Audiobook Review: Some Girls Are

Title: Some Girls Are
Author: Courtney Summers
Narrator: Katie Schorr
Release Date: October 15th, 2010 (Book: January 5th, 2010)
Series: None
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length: 6 hours 44 minutes
Number of Pages:
Source: Bought

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

Wow. If I compare the meanest girls I know to the mean girls of this book, those I know would look like baby kitten next to Anna and the Fearsome Foursome. One thing though I need to say to those thinking of reading this book: there is a lot of swearing, and some contain that main not be suitable for a younger audience. If you don’t mind that, you’ll probably love it.

I ended up buying this audiobook on Audible, as it was never available at my bookstore. At first, I wasn’t sure about the narrator. She wasn’t as expressive as I had hoped. The more I listened to her, the more I ended up liking her. She just felt right for Regina. I loved this audiobook as it was short enough for me not to feel like I’m never going to hear the end. This one made me want to keep on listening, every second I could. The narrator became Regina and my mind, and it made her seem a little more human to me. Did the narrator add anything to the book? Not really. Did she take anything away from it? No.

Courtney Summers has a talent for writing amazing stories that will keep you captivated. She also knows how to write complex and believable main characters. Regina is a bitch. That’s really clear. Yet there’s more to her than that. She did horrible things in the past. Still, even after being on the other end of these cruel actions, she can stop herself from seeking her revenge through the same means. She’s treated as a traitor for a lie, because she trusted the wrong person. I really enjoy following her as she realized the impact of what she had done. I loved how she didn’t just change from cruel and vicious to sweet and innocent, She also realized that herself. She can’t just forget and be forgiven just because she realized that what she did was kind of wrong. She knows it isn’t that easy. The other thing I really enjoyed is following the interaction between Regina and Michael. There was so much tension between both of them, it was crazy!

The book gives readers a great view of the extant of bullying in high school. No, I don’t think there’s one Anna as mean as this one in every school, but there are some like her. Courtney Summers touches some really hard and difficult subject in this book. She knows how to treat those realistically, and in a beautifully constructed novel.

I absolutely adore Courtney Summers. She simply knows how to write amazing and complex characters. I’m already dying for her next novel.