Blog Tour & Interview: All the Rage by Courtney Summers

Today on WinterHaven Books I am participating on the blog tour for All the Rage by Courtney Summers. This book blew my mind away and really made me think and I am so happy to have a chance to share with you the answers Courtney provided to a couple of questions I presented for her.

1. I was completely blown away by the honesty and the prose of All the Rage. How did you come up with Romy's story and in what ways did the writing process differ from your previous novels?
Thank you so much. Romy's story is a response to rape culture and victim-blaming. We live in a world that often fails victims and survivors of sexual violence and it's important we talk about that. I've been working on All the Rage since around 2009 and 2010 and that in itself is not my usual writing process. All the Rage wasn't so straightforward. It took a long time for me to figure out how I wanted to tell it, and every time I thought I had it - I was wrong! After it was acquired by St. Martin's Press, it took two more years and about six drafts. But it was worth it. I'm really proud of it. 

2. All the Rage focuses on a number of important issues from bullying to indiscrimination of girls in contemporary society. With what kind of mindset do you hope your readers will leave your novel with?

Reader response is out of my hands - but I do hope it will make them angry about rape culture. I hope they'll keep the discussion going.

3. Can you tell us something about your #ToTheGirls campaign?

#ToTheGirls is a hashtag campaign that will happen (or may have already happened by the time this post goes up!) on April 14th. People are invited to share a message of encouragement and positivity to girls everywhere using the hashtag #ToTheGirls. I think we should make and take every opportunity we can to empower girls and this is one way I've chosen to do that. I'm really excited to see how it turns out!

Review:

Wow. Just wow. I knew going into this that I would be faced with incredible prose and an engaging story, but I definitely did not expect this much.

Romy Grey feels like she would be better of if she were dead. She feels like inside her body, there are two girls – the girl before and the girl after. She wishes she would just be able to get rid of her body, get rid of everything that reminds her of what happened with Kellan Turner, the son of the town sheriff. Every fibre of her being reminds her of what happened and her body and her mind do not let her to forget. But though Romy remembers it all, vividly, to the last detail, the group of kids she used to call her friends how torment her, bully her, call her a liar. How dare she blame the golden boy of the town? Who does she think she is?

After a yearly party, a tradition of the graduating high school class, a girl goes missing. Romy has an idea of what might have happened to her, but she knows that if she goes out now and tells what she knows, no one will believe her. Everyone thinks she is a liar already, and the information she would just add fuel to the bullies, to the people who think that she's to blame.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a book such as this. All the Rage is not the first book I have read about sexual violence, but it certainly is the most honest, harrowing account of the topic I've come across to. The way Summers writes about Romy and the people around her made me really think about the way our culture often deals with sexual violence and the things especially girls have to deal with. Yes, there is sexual violence towards boys and men as well, but too often, it seems like girls are the victims. And unfortunately in many cases the people who hurt them are not punished. In too many cases, our society blames the girls, tells people that they were asking for it, tells the girls that the way they dress or the way they act around men justifies such actions. Way too often, there are situations in which young men go on with their lives without consequences despite their actions, just because they seem like “such promising boys” with great futures ahead of them. Our society blames the communities in which such things happen, they blame alcohol, they blame the girl. Why is it that the blame is not placed on the violent individual? Why does the society still often protect the one who has been violent, arguing that what has happened was just a fluke, caused by some exterior force and forget the one who has been hurt, the one who is supposed to keep going with her life despite the scars, both physical and mental?

The suffering and torment Romy goes through feels so real and so wrong. Summers's prose, beautiful, honest and lyrical, engaged with me from page one and it was impossible to put this book down. This book made me feel angry, sad, hopeful, hurt, indiscriminated. It made me re-realize all the difficulties girls and women might have to face. It made me angry about the fact that our society still does not seem to know how to protect girls, how to make them feel safe. But it also made me feel hopeful about the fact that there are good people out there, good guys who are not in this world just to hurt us, guys who want to protect us and make us feel like we are worth it as individuals. Romy and her story will stay with me, in my mind, for a long time.

About the author:  

Courtney Summers lives and writes in Canada, where she divides most of her time between a camera, a piano and a word processing program. She is also the author of What Goes Around, This is Not a Test, Fall for Anything, Some Girls Are, Cracked Up to Be, and Please Remain Calm.

Social Media Links:

Website - Tumblr - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

All the Rage by Courtney Summers 

Published on April 14th, 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin

Purchase:Amazon / B&N / Books-A-Million / IndieBound / Indigo / iTunes / Google Play / Kobo

Review: All the Rage by Courtney Summers

All The Rage by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date:
ARC from Netgalley

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?

My Thoughts:

Wow. Just wow. I knew going into this that I would be faced with incredible prose and an engaging story, but I definitely did not expect this much.

Romy Grey feels like she would be better of if she were dead. She feels like inside her body, there are two girls – the girl before and the girl after. She wishes she would just be able to get rid of her body, get rid of everything that reminds her of what happened with Kellan Turner, the son of the town sheriff. Every fibre of her being reminds her of what happened and her body and her mind do not let her to forget. But though Romy remembers it all, vividly, to the last detail, the group of kids she used to call her friends how torment her, bully her, call her a liar. How dare she blame the golden boy of the town? Who does she think she is?

After a yearly party, a tradition of the graduating high school class, a girl goes missing. Romy has an idea of what might have happened to her, but she knows that if she goes out now and tells what she knows, no one will believe her. Everyone thinks she is a liar already, and the information she would just add fuel to the bullies, to the people who think that she's to blame.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of a book such as this. All the Rage is not the first book I have read about sexual violence, but it certainly is the most honest, harrowing account of the topic I've come across to. The way Summers writes about Romy and the people around her made me really think about the way our culture often deals with sexual violence and the things especially girls have to deal with. Yes, there is sexual violence towards boys and men as well, but too often, it seems like girls are the victims. And unfortunately in many cases the people who hurt them are not punished. In too many cases, our society blames the girls, tells people that they were asking for it, tells the girls that the way they dress or the way they act around men justifies such actions. Way too often, there are situations in which young men go on with their lives without consequences despite their actions, just because they seem like “such promising boys” with great futures ahead of them. Our society blames the communities in which such things happen, they blame alcohol, they blame the girl. Why is it that the blame is not placed on the violent individual? Why does the society still often protect the one who has been violent, arguing that what has happened was just a fluke, caused by some exterior force and forget the one who has been hurt, the one who is supposed to keep going with her life despite the scars, both physical and mental?

The suffering and torment Romy goes through feels so real and so wrong. Summers's prose, beautiful, honest and lyrical, engaged with me from page one and it was impossible to put this book down. This book made me feel angry, sad, hopeful, hurt, indiscriminated. It made me re-realize all the difficulties girls and women might have to face. It made me angry about the fact that our society still does not seem to know how to protect girls, how to make them feel safe. But it also made me feel hopeful about the fact that there are good people out there, good guys who are not in this world just to hurt us, guys who want to protect us and make us feel like we are worth it as individuals. Romy and her story will stay with me, in my mind, for a long time. 

5 Snowflakes

 

 

Review: Fall for Anything

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: December 10, 2010
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

From the author of Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are comes a gripping story about one girl’s search for clues into the mysterious death of her father.

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?

Thoughts:
Fall for Anything is one of those few stories that kept me up all night until I finished the book because I just had to see how this car crash would end. It’s by no means a feel good escapist book. It’s about parental suicide and learning how to cope with the aftermath of unanswered questions and a quest for the truth.

Courtney Summers creates a flawlessly broken, angry, confused teenage girl in Eddie and as before with Cracked Up to Be, the main character has my compassion from the first FU she spews. She honest, angry and hurting, there’s no way I could turn my back on her struggle and not care. I felt horrible for her with that whole motel incident and even though in my head I knew! I just knew! Like with any close friend, I’d never say it out loud, I’d just be there for them and that’s it.

Open ending with no conclusive answers, but very signature as other books I’ve read on suicide,... it’s not about closure or getting answers… it’s just not.  Crazy, dark read that may not be for everyone, but if you open the book and begin Eddie’s journey, I’d be surprised if you didn’t feel just a little bit spent by the end.

                                                            4 Snowflakes

                                              
                                     
Find the Author:
Website   Blog   Goodreads   Facbook   Twitter

                                                     
                                                                     

Double Review: This is Not a Test

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

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?

Thoughts:

 This book is insanely good. It was creepy, dark, terrifying, intense and just amazing.

Put simply this is about six teenagers who get stuck in a school after zombies take over the town. It is not clear where these zombies came from or even if the town was aware of them. Simple story not so simple characters. Each character has his/her own side story and not one of them is anywhere near happy. Sloane the main character has had a very hard life. Her father is abusive, her mother is gone, and her sister has left her alone with their father. Sloane is about ready to take her own life when the unthinkable happens and zombies invade her town. Left with no other option than to run from the house she somehow gets caught up with 5 other teenagers on the run for their lives. They all end up in a school that they barricade up and are lucky enough to have food and running water inside. At one point I did have a flashback to The Breakfast Club but that quickly changed to a Lord of the Flies vibe after several plays for power are thrown out. This book takes place mostly inside the school but don’t let that fool you into thinking there is no action.. There is plenty of drama, action, and mystery woven into this story and I am so glad that it did take place inside somewhere safe because if I had to deal with several zombie attacks I would have seriously lost my mind. I was trembling and glued to the pages as it was.

So much of what happened in this book shocked the poo out of me. After reading so many books that is very hard to do, but I found myself open mouthed at more than just one point throughout the story. Do not go into this thinking you will get a hea or that there will be rainbows by the end. This is Not a Test is a very dark and disturbing book. Ms. Summers is fearless with her characters and takes no shortcuts when it comes to the hard stuff. I even had nightmares from this book *shudders* If you have read my other reviews you know that I am loving the scary creatures and this book brought back the terrifying zombie. I hope she writes more in this genre.
Never Too Late by Three Days Grace
                                                            5 Snowflakes
                                          
                                 

                                                                      

Thoughts:

Well I’ve read a couple of books by Courtney Summers, including Cracked Up to Be and Fall for Anything; and if I’ve learned anything about this author it’s that she doesn’t go light on her subject matter. With Summers, you’re going to get an emotionally charged book that includes characters on the verge of collapse because of some pretty intense experiences.

Her stories are contemporary novels that hit some heavy subjects head on… pretty clear cut. So when I heard her new release This is Not a Test was about zombies I was a bit taken aback to say the least and I don’t think I’m the only Summers fan that felt that way. What a stretch from her typical style! Part of me was put off because of the zombie bit… not a fan really. But then again I recall being drawn in by this author’s writing so I gave it a try. So glad I did!

Now, I’m definitely not going to be the first one to say this is a book about zombies, but it’s really not about zombies. Don’t worry, I was perplexed when I read that too. But it’s so spot on! This book is about six teenagers that come together in the most unlikely of circumstance. They are trying to survive the demise of society that has fallen victim to a zombie attack. They take shelter in the high school and baracade themselves from the outside world in the hopes that help will soon come their way. All of them are fighting to survive… except for one.

Sloane’s life fell apart long before the zombie epidemic. She comes from a highly abusive family and her only hope for survival (her sister) escaped the clutches of their brutal father six months prior which left Sloane to fend for herself. So, she has no reason to survive, but every hope to end her life. However, when she stumbles upon this group, she finds a reason to hang on just one more day… just one more day.

I’m not sure what grabbed me so profoundly with this book. Possibly the writing, the shocking events, the fragile world building that kept me curious of how this all happened and how it would end, the continuously moving plot… it all blended perfectly together to have me hooked to the pages of this book. I have to say again, the zombie factor was such a miniscule part of this reading experience. There wasn’t a ton of gore, but watch out because those zombies just don’t quit… not for one moment.

This book really left an impression on me, but I can’t say that’s the first time Courtney Summers has done that, and I’m sure it’s not the last.

Well here’s my playlist song. I went with this one because Sloane was the focal point of this book and her agony really shook me in a way I wasn’t expecting. To me this book was more about Sloane fighting the pain within her rather than the threat surrounding her.
Dear Agony – Breaking Benjamin

                                                                  4 Stars

                                               
                                                                         

Find the Author:

Website   Goodreads   Facebook   Twitter   Blog