madness. On the flip side, I wonder if I would’ve thought she would’ve been too weak if she had simple rolled over a took it rather than getting her own kicks in. I probably would’ve thought she was a pushover if she had.
Coincidentally, the male lead, Michael, just really didn’t do it for me. He rose above it. It being a history of abuse and bullying from the very girl who turns to him for help. He was the mature one. But there really was no squeal-worthy moments for me. No hook.
The story seemed so realistic in some ways (Regina not being perfect, other so-called good characters having vindictive sides) and then so unrealistic in others (extent of the cruelty and instant hatred among ex-friends). It illustrated exactly how fine the line is between love and hate. And showed how dangerous it is to let jealousy and insecurity fester. This is not a simple case of a fall out between friends, not a simple freeze out. It is not a simple anything. It is a complex battle of wills. They are enemies trying to completely destroy the other right down to their very core.
The book was an intense, fast-paced read, leaving me thinking that high school girls were e-v-i-l. By the end, I felt totally raw. But I suppose that’s the entire point right? That it left me feeling…
The speed at which the characters go from BFF to sworn enemies leaves you reeling, much like the pace of the book. I picked it up and did not want to put it down. I even risked motion sickness to finish the last few pages on the bus ride home.
One thing I found innovative was the author's use of empty space. The short one sentence chapters seem strange but they truly engage the reader. It allows the reader to not only read the words on the page but get a feel for the emptiness and isolation the character is going through.
My feelings for Regina are conflicted. Part of me was disappointed that she didn’t do the mature thing, the uncharacteristic thing, and rise above the meanness and cruelty. She fought back constantly, perpetuating the madness. On the flip side, I wonder if I would’ve thought she would’ve been too weak if she had simple rolled over a took it rather than getting her own kicks in. I probably would’ve thought she was a pushover if she had.
Coincidentally, the male lead, Michael, just really didn’t do it for me. He rose above it. It being a history of abuse and bullying from the very girl who turns to him for help. He was the mature one. But there really was no squeal-worthy moments for me. No hook.
The story seemed so realistic in some ways (Regina not being perfect, other so-called good characters having vindictive sides) and then so unrealistic in others (extent of the cruelty and instant hatred among ex-friends). It illustrated exactly how fine the line is between love and hate. And showed how dangerous it is to let jealousy and insecurity fester. This is not a simple case of a fall out between friends, not a simple freeze out. It is not a simple anything. It is a complex battle of wills. They are enemies trying to completely destroy the other right down to their very core.
The book was an intense, fast-paced read, leaving me thinking that high school girls were e-v-i-l. By the end, I felt totally raw. But I suppose that’s the entire point right? That it left me feeling…
~J~
Ditto, yo. Ditto.
ReplyDeleteSo you didn't like Michael as much - was it b/c he rose above it? You wanted him to strike back more? Or just b/c there was no squeal-worthy moments, e.g. if he had actually had a confrontation with the evil mean girls? I agree, there weren't squeal-worthy moments, but there were rather sweet moments (on his part; not so much on Regina's).