I don’t mean books that have lots of blood and gore, or at least, not only those. I mean books that depict life at its most realistic points, sometimes, so realistic it borders on exaggeration. But it’s not. It’s just life.
Case in point: Some Girls Are, by Courtney Summers
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers Published by St. Martin's Press ISBN: 9781429986953
on January 5th 2010
Genres: Social Themes, Peer Pressure
Pages: 256
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis
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 rumors 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.
Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion.
This book contains a rape attempt, and the main character is bullied throughout most of the book, by her former best friends.
For some, understandably, it would be a hard read; others might deem it exaggerated. I call it perfect.
I just… It’s mind-blowing and kind of creepy too how similar mine and Regina’s experience are. I felt like I was reading about myself. True, that in most books, we’re able to see ourselves but with this one it wasn’t just one or two things, it was almost everything.
And in my case, it was deeply cathartic and freeing. I felt understood.
But that’s just me. This post is intentionally short because you guys are the ones who will shine here.
I’d love to know your opinions on super realistic books.
I agree that it depends on the reader. Everyone has different experiences and no two people are going to react to a book in exactly the same way. What you find freeing, another person might find depressing.
I read to get away from life and all its problems. So I generally avoid books like this. That’s just me, though, and I’m glad you gained something from reading it 🙂
I think you make a good point here that it depends on the person—some people might really relate to a book like this (like you did!) and someone else might see it as a trigger or just not like it. I think it’s great that we have options, though. People who don’t like this type of book can just avoid it.
Absolutely. That’s why I’ve begun being more mindful of how I recommend the books I read. If I’m aware of issues that might be triggering, I mention them, because I, for one, like to know what I’m getting into before I read a book. I wouldn’t want anyone to accidentally run into something they dislike or be hurt by :/
This book looks pretty interesting, I’ll maybe have to check it out!
Personally I’ve always been more of a fantasy fan than a contemporary fan, and I think that’s because I find so many contemporary books to show this sparkly version of life that doesn’t really resemble anything I’ve personally experienced, and it always just makes you feel like your life should be like that, if that makes sense? Like your life should be all parties, and sweeping romance and stuff, and even the bad things that happen should be super dramatic and exciting, even if they are bad. If more contemporary books were more realistic, I’d possibly be more inclined to read them!
Great post! 🙂
Yeah, I get what you mean. It’s fun to read those books, but sometimes they do leave you a bit salty about your own kind of boring life. At least with fantasy you EXPECT it to be exciting and dramatic, so there’s nothing out of the ordinary, but contemporaries just hit too close to reality (and then don’t).
Thank you! And thank you for stopping by!
I have a love/hate relationship with super realistic books! Like I’m glad because they’re real and there’s no that ‘too good to be true’ moment but also mad because most of the time they don’t end happily 😂😂 also this book sounds so interesting! I’ve been looking for books that challenge rape culture and I’m definitely gonna add this book to my list of TBR 😀
Lol, SO TRUE! That’s why they’re not what I mainly read, because I’m a sucker for happy endings.
This book focuses mostly on the bullying part and other high school dynamics, but you should totally read All the Rage by the same author. That one is all about the rape culture, and it made me so angry to think about how this happens so often and few of these women ever get justice 🙁
I think books that are super realistic are good sometimes, I’m more of a fantasy person but sometimes it’s great to see your own experiences reflected in whatever your reading! Great topic!
I swing towards fantasy most of the time too, but from time to time, I appreciate the realistic book. I think if I read those all the time, I would be a really sad person, though XD