Synopses & Reviews
A gritty, atmospheric coming of age tale set in 1980s New York City Seventeen-year-old Cat is living every teenager’s dream—she has her own apartment on the Lower East Side and at night she’s club kid royalty, guarding the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. The night with its crazy, frenetic, high-inducing energy—the pulsing beat of the music, the radiant, joyful people and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain—is when Cat truly lives. But her daytime, when real life occurs, is more nightmare than dream. Having spent years suffering her mother’s emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone—unable to connect to anyone or anything. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, she’ll need to summon the courage to confront her demons and take control of a life already spinning dangerously out of control. Both poignant and raw, White Lines is a gripping tale and the reader won’t want to look away.
Review
"Courtney Summers is a writer who pulls no punches and Parker Fadley is a character you won't forget. Together, they create a novel that will keep you on edge, turning pages long into the night."--K.L Going, author of Saint Iggy "Told in beautifully rendered, spare, haunting prose...Courtney Summers has written a remarkable debut. I thought about this one long after I'd reached the end,"--Alyson Noël, author of Saving Zoë "Summers expertly navigates the dangerous waters of high school, leading her readers on until she reveals the grim secret that led her troubled heroine to the brink of suicide. Fans of Lois Duncan and Chrisotpher Pike will appreciate this dark tale."--Martha O'Connor, author of Bitch Posse "Cracked Up To Be gives you Parker, her world, her friends, straight up, no chaser. You won't forget her."--Kathe Koja author of Kissing The Bee
Review
"Daily transformations from punk to avant-garde highlight Cat's complex personality and style; her New York world is so tangible from Banash's text...[her] unhealthy relationship with her mother is highlighted in startling flashbacks of control and cruelty. A bevy of bizarrely realistic characters round out the story; Sara, Alexa, Julian and more all strive for lives that balance their own wishes with those of their parents."--VOYA
Review
"Subtle, sad and, eventually hopeful."--Kirkus
Review
"The gritty and emotionally charged story pulses like the rapid heartbeat of a girl in distress."--Booklist
Review
"A wild and startling ride."--Rachel Cohn, co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
Review
"White Lines is sometimes heartbreaking, occasionally hilarious, and always impossible to set aside."--Nick Burd, author of The Vast Field of Ordinary
Review
"Banash captures the pulsing atmospherics of the '80s club scene in minute and perfect detail, juxtaposing her descriptions of the outlandish fashions and stylized personalities against evocative, lyrical metaphors of Cat's brittle inner life. The effect is emotionally lashing; readers can't miss the note of desperation, sadness, and insecurity that threads through and in fact drives the relentless party scene for all the players, or that Cat's only moments of happiness come when she's high. The steadying presences of Sara and a new boy bring Cat back from the edge to end her story with a note of hope; give this to fans of Francesca Lia Block to see what Weetzie might have looked like on the East Coast."--BCCB
Synopsis
In this young adult novel debut, the story of a girl too smart for her own good who, after one tragic night, decides to reject the popular life in exchange for one of solitude.
Perfect Parker Fadley isn't so perfect anymore. She's quit the cheerleading squad, she's dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she's failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she's playing games...but what they don't know, the real reason for this whole mess, isn't something she can say out loud. It isn't even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.
"Cracked Up To Be gives you Parker, her world, her friends, straight up, no chaser. You won't forget her." --Kathe Koja author of Kissing The Bee
Synopsis
Perfect Parker Fadley isnt so perfect anymore. Shes quit the cheerleading squad, shes dumped her perfect boyfriend, and shes failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think shes playing games…but what they dont know, the real reason for this whole mess, isnt something she can say out loud. It isnt even something she can say to herself. A horrible thing has happened and it just might be her fault. If she can just remove herself from everybody--be totally alone--then everything will be okay...The problem is, nobody will let her.
Synopsis
Parker Fadley has quit the cheerleading squad, she's dumped her perfect boyfriend, and she's failing school. Her parents are on a constant suicide watch and her counselors think she's playing games. What they don't know is the real reason behind Parker's change in behavior.
About the Author
Courtney Summers is the author of young adult novels including Fall for Anything and Some Girls Are. She lives and writes in Canada, where she divides her time between a piano, a camera, and a word-processing program when shes not planning for the impending zombie apocalypse.