Parker Fadley used to be perfect, until something changed her – something that happened and it was her fault. So she quits cheerleading, dumps her boyfriend, fails school, and tries to remove herself from everyone who used to care about her. Then she’ll get what she deserves. Jake, a new student, tries to see past her hard exterior and everyone around her refuses to just let her fail, but all Parker really wants is to be left alone. When will they understand being perfect isn’t all it’s Cracked Up To Be?

The debut novel from Canadian young adult author Courtney Summers is hard, edgy and powerful. Parker’s voice is strong and memorable, and no matter how much she wants the reader to hate her, just like Jake, all you end up wanting is to understand her. Summers’ writing and her complex main character are what make Cracked Up To Be such a strong and authentic novel.

Cracked Up To Be is compelling from beginning to end, and is filled with incredible and emotional writing. The narrative voice and Summers’ writing are the stars, but the story itself was not as satisfying as I hoped. There is a mystery to Parker’s rebellion that gets revealed slowly in flashbacks of one night, and those scenes were less interesting than the portion of the novel that takes place in the present. Some of the last couple chapters were a little messy in execution, especially surrounding the climax, but Cracked Up To Be still left me wanting to pick up everything else Summers writes, because her voice is just that captivating.

As a reader, you probably won’t like Parker. She’s rude and mean, and lashes out at everyone that tries to help her, but she’s also unforgettable. And even if you don’t like Parker, you’ll probably still love Cracked Up To Be – and that’s proof of the incredible novelist Courtney Summers is.