Run by Daisy Whitney at daisywhitney.com

I’m not sure how this happened, but somehow in the nine-month history of this blog I have neglected to review/recommend one of my absolute favorite books of all time. Shame on me.

But I am prepared to rectify that mistake today. So here goes.

Courtney Summers‘ debut novel “Cracked up to Be” is the reason I became a YA author. Her novel released in December 2008, but I wheedled an advance copy out of her way back in August 2008 and I devoured it. We are talking a-can’t-put-down-mystery.

“Cracked up to Be” is the story of Parker Fadley, the most popular girl in school who also happens to harbor a horrible secret. Something very bad happened and it just might be her fault. So she does what any good cheerleader would do — quits the squad, ditches school and starts failing. It’s her punishment, the one she imposes on herself. She can’t talk about what happened, she certainly can’t fix it. Self-loathing is her solution, sarcasm her shield. That’s how she deals. But pushing people away isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and there’s still maybe just a tiny sliver of hope left in Parker — hope that she can be redeemed.

What is so special about this book is the voice of Parker, the writing style and a very clever device Courtney employs. The reader doesn’t know until the end what Parker did and why she hates herself. That backstory unfolds in pieces throughout the novel and it’s what will keep you turning pages.

I’m also thrilled to report that I snagged ANOTHER sneak peek at a Courtney Summers novel. I just finished reading her second book “Some Girls Are,” slated for a January release. I’ll publish a full and proper review later this fall, but I will leave you with two teasers:

There is no sophomore slump for Courtney, but rather a sophomore streak

Once again, Courtney forbids her main character from owning a cell phone.