My biggest problem with I'm the Girl is that I'm not really sure who this book is for. It's VERY clearly inspired by the Jeffrey Epstein revelations, and as a result the final "reveal" feels extremely predictable. Because of this, reading it as an adult, the teenage protagonist feels naive to the point of stupidity, and I had a hard time engaging with the book because of that. Maybe if I were reading it as a teenager, she'd feel more believable, but the subject matter seems really inappropriate for a teen--I certainly wouldn't recommend this book to anyone below college age. So I don't really know who the target audience is. I did finish it, but I pretty much skimmed the last half of the book. I also felt pretty let down by the ending. I've liked Courtney Summers in the past, but this one was a miss for me.

Absolutely incredible! I didn't think Courtney Summers could top her last book, but she somehow did it. It's absolutely creepy and thought-provoking. I can't wait for everybody to read it!

Thank you first off to Netgalley and Wednesday books for a digital copy for review.

I’m so sad that this was just OK for me. Most of the time I was confused about what was going on and how it all connected. By the time the end came I just didn’t care about the reveal. I almost DNFed at 75%.

I was loving the Dynamic between Georgia and Nora though. I just thought everything else was just bizarre and boring.

DNF @ 40%. I'm just not gripped. After Sadie I thought Courtney Summers was an autobuy but it turns out that was a one hit wonder and I haven't actually enjoyed any of her other books 😭

I'm a long-time Courtney Summers fan, but both this book and her last work have left me feeling... cold. I struggled to feel engaged with the story in I'm the Girl, which is not a problem I ever had with Sadie or Some Girls Are. Summers has always been an expert at writing angry unlikable girls, but I didn't connect with Georgia the way I connected with her past protagonists.

Part of it, I think, may be due to the disorienting nature of the book, especially in the beginning when the timeline of events was really unclear to me. This immediately put me at a distance from the narrative. But I also just really dislike it when information is withheld for no good reason other than to prolong the drama.

Summers has a way of writing about the uncomfortable in a way that draws you in and dares you to look away. This one is powerful. George is wrapped up in things she doesn't understand based on things that have carried over from childhood and her relationship with her mom. Wonderful.

I found this book very hard to follow on a basic level in terms of characters and plot, and that made me really resistant to pick it up. I understand cultivating a level of mystery and a dark atmosphere, but when I was about 40% of the way through the book I still didn't have any real idea of what was going on or care very much, I find that kind of a failure on the part of the novel! I know there are teens who want mysteries/thrillers that are darker than what most of YA has on offer, and I will recommend this to them, and I think they'll be more motivated and interested to try and figure this book out that I was.

courtney summers can do no wrong in my humble opinion. this was another heartwrenchingly incredible story that i cant wait for the world to read

This wasn't what I was expecting. I expected a YA thriller with a girl investigating a murder in a wealthy, elite resort. Fun! Not. Georgia is a 16 year old who is obsessed with being an "Aspera girl", a worker at a secretive resort. Her dream comes true, but is more of a nightmare. Shades of Epstein's pedo island here. Huge ick factor in a lot of scenes.

I'm the Girl is one of the most haunting books I've read in recent memory (probably since reading Sadie, to be honest). The story tracks Georgie, a young girl who is coming into her awareness of her own beauty and grappling with what that means in the wider world, but most especially, with the world inside her town and the exclusive club that seems to run every part of it, Aspera.

It is impossible to put this book down once you have started reading it, drawn in by the eerie atmosphere and the heartbreaking narration of Georgie who believes that her beauty is her power despite men routinely taking advantage of it over and over again. Her refusal to see herself as a victim is one of the most devastating parts of the novel, even as the reader can see how badly she has been treated and handled by the men around her.

The murder mystery is handled with extreme care as Georgie and Nora, the sister of the young girl who is murdered, dig into the secrets that surrounded her and how they relate to the men who run the town. It would be easy for this novel to fall into the trap of the two of them solving a murder and finding some catharsis in that, but this novel is more concerned with what it means to be a young woman in a world that is hostile towards us than the solving of the crime.

The book left me devastated and also hopeful. The world doesn't always provide answers, there are no real endings in the world only a continuation. But Georgie and Nora are left with a belief that one day things may change and that has to be enough.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Courtney Summers is great at tackling the hard topics. Summers has a power to create these extremely enigmatic characters who you, and the characters, are drawn to and can't resist learning more about. I unfortunately found this story somewhat confusing to follow- it seemed obvious to me early on but the red herrings just added confusion rather than mystery.

I think a lot of readers will love this book, it just doesn't seem like it was for me.

Georgia finds the dead body of a thirteen old girl and is hit be a car. This is the start of a journey. Georgia is a teenager who thinks she know how to make her life successful. It is to become and Aspera Girl. She doesn't know exactly what that mean but she knows this is her ticket out of her life. What a wave of emotion.
Courtney Summers is an expert in writing about teens. She understand their inner turmoil and uses it to dramatic effect in her books.
I have read just about everyone of her books and would highly recommend any of them. She is truly a great YA author.

Thank you to #netgalley, @WednesdayBooks, @StMartinsPress and @CourtneySummers for this excellent book.
#ImTheGirl

During a summer filled with murder, lust, and riches, 16-year-old Georgia Avis grapples to find her place in the world and will do anything to get to the top.

I’ll start off by saying that I’M THE GIRL by Courtney Summers is full of some intense triggers, so take a look at those before you find yourself picking this one up…

I’M THE GIRL was both haunting and glamorous and gave me some characters to absolutely root for! Summers masterfully created a novel that built in mystery, and had wtf moments galore.

Despite not being able to put this one down and also feeling uncomfortable the entire time (A GOOD THING!), I felt that the connection between the murder and and Georgia’s entrance in the world of the elite could have been better elaborated on. It’s almost like you could feel the unease, and then BAM, everything is revealed, and I wish there was more of a dive into that.

I think a lot of fans of Courtney Summer’s work are going to love this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: September 13, 2022

I really enjoyed reading this book! I honestly can’t believe I have never read anything from this author until this book. The story line felt cohesive, interesting characters (my one criticism is that some characters felt a little flat or shallow), and was engaging.

“I’m the Girl” by Courtney Summers is so good that I prioritized it over working on my college finals this week. From the plot to the characters to the writing style, I loved every part of it, and would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Georgia is a beautiful 16-year-old girl, and she knows the power in that. “I’m the Girl” starts with Georgia getting hit by a car and finding a 13-year-old girl’s dead body. She teams up with the girl’s sister, Nora, to search for the truth, while also beginning a job at Aspera, a resort for the rich and famous, which has its own wealth of secrets.

“I’m the Girl” is described as the spiritual successor to “Sadie,” and the description is apt. There are a number of themes and details the books have in common. Make no mistake, however—“I’m the Girl” stands as an incredible and compelling book all on its own. Summers’ writing is as addictive as always, and her portrayals of teenage girls dealing with tragedy and trauma continue to grab me, pull me in, and break my heart.

This is a book about patriarchy and violence against women, and readers must be prepared for that. As dark as the subject matter was, I was also grateful for the moments of brightness with the romance between Georgia and Nora. It never felt inappropriate for the moment or rushed in its development. Their relationship was excellently written at all stages, and while the romance wasn’t the main focus of the book, it was still one of the best YA romances I’ve read.

One of the core questions explored in this book is this: as a woman living in the patriarchy, do you try to fight it—or do you try to thrive within it? Georgia, ambitious but naïve, struggles hard with this question. One of the most important aspects of this book to me is that Georgia really is just a kid. Her youth is clear as day, so while sometimes I wished she saw the truth of the world around her, it makes sense that she doesn’t. She is a kid who makes mistakes, and I love her for it. Summers writes realistic female protagonists like no other.

“I’m the Girl” is a fantastic queer thriller about girlhood and power that you won’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an ARC of “I’m the Girl” in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be in the minority here, but... this one did NOT click for me like Sadie did. I had high expectations, but honestly this one had me questioning my memory of how much I enjoyed Sadie, it was that bad.

Courtney Summers is hailed as the expert writer of angry, unlikable girls, and that (and the creative format) really drew me in with Sadie, but either she did her job too well in I'm the Girl, or the runaway plot was too distracting for me to ever connect with Georgia. (I think it was a bit of both.)

ALSO, check the trigger warnings on this one dear god it gets intense and graphic ok here we go:

I'll avoid specific spoilers here, but I had three main issues.

1. For a book that focuses on sexism and the patriarchy and women looking for ways to take back control, Georgia spent the entire book as a girl that bad things happened to. She didn't get much character growth of her own, and when she did, it took the backseat to the absolutely batshit insane and overwhelming plot.

2. The entire plot is driven by my last favorite trope: everyone is super secretive about a super simple piece of information that they have no reason NOT to tell the MC besides *drama.* Like.... no spoilers but the things Georgia's family knew about Aspera should have been explicitly told to her well before the book even started.

3. The plot was SO disjointed it was like riding a bike on fire down a hill etc etc. For the first few chapters I honestly thought I missed a chapter and was really confused by the flashbacks and timeline throughout - they didn't create an air of mystery, they were just annoying.

Tldr; I described this to my friend as "A stereotypically pretty girl who is vaguely poor and very naive is put through the Trauma Porn gauntlet. She has a relationship with another stereotypically pretty girl that feels like it was written by a straight person* and I stand by that.

*(Sorry, not assuming anything about the authors sexuality but genuinely it felt like something out of a CW show in the episodes before one or both of them die. Super problematic connotations about queer identity too that are frequent, unrelenting, and never addressed?? Anyone else feel this way or was it just me??)

Courtney Summers, she never disappoints, and this book is no different. In fact, fans of her past books may seem some cameos/mentions. Once again, Summers delivers gritty truths speckled with hope that is empowered by the strength of women.

I was incredibly confused this entire book. I’m sorry but I don’t think this ever delivered on what it was trying to do.

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

Georgia dreams of being an "Aspera Girl" - working at the exclusive resort on the edge of town. Her mother worked there as a housekeeper until her death and wanted Georgia as far away from that place as possible. Georgia interprets this as her mother not thinking she is good enough for the Aspera world and this makes her even more determined to thrive there.

On her way to speak to the owner about the job, she sees a car speeding around and sees that a girl has been dumped on the side of the road. Georgia and the victim's sister, Nora, team up to find out what happened to her. As Georgia gets closer to the inner circle of Aspera, she learns that it's not all that it seems.

I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars. There are a lot of mature topics so I would definitely say it's more for older YA readers.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This YA thriller riveting and disturbing. We follow the protagonist, Georgia after she discovers the dead body of a girl after she herself was hit by a car and left unconscious on the side of the road. The story unravels and Georgia not only learns things about herself, but also about the dead girl and her sister. She learns more about her Mother who is also deceased.

It's a sad narration that I think really examines feminine power versus vulnerabilities through the lens of a coming to age story for a young woman.