This novel, in my mind, drew comparisons based on its setting to The Miseducation of Cameron Post. It benefits from its likable cast of characters, of course, and its willingness to challenge convention. Mia is both frustrating and entertaining, and readers will find themselves cringing when she seems to make some self-sabotaging decisions, so invested are we in her salvation.

I loved this book. A lot of reviewers are saying Mia talks too much like an adult, but I disagree. I think anyone who faces trauma and struggles within themselves can find themselves within Mia's language and mind. I think that this is a gritty yet important read.

You Know I’m No Good is absolutely brilliant! It begins with Mia Dempsey acknowledging the validity of her “trouble teen” image, but once she ends up in “Red Oak Academy, A Therapeutic Girls’ Boarding School for Chronically Pissed-Off Humans Between the Ages of Thirteen and Nineteen”, we see deeper into her wounded heart and psyche as her defense mechanisms are slowly whittled away. Mia’s character arc is brilliantly written, and as she learns to value herself, probably for the first time ever, the reader is taken on the emotional journey with her. This is a book that will stick with me for a long time because a lot of truth was reflected from my experiences by her character’s actions and emotions on her path to becoming less “troubled teen” and more of a thriving young woman. It is a beautiful story about healing from trauma, female friendships, and forgiveness.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, drug and alcohol use, anxiety disorders, violence

Parts of this book were devastating, especially the way Mia thinks of herself. She is sure that she is bad, that there is something rotten at the core of her, so it doesn't matter what she does with her life: someone is going to look down on her, tell her she's done something wrong, or abuse her in some way. Outwardly, she claims that she's fine and her stepmother just hates her, will do anything to get rid of her , but on this inside it's clear that she has this belief about herself that she's unfixable.

Mia's beliefs about herself echoed sentiments I've heard from much younger children when I used to teach. One early-elementary boy told me he was bad, a feeling he had from having been punished so many times. While Mia's feelings and behaviors stem primarily from an event in early high school, as well as from experiences with her stepmother over several years, these kinds of beliefs can be so toxic in both children and teens. Of course, we're seeing Mia's experiences through her own eyes, but some of the things her stepmother says to and about her are absolutely awful. I did wish her relationship with her stepmother had been better addressed by her father, but this is a reminder that life isn't perfect, and that many teens do have to deal with a negative parental presence in their lives.

I think a lot of teens would relate to and/or enjoy this book, but I also think these kinds of stories are important for parents to read, too. Mia's specific experience is unique, but it's one that many feel familiar to many teens. Would Mia's father have sent her away if he'd understood her better? Would she have acted out in the same ways if she'd had a home environment where she felt as wanted as her younger siblings and felt she could have talked to her father about what had happened with Scottie? Maybe, maybe not, but it's something worth considering.

my favorite genre is women experiencing their emotions and seeking out and taking comfort in other women

<i>So I guess she’s a hypocrite—the quality I hate most in people. But the weird thing is, I don’t care. I just feel this surge of love for her.</i>

i'm not being super critical of this book - i think there was a lot of heart and it captured my attention and teenage angst really well

<i>Have I ever beheld my own body?</i>

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy

This book was full of cliches and lacked dimension. I do not want to spoil the plot, but Mia and her companion are walking tropes that Foley failed to add anything worth-while to. Mia's dialogue is indicative of someone much older, but her sense of attitude and entitlement is indicative of what many adults think teenagers feel. I was actually quite disappointed to learn the author worked with teenagers because of this huge disconnect. The summary compared the story to Mindy McGinnis's work, but this is doing quite the injustice to McGinnis's characters as they do have in-depth development, dimension, and relationships. I understand what this book was trying to do, but there many, many better versions out there. I will not be spending my budget on this one.

First of all, the title pulled at my heartstrings! While reading the story about an at-risk teen named Mia, I just wanted to hug her! Very true to life!! I think every teen reading would get a message from this.

A great addition to school libraries!! So many teens go through the same situations and have the same issues! They need to know that they are not alone.

I really enjoyed this. I agree with one of the other reviews though. Mia acted a few years older than she was. Also, I gave up on looking at the footnotes since the file kept taking me to the very end of the book. Hopefully that will change.

What a powerful book! This story has a lot of strong content but it is real and relatable to many. Sometimes we shy away from telling those stories that involve strong content, language, situations and other things that can make the reader uncomfortable. This story will make some readers uncomfortable and others may find some of the content unbelievable. However, this story represents something real to many. Most of the scenarios are experiences and traumas suffered by many young adults. and their families. This is a story that is both a mirror and a window and will be on my list of recommends in the fall. I would even recommend this title to adults. Due to some content that may be triggering for some young adults, knowing the audience for the book will also be important. The author created such real characters you can almost the feel there is a personal connection to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to the author, publisher and Net galley for an EARC of "You Know I'm No Good" in exchange for an honest review* This was an interesting book. I did like Mia as a main character, although at times she did speak like an adult and not like a 16 year old, so that kind of threw me out of the story. Although I did like the overall message of the story.

The character development and interactions in this book were the best aspects of the story and really kept me engaged in what I was reading. The dialogue was written in a way that was believable and funny. One thing that really bothered me was that there were moments where there was an asterisk/footnote tagged in the book that was written all the way in the back at the end of the story. I'm not sure if this was just the ebook formatting or if that is how it will be published, but I got annoyed having to jump back and forth within the ebook to read those notes.