Some Girls Are Tiara Day!!

Happy 2010, everybody!!

Today is a Very Special Tiara Day, in celebration of the release of my good friend Courtney Summers' AMAZING new book, Some Girls Are.

I was lucky enough to have the chance to read an ARC of this book a month or so ago. I went into it knowing it was dark and edgy, that it might hurt a little. I'd gulped up CRACKED UP TO BE (which was just named a Cybils Finalist!), and it had shaken me in the best possible way...and I knew this was darker. What I didn't know was how REAL it was.

Courtney's writing is amazing in that it absolutely does not hold back. At All. You feel as though you're right there, experiencing the hell of high school and being 16 or 17, and the ridiculous ways girls treat each other. Bullying didn't just touch me...it was a significant part of my school experience for many, many years, and it shaped me like so many others. What's fascinating about this book is that Regina, the main character, is firmly on BOTH sides of bullying. You see how she fell into it, and you see how you could yourself in that situation. Then you see, with Regina, how horrible those cutting remarks can be on the other side.

Courtney's writing is never sappy, never condescending, never a bit anything but a true sucker-punch. I don't always like to read the really tough stuff, but I loved this book. More, I'm blown away by the skill of the writer.

You don't want to miss the boat on this one. Check it out now, and keep an eye out for her next!

Happy SGA book birthday, Courtney!