Courtney Summers does it again! Her writing style is so unique and heartbreaking, it makes all of her books so special.

Georgia Avis lives in a small town with her older brother fighting to make ends meet. Before her mother passed, she made Georgia promise her that she’d never become an Aspera Girl.

After a string of events that leaves Georgia feeling vulnerable and alone, Matthew and Cleo take her into Aspera, a resort/club for the ultra wealthy.

This story overlaps with Georgia’s befriending of Nora, a girl who’s sister was brutally murdered. Georgia and Nora look for answers, since Georgia is the one that finds the body and is left with the whole traumatic event hanging over her head.

It’s Courtney Summers so I knew this would destroy me emotionally and it did and I welcomed it.
This book is both engrossing and horrific in equal measure. The chapters are often short and blur together like a fever dream, allowing you to sink into a reading session and find yourself spat out three hours and half the book later. It’s easy to get sucked into and also extremely hard to read, in that it doesn’t flinch away from the horrible gory details of privilege, abuse of power, and abuse in general, especially when it’s all filtered through the voice of a precocious sixteen year old girl who thinks she knows everything and can’t see what older and more experienced readers clock immediately as depravity. But because of that it’s necessary to hold up those violations and horrors and as the book itself says, refuse to accept it.

And I will say, because this is a mighty low bar, I think the very ending was slightly happier than I’ve come to expect from Summers, all things considered.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t mesh well with the narrative.

The chapters are too long and it leaves the narrative really messy. There’s a lot of breaks where naturally a chapter should end but it doesn’t. Sometimes there’s a break but no time has really passed so there shouldn’t be a break.

The prologue, which kind of jumps around takes up ten percent of the entire book. So when you reach “Part One,” you’re kind of left feeling like okay what did I just read then? And the book is at 65% when you reach “Part Two.”

It just wasn’t for me, but it has an interesting concept.

I went back and forth with what I should rate this, ultimately I ended with a 4. I've had this book to read for over a month and kept starting it and putting it down. I just couldn't find myself being interested in the first few chapters. But, buuuut once I actually sat down and read it, it was great.

After reading Sadie and LOVING it, I had high hopes for what the author called a "spiritual successor". I think it was a success!

*I received an ARC copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

"I'm the Girl" is a story of beauty and power, and the power that can come with beauty, but also the abuse and manipulation that beauty can trigger. When she was thirteen, Georgia Avis ran away from home after a fight with her mother. She is found by Matthew Hayes, the owner and operator of Aspera, an exclusive resort for the rich and powerful outside of Ketchum, Idaho. Matthew tells Georgia that she is beautiful and that when she is older, if someone else does not discover her first, she should be an Aspera Girl. Her mother, who works housekeeping at Aspera and knows what the resort is really like, does not want Georgia associated with Aspera. However, Georgia is now sixteen, her mother has passed away, and Georgia's beauty and naivety resulted in her involvement in a modeling scam that cost her brother and guardian, Tyler, $4000 (that she stole from him to pay for modeling photos).

The modeling scam is the first instance in the story of how her beauty is used to violate her -- the photographer slowly but steadily makes her feel comfortable taking more flirtatious photos than ending up being rather risqué and inappropriate for someone her age.

Her efforts to rectify her mistake result in someone running her bike off the road and stealing the photos, but also result in her finding the body of a missing girl, Ashley James, and once again being "rescued" by the Hayes, this time, by Matthew's wife, Cleo. The incident also gives her the opportunity to realize her dream of being an Aspera Girl (in part, because working at Aspera will allow her to earn the money to repay her brother much faster than any other job available to her). However, instead of becoming an Aspera Girl, she is an Aspirant, and is shunted into an office job as a digital concierge. This is not at all what she expected or wanted, but the Hayes have taken a special interest in her, which will open her up to various opportunities and experiences, not all of them positive. Georgia's interactions/relationships with the Hayes, and with Nora James, Ashley's older sister, will help her discover the power that her beauty provides her, and how she can craft her own narrative and own that power for positive results (Nora), but also how wealth and privilege can rob her of the power that beauty can bring. "I'm the Girl" is an intense story exploring important and difficult themes.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Unfortunately I just don’t think this author is for me.

I felt like the plot never came together and things were disjointed.

I honestly think this is more a me problem than the book - I think most will like this, but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the E-Arc of I'm the Girl. Courtney Summers has established herself as a gifted writer who can create characters that jump off the page and that is exactly what happens in I'm the Gir.

This is the perfect thriller which also speaks to the hidden world of beauty and power and lies.

Another home run by Summers!

"What did Georgia's mom do?" This is the question I kept asking myself as I was reading Courtney Summer's newest "I'm The Girl."

Set in the town of Ketchum, the novel starts with a murder of 13 year old Ashley James who is found on the side of the road by Georgia Avis. In that moment, Georgia is hit and injured as well, leading the reader to question if the two incidents are connected. Georgia later learns she was saved that night by Cleo Hayes, wife of Aspera executive Matthew Hayes. What ensues is Georgia's desire to be an "Aspera Girl" (the elite female staff members at the Aspera facility) even if it comes at the cost of her life. The structure of the novel builds to the moment where Georgia finally learns about her mother's actions and its relation to Aspera.

This book is timely. There is so much to unpack here about corruption of power and how privilege can mask the darkest of secrets. While the story is fiction, this could just as easily have been anyone's story in today's day. The story itself is a reflection of our society, especially how girls can be too vulnerable or naive in certain situations.

Side note: As a fan of Courtney Summer's work, I LOVED when she mentioned Sadie as an Oscar nominee in the novel. I would love to see this happen in real life!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers. I read Sadie by this author and loved it as I loved this one. This is a stunningly gripping novel with lots of twists of turns, following the main character Georgia Avis. I loved this one, and I hope you will too!

Unfortunately, Courtney Summers' writing style just isn't for me and it took me reading three books by her to realize this!

I won't be giving a full review because honestly I just don't think the book is for me, but I know so many people love her. I just feel disconnected and almost like I'm reading in a second language for some reason.

Book: I’m The Girl
Author: Courtney Summers
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC.

Courtney Summers is quickly becoming one of my favourite YA authors. She writes these books about girls who are put in rather bad situations. These situations are something that could happen to anyone. She makes them feel real and gets you thinking. This book is no different. We follow Georgia, who has been scammed. She took four thousand dollars from her brother because she has been told by the photographer that she is beautiful and can make something of herself. Her mother has died her brother, Tyler, is raising her. She has heard of Aspera, which is where her mother used to work and was fired for unknown reasons. She is drawn to it. Tyler does not want her there and will not tell her why. Then, she finds the body of Ashley James and ends up teaming up with Nora, Ashley’s older sister. She quickly discovers that the rich will do anything to protect their own.

This book deals with the ultra-rich and being used by them. Georgia is the girl from “the wrong side of the tracks.” She is beautiful and wants more. She believes that people, such as her brother and, previously, mother, are just holding her back. She knows she deserves a better life and wants it-no matter what the costs are. She gets a summer job at Aspera. She is now with the rich and famous. She is now mixing with those who rule her town and even a little bit further. She sees all of the glamour of their lives and wants it. Law enforcement golfs there and is wrapped around its little finger. Movie makers come there on vacation. It is truly an insight into the rich and famous. However, there is more to it than that. Behind the glamour, there is a dark world, which Georgia discovers. She learns that money and beauty bring power. With this, they will protect their own, even at the expense of others. She thought that she belonged there and that they cared about her. She learns that she was just another tool in their sick and twisted game.

This gives us a lot of insight into Georgia’s character. She is young. You can tell that she is a teenager and acts like one, which is something that I like about this book. Many times in YA, you have teenage characters who don’t act like teenagers. She is naïve, which is how she can be led astray so easily. She is flawed, which allows readers to latch onto her. She is lonely and sad. All of this allows her decisions to make total sense. She wants to feel special and seen. She wanted to be loved and valued. She wants someone in her life who is there for her. Tyler is there, but she doesn’t see that. She sees him, like so many teenagers, as someone who is just in her way and holding her back. She doesn’t see that he does want to protect her. She has built up this world in her mind and believes that Aspera can give her this world. When Tyler tries to tell her otherwise, she just writes him off as not knowing what he is talking about. She does feel like a real teenage girl. If you decide to pick the book up, you will see this.
The writing made everything feel real too. If you have read anything by Courtney, then you know what I am talking about. While I was reading this book, I felt like I was there with the characters and taking it all in. Like Georgia, there were times that I didn’t understand what the issue was with Aspera. It seemed like a nice place. Why? Because we were seeing the world through Georgia’s eyes. We were only seeing what Georgia saw and what she wanted us to see. We slowly peel back the layers and start to see the ugly truth. We are given the truth bit by bit as Georgia figures it out. We see all of the ugliness, lies, and horrors that come along with a place like Aspara. This slow reveal is what, I believe, makes the book work. We don’t get all of our information at once and have to work through the world, much like Georgia.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. The only reason I am giving it four stars is that I felt like the ending was just a bit too rushed for my liking.

I end by saying that this one is for older teens. It deals with murder, rape, rape of a child, sexual assault, and harassment. Some of it is very detailed.

This book comes out on September 13, 2022.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/CZp8qVST1NM

this is a book that’s really hard for me to rate. its not a 5 stars as in “i love the characters, the romance was great, mystery well done, i enjoyed reading it & couldn’t put it down”.

no, this is not that type of 5 stars. at least not to me.

going into this book, you knows it going to be horrendous. i’ve been keeping up with what courtney posts about this book, including marilyn monroe’s influence on this book.

so i think mostly, you need to know every single dirty detail of what this book is about so you don’t go in and feel disoriented and played later. this isn’t a romance. it’s not a mystery either. it’s our fucking world, & it sucks. i wish i could say all of this is unrealistic, no way can can people do things like that & get away scotch free, but it happened. it HAPPENS, every fucking day.

i read many reviews stating how dumb georgia was, even characters in the book calling her it. and i think what people don’t understand is, coming from the fact i’m georgia’s age right now, our life, what we see, what we hear, it rules us. even as a lesbian, you can see how much the male gaze haunts georgia. the length she will go just so she’ll feel beautiful, wanted, desired, love, not knowing that without those men, she can still be all of the above. it hurts reading this, as i see a lot of myself in her character. you can be aware and still played a fool, and it’s always the people the closest to you, the adults were supposed to trust, who promise us safety.

it’s a hard read. anyone with a right mind wouldn’t be able to read this and think “well that was fun.” it’s reminds me a lot of lolita, a book that’s so glamorized for the aesthetic that the true meaning goes away. books like these you can appreciate it, the message, what it’s spreading and showing it’s audience without glorifying it. because this book was fucked. 100% fucked.

you’ll think being in georgia’s pov will get you to understand why she she reacts the way she does. you’ll understand without victim blaming, but atlas, many people will fail to see how the world around us, shapes us. the internet, what we devour on tv, our relationships-or non existent relationships with our parents. every. single. thing. matters. georgia isn’t a dumb character. she’s not an idiot who’s willing to do whatever it is she needs to feel worth it.

she’s a girl. like me. like so many others. young, naive, hopeful, too kind, trusting. throughout this all, after everything, she’s still just a girl.

this book has many triggers (death of a parent, cancer, sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia) just to name some from the top of my head. so please go into this with an open mind, it’s messy from the beginning, to the end.

and yeah maybe it’s not what you wanted, you want the character to fight & get justice, but like this books shows you, sometimes it not worth it. doesn’t mean you should give up, never give up. you don’t always have to face things all by yourself, which leads on to the significance of nora’s character. yes she’s a love interest, the sister of the deceased, a messy by all means & raw character.

but nora to me is another girl. a girl who sees. a girl who will never stop wanting justice for the others around her. nora the type of character georgia isn’t, they were raised differently, loved differently. georgia went through things nora can imagine for sure obviously, but never went through herself. it’s easier as a nora to fight, but sometimes us georgia’s can’t, and we need a nora to help us along.

it’s not a love story, no. there’s love, and there’s definitely hate, but above all its hope. this book will leave you feeling angry, disappointed, maybe even unsatisfied. but to me, it left me with hope. with everything going on in the world right now, with roe v wade being overturned, men being praised for the bare minimum, their acts left unaccounted, it’s gives me hope. maybe that’s dumb, look at how we’re going backwards, how can one hope in times like this? but it does, and i’m not a believer, but like i said, with nora’s character, maybe we won’t get justice, maybe they’ll continue to walk away scotch free, it’s more than likely they will. but there hope in being heard, believed, loved. having a hand to hold, to tell you they’ll fight even if you don’t.

i honestly didn’t imagine writing this long of a review, i was going to write simply “what the fuck was this?” and call it a day, and even if no one sees this, i want to write from my pov, from another young scared girl. maybe some adults think these types of books shouldn’t be read by people my age who can’t handle it, but many things happens to us as kids, teens, the ages where we can’t handle it. we shouldn’t have to be able to handle these types of things, but a lot do. they live it, it happens. you cant hide anyone from the pains & horrors of this world, but you can warn them, & help them. and i think this book would be a good read for people in need of that. its definitely not a book i’ll be revisiting any time soon, i need to clear my head and like i said this isn’t a 5 stars read that’s rated highly because it’s enjoyable, a book i could read over and over again. it’s none of the above. it’s triggering, it’s nasty, it’s brutal, but it’s real. there a georgia in all of us, a nora, an ashley.

but one thing i do want to point out though is that, yes it’s a man’s world, this books shows you the painful truth of that. but unlike what many are forced to believe, who give up on believing in anything else, it doesn’t mean we have to live in it. we don’t have to abide by anyones rules but our owns.

if you made it to the end of this long ass review, let me tell you if no one else told you today that you’re loved, you’re beautiful, you’re needed, you’re valued, you’re WORTH IT.

thank you netgalley & st martin’s. press/wednesday books for allowing me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I read Sadie a couple years back, Courtney Summers has always been an author who I'm constantly looking out for. Summers really takes these dark subject matters and really shines a spotlight on them, even if they're the most despicable, disturbing aspects which the average person could barely stomach. And, oh boy, did she really shine the light for this one.

I'm the Girl is, quite blatantly, about the patriarchy, of how men in influential positions wield their power in order to gain favor with the authorities and take advantage of young women, one of those being our protagonist Georgia.

Georgia is put though the ringer throughout the story. Not only is she hit by a car right at the beginning, but everyone around her takes advantage of her naiveté and her desperation for to be loved in one way or another, some of which gets incredibly sickening and why any one who readers this should really consider the content warning the book gives. Despite her determination to prove herself, it was frustrating to see her get trapped in these situations because I wanted so badly for her to get out. But it's easy to forget that Georgia is just sixteen, a minor whose brain is far from being fully developed. She's so convinced she can make these decisions because she looks so grown-up; shouldn't she makes choices like a grown-up, too?

In other words, there will be no victim-blaming Georgia here. Otherwise, I'll be throwing some virtual hands on here.

I know I'm being incredibly vague, but it's only because it's better for anyone who wants/can handle to read this to jump in blind and try to hold on as tightly as they can. It's disturbing and ugly, but it's also beautifully written and incredibly raw in its portrayal of the twisted reality we inhabit.

In typical Courtney Summers fashion, this book is a raw and unflinching look at how girls are perceived by the world, and how that shapes how young girls see themselves. It's a fast-paced, addictive read, with a really engaging voice, but definitely look at the content warnings if you have triggers, because this one is dark. The protagonist makes a lot of bad choices but it's very authentic to the age she is, and ultimately makes her growth through the story more compelling.

I had high hopes for this one because I loved Sadie….
But this just wasn’t for me. I felt the plot was poorly written and at times confusing to follow

All I can say is that this book is just as beautifully and thoughtfully written as all of Courtney’s other books. Thought-provoking and very much of it’s time.

This book was fantastic. Twisty and creepy, it was so raw. I really love the way the story was crafted—Courtney Summers is a crazy talented writer. The subject matter centers around violence towards women, and while I appreciate the story being told, and the prose was woven in such a way that the horrible and the hopeful were intertwined so tightly, it was still difficult to read in parts.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this book! All words and opinions here are my own.

very good book about a girl who finds love and working and trying to solve a mystery about a girl. loved the place that she worked, reminded me of something but I couldn't place it. Overall a good story.

This was sooooo good! I loved Sadie and The Project. This book was different but still awesome. I liked the fast pace and twisty plot, highly recommend. Thank you for the ARC.

If there's anything I've come to expect from Courtney Summers it's a slightly disturbing, but completely gripping read - and I'm The Girl is no different. Summers' writing is completely engrossing and the plot is so fast paced I did want to put this book down!

I'm The Girl follows Georgia who discovers the body of a dead girl on the side of the road and gets swept up in the investigation. Throughout the book Georgia forms a relationship with Nora, the sister of the girl that was killed. Nora is obsessed with finding her sister's killer and as the two grow closer Georgia is determined to help her. At the same time, Georgia has begin working at the town's exclusive resort Aspera - where she begins to suspect that the power players there might have been involved in the murder.

I really enjoyed this book! It was the definition of a page turner and Summers' definitely succeeded in creating a tense atmosphere. I was on my toes trying to put the pieces together and she was able to keep me guessing throughout. My only criticism is that the ending felt very rushed, and in my opinion lacking a satisfying conclusion. While we do get the answers we've been waiting for I wish we had fleshed out more of the consequences and what would come next. I would still recommend though!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!