Review: All the Rage

All the Rage
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: April 14th, 2015
Hardcover, 321 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

The sheriff's son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything - friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy's only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn't speak up. Nobody believed her the first time - and they certainly won't now - but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?

There are important books out there in the world, books that say something in the best way possible and show the world a side of it that some people may not know. Books that need to be talked about. Books that you just want to throw off buildings and shout at people to read because they are so important in what they say, how the say it and who they say it to. This. Is. One. Of. Those. Books. courteny Summers has once again shown us the dark, inner life of a teenager. This is a gritty, real look at the aftermath of sexual violence and the lack of help that young women get when something has happened to them. Romy is ostracized from her community for "accusing" the sheriff's son of raping her. Her friends, family and everyone who knows her avoid her, her safe haven the diner she works at in another town. But when Kellan assaults another girl and someone goes missing, Romy must decide if her silence will make things better or just let more girls experience what she had to endure. What happens to the girl who everyone thought cried wolf suddenly needs to bring it up again?

Courtney's characters are so flawlessly flawed. We only know the After Romy, the Romy who meticulously paints her nails and her lips red, her armor against the rest of the world. We must watch as she tries to move past the act of sexual violence she endured during a party one night a year ago. Romy is essentially dead inside. She feels like she has no voice because society has refused to listen to her. I wanted to get angry with Romy, but instead she just felt like a hollowed out human being, sopast being angry and instead just feeling worthless. She compares herself to all those around her who she feels are better than her. She wonders what it would be like if she were the missing girl and if anyone would actually care if that were the case. She has a thought once she finds out someone is pregnant that she hopes the baby is not a girl. It's a harsh sentence, and it's not the only one. that shows you just how much that one act, that act that Kellan thought nothing about and that society decided wasn't a big deal, changed how she viewed everything in life. I'm so glad Courtney gave Romy a voice because Romy represents every girl, every human, who has ever felt less than themselves because of something someone did to them without their consent. I don't know how these girls feel, but to me Courtney has captured what I can only imagine it feels like, and no one should ever have to feel that way.

I was so happy with how Courtney treated the romance throughout this book. Romy was scared to let anyone close to her and the moments where she did think she could get past everything, those memories would come back to haunt her. It was so important for her to have a guy in her life that didnt want more than she wanted to give. As soon as she said no, he stopped and that was the most important thing to me. To show that difference between consent and non-consent and how someone reacts to those two things is what every young girl needs to be aware of. You have a voice, you're feeling smatter. If you are not comfortable in a situation than you should be able to say no and things should stop. End of story.

This is a dark, gritty and completely realistic novel that doesn't hold anything back. It's ugly, wonderful and scary. This book is so important that I'm just going to keep talking about, continuing to tell people how important it is and hope that everyone reads it. We can change how victims are treated, how girls feel afterwards and hopefully get to a point where no means no and nobody tries to change that. If this book can help anyone, that it has done its job. Go read it. Now.

"My dad used to say makeup was a shallow girl's sport, but it's not. It's armor."

"But just because something starts out sweet doesn't mean it won't push itself so far past anything you could call sweet anymore. And if it all starts like this, how do you see what's coming?"

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors of All Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we make lists of wonderful and bookish things.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Authors of All Time

I love authors as much as I love their books. They are all so sweet on social media and meeting them at events is always exciting for me. Here's hoping I get to be one of those one day!

1. Rachel Vincent: The day I meet her (if it ever happens) will be incredible. She's great with her readers and I've been lucky to win some signed books by her. Can't wait for her new ones to come out soon!

2. Rainbow Rowell: She is literally the sweetest thing in the world. Meeting her was awesome and we even owned the same dress! We had a moment about it, okay?

3. Marissa Meyer: I showed up in a Scarlet cosplay when I got to meet her and she loved it! She was really sweet and her love of Sailor Moon just makes me really happy.

4. Stephanie Perkins: Her books are swoon-worthy and she's really great with her fans. Hopefully I'll get to meet her one day too!

5. Kasie West: My favourite contemporary author. Her books are great, fast reads and I seriously cannot wait for The Fill-In Boyfriend to be out!

6. Courtney Summers: A fellow Torontonian, Courtney's books are so different from what's out there right now and they are so important. If you haven't read All the Rage yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

7. Tiffany Schmidt: I've had some great Twitter moments with Tiffany and she has been fantastic. We pulled an all-nighter together for her book Before the Sunrise (go read it now!) and I kind of decided we needed to be best friends after that. She's also great friends with Courtney Summers and how cool is that?

8. Lauren Oliver: She was a joy to meet! Her books are incredible and they just keep getting better. Her writing is something I strive to even remotely resemble and I love that she was so down to earth in person.

9. Cora Carmack: New Adult at its best here people. Cora is so adorable and awkward and she always sets up book release parties on Facebook with tons of giveaways and lots of interactions. That makes her perfect in my eyes.

10. Miranda Kenneally: Her books are so great and they quickly became my favourites. I can't for more from her and I'd love to have the chance to meet her one day!

Having the opportunity to meet my favourite authors has been fantastic. I've met some great people, had some great interactions and it made me feel closer to them. Even just having them reply to me on Twitter or Facebook is a great experience. Their books are important too, but how they treat their readers is more important to me.

Mini Review: Please Remain Calm

Please Remain Calm
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: January 20th, 2015
Kindle Edition, 96 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

In this gripping sequel to This is Not a Test, Rhys and Sloane are headed for a safe haven when they get separated along the way. Rhys is determined to reunite with Sloane until he discovers people who might need him more - people who offer him the closest he'll get to everything he's lost, if they can hold on long enough.

Rhys thinks he has what it takes to survive and find the girl he's lost, but in a world overrun by the dead, there are no guarantees and the next leg of his journey will test him in unimaginable ways.

In case you aren't aware yet, Courtney Summers is my favourite author. She writes broke characters who always seem to end up helping others or doing good things. This is what stood out in This is Not a Test. Sloane was suicidal, but ended up helping keep her classmates safe and falling for Rhys, in a world where zombies roam and lurk. The ending of This is Not a Test left everything open and scary. Rhys and Sloane had escaped the school and were in a car trying to get to a safe haven. Please Remain Calm picks up right where it left off, this time with Rhys narrating the story.

Rhys isn't sure if he can trust that Sloane will keep herself alive. He's afraid she'll throw herself at the zombies like she's done before and he's determined to get her to a safe spot before she can pull it off. With a beat up car and not enough gas, they set out in hopes of outrunning the undead. From the start, I was on edge. Rhys and Sloane out on their own with only a car and a baseball bat, not very promising. Every time they encountered zombies, I feared for their lives, hoping above all hope that they would make it out alive. When they got to the house, I relaxed, eager for a soft moment between the two of them. I didn't get one, but I can't say I was surprised. Sloane was going through so much that after seeing her sister die that it would be wrong for a romantic moment, but I can't say I didn't want it. The house was only the beginning and this short story threw me into a tailspin of emotions. When Rhys and Sloane get separated, I wasn't ready for what was to come. Rhys meets a family on their way to their own safe haven and he quickly becomes an important part to their survival. So much happens in such a short time and I don't want to ruin any of it, but there was no telling how this story would end and boy do I wish there was one more page!

Summers is a master story telling. She's taken a world we've seen on TV or read all about before and put her own spin on it, her own mark in the zombie genre. She puts her characters through hell and gives them. There was always an ounce of hope in the moments of darkness and even when I feared the worst, I somehow had faith it would be okay. Though I'm still not quite sure about that last page...

"I wonder if all hearts are made with the same pockets for fear and pain and sadness. They must not be, or if they are, maybe we all don't know how to use them. Because otherwise so many of our stories would have ended differently."

"Do you have a credit car or something?" I ask because who wouldn't have a credit card handy during the zombie fucking apocalypse."

Waiting on Wednesday: All the Rage

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we spotlight an upcoming release we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW this week is:

All the Rage
By Courtney Summers
Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected Publication: April 14, 2015

From Goodreads:

The Sheriff's son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything - friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy's only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn't speak up. Nobody believed her the first time - and they certainly won't now - but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?

Courtney Summers is the queen of dark contemporaries. Her main characters are flawed and not always nice, but this one looks vastly different from the rest. Romy is just trying to live after a sexual assault but when she could save the lives of other girls, she must decide if she should try telling the truth again. I hope this book flies off the shelves and shows girls that they don't need to stay quiet if something happens to them. If anyone can pull this off, it's Courtney. Also, how amazing is that cover? It captures the feel of the book perfectly! Head over to Courtney's Tumblr for a sneak peak of the first chapter of the book - trust me, it starts off with a bang.

Review: Fall For Anything

Fall For Anything
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: December 21, 2010
230 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?

My hands are dying. These four words start the beginning of an emotional roller coaster of a story. It is the perfect sentence for capturing the feel of the book. Eddie Reeves is not suicidal, though most of those who love her think she might be. Maybe it's because she haunts the old warehouse where her father committed suicide. Her thoughts drift her there every night because she wants to know the truth about what happened that day. Not because she wasn't there, because she was, but because she can't come up with any reason why her father would do this. Why? This is the question that plagues her brain everyday and there is no escaping it. And maybe Eddie doesn't want to.

Her mother doesn't leave the house and she wraps herself in her husband's housecoat daily. Eddie feels like she's alone in the world even though she has a best friend who may love her as more than that. Milo is always there for her, but he has secrets he doesn't want to share with her. Eddie keeps her questions locked inside, even from Milo, but she still wants him to tell her exactly what he remembers from that day even though she was there too. Every sentence about that night demands to be felt. Small pieces try to form a big picture as Eddie gets closer and closer to the truth about why her father ended his life. Enter Culler Evans, a student of her father's, who also wants to learn the truth. Eddie attaches herself to him because he actually understands what she's going through. And when the possibility of real answers appears, she will stop at nothing to answer her burning question of Why? 

Eddie's grief is palpable. The moments where she just stops moving. The moments she tries to remember what her father looked like before he jumped off that roof. The times she tries to use her hands and they fail her. Tears clouded my vision as I read her thoughts, knowing that if I lost my dad that way, I'd want to find answers too. Her actions are too realistic and she moves off the pages and into my life. She is spontaneous and mysterious but it is all for her father. She does things that she probably wouldn't do in regular situations and it feels so real. Grief takes a hold of us and refuses to let go. It crawls into our souls and waits, ready to creep up at the on set of any emotion. Summers captures grief as its own character, controlling Eddie's actions and guiding her through life. There was no holding back the tears that poured from my eyes on the last page.

Summers has taken a hold of me and I never want her to let go. Each book finds a completely unique character but each of them relates to each other with their pain. They are so real that they make real mistakes and all you want is for them to get their happy endings. But Summers is too real for happy endings. Instead she gives us what we get, what real life is really all about, just endings and maybe, just maybe, new beginnings that come after a journey of pain. You will not regret reading any of her novels.

“Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.” 

45. Some Girls Are

Book #45: Some Girls Are
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: January 5, 2010
246 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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 rumours 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.

Summers has done it again. It's no secret that I'm her number one fan, so be prepared for some fangirling in this review. She writes the mean girl like it's her job and Regina is no exception. Regina, like Regina from Mean Girls is a bully. She is best friends with the most popular girl in school and has done more than a few things that she regrets to stay at her side. She must continuously impress Anna in order to stay on top. This means betraying old friends, hurting people and a whole lot of rumours. So when the tables turn and she is suddenly the one being bullied, she sees exactly who these girls really are. You would think she deserves it, but after finding out why the rumours started, you'll be on her side. And I was on her side the whole time. 

People make mistakes. Summers is perfect with redemption for her characters. They've all done things they regret, but it's getting past that and learning from your mistakes that sets you apart from the rest. Regina goes from the top of the ladder to the bottom, the sole recipient of Anna's torture. And boy are these girls mean. Anna makes Regina George look like an angel. Regina is thrown to the wolves, fearing school and hiding out with the only person who seems to let her, Michael, someone who has more reason to hate her than anyone else at school. Being on the receiving end is brutal and he helps Regina see herself for who she really is - a bully. Her path to redemption is not an easy one. The Fearsome Foursome (he ex-BFFs) make every day a living hell and Michael, who she is starting to have feelings for, can't find a way to forgive her for how she's treated him in the past. Every moment in this novel is torture. You feel Regina's pain as though you are the one being bullied. Anna makes sure that school is not somewhere Regina wants to be and she does not give Regina a chance to tell her the truth about that fateful night. Regina tries to be strong and she does a good job pretending to be, but we all know she is dying inside. She holds guilt and fear and painful secret that only elevates the torture being set on her. The acts of violence that Anna pulled on her made me cringe and tear up, wanting so badly for them to get what they deserved and for Regina to get through it. 

High school has its secrets. We don't know what is happening behind closed doors. We don't know what those notes say in other people's lockers. We don't know who is being tortured while we stand and do nothing. Bullying is not a laughing matter. Some people bully others to the point of suicide. We don't know how our words affect others. We don't know everything. Regina gets to see the pain that she has caused others in her life. She learns how it feels the hard way, but she learns. She knows that she has hurt others and she tries to make it right. None of it is worth it if it hurts others. Words can do a lot to a person and if we are lucky enough to have the chance to make it right, I hope we all do. Summers is brilliant with this heart-felt, touching novel about the truths in rumours, gossip, love and bullying. Every character hit me hard and demanded to be listened to. And boy did they deserve my time. 

“Tell Liz,' I say, 'the mean girl totally got what she deserved in the end.” 

“I close my eyes and lean my head against the seat, and the word fuck just repeats itself over and over in my head, because fuck.”

44. Cracked Up To Be

Book #44: Cracked Up To Be
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: December 23, 2008
214 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her conselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.

Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

Going into this book, I had no doubt that I would love it. Summers impressed me so much with This Is Not A Test that I knew I had to get my hands on her three novels that came before it. Cracking open the first page, I was hooked, and I couldn't put it down until I was finished.

Parker forces you to listen to her. The story begins after her life has changed drastically. Something happened at a party last spring but even Parker isn't too sure about the details. Something changed in her that night and she's let everyone know it. She started showing up to school drunk, quit cheerleading, making suicide threats, and dumped her popular boyfriend. She was the most popular girl in school and not for her stunning personality. But ever since that night, all she wants is to be left alone. If that's not enough, she has to make trips to the guidance counsellor every week and has a lot of homework to make up before she can graduate. Parker has given up on high school and can't wait to get out of there. But when the new kid, Jake, starts paying attention to her, and her ex starts dating her replacement cheer captain, she can't seem to escape the high school life and she's not sure she wants to. But does she deserve to be happy after what happened?

Summers leaves you waiting until the last page to find out all of Parker's secrets. She gives away the story of that night bit by bit as Parker struggles to get through the pain she's caused herself and others. My heart broke with every inch of information, wanting Parker to find the truth in her actions and find a way to forgive herself. 

Now Parker is not the easiest protagonist to like. In fact, she tries very hard to make you hate her along with the rest of the world. Her actions are rude and uncalled for and you'll wonder why she's putting everyone through it. She is mean to Jake from the get-go but he finds a way to see past her stares and snarky remarks, knowing that it's not who she really is. She has formed a protective shell around herself because she doesn't think she deserves to feel any happiness. Jake is the prefect counterpart to her. He is undeniably loyal and won't give up on her no matter how she treats him. He forces her to realize that the world does not revolve around her and that it's time to face the consequences. 

Parker's story might not touch everyone. Some people might not be able to stand her and her reckless attitude, others might think she deserves everything she's going through, but I for one loved her. I loved her guilt (okay that sounds bad, what I mean is that I understand why she acted the way she did) and I love how she evolves throughout the story. Yes, she makes mistakes and yes, she hurts people, but that's what being a teenager is all about. Like Sloane, the character from This Is Not A Test, she finds a way to make it through a hard time and to me, that is the most important quality in a person. Summers has a way of creating the most messed up characters and finding a way for us to love them. Parker and Sloane have joined the ranks of my favourite heroines and I'm sure the rest of Summers' girls will do that same. You will not regret reading this book. 

“The sooner you make a mistake and learn to live with it, the better. You're not responsible for everything. You can't control the way things end up.” 

“I didn't want to be popular because it was easier; I wanted to be popular because in high school that's the best thing you can be: perfect. Everything else is shit.” 

37. This Is Not A Test

Book #37: This Is Not A Test
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: June 19, 2012
323 Pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. 

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?


Sloane's world is bad. She lives in fear and hides the bruises and scars left on her skin. Her sister was her only hope at survival but she left months ago. Alone with her abusive dad, she is ready to end her life. There is nothing that will stop her from ending it all.


Then she hears the screams. Then the girl breaks through her living room window. Before she knows it, she is running or her life, surrounded by classmates and hiding in her high school. Something is keeping her there. She does not want bad things to happen to her friends so she stays alive, even though all she wants to do is join the dead outside. Trapped in the school with five others who have problems of their own, Sloane tries to find ways out but catches the eye of handsome Rhys in the process. 


The tension in the high school is truly believeable. Six people who don't have any reason to be together are suddenly struggling to keep each other alive. Twins Trace and Grace hold a grudge against Cary, while Harrison mentally breaks down around them. Rhys and Cary have taken to being the leaders, tying to keep the barricades strong and ration food supplies. As the days pass, so does their hope of survival, but no one gives up. Not even Sloane.


Summers captures the zombie apocalypse perfectly. She does not need gruesome details or constant death to show us how brutal it can be. When it comes to survival, the worst enemy is ourselves. Most of the book takes place in the high school, but you forget that the characters are not out there fighting for their lives. Because they are still fighting. They are always fighting. Barriers collapse when human instinct kicks in. 


In Sloane's world, the zombies have always been there. The constant fear of dying hangs over her every day. And in the midst of chaos, she finds a will to live. This book is not about zombies. It is about discovering what really matters, what is left when everything else is gone. It's about surviving whether there are zombies or not. This is a brutal, no holds barre picture of humanity and how we act when things go down. And I'm not even talking about the zombies outside the school. 


So, without further ado, I ask you to go to your local bookstore and find this book, then purchase it and crack it open as soon as you can. Trust me, you won't put it down until you've reached the last bloody page.


“The thing no one tells you about surviving, about the mere act of holding out, is how many hours are nothing because nothing happens. They also don’t tell you about how you can share your deepest secrets with someone, kiss them, and the next hour it’s like there’s nothing between you because not everything can mean something all the time or you’d be crushed under the weight of it.”  

This Is Not A Test Book Trailer

This Is Not A Test Book Trailer

Does it get any better than zombie books? I think not. I'm very excited to read this!