Courtney Summers' Round Up of Reviews

Ever since I first read All the Rage and Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers, I have been a bit obsessed. I set out to read everything by Courtney Summers that I could get my hands on. I think I have succeeded so I wanted to post a review of all the books I have read by her.

Cracked Up To Be 

When “Perfect” Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter’s High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher’s pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace? Parker doesn’t want to talk about it. She’d just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there’s a nice guy falling in love with her and he’s making her feel things again when she’d really rather not be feeling anything at all. Nobody would have guessed she’d turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Courtney Summers can write about messed up girls better than any author I know. Now this is one of her books that I liked the least . . . but considering the fact that I still gave it four stars on Goodreads, I still liked it a lot. I could relate to Parker a lot because she was always pushing people away and she really just went downhill after witnessing a traumatic event. When what she saw was revealed, I understood why she felt so guilty. I guess I still didn't understand just why she had to push everyone away to do it. Or why she wanted to deliberately get bad grades. That, I didn't get. Still a great book though with flawed characters that you can't help but love.

This Is Not A Test (This Is Not A Test #1)

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. 

After reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that Courtney Summers can do no wrong. This is so different from her other books. I mean, it's a zombie book, for crying out loud. But man, it is so much more than a zombie book. Sloane is dealing with an abusive father and the fact that her sister ran away from home months before everything happened. She is depressed and just feels like giving up. This book is so intense with the zombies and with six teenagers trapped in a school, there is bound to be conflict. There is a bit of romance, but it's not the flowery or romantic kind of romance. It's the kind of romance that happens when six people are trapped together and you just want to feel something besides fear. Yeah, this book is a total roller coaster. And whatever you do, don't look away from the last fifty pages: the intensity factor is tripled at the end.

Please Remain Calm (This Is Not A Test #2) 

In this gripping sequel to This Is Not A Test, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more--people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can just hold on long enough. Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find the girl he lost, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways.

This book was more of a novella; it's only 100 pages. But in those 100 pages, Courtney Summers has ripped out my heart and torn it to shreds with absolutely no remorse. Don't listen to the title; there is no calm in this book. There is just tragedy and endless danger and heartbreak.  This book is actually told from the POV of Rhys. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, but I grew to love him. He and Sloane are trying to make it to a safe haven when they get separated. This boy has so much resilience and determination and yet, he is still at heart a teenage boy. Honestly though, I am not sure I would have the same determination to survive that he does. There is way more zombie action in this book and some of it is gruesome. Actually, much of it is gruesome. Think of it as a book version of The Walking Dead. And just like The Walking Dead, no one is safe. No one. And that ending . . . . WHY?!? I am still blown away by it. I am pretty sure there will be no sequel to this one and that is just as tragic. Who knew that Courtney Summers could write an apocalypse novel that is just as good as her contemporary stuff?

Fall for Anything
When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but are some questions better left unanswered?

While this book lacks a little of the intensity of her other works, it is no less emotional and gripping and raw. Eddie's grief throughout this book is heartbreaking. She meets Culler, a former student of her father's. My jerk detector went off big time when he was introduced, but I understood why Eddie gravitated towards him so much. She was desperate for answers about her father and would have attached herself to just about anyone who she thought could give her those answers. I just wish he didn't turn out to be such a monumental jerk. Eddie didn't need that. I liked her friendship with Milo. It was sweet and deep and a little complicated. Eddie's feelings were all over the place, which made them all the more real. One minute, she would be upset that people were talking about her dad. But then she would be upset because everyone was acting like nothing had happened. Courtney Summers does an amazing job creating characters that are real and completely honest. The ending to this one was a bit open ended, but that is the way it is in real life. Sometimes you just don't get the answers that you want.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: I just think you should buy all of her books. Really. Every single one is amazing.