Prepare yourself because this book touches on some major heavy topics. It was so well-written and touches on real life issues. I hadn't read books by Courtney Summers prior to this, but I will now. Everything was so well done and emotional in a way that I wasn't anticipating.

I gave this a four out of five stars. It’s hard to say I enjoyed this because of the heavy topics. It can be triggering at many times. Trigger warning for: loss of parents, murder, car accident, under age seducing an older man, etc.

*Arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.*

**Trigger Warning: I’m the Girl contains rape, child pornography, murder, alcohol abuse, drug use, and grooming.**

I’m the Girl is a story both heartbreaking and gruesome about growing up in a world that is dark and dangerous. Georgia Avis is such an unlikeable character but not because she is poorly written, on the contrary Courtney Summers took me right back to high school with her character. Georgia is every girl I knew growing up and even a little bit of myself. She’s just a kid who wants better than what the adults in her life have told her she’s capable of. She’s discovering her body and how despite it physically being hers it is perceived as something else entirely to the men around her. Coming to terms with your body and sexuality is enough for the average teenager to deal with but throw in finding the dead body of a thirteen-year-old girl and you’re bound to be a mess.

While reading this I knew almost instantly after the character was introduced who killed Ashley and why. I also knew why Georgia’s mother felt the way she felt about certain things and people. There were times where I just wanted to scream at Georgia to open her eyes to everything around her, but I remember being that young, and stubborn thinking I knew everything. It’s painful to see someone even fictitious make such harmful choices for themselves and not even realize how serious the situation could be/is. Sadly, in a world where people are now judging their self-worth by interaction on social media it’s all too easy to see how events in this book happen in real life every day. The story really made me draw parallels to the Epstein/Maxwell case, and Weinstein abuse.

If you can get through the very heavy subject matter I'm the Girl is a great story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This unfortunately didn't capture my attention as much as I wanted. It ended up being a forgettable read.

Georgia wants to be an Aspera Girl, a pretty girl catering to the rich guests staying at Aspera. Her brother Tyler, who takes care of Georgia,  doesn’t want her to work there at all. Their mother used to work at Aspera as a housekeeper, but she was fired and, for some reason, this is coloring Tyler’s opinion about Georgia's new job, which is as a digital concierge. He is further worried for his sister because she discovered the body of Ashely James, a local missing teen, on the road to Aspera. Georgia and Nora, the sister of the dead teen, seem determined to uncover what happened to Ashley, potentially placing the girls in danger. Can they uncover the truth, or will they become victims themselves?

I’m the Girl went back and forth for me. I liked the mystery within the novel, but there are some topics that could be triggers for some. To me it felt as though I’m the Girl functions as a commentary on society and the way life is for those who have versus those who do not, as well as what benefits come with fame or power. It is an intense novel with some intense characters. It was a tale that kept me hooked, but at times I was annoyed by the characters and the positions that they put themselves in. I did like the Sadie Easter egg in this novel, which makes me curious if there were others that I missed.

Although I loved the idea behind the book I did not love the execution. I wish there had been more of a focus on the murder.

3.5 stars!

When 16 year-old Georgia Avis finds the dead body of 13 year-old Ashley James after narrowly being hit by a car, she feels compelled to investigate with Ashley's older sister Nora. Drawn by her want to get out of her small town, she is lured into a world of privilege, wealth and power.

I think part of what makes this book so hard to rate is also what makes it a very hard read with important topics. This book was at times physically difficult to read because of the terrible things happening in this book. I do think an issue this book had was in the marketing. It did not read like a thriller or mystery. It was also marketed as being LGBTQIA+ and although there was a sapphic relationship, I wanted it to be more prevalent. A lot of people don't like Georgie's POV and choices, but at the end of the day it's important to realize that she is just 16 and completely out of her depths. I do like Sadie by Courtney Summers a lot, but unfortunately did not feel like this lived up to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Though at first glance, I'm the Girl seems like a murder mystery, at its heart this book is a deeply powerful and timely coming of age story that explores what it means to be a young woman. Unflinching and beautifully written, Courtney Summers has once again proven that she is a master of the thriller, taking us inside the mind and hearts of nuanced complicated characters.

2.5 stars if I'm being generous

I was really disappointed by I'm the Girl, because I loved Courtney Summers' other books. However I felt like the composition of the book was not coherent enough, and there were just things that were missing.

The hint of a good story was there, but I felt like it wasn't quite teased out. The pacing was off, with the first part going on for forever and the second part being rushed. Summers was clearly trying to give a way only small amounts of information to keep the reader guessing, but instead I felt confused and removed from the story. Because it took me 15 or 20% of the book before I felt like I actually understood the events that had occurred as the set up to the rest of the book, I was not able to immerse myself in the story or understand George's world. I wasn't able to feel like I was coming on the journey with her, only that I was a distant observer. Which is fine for some books, but for this book I would have preferred to have that time closer to George, because I was unable to get close to her for the rest of the book.

As to what is missing, I think it is twofold. First, I think it is missing a page-turner mystery. Yes, there is a mystery. And yes, Georgia, along with Nora, tries to solve it. But the mystery is not driving the first half of the book the way it should. As I already said, the first half drags, and part of that is because there is too much happening that is not the mystery aspect of the book. It's just Georgia doing stuff.

The other thing I feel is missing is any agency in our main character. I think someone else will argue that Georgia did have agency, but from my perspective there was very little. And that is part of the tragedy, isn't it? That she is a victim of the control of those around her. They manipulate her wildly. Maybe if there had been an "after" portion of the book, I would feel like I got more of Georgia's own power. But as it is, I felt that it wasn't there, and that if it had been there it would have improved the book.

The themes in this book are really important. It's about power and sexual abuse and grooming and the way the rich and powerful continue to exploit young girls. I was left wondering who exactly this book is for, but I think that question makes it clear it wasn't for me. I don't wholly want to dissuade anyone who has enjoyed Summers' previous work, I just feel like the composition of the story could have been more effective.

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This an interesting read.. Not my favorite by this author, but still pretty good.. Honestly, I've forgotten a bit of it.

I loved Sadie but this one was really hard to read. Lots of grooming/sexual abuse/exploitation, etc. It wasn’t for me.

Excellent psychological thriller by a great author. It kept me guessing. I was disappointed by the ending because it felt like it left the entire plot just hanging.

This was not an easy read, and while the author tried to throw in some surprises, I found it somewhat predictable. Sixteen year old Georgia is naive, as most 16 year olds are. But a lot of her naivety has to do with the truth being withheld from her. She aspires to be an Aspera girl, and finds herself in some unpleasant situations along the way. The ending fell flat for me. This book just didn’t quite work for me.

Well I wanted this to be the sapphic romance thriller of my dreams and it wasn't quite that. It was fine. Quite dark for a YA, in my opinion, I read a lot of adult and a lot of YA and some of the content in here. definitely would be a lot for the average teenage reader, I think. There were also a lot of elements going on that I'm not sure always worked together. This made it confusing sometimes but I will say that I did kind of guess what was going to happen after a while and was even surprised when I was actually right. It was a short read which was nice because it mostly kept the pacing consistent. The main characters were pretty good, though I wouldn't say they were necessarily memorable. Overall, I think this was a good read for what it was. It wasn't perfect, but as far as thrillers go, it was pretty alright and I'd probably read this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers tells the heartbreaking story of Georgia Avis, a local sixteen-year-old girl who lives in a seemingly normal town, who finds the body of a young girl in the woods that has been killed. Unfortunately, Georgia came across the scene right as the perpetrator was leaving, and they hit her with their car, knocking her unconscious and unable to remember any events from the day.

As the town goes on high alert and the investigation begins, Georgia is working through her own trauma of finding the girl and the guilt she feels not being able to help law enforcement with her memory loss. She tries to get "back to normal" by taking a job at Aspera, a local elite club, where she has always dreamed of working. It's the perfect position for her, until it's not, and Georgia finds herself thrown into a world or money and greed and power at such a young age. As she tries to navigate this new world, Georgia realizes that the people at Aspera are more involved in the investigation than she thinks, and tries her best to help find out what's really going on behind closed doors.

This book is in the YA genre, but it had a ton of adult content in it that was difficult for me to read at age 30. I would recommend this one to readers 18&up for sure. This book involves grooming and sexual assault that you need to prepare yourself for before reading. It's difficult to get through, but books like these are necessary because we have to keep working towards a world where people believe sexual assault survivors and the perpetrators are brought to light and punished accordingly.

I had a hard time categorizing this book because I didn't think it was really a thriller or a romance. I'm honestly not sure what I would call it, but I do know there were very confusing parts where I would have to go back and read because there wouldn't be any indication of which character was speaking. I also thought that the conclusion and investigation ending were rushed and a little underwhelming. It was such a huge reveal and I wish there was more of a wrap-up at the end.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to a friend. Thank you again to NetGalley, Courtney Summers, and St. Martin's Press for letting me read it!

This was a decent read, I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. It did fall a little flat for me though.

Having read many of Courtney Summers' work, this one was perhaps my least favorite. I felt the story was so stretched out and vague that not many big things happened and then it sort of...ended. The ending was predictable and overall, the main character I found to be very naive, even for a young adult.

Nope nope nope.

From the description, it sounds like it is going be a mystery, but it's clear what is going on in this book very early, so much so that it is unbearably frustrating how willfully ignorant the main character is behaving. And I knew that this book would probably be dark, but it is GRAPHIC. It is supposed to feel uncomfortable, and I know the juxtaposition between how the reader sees the scenes vs the protagonist's interpretation is intentional, but it goes too far, to the point where it feels like the plot is reveling in the abuse of this young girl.

This book is marketed for teens, and I'm not ever one to advocate for censoring or restricting reading materials, but even I would not intentionally give this book to a teenager. Who was this written for?

To summarize: minimal plot, graphic sexual abuse, repetitive writing. Would not recommend.

Anyone who has read Summers' previous work know that she is not one to shy away from writing stories focusing on difficult subject matter. I'm The Girl is no exception.

This bold, hard hitting and timely thriller follows sixteen year old Georgia after she discovers the lifeless body of a young teen girl in the woods. She teams up with the victim's older sister to track down the killer before he strikes again.What Georgia finds out might reveal more than she's ready to confront.

A truly powerful story by a masterful storyteller giving a voice to those seldom heard. Summers' writing flows so effortlessly that you're pulled in from the start and are gasping for air until the very last page. I finished this one with tears streaming down my face so be warned that it may do the same for you.

Please be sure to check trigger warnings due to the subject matter in this one. If you are one that appreciates an atmospheric, boundary pushing female narrative, and stories that will stick with you long after you are finished reading be sure not to miss this!!

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers is absolutely gripping and will have you flipping the pages at record speed. A book centered around one vicious world ruled by money and power. This book is so thought provoking.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, St Martin Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review in exchange for my honest review. My favorite reading experience is reading along with the audiobook. It truly brings the story to life for me and I couldn’t have binged this story any faster.

This book is full of hard topics. I suggest checking for trigger warnings before going into this one. Sexual assault and grooming being the BIGGEST of these. It was hard to read at times but beautifully written if that makes sense.
This book was painful but such a great powerful read.