I requested I’m the Girl from Netgalley because Summer’s writing is always impressive and it was described as “a spiritual sequel to Sadie”. I absolutely loved Sadie, but, unfortunately, I didn’t love I’m the Girl.

The synopsis describes I’m the Girl as a murder investigation, however there’s very little of that in the novel as the focus is on Georgia’s naitivity in the face of a very corrupt and depraved world.

Summers is excellent in her characterization of unlikeable main characters. Georgia is no exception. She’s naive and frustrating for most of the novel, however that’s also the consequence of being a sixteen year old girl who was given little to no information.

What I disliked most about this novel is that Summers thrusts readers into the story with little to no context. I felt lost for the first few chapters before I began piecing the story together. Had the novel started a few days earlier, it would have given the story and Georgia as a character more context.

Lack of communication is what drives the story. Most of the tension in the novel could have been resolved before it even started had Georgia’s mom or brother been honest with her about the realities of Aspera. They could have still shielded her from most of it while still being honest.

Overall, I’m the Girl was mildly disappointing after the perfection that was Sadie. I’m the Girl is a story about the ugly underbelly of the elite and what can happen to young girls who are taken advantage of by older men.

Georgia Avis is a 16 year old who stumbles upon a dead body and is hit by a car. She grew up in poverty, idolizing the Aspera, a resort for the wealthy. She ends up working at the Aspera to pay back her brother for the $4000 she paid for modeling headshots, and ends up uncovering the secrets of the Aspera girls and what exactly goes on on the executive floor. Georgia is still learning about the world - she maintains hope despite her grim and traumatic story. As an adult reading this book, there are definitely times when I disagreed with her judgement and had to remind myself of her age.

This story is not for the faint of heart. Just when you think the mystery is solved there is yet more to uncover.

The ending is vague and leaves a few things unsettled, but I think it works for this novel.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Courtney Summers sure can write the most beautiful prose. I was a bit wary of this book because from the beginning, it was obvious it would deal with some very sensitive matter. I didn’t know if I would be triggered or not, and I wanted to step forward carefully, but Summers’ command of pace and character makes it frankly impossible not to devour her writing.

Though her protagonist in this book, Georgia, makes several dumb mistakes, you relate to her every step of the way, even if you can’t understand her experiences and perspective. I wanted her to get to be an Aspera girl even as I knew, from the start, that it would end really badly.

I wanted her to succeed, even as I could tell, as an adult, that her version of success would be disastrous. Georgia just made me think of younger me, of how I thought I understood how fucked up the world was and was equipped to handle bad people, when that was not the case at all.

I honestly wish I had read this book when I was a teenager, even though it’s dark and it’s graphic. I think I would have felt so seen, so understood.

This was an absolute binge read for me as it was fast-paced and an easy read! It started off with Gerogia finding Ashley's body in the road leading to the notorious Aspera. It is fair to say Georgia has always been obssessed with Aspera, a resort for really wealthy folks but she never really understands what it meant to be part of Aspera. So there is Ashley's murder that needs to be investigated and readers are also on another thriller ride with all the intrigue about Aspera, I pretty much flew through this book and enjoyed all the twists that came with it.

I'm the Girl is the new unsettling novel from Courtney Summers.

"Sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis finds the body of Ashley James - a thirteen-year-old girl that had been missing for several days. She teams up with Nora, Ashley's older sister to look for the killer. their investigation pushes Georgia into a world of unimaginable wealth and power.Georgia wants so badly to belong that she struggles to say no and finds that power and beauty rule. And sometimes it doesn't matter who the killer is..."

I didn't totally understand this story until I figured out which lens to view this through. Once you get there you understand what Summers is trying to say and everything clicks into place.
There are some horrible moments in this book. Georgia ends up in situations with adults that she trusts - yet they take advantage of that trust. So many of them. And in the end Georgia must make a choice.

So many unlikable adults in this book - so many predatory adults - male and female.
There is a Sadie reference. Go read that if you haven't yet - it's a great audiobook.

The ending is vague but works here. Another thought-provoking, if unsettling, book from Summers.

I truly love this author. She has a very dark and twisted mind to come up with books like “I’m The Girl” and “Sadie”. I honestly couldn’t put this book down as I was trying to figure out who killed Ashley. I eventually did see it coming close to the end, and I wasn’t quite impressed by the ending. It didn’t feel complete and left me wanting to know more about what she would do in the town. Obviously she couldn’t stay there knowing what she does. But all things considered, I was on the edge of my seat reading this, wanting to see how it ends. I’d definitely keep reading this author’s books because she has a really great sense of topics that aren’t normally written about or even talked about in society. Bravo for writing about the things that are hard to see behind the scenes of this sad dreary world.

4.5*

georgia’s life changes after she discovers the dead body of thirteen year old ashley. determined to find out who did it, she sets off on an investigation. along the way, she discovers how money, power and beauty influence others in extremely harmful ways. all georgia wanted was to be an aspera girl, but she soon finds that it’s really not what’s best for her or for anyone else.

reading the description, it made it seem like this story was more of just trying to determine who the killer is but it’s so much more. it’s about trauma. it’s about grooming, predatory power structures, sexual assault and rape. i do hope that the content warnings will be added to the beginning of the book because it’s really heavy.

georgia was a difficult character. she’s naive and trusting especially when she shouldn’t be but she’s also only sixteen. her mom died, her dad isn’t in the picture and she found a dead body. it made me so sad for her when she would believe these predatory people because all she wanted was to be seen, desired and loved. she went through so much before and within the span of this book and her reactions and thoughts make so much sense even if it wasn’t right.

i wanted a bit more out of nora, ashley’s sister. she has such a devastating story and i wanted her to be a bit more prominent. but from what we got, you can tell she’s extremely strong.

it took me a while to get into this because it was a bit confusing at the beginning but i really really enjoyed it. it being confusing and messy was such a reflection of georgia and her experiences.

thank you to netgalley and st. martins press for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Well. This is possibly the worst book I've read all year. So that's something.

I read this physically and it was so hard to follow. I still don't think I understand everything that happened because the writing style was a slog to get through. How is this the same author that wrote Sadie? I don't understand.

And no, it wasn't hard to read because it dealt with hard topics. It was hard to read because it was poorly written.

Ugh. So disappointed.

I’m in the minority as I wasn’t a fan of Sadie so I was unsure how I’d feel about this novel. The Aspera storyline was intriguing and kept my interest, but Georgia’s naivety was constantly being shoved down our throats. I didn’t feel an affinity for any of the characters and I frankly didn’t feel that bad for Georgia either, despite her being young, which was so clearly shown. The way this was written felt very disjointed for me and I think that’s perhaps the reason I didn’t enjoy Sadie. Not sure I’ll read another Summers book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @30%
I loved Sadie by Courtney Summers but this was repetitive and boring. At parts, I was a little confused and didn’t see the purpose. I think the confusion started from page 1.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of I'M THE GIRL by Courtney Summers. I love Summers' books. Her writing it just so precise. This book pulled no punches and that made it hard to read. There was quite a bit of on page sexual assault—the kind that could pass as consensual except that it's a teenage girl and a grown man. The way the institutionalized pedophilia was displayed here—revealed piece by slow piece in such a brutal way—was brilliantly designed. Summers got so deep inside her characters' brains and motivations and really showed how the patriarchy makes girls beg for their objectification, just to get the crumbs thrown from the table. It was horrifying and so well done. It really is a stark, not at all happy book, as one might imagine given the subject manner, but if you can prepare yourself for it, it's truly an eye-opening view to the sickness of humanity.

*Rounding up from a 3.5*

What I love about Courtney Summers is her fearlessness in writing about challenging topics on a YA scale. I’m the Girl is a challenging read because it confronts some very uncomfortable truths. Overall, I found it captivating and honestly couldn’t put it down - I read it basically in one sitting. However, I do have a few critiques:

- The main character, Georgia, is not very well developed. I can’t tell if this was intentional on the author’s part or not, but her character is essentially reduced to being obsessed with wealth and beauty. The intent is maybe to make her seem naive, but it didn’t always read that way.
- The strained relationship between Georgia and her mother ultimately did not make sense to me. There is a secret that gets revealed at the end of the book, and I still don’t understand why that secret was kept. It sort of just felt like it was there as a plot device, rather than out of deeper character thought process.
- There is a LOT going on in this book. Summers is a strong writer, and the content is interesting, so she gets away with it. However, I can’t help but wonder how much more depth the book could have had if she’d limited the plot line just a bit.
- Lastly, I can’t figure out the exact audience this is intended for. It’s labeled as YA, but there are two relatively descriptive sex scenes (not smut by any means, but a bit more graphic than I’m used to seeing in YA.) I love YA books that go dark places, but the descriptive sex scenes were weird to me and I’d hesitate to add this to my classroom bookshelf solely for that reason.

None of those things kept me from enjoying the book, but they definitely stood out once I processed what I’d read a bit.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own, and will also be shared to my Instagram account (@bookish.901)

I’m the Girl was a unique, fast-paced thriller that didn’t take me long to get into. This queer, coming-of-age thriller is both depressing and riveting, as you follow Georgia, or George, as everyone calls her, into an alluring and captivating world that will both destroy her innocence and make her want to know more.
From start to finish this is a heavy and hard read. You’ll be equally pulled to and frustrated by George, but Summers does an amazing job of writing both a thriller that keeps you guessing and an incredible character driven novel as well.

I really hate to leave negative reviews for Netgalley arcs cuz I generally will only request a book if it’s one I really want, but I did not like this book at all. From the first (intended to be gripping but very) ungripping prologue, I was bored out of my mind.

I loved This is Not a Test. I loved the sequel novella to it just as much. Because of that book, I wanted to keep trying Courtney Summers’ other novels but it has just been one after another of ungripping unexciting poorly plotted thrillers. The Project sounded so cool and I was so hype for it, only to be massively disappointed when I actually read it. Tried again with Sadie and didn’t even make it a quarter through the book. I think at this point, I can conclude that Courtney Summers’ books just aren’t for me. The writing is eloquent and beautiful. But that’s not what I’m there for when I read for pleasure. I have given above average ratings to mediocrely written books because they had brilliant plots and were unputdownable. I don’t care how prettily a book is written if it is uninteresting to read.

I have made it a goal to never ever not finish an arc, and this was probably the closest I came to not finishing one. Safe to say at this point after this and the previous 2 books I tried, that Courtney Summers’ books just aren’t for me. If you love gripping thrillers and get bored easily, I recommend trying a Freida McFadden book instead. This one probably isn’t for you either.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5 on here)

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

*There are definitely TW for this book so make sure to look those up before reading it.

I went into this book completely blind and I am so glad that I did. Summers takes the readers for a wild ride and won’t let you off. The story is captivating and details the struggles of wanting something so much that you become blind to what is going on around you. Summers does an amazing job at depicting a powerful Aspera world that not only rules an entire town but also has so many powerful players in their pockets. It’s a world where power, money, and beauty are the rulers and what some people will do to get into this world.

This book will suck you in and make you contemplate life and how realistic this story can be at times. Overall, I highly recommend this book but if you have triggers, then make sure to not go into the book blind as it can be graphic and horrifying at times.
*
This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This book hit me like an unstoppable force and I know deep in my bones that it has left a permanent imprint that will never leave me.

Georgia is the girl. She knows her place is to be an Aspera Girl. On her way to the beautiful high rolling country club, Aspera, she is hit by a car. When she revives still on the same road, she keeps heading for Aspera but winds up finding a dead body. Not just a dead body, but a girl she knew, Ashley, who was only 13 and just by looking at her Georgia could see she wasn't simply just murdered.

This story breaks apart the whole scenario of a teen, who in this case is a girl but could be anyone, that wants her dreams to come true so badly that she is blinded by the light of those dreams and cannot see what is actually happening to her and around her. This deals with quite a bit of sexual assault to the point that it was hard to read at times. This is a beautifully written story that really leaves an impact but please be aware of the content warnings.

Tw: sexual assault of a minor, unsettling depictions and scenes, violence and murder.

Out September 13, 2022!

I have a lot of problems with this book. It sets out to provide a commentary of social hierarchy and make power yet it doesn’t do that. It doesn’t provide anything new.

It also sets out to be a queer story, yet our main character, Georgia, spends most of the book trying to get male attention because she has goals of being an executive-level worker at the local social club.

The chapters at the beginning are confusing. I spent at least 10 minutes back tracking because I felt like I had missed several chapters, only to realize that, nope. That’s the writing.

I think this could have been good, but ultimately it falls short for me.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Horribly confusing. I had to read other reviews to figure out what was going on. The synopsis made it sound like this was something that it isn't. I loved Sadie, but I've yet to find something else as good from this author.

Courtney Summers has done it again. A raw, powerful, painful portrayal of the world as it really is for girls who don’t fit the roles society tries to squeeze them into. Don’t go into this story unprepared because it is graphic, uncomfortable, and horrifyingly real from page one; please look up comprehensive content warnings.

This book was inspired by the Epstein case. I knew that, but I didn’t know what that meant in context. I knew there was money and parties and sex and drugs, but I didn’t know what that meant.

Georgia was so believably naive. She’s not horror-movie stupid, even as she makes decisions that make a reader go “no why would you do that??” - she’s so vulnerable, so desperate. Every turn of the page paints her in even more vivid detail, setting her up for disaster.

And then there’s Nora. Nora who is the wrath to Georgia’s envy. Even though she’s not nearly as present in the story, we can’t forget her once she’s been introduced. But make no mistake, it’s Georgia’s story. She’s the girl, after all.

Summers’s visceral telling and the audiobook narrator’s heartbreaking portrayal (the sheer number of times she makes her voice crack in a desperate, emotional moment) weave together to create a story you will never forget.

DNFing at 42%. I really enjoyed Sadie by the same author and saw some positive reviews, so I was excited to start I’m the Girl. I understood the book’s commentary on social classes, but I found the MC to be very annoying. Her obsession with Aspera grew really tiresome, and I couldn’t connect with her. YA books can be really hit or miss for me, and unfortunately this was a miss.