Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

5 stars

Being on the top of Hallowell High’s social ladder means everything, but once fall from the grace you achieved you never come back up. Regina Afton is a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, a clique that is feared, hated, but worshipped by the entire student body. People know not to mess with these girls but what happens when the Fivesome start to mess with each other? Regina Afton made a mistake she told a girl that she knew would backstab her a secret and now she’s out of the Fearsome Fivesome. Her once best friend is starting to spread vicious rumors about her and torments her with her clique every chance she gets. As she’s shunned by everyone in school she finds solace in Michael Hayden, a guy she herself spread rumors about, but Michael might just be the one person that Regina needs to get through that battle with her ex-bestfriends. No one ever said that high school was easy and that there wouldn’t be judgment and disapproval from other teens. I haven’t been judged harshly so far in the couple of months that I’ve been in high school, but I read this book when I was in middle school which made me wary to go to high school. Some girls are nice, some girls are fake, some girls are smart, some girls are alone, some girls are friendly, some girls are crazy, some girls are bitches, some girls are hateful, some girls are vindictive, and some girls look nice but are really evil. Girls sometimes are just things that they’ve adapted to becoming, whether it’s because of a broken family or other problems thrown their way growing up. Some girls though shouldn’t be trusted. That’s the biggest problem Regina had. In her time of need she turned to a person she knew could destroy her and her best friend’s friendship because she was in need of help and comfort. We knew what would happen but you still hoped this frenemie wouldn’t do it. These girls are actual bullies. They are scary and they aren’t afraid to physically and mentally scar you. I don’t like when books tiptoe around bullying and make the bullying situation a push or shove or cuss word. That has some effect, but not a big enough one. Sometimes that little push or shove isn’t really bullying in the eyes of some people (I think it’s bullying just not the most effective way of getting a point across), words on the other hand affect people more than we realize. The Fearsome Fivesome wasn’t afraid to use vulgar words, push people down stairs, start slander campaigns, and any other vicious act committed you can think of.

The main female character, Regina, is a bully. In fact she’s just as much of a bully as Anna and Kara because she had partaken in bullying before she became the bullied. Even though she’s a bully and I would normally hate her character, I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. I felt like she didn’t really deserve everything that these girls were dishing out on her, but as the saying goes
 

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8

The main male character is Michael. There was a lot of tension between Regina and Michael. Sometimes I found myself routing for them and then others thinking that Michael was too good for her. She hadn’t been the nicest person to him before, but I felt like she did deserve something. Michael was a tool easily used by Anna to hurt Regina, but the outcome was a good one.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain- The Fearsome Fivesome are obviously the villains, but the two girls root of the antagonizing are Anna and Kara. Kara was always jealous of Anna and Regina’s friendship and when she finally had something she could use against Regina, she took the opportunity. That one scene with the beating was brutal and I think Kara is a monster. Anna likes to play games and everyone around is a tool to hurt someone… in this case Regina. She used Michael, Regina’s ex, and even Regina herself against her. Anna did have a layer of two, but what she was doing to people isn’t a good enough reason to be excused from it.

Villain Scale: 10

There were a few other supporting characters whose name I have forgotten over such a long period of time. I read this book back in April so don’t blame me. It is hard for me to fully discuss my feelings on the characters because I feel so many different emotions toward them. This how rumors spread. What did you really think I wouldn't put at least one Regina George gif in here?


Character Scale: 9

When I walked into this book I knew there would be bullies, mean girls, and cliques. Of course I hadn’t realized the extent of all this. I had read a review and they said it was similar to Mean Girls. I being a huge Mean Girls fan (I’m watching it right now actually, hehe) decided to give this book a shot. Actually I read the review and had already checked it out at the library, but moved it up my stack to be read sooner. Regina George is IMO the queen of the bitches. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but she definitely got out-bitched by these girls. The one who out-bitched her though wasn’t the Queen Bee herself, but a follower who hated Regina and was jealous of her. Some of the stuff these girls pulled was appalling and unsettling. In Mean Girls, Regina’s downfall was being hit by a bus, but Anna’s downfall was much simpler and much more believable. I loved that her being brought down was painted to be believable and not fake, thrown in, or a random wrap. I couldn’t get over the fact that Regina didn’t ask her parents or an adult for help, especially after what happened at the end. I would’ve ran to the cops and had them arrested, which would’ve been great revenge, but she took it upon herself to keep being a bully and instigating back, which I didn’t like. I wish the book would’ve been longer because it felt too short, but sometimes good things come in small things. Sorry this review is all over the place, but I was just writing as things came to me.

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover because it tells a story. I knew immediately when I first saw this cover that there would be bullying and it fits perfectly with the novel.