Non-funny Mean Girls in a book.

If you’ve seen the movie Mean Girls, you probably don’t need to read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. That is, unless you have a morbid fascination with high school drama llamas that are ten million times worse than Regina George could ever hope to be.
I can’t tell if I liked this book or if I hated this book. On principle alone, it pissed me off. Full disclosure: Regina Afton, our protagonist, almost gets raped by her best friend’s boyfriend at a party in the first or second chapter. Rape scenes in books don’t bother me when they contribute to the story. What bothers me is when it’s used as a plot device, like in Some Girls Are. What bothered me specifically about this book is that Regina never goes to the police. Like, ever. Instead, her “friend” Kara talks her into keeping quiet, because her best friend Anna Morrison will never believe her anyway (as if that’s a good reason not to go to the police), thus catapulting the plot into a series of revenges against one another for past transgressions, thrusting Regina in the spotlight at school and as an outcast.

It was a captivating book, don’t get me wrong. But it’s hard for me to get past the idea that Regina never turns Donnie in.

I pretty much hated all the characters, but I think that was Courtney Summers’ intention. They were miserable creatures; they were mean to each other, and there was not one thing they wouldn’t do to one another in an act of revenge. It was especially hard not to dislike Regina, even though we’re in her head and she’s the main character. She’s spent a lot of time being a bitch to her classmates over the years, even going so far as to bully someone nearly to suicide (all the while, seeing a therapist because she couldn’t handle it). Regina was an odd duck. While I did dislike her, I didn’t hate her, because I could see that she didn’t like herself. She was full of self-loathing, and really, that was punishment enough.

If anything, Some Girls Are was an eye-opening book into bullying in schools. But I applauded Regina for not taking it laying down. Don’t be an easy target, that’s what my mom always taught me.

There are a few loose ends in Some Girls Are that never really get tied up: we never find out what happens to Donnie (beyond not getting reported for rape, he’s also a social outcast getting bullied), so his story and bullying just trails off. We don’t find out what happens between Kara and Anna, after Regina gets what she wants, and most importantly, we don’t find out if Michael ever learns about the journal. I’m assuming it was a HEA based on the ending, but it was so fast, it wasn’t my most favorite ending ever.
Narration 4-1-1

Katie Schorr is an okay narrator. I actually picked this audio up because I enjoyed the sample by her, but her range seems to be limited. She reads very well, but it was hard to tell different characters apart, because her voice never really changed.

3 people found this helpful

If you like Mean Girls then.....

You will enjoy this story. Has very similar plot. Some of the behavior in this story seems a little far fetched for high school drama. Very over the top! Not going to spoil anything, but like I said if you have been waiting for a proper mean girls sequel then this is it. Overall I enjoyed this story took me back to some of the 90's teenage films such as Never been kissed, Jaw breaker, and etc with petty teenage girls.


Also while I like the narrator, I felt she could have changed her voice a little better so we could make out who is speaking. Other than that I liked it.

1 person found this helpful

Courtney Summers is excellent

Review originally posted at YA Love

Audio Review:

I have more to say about the actual book than the audio, so this portion of the review will be short. Overall, I liked it. It’s not the best audio performance I’ve listened to, but it’s still good. I don’t want that part of the review, however, to keep anyone from reading the book. Katie Schorr is a good choice for Regina, but she isn’t as talented at changing her voice for different characters. Considering the amount of character interaction in Some Girls Are, this became an issue for me because I had a hard time distinguishing when Regina was talking and when, say, Michael or Kara were speaking. I also don’t know if this is the best choice for audio because of how clipped some of the narration and dialogue are. I think hearing it, as opposed to seeing it, took away from the effect the clipped, sparse lines were supposed to have. I recommend reading Some Girls Are traditionally over listening to it.

Book Review:

Courtney Summers is an author who deserves more attention and more of a fan base because she is seriously talented. I still have to read This is Not a Drill, but I’ve read all three of her other books and in each one she develops characters who are both hard and easy to like. Regina is the epitome of this. I did not want to like Regina or feel sorry for her because to some degree she doesn’t deserve pity. She’s not a nice person–at all. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her because she is treated horribly by Anna, Kara, and all of her old “friends.” Still, Regina doesn’t completely learn from this because the cycle continues as Regina retaliates and is equally brutal. It’s alarming how much this hate spreads from person to person in the book. It’s alarming because this actually happens outside of books.

At times, I wondered what else could possibly happen to Regina. What more were Anna, Kara, and the rest going to do to her? How was the story going to end? But it still went on. Summers creates this slow, bubbling of brutality on every page. One question I kept asking myself is “Where are Regina’s parents?” They are so completely oblivious and out of the picture, it’s sickening. I want to say it’s unrealistic, but I know that’s not true. I can’t tell you how many times I started saying things out loud to Regina like, “Tell your principal!” These characters are ruthless and horrible and need to be punished by an adult.

I know Regina isn’t forthcoming with her parents because she is embarrassed, but I’m not completely sure why she doesn’t go to another adult or principal or something. Yes, she fears retaliation, but I think she also fears that no one will believe her. It’s messed up that we preach against bullying, yet there’s still this fear that no one will believe it when someone accuses another of bullying, especially when the bully is a “good kid.” I have a lot of say about the reason why Regina is thrown from the group, and I’m not sure if I should say because it’s slightly spoilery, but it’s also right at the beginning of the book, but I’m saving those thoughts for another post I’m currently drafting. Anyway, Some Girls Are brings up so much about school culture that needs to be addressed and changed.

I’m simply not doing this book justice, but it’s a book that needs to be read and discussed with other people who have read it. It’s hard to write a review for it because there are so many layers and feelings to discuss. I hope you read it. I hope you read all of Courtney Summers’ books.

Similar Books: Speechless by Hannah Harrington, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen

1 person found this helpful

this was was too much

too many teenage drama. a lot of girls hating on girls. the bullies are over-the-top. I'm so tired of all the hateful things and anger between these kids. I tried to like Regina but I don't. all they do is bullying, bullying, bullying and then nothing. it was so unrealistic and unbelievable. what is wrong with them? the only character in this that I care about was Michael. the ending was so frustrating.

Undecided

I really wanted to love this book, unfortunately I despised the main character. I loved the supporting characters though and I think that's what makes rating it/reviewing so very hard.

Everything was there, but I just couldn't like her. Perhaps that was the point, that we aren't supposed to like her, however it makes reading a book really difficult.