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.

I want first think the publishers, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this as an Arc for an honest review. This is marked at YA because of the characters age but this has very mature content, and I would not recommend it for a young teen.

I'm honestly sad to say this was only a 3.5 for me. I love Courtney Summers, as an author, and this is my 3rd book by her. I read and loved Sadie last year but this one hits a little different for me.

This book has a couple scenes that made me feel extremely uncomfortable, and while I do think that's the point it felt like a lot.

Georgia, is a 16 year-old girl that wants to work at Aspera which is essentially a country club for the rich and powerful. Growing up her mother worked there, and that was the last thing she wanted for Georgia. In an effort to be seen as "good enough" at Aspera she get some adult photos taken by a modeling agency she finds at the mall.

On her way to deliver the photos to Aspera though she gets in some trouble and ends up finding more then she bargained for.

If you don't want any spoilers I would stay away from my next comment but if you want trigger warnings they are below.

Rape, murder, drug overdose, workplace sexual harassment, there is a few scenes that Georgia has relations with her boss which is where I really started to feel uncomfortable.

At the end of the day, I think this book challenged me in the way that it was supposed to and I'm still very excited to read Courtney Summers other books, but this one was a little bit of a miss for me. Also a side note I would love to read some of her books that followed a new adult or adult!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2 stars.
This book took me forever to get through. I would have missed the deadline had it not been extended. I’m a fan of Courtney Summers and I enjoy a meandering book. However meandering with an unlikeable character was not fun. She wasn’t despicable enough for me to love to hate but wasn’t enjoyable enough to want to know more. It feels like everything just sorta happens to Georgia. She’s not an active participant in the plot. It was to the point where it wasn’t even suspenseful I was just annoyed waiting for answers. Is the book the worst thing I’ve ever read? No, but’s not very good either. I ended up skimming the last 15% of the book just to finish it.

Georgia is unfortunate to find missing Ashley James dead body. She teams up with her older sister, who she has always crushed on, to investigate and find the killer.

If you’re a fan of Sadie, you’ll like this one. I actually enjoyed it a bit more. It’s got the same dark, female empowerment feel to the story. It’s hard to read at times, especially if you have Jeffrey Epstein in your head like I did. I loved the naivety and innocence of the main character but it was like watching a bad accident about to happen… You know what’s coming and want to look away.

“Because this world is made by men. Beauty is decided by them. And power is held only by them. And there’s nothing you can do about any of it.”

I’m the Girl comes out 9/13.

Courtney Summers writes books that are haunting, realistic and raw. I'm the Girl is no exception to this. Georgia Avis dreams of becoming a model and getting out of her life of poverty. She discovers Ashley James' body after being hit by a car. Georgie works with Ashley sister, Nora, to figure out who killed Ashley and what is happening as Aspera, an exclusive club outside of town.

In true Courtney Summers fashion this book is intense, without a guaranteed happily ever after. This book deals with a lot of different things, and I found myself having to take breaks while reading because of the uncomfortable feelings and topics discussed. While these topics were uncomfortable, they are also necessary in the world today. Courtney Summers always makes me think, and this story was no different.

The book is totally narrated by Georgie, and the author did a great job writing this character. I did not like Georgie all the time, and did not agree with many of the decisions she made, but even then I found the story compelling.

This book is evocative and moving and an eerie read. Please be sure to check content warnings if you need them, as there are many in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

This book is hard to review without giving anything away.

Georgia Avis is 16 and she's been dreaming of working for Aspera, a wealthy resort for VIP members, ever since Matthew Hayes, its owner, told her she was beautiful when she was 13.

Her life changes the day she's hit by a car and discovers the body of Ashley James, the Sheriff's 13 year old daughter near the resort. The Hayes take her under their wing and she's finally joins the Aspera Staff and an Aspirant. She soon becomes aware that she hast he kind of beauty that can help her escape poverty and learns to navigate the power that comes with it.

On her days off, along with Ashley's sister Nora, she tries to uncover the mystery surrounding Ashley's death and her own accident. It's not long before Georgia finds out how hard the world can be and how some choices are not as easy as she thought.

This queer mystery/thriller drew me in from the first chapter. There are hard but important topics in this book so please check TW. In my opinion, this is not a YA novel but a New Adult fiction.

4 stars - I still have questions after reading this book but I think this is what the author intended. Recommended to people who likes a fast paced thought provoking thriller.

Georgia Avis wants more from life. She feels she deserves more and is determined to have more no matter the stakes. To Georgia, the epitome of making it is to become an “Aspera girl”. Aspera is an elite resort for the rich and famous surrounding by mystery and secrets. When Georgia is offered a job there, the secrets begin to unravel.

I love Courtney Summers books. I love how she tackles difficult subjects and brings them to light. I wanted to love this book. I did not. There were so many plot points that it was very hard to decide how to write a synopsis. Was it about Georgia’s obsession with the resort and the people who run it? Was it the fact Georgia found the dead body of a 13 year old girl and trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her? Was it about trying to spotlight a young girl’s naïveté and thereby unable to see the dangers that lurked around her? I don’t know! It was all those things and didn’t do any of them particularly well. It was too disjointed and because of that nothing really resolved. As for character development, there was none. Georgia wandered in and out of so many traumatic experiences seemingly learning nothing from any of them. She became very trying.

The blurb for this book says it’s about Georgia and her friend trying to find out what happened to her friend’s sister. To me this was secondary. In my opinion, it was more about Georgia fulfilling her dreams no matter the cost and sometimes stumbling upon something about the murder case, usually by being in situations from very poor decision making.

Another reviewer wrote that the entire book was a giant trigger warning and I agree. They were all represented, rape, child molestation, grooming, human trafficking, murder, suicide, drug use, classism and more. For me, the book needed more cohesion. As I said I have loved Summers other books but this one, for me, was just too all over the place.

*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This is a damn good queer thriller. And while it won't leave you guessing, you still won't be able to put it down. It has 2 of my favorite topics for a thriller - rich people behaving badly and cultlike locations - but seen through a myopic lens of a teenager who wants nothing more than to feel wanted. This girl is abused, assaulted, and never thinks once that she doesn't deserve it. Courtney Summers masterfully writes Georgia's story through all of this pain and it left me feeling numb. This book hits harder than most. Trigger warnings for assault, rape, pedophilia, and the like...

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Unfortunately, this one wasn't my cup of tea, but it might be yours! It's been getting great reviews otherwise.