This book was kind of rough for me to read. It wasn't bad just real heavy material. I think I was expecting alittle more from this book than what I got.

The book centers around teen Georgia Avis, whose life changes forever when she discovers the dead body of thirteen-year old Ashley along the side of the road, near the wealthy Aspera resort. Along with Ashley’s sister, Nora, Georgia sets out to unravel the mystery surrounding Ashley’s murder, while all the while, desperate to become an “Asperan Girl”.
I’m the Girl was an extremely fast paced book dealing with murder, assault, relationships, and class issues. Full of interesting and well-developed characters I highly recommend this book to fans of mystery/thriller books.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this e-arc.*

From the beginning, the reader is thrown in the deep end and experiences some disorientation that mirrors the narrator's dramatic experience in the moment. Slowly, we learn more of the secrets of the organization and the powerful people that run it, through the eyes of a young girl who wants nothing more to be a part of them. Sometimes the naiveté of the main character is frustrating as the plot moves forward, but at the same time the portrayal feels authentic to her age and experiences. I couldn't put this down; while I would rank "Sadie" above this book, it was a compelling read that I would recommend to others.

This book deals with some heavy topics. I felt like it was more of an exploration of a teen (Georgia) growing up and learning who she is and what the world is really like, than a mystery/thriller. And although it is listed as young adult, I'm not sure this is really appropriate for younger readers. Overall, I just couldn't connect with the author's writing style nor the plot itself.

I fully respect what the author did with this novel, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this is marketed as Young Adult, considering the topic. Initially, I thought this was a murder mystery, but it's not - it's a very heavy, dark book. If you do pick it up, please check the TWs.

I'm quite conflicted on how to rate this book. I know this is a plausible story, one that could happen or maybe happen somewhere, but it makes for a miserable read. There's not an ounce of hope - it's basically one bad thing after another. At points, it was exhausting being inside Georgia's head, as she's so gullible and so sure of how the world works. Some scenes made me uncomfortable, especially when Georgia being assaulted by a male character doesn't "count" because she's into girls. Granted, it is not my place to comment on this, but it truly didn't sit right with me. It's a bleak story, with no "light at the end of the tunnel".

Even after everything that Georgia goes through, there isn't much development to her character. This much trauma is ought to change anyone, and especially a 16 year old girl that recently lost her mom. I couldn't grasp how easily she believed everyone around her has good intentions after literally finding a dead girl. She didn't once question anyone from Aspera. I also can't believe her brother was so disinterested in what's happening with her at Aspera, considering he know what their mom found out after working there.

I also think the pace of the book was weird. The first few chapters were a bit confusing because we're thrown right in the middle of the action, but we're barely given any points to center ourselves. It's very confusing for a good 2 or 3 chapters. The rest of the book was also a bit disjointed, without any exact direction. There wasn’t a big reveal, at least in my opinion. I just didn't really see any point to the story.

The ending was abrupt and I think a bit rushed. It didn't answer any of my questions and, to be honest, it didn't tie any of the loose ends. There's no conclusion to this story. I get that open endings are a thing, but this one did the book a disservice if anything.

I'm the girl missed the mark for me. It was pretty lacklustre, with no direction whatsoever and some questionable scenes. Sure, the writing was pretty good, but not enough to save this book.

As soon as I see that Courtney Summers is going to be releasing a new book, I immediately add it to my to-be-read list. I don’t need to see the cover or read the synopsis; I just know that I will want to read it. Plain and simple as that. This novel is anything but plain and simple, though. I’m the Girl is everything that I love about this author’s writing, and it did not disappoint.

I was invested in the story as soon as I began reading it. The writing is wonderful, the characters are intriguing, and the story was chilling and relevant. In a world that values power, wealth, privilege, fame, and beauty, people will go to extremes to be a part of that lifestyle.

Georgia was the type of character that I felt for. I felt a plethora of emotions for Georgia Avis. She was young, naïve, superficial, trusting, and lucky to be alive. I wanted to reach through the pages of the book and give her a big hug and tell her that everything was going to be alright, however, on the flip side, I also wanted to shake some sense into her and warn her against certain situations and people. She was only sixteen. She’d had a difficult relationship with her mother, she wanted a better life for herself, and she was adamant about trying to achieve it.

I am not going to go into the details of I’m the Girl. That’s for each reader to uncover. This novel deals with some powerful and disturbing subject matter, but as I previously mentioned, it is a relevant story. The situations that occur in the real world are the scariest because they aren’t just fiction, they can and do happen.

I’m the Girl was a propulsive read. As much as I enjoy reading, real life does manage to weasel its way in to distract from my beloved reading time, but with this book, I shrugged off some of my other obligations so that I could just read a few more pages, and a few more after that. Courtney Summers delivered a well-crafted story that kept my suspicions on high alert, punched me in the gut, made my pulse pound, and kept me riveted to the pages.

*5 Stars

Writing on point as always from Courtney Summers. This was not my favorite of hers, but I tore through it all the same. In a book like this, I think we want resolution and action and the point of the world women live in is that there really usually isn't any.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book. Although I had partially figured out who the "bad" people were, this book is timely. I always love Courtney Summers writing and truly loved reading this book. I could not put it down.

I read this ARC via Netgalley Shelf.

Georgia has always wanted to be an Aspera girl, but ever since her mother was fired from the exclusive resort, she discouraged Georgia from it. But now Georgia's mother is dead, and her older brother is struggling to pay the bills, and Georgia just spent thousands on professional photos that she hopes will get her into Aspera. Photos that went missing after Georgia is nearly hit by a car. Her near-miss leaves her with a head injury, which is nothing compared to the dead girl further up the road. The incident, on the road to Aspera, leads Georgia to a job - not as an Aspera girl, but as an Aspirant, but Georgia knows she has what it takes to rise up. As the police investigate the crime, Georgia tries to piece together what she knows, believing she's in control when she just might not be.

Like Sadie and The Project, this story has the feel of a true crime story fictionalized. In this case, it felt a lot like the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal. Georgia's point of view gave a lot of insight into why a young girl would pursue and trust someone like Matthew. She sees Aspera as a means to rise up in life, to become one of the rich and famous. Naively she thinks her beauty can be wielded as a tool to do this, not fully understanding what goes on behind the façade of the exclusive resort. She's stubborn, too, and doesn't want to listen to everyone telling her to stay away, but also because her mother never told her the truth about it. A harrowing read for older teen readers.

Content advisory: strong language, sexual assault.

This book was well written, had a definite vibe, and dealt with heavy, serious subject matter. Beyond that, the main character really bothered me - I understood her difficult circumstances but it was like she was brainwashed, hypnotized, or didn’t have a brain in her head. By the end, there was no satisfying ending - we know the story behind what happened but no one is held accountable, which is disappointing.

There is one thing guaranteed from a Courtney Summers novel - it’s going to hurt.

I’M THE GIRL is no different. I actually had to take a few days before writing this review because I had a lot to think on. Honestly, I am not sure I have probably landed on what those thoughts are yet. Summers is never one to shy away from dark and difficult topics, and I love that about her work. In this latest release I knew it would be even more dark considering it is inspired by the exploitation and dangerous society young women live in (I believe this was inspired by the Jeffery Epstein case?) However, I am not sure I was prepared for just what awaited my reading experience.
Following teen Georgia as she steps into the world of Aspera and faces the darkness that lies there is hard. As a reader, I struggled to understand her actions - her dependence on needing to be see as beautiful and perfect and worthy at her own cost. And it was hard to watch her be let down by those who were supposed to protect her over and over.. My mind kept going back to an earlier review I saw that stated something along the lines of Georgia just being a girl. She was still so young. I just wished her all the peace that girls deserve to grow up with.

With themes of bodily autonomy and violence and the dangers of victim blaming I’M THE GIRL is a brutal, raw, and unflinching dive into the patriarchal society we live in

Georgia Avis is determined to aim higher than what she views as her unfortunate circumstances. When she finds herself with the opportunity to defy her mother and achieve her dreams, Georgia jumps in headfirst, not realizing that beneath the facade of wealth and privilege lurks something dark and dangerous.

This is not an easy read. Summers is not afraid to tackle hard topics, including sexuality, female bodies, power structures, complicity, and violence. Her writing style is unflinching, as she forces readers to confront the uncomfortable nature of the world today through an expertly woven story and painfully realistic characters.

A book about the haves and the have nots and ones girls dream to cross over to the glamorous side. Sixteen year old Georgis Avis wants to be somebody, wants to be the girl, and she thinks becoming an Aspera girl is the way to achieve her dreams. Even the mysterious death of a young girl won't sway her.
A bit dark and gritty, I'm The Girl explores heavy topics like poverty, sexual assault, and the power dynamic that wealthy people hold over young, vulnerable teens. While the writing style was intriguing and unusual, I had a hard time connecting to the any of the characters. I always felt like I was missing half the story. It held enough mystery that I wanted to keep reading until the end.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

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.