Rating: 4.5 stars

Trigger Warnings: Grooming, sexual assault, abuse, and drug use. Please be aware that this book does reflect some of what we know about the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Georgia Avis wants to be a model and she will believe almost anyone who tells her she is beautiful and has the looks for it. Which is how she gets conned and ends up taking provocative pictures that are not what sixteen-year-olds should be posing in. These pictures end up with her getting injured and finding a dead girl (Ashley) on the side of the road. While Georgia has no memory of the person that hurt her, she does know the Aspera owners Chloe and Matthew Hayes were the ones that found her and took care of her. This all plays into part of Georgia's dream as she not only wants to be a model but wants to be an Aspera Girl because of all the rumors she's heard about it, and how her mother told her not to go near the Hayes.

While Georgia is trying to find a way to work at the Aspera, she starts hanging out with Nora, Ashley's older sister, and together they hope to find out who hurt Georgia that night, and who hurt Ashley.

Overall I did like this book. I couldn't read it fast enough and I had to know what Georgia was going to find out next. Throughout this entire book, I just felt on edge because of what the book was about and knowing how dangerous of a situation Georgia was in even though she didn't fully understand it due to her age. Not only that but it seems that almost everyone in power in the town she lived in had a connection to Aspera in some way. Nora and Georgia together and alone started to piece together what happened to Ashley during the days she was missing, and they might just uncover something even more sinister.

The ending of this book while heartbreaking still leaves hope that maybe just maybe things will get better in the future for everyone involved.

This book will be great for past readers of Courtney Summers. If you have not read a Courtney Summers book before just know that this does deal with some very serious topics and for those who don't mind open ending stories.

Review will be posted on my Instagram @readingwithwrin on release date

Georgia is 16 and dreams of being an Aspera girl. A place where the rich and powerful gather and all she really knows is that she belongs there. Her mother didn't think so, but her mother is dead now and nothing is going to get between her and her destiny.
When she finds the body of a brutally murdered girl she is attacked and then found by Cleo Hayes. Aspera wouldn't exist without Matthew and Cleo, both rich and gorgeous, each of them like a beacon in the dark to Georgia. They offer her a summer job but not as an Aspera girl, really the only thing that Georgia wants. She knows she needs to prove herself to them before she will be worthy of that golden ticket.
There is a lot Georgia doesn't know though. The question is will it matter to her if she gets her dream? Georgia had to be one of the saddest characters I've ever seen. She is too young, too trusting, too beautiful, and too consumed with her vision of the world and her place in it to see what is right in front of her.

Georgia, a 16-year-old girl, tells the story and while she is trying to escape poverty she believes her beauty is the way out of poverty. She has the dream to be an Aspera Girl, the gorgeous young woman who works at a wealthy exclusive resort. Georgia lives with her brother after her mother passed away from cancer. Now, things take a different turn when she discovers a body of a 13-year-old girl along the side of the road. Georgia joins forces with Nora, the sister of the girl whose body she found, to solve the murder and find out what actually happened. But, there is more than meets the eye about the tale. When this happens she is bedazzled with a world filled with wealth, privilege, and power. While she is very naive, she is beautiful, and while she knows she can use her power of beauty she does not know exactly how much influence she has.
Now, this book should definitely have some trigger warnings because this does include grooming and sexual assault. However, this book is definitely thought-provoking and intense. This author has a way of not shying away from hard topics, but she has a way of covering the hard stuff and writing it in a way that is soo thought-provoking. Now, this is a raw edgy kind of story and at times it was hard to read. But, it was well worth the read!
Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this one! It definitely was a thought-provoking read! I definitely recommend it if you enjoyed her other book Sadie or if you enjoy thought-provoking books!

I really enjoyed this book and the way it was written. You get to know Georgia and her POV (as this book is told through Georgia’s POV) finding out what is going on with Aspera, who really killed Ashley and learning and growing on her own as she deals with patriarchal power structures, the power of money and influence and very real and scary sexual assault.

I would not recommend this to anyone who is triggered by sexual assault as it is mentioned fairly often and in detail of how it plays out. I do find this topic to be really important and if it’s something you can stomach this book is a different perspective then I’ve seen often in other fiction pieces dealing with the same sensitive material.

This book really made me think and did captivate my full attention from the very beginning but it just left me wanting for more of a full conclusion at the end, though I don’t know if that would’ve actually been beneficial to the writing style. Just a personal preference.

I’m giving this one 4 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book took me a long time to get through because the subject matter is so difficult. I absolutely loved the book, but it IS dense.

If people are going into this book looking for something that will leave your heart pounding in suspense, you’re looking for the wrong book. This is a slow, chilling look at a world of depravity from eyes of an emotionally blind, jaded and traumatized child. It was so, so sad, and beautiful in the most horrific of ways.

This was so dark and I usually can handle just about anything. The writing style just was not for me.

This one is full of triggers so check them before reading.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every time I finish one of Courtney Summers books I am left thinking about it for hours. She is so good at crafting an ending that is non-traditional and unexpected. The main character George is so naive you can't help yelling at her to wake up and smell the roses. I suspected very early what was really going on. It is very disturbing to watch events unfold. The narrative is a sad comment about our society as it is unfortunately true. A very thought provoking story.

Another Courtney Summers stunner. Literally, there's nothing else you need to know about it. If you loved her others, this is a must read. It has the beautifully crafted characters, the depressing plot twists, and themes of wealth and power. The main character, Georgia, finds the body of a 13-year old girl near the Aspera resort. Georgia aims to uncover the mystery of the girl's death, while being sucked into the allure of the resort.

I’ve never read anything by this author before, and by the description I thought this was going to be a mystery murder thriller, but that this book is being marketed as YA made me a little uncomfortable…it’s in my opinion VERY graphic for YA?

*Some spoilers*
It took awhile for the story to get going, and there were so many vague story teases that I kept getting frustrated with what was going on. Also, what’s going on at this…resort? Is clearly obvious, yet the Georgia’s brother, KNOWING what happened to their mother at this place, STILL TOOK GEORGIA THERE at the MINOR age of 16 so she could work to pay him back for money she stole from him because a guy at a mall told her she could be a model, and CRINGY things happened around that, and the brother is just like “we need the money soooo 🤷” LIKE WHAT?! 👀

And then when everything comes together it’s horrifying, but then like, just nothing happens in the end? Like the horrible people get to just continue to do horrible things? And Georgia’s brother is just like “yeah our mom actually wanted better for you she just didn’t show it very well” WHAT?! And then it just sort of ends. 🫠

I just, don’t know how to feel about all of this 😂. Like, the writing was decent, but the story just felt messy at times and underdeveloped, and I really don’t know how I feel about this being YA.

If you’re going to read this, I highly recommend checking the content warnings; including rape, sexual assault, and child abuse.

This one comes out this Tuesday, 9/13. 📚

"I'm so bad at wanting things because I'm so terrible at not having them."

This book was absolutely foul. It was grimy and disgusting and hopeless. But it's so important.

Courtney Summers writes some of the most compelling and unique YA thrillers I've ever read. They follow protagonists making decisions you hate, but decisions that are made every day.

Going into this, I had no idea what to expect. I knew nothing besides the title and author and it took me on quite a ride. That being said, this is not a mystery. You aren't reading to find out what happened. You're reading to see how this happened and how it continues to.

There are so many girls in this world like Georgia and Ashley. And so many men who abuse them.

This story is not a pretty one, but it's real. Yet another haunting tale from Courtney Summers.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this!

Mystery/thrillers are very hit or miss for me, but seeing this was queer I was excited to give it a try. The MC just never clicked with me, sometimes an unlikable character is compelling, but I never felt emotionally invested. The mystery unfolding left me a little confused? So this could’ve just been me not understanding. I was put off by how much sexual violence was happening, and just overall didn’t end up enjoying it as much as I’d hoped.

I’m the Girl bills itself as a mystery, and the comparisons to Sadie are inevitable, but I’d argue that both these things are setting it up for failure. The problem with the novel is that it lacks any kind of catharsis or solution. The entirety of the book the heroine, George, is obviously misguided—self-obsessed, worried about what men think of her, and ignoring all the clear warning signs about the super secret rich people club in her town. However…she doesn’t learn. Even up until the last chapter, she is still willing to accept that she has no higher purpose than beauty.

The book’s sexual and physical violence don’t seem to have much purpose. We already know real world things like this happen, so what is Summers trying to say about it? The novel offers no solutions, no way to vent our rage, no justice—-nothing.

I love books that aren’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, but if there is no payoff then it starts to just feel voyeuristic.

For a different (and more adult) take on a similar topic, I recommend Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife (full disclosure—I was a beta reader of the manuscript).

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

I had such high hopes for this one y’all. I have loved every Courtney Summers book I’ve ever read but I think maybe my expectations were a bit too high. I went in thinking this would easily be a 5 star read and that unfortunately didn’t happen.

One good thing about this book is that I couldn’t put it down. I read it on a plane and I got through it pretty quickly actually. But…this plot fell really flat for me. When I read the last page,
I refused to believe that was it. I know this book is about wealthy people preying on impoverished young girls. I think this book was trying to say something about power dynamics and how power is held by the wealthiest people. I feel it didn’t though or it was saying what has already been said. It just didn’t make that impact I think it meant to on me at least.

I think this book will either have people loving it or not liking it. Sadly this one was just not for me.

Read this book if you like: Queer representation, cult like vibes, tough subjects

Georgia is trying to escape poverty. She's 16 years old. She discovers the dead body of 13 year old named Ashley James. She teams up with Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. Their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence. As Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia discovers when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty but who is the guiltiest.

I saw it's a queer thriller and I almost fell over with excitement. Then, I read a review where someone said they could barely read this because it was so disturbing. Count me in. 🤣 They were not wrong. Absolutely check the triggers for this one. There are some tough subjects through out this book. This was gripping, powerful, addictive, and very uncomfortable. I could not put it down. I flew through it in hours. It's going to stick in my brain. Highly recommend this one! It comes out September 13th.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the gifted book!

Georgia is a teenager who has always known that she’s deserved better, deserved more. After finding the body of a murdered girl in town, she works with the victim’s sister to find out what happened.

Told from Georgia’s POV, she truly felt like a naive teenage girl. She was put into situations that were uncomfortable to say the least, but really important to have a focus on. The true win of this story is a demonstration of how quickly a situation can turn for a young girl in a world full of adults, but I wouldn’t read this one without looking at the trigger warnings.

Overall, I found the story to play out in a predictable fashion when it comes to the murder mystery. The relationship between Georgia and Nora was flawed in a way only true teenagers can be. Lastly, I felt the end was unsatisfying. Important topics that just didn’t quite hit the mark for me by the end.

📚Read this if you like:
- LGBT representation
- Provocative topics
- Relationships within murder/thrillers

TW: sexual assault, sexual harassment, grooming

When I saw Courtney Summers was releasing a new book, I had no choice but to jump on it. I loved Sadie, it's one of my top YA thriller reads ever and I always crave a story like it.

I’m the Girl is about a 16-year-old girl who dreams of escaping poverty and sees her beauty as a way out. When she discovers the body of a 13-year-old girl, she is lured into a world filled with wealth, privilege, and power, at the risk of losing herself.

Georgie's character is complex and I enjoyed the story a lot. This book tackled some topics that are often hard to read and hear about, so please be aware of the potential triggers from that.


Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #imthegirl

Wow! This was dark and gritty and I loved it! Will definitely be following Courtney Summers! This one made my heart race and great characters kept me totally invested in the story. Although a tough subject, this book was written and executed with care. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Overall, I loved this book, despite the incredible painful subject matter.

The story, the writing, the way I was pulled in to these characters and their pain… all things I loved. Things that happen to the people in these pages is heart-wrenching. Courtney Summers has done a fabulous job creating the feeling this book elicits. It’s both in your face and subtle at the very same time. Mirroring horrors of the real world, this book is believable and disturbing.

Georgia longs to be better than how she was raised. She has big dreams, even though she doesn’t know quite what they are yet. Stumbling across the dead, abused body of the sherif’s thirteen year old daughter, Ashley shakes up her life in ways she never imagined. Strangely, it brings her closer to one dream she has… Aspera! An elite country club catering to the rich and glamorous. And she is going to be an Aspera girl… but is that a good thing?

Another way this event has changed her life is her interactions with Ashley’s sister, Nora. What had been a tentative dislike between the two, buds into something so much more as they maneuver through Nora’s pain and Georgia’s healing.

I can’t get past how I felt about our main character, Georgia. She is incredibly self-aware, and yet knowingly and purposefully ignorant when it suits her. I flip-flopped between caring for her and being infuriated with her, resorting to the realization that I can feel them simultaneously. Though, that is what brought this from a five to a four star for me.

3.5

While not my favorite book by Courtney Summers, I was still captivated by I'm the Girl. This book is intense, with trigger warnings galore! Summers is willing to dig in deep, and I applaud her for that.

Quick synopsis: Georgia Avis is 16 and her single mother passed away from terminal cancer, leaving her under the care of her older brother. Things are tough - they are poor. Georgia's mother worked for a local exclusive resort in the community called Aspera, catering to the rich until she was ousted for stealing around the time she was diagnosed with cancer. Georgia has been obsessed with being an "Aspera Girl" since she was young, much to the dismay of her mother. At the start of the novel, Georgia comes upon the dead body of a local missing teen Ashley James, and she's about to get a job at Aspera because of it. She teams up with the older sister, Nora, of the dead teen, Ashley, to try and figure out who murdered her and try and figure out some other weird occurrences that start to happen to Georgia. Is Georgia about to make it, or is she in bigger trouble than before?

Tough topics are tackled, and things get uncomfortable, which I think is important. But as a reader, I was also left confused at many parts of the novel and left scratching my head. I don't like how the novel wrapped up - I don't feel like the story was complete, finished - I'm not satisfied as a reader. I can deal with a disjointed story, but I like things tied up in the end.

Summers writing is beautiful, addictive and flows beautifully but the plot had some holes in my mind and this novel falls short of the high bar that the author set for herself with Sadie.

I would be hesitant to recommend this book to my high school students because of how dark and heavy the themes are, but I do think that this book was very beautiful written. That's not to say I think my students shouldn't read it, I'm just not sure if I want to be the person who recommends it. I found myself wholly invested in the plot throughout this entire novel and it was a great teen thriller.