This book grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. It's everything you expect from Courtney Summers - dark and raw and dirty counterbalanced with vulnerability and tenderness and quiet, soft moments. It's painful and uncomfortable, while being beautiful and triumphant.

This book hurts, but I wasn't able to look away. I tore through the pages desperate to know what would happen next, all while cringing for what already happened, what was happening, what I knew was surely about to happen.

It will be best to go into this read knowing as little as possible, so I'm leaving this review incredibly vague, but I will advise that if you are someone generally concerned about triggers, you may want to check the warnings because Summers pulls no punches in this one.

I also have to commend Lori Prince on an outstanding audio narration. She conveys emotion like no narrator I've heard before - from softly whispered secrets to screaming, sobbing arguments to voices cracking on confessions - it's all absolutely masterful and fits this emotional roller coaster perfectly.

Lastly, because I know people will come here looking for comparisons to Sadie, this book does feel like an appropriate companion to Sadie while also being very different. Very similar themes and vibes, but with more of the trauma occuring on page and unraveling as a much slower burn. Summers teases us more in this book, which just makes it all hurt so much more. The sapphic romance is another pleasant difference between the two. I think fans of Sadie looking for another twisted ride will be pleased with this one.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of the audiobook.

Brilliant. Harsh. Reality of young women and adolescent girls.
Summers does exactly what is needed today - exposing the lurking dangers for our adolescent girls and young women. Their constant sexualization in media as well as by men. Everywhere. The leering looks. The sense we develop to locate creepy men. The grooming provided by society - reinforcing we are simply here to satisfy men's lurid needs, their perversions.
Georgia Avis is 16 - in debt to her brother to buy the suggestive pictures she posed for with adult men. An underage young woman with older men. Only to have the pictures stolen when hit by a vehicle.
Opening her eyes - Georgia finds herself face to face with Ashely, a 13 yo girl reported missing by her family. She had been raped. Held somewhere for days before murdered.
Georgia lands a job at the local country club - members include wealthy men, actors, and of course local law enforcement.
They educate Georgia about the real world - her purpose regardless of her sexuality, age, their inherit right to her body.

Baker and Taylor recommends this for grades 7th-9th--absolutely not. I'm the last person in the world to shield teenagers from specific content, but there is so much graphic sexual violence, some of which feels gratuitous, and I would absolutely not feel comfortable having that age range read this, especially given the fact that there are NO consequences for anyone in this book. Look, I get the whole idea of writing a story that shows how insidious the world is, especially given everything that's come to light with the metoo movement and some people want to write a story that feels meaningful for young girls/people focusing on that. This was hailed as an examination of power and predatory behavior but there was no examination at all, there was just trauma upon trauma, the (accurate) portrayal of naivety within young girls, with a complete lack of resolution, no moment where it teaches anyone, especially not a young person, something about the world other than graphic trauma.

Nothing about it was even a mystery, the whole story was so predictable, it felt like there was no point to even read it. There were huge issues with character development, plot development, and it felt very tiresome to keep reading about how "beautiful" Georgia knew she was, when she is the epitome of whiteness. I just kept asking myself who these certain stereotypes were serving in the end, and if anyone young reading this would get anything beyond the bare minimum of violence and the reinforcement that whiteness is the goal. This was also marketed as a "queer" novel and it felt like the publisher or author used queer as a way to get people to read it/buy it, yet there was absolutely no substance to that relationship or even the fact that the character was queer at all. She was so obsessed with recognition from people/an organization who focused on her looks, which we're meant to believe is because of her mom thinking she was worthless, yet she has a person who cares about her (for what reason we barely know, there is 0 relationship development between the two other than trauma bonding) and she gets nothing from that at all? I think the author meant to set up a lot of "lessons" about violence, sexual assault, perceived beauty, self-worth, etc, and completely failed to actually write anything that went beyond reinforcing the very ideas she wanted to (I assume) deconstruct.

This was my first Courtney Summers book and I need to read her others…. This thriller had many key themes I enjoy… wealthy people, queer romance, murder mystery and thought provoking for many reasons. I listened to this in a day… needing to know what was happening! Summers has anew fan over here

An alright mystery/thriller that will be entertaining for teens. It was a little predictable and the main character was slightly irritating to me. Not a bad story, but I liked “Sadie” better.

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.

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.

This book was the icing on the cake. It was amazing and delicious. Courtney summers has you on the edge of your seat again and im on awe. It was so much better than the project but felt a little on sadie side and i highly enjoyed that book the characters were well liked in my opinion so i cant wait for more

Was this as evocative and dark as I've come to expect from Courtney Summers? Absolutely. But also, oof.

Huge thank you to Raincoast Books for the physical ARC!

This is not a light book in terms of subject matter. The content warnings are no joke so please make sure you are aware of them before reading, as I was not. They include rape, murder, death, sex with a minor, sexual assault, and drug usage. The book basically opens on the main character, Georgia, finding the body of a young teenager who was raped, and much of the book delves into solving the whodunit. The story takes several dark and gritty turns that few YA authors can pull off like Courtney Summers.

Like many, I discovered Summers by way of Sadie, then fell further in love with The Project. This next thriller is more in the vein of Sadie, told from Georgia's POV as she navigates her summer of dreaming big around the memory of discovering the murdered girl. It's also queer! With Georgia becoming friends with the victim's older sister and eventually developing a relationship that I really shipped. While I did enjoy this and found it to be delightfully unnerving, I personally don't think it matches up to Sadie or The Project, and I think that's because I found the content matter to be a little too heavy for me.

Much of the book setting revolves around Aspera, an ultra-exclusive lodge that caters to the rich and famous looking to get away for some time out of the spotlight. Georgia's late mother used to work there before she was fired under questionable circumstances, and it drove a wedge between her and Georgia. Clearly her mother saw some shit, but Georgia is convinced that her dreams will lead her to being an Aspera girl. She believed the owner when he told her she was beautiful years before and remains determined to prove him right. Aspera is so unsettling. Yes, it's gorgeous and and serene and very posh, but there is something so off about it. Like, you know that those coveted Aspera girl positions are 100 percent for rich men to have sex with and avoid all consequences. Not to mention the dead girl was found just outside the property.

Summers is known for having unlikeable main girl characters, and while Georgia does fall into that, I did find her to be a bit more on the naive side of things. She thinks very highly of herself because she was told she was beautiful and has incredibly lofty dreams that do not have a healthy outlet. She is blind to certain things happening around her as she refuses to believe that a) her mother might be right and b) there are other ways for her to reach her dreams outside of Ketchum and Aspera. Some of her actions are what kept this book from being five stars as it became quite uncomfortable in certain scenes with certain characters.

Overall, it's another chilling book from this author and I can't wait to read more in future!

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed reading Sadie and was excited to listen to this one. It was dark and twisty and I was trying to solve the mystery right alongside Georgia.

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers

First. I want to give a warning that their are things in this book that can be triggering for some.

Georgia Avis a sixteen year old finds a body of a thirteen year old Ashley James. This is where the story begins with this mystery who killed thirteen year Ashley. Nora James who is Ashley's bigger sister wants to find out. Georgia is trying to figure out her life after her mother died of cancer. Georgia wants to use her looks to get her out of poverty.

Aspera Resort is the towns wealthy elite place where they get together. Georgia wanted to be an Aspera girl she thinks this is her way to get out of poverty. Georgia soon figures out that Aspera holds a lot of secrets and the wealthy can buy their way out of anything.

The book has many twists when you think you have it figured out you don't. This was a solid four star read for me and I recommend this to anyone who liked Sadie. This one will pull at your heart strings. Georgia does find romance along the way and you will never believe who makes her heart flutter.

Lori Prince narrated this story and did a great job with the voices of the characters. Also I wanted to note that this should be New adult book over Young Adult some of the material in this book may be to much for a teen to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio as well as St. Martin's Press for a free audio copy of this book for an honest review. My opinion in this review are my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2022 but it just fell a little flat for me. I never was completely in the story and ultimately found it an unsatisfying book. I did enjoy the narrator for this one. Her voices were excellent.

In classic Courtney Summers fashion, we have bad-ass teens using their trauma as fuel for their elaborate revenge plots, and we love it. As always, Summers does an immaculate job of exposing the dark underbelly of privilege, power, and male entitlement while also providing us with a compelling thriller plotline that grips from the beginning. I loved the spunk and determination of Georgia, the main character, and the questions that this book asks from the get-go. This one would be great for book clubs or buddy reads - it practically BEGS for discussion.

Okay, look... this is a 5 star book but the ending... the ending hurt me. I needed more than that. I really liked this entire story. Mother told daughter she couldn't have something, mother dies, daughter resents her and makes it her life goal to do said thing mother said she wasn't good enough for. But things are never as they appear, especially in the mind of a teenage girl. This world was so dark and powerful and sexual. Something a 16 year old girl should have never aspired to become a part of. If only she was told the truth. 4 stars because of the unsatisfying ending.

I loved the narrator, she gave such a wonderful performance. Definitely brought thr book to life.

I am loving all these fictional books that point to and discuss very real and very serious issues going on in our world that quite simply aren't being handled in a serious enough manner. This book does a great job of painting the picture for the more serious, very disturbing issue, but it does so in a way that left me kind of confused throughout. At times I felt the more graphic descriptions and inner discussion steered away from the overall plot of the story. And the end left me utterly confused. When I reached the end of the novel I was confused that it was even the end. It is full of twists and turns, times where you want to scream, and times where you want to burn down the world. At the center is a young girl coming to terms with her sexuality, sexual identity, and what she wants in this world. Naive and hopeful, she takes on a bit more than she can chew.

I'd like to point out that this is being marketed for teens, and while I think the sexual identity and understanding could be very beneficial, at times this gets a bit graphic and icky, to where I do think it should be 18+.

Life for Georgia Avis changes completely, again, when she finds the body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James on the side of the road that leads to the exclusive Aspera resort. The very place she has been itching to be a part of. She dreams of more. A life filled with more, not the poverty-stricken heartbreak she is used to. But now she is plagued not only by Ashley's death but by the secrets that lie within her disappearance and apparent murder. Now, she is teaming up with Ashley's sister Nora to figure out what exactly happened. She expects to find a killer, but what she didn't expect was to learn about the very real and potentially dangerous world of the rich and privileged within her community. How far is she willing to go and who's really behind this sudden tragedy?



SPOILER DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK:




I have BIG issues with the ages of the girls in this book. It's not that I believe what happend to Ashley was no possible, I know it happens everyday, that is believable. It is all the other stuff that Ashley got up to that I just struggled to buy into. She was 13!! And doing things that I don't even think 16-18 year olds are doing. I don't know. I'm sure it happens, but it would have stuck for me and been more believable had she been 16+ and Georgie been a little bit older too. Just a personal preference.

The narrator did a fantastic job with this! Laid on the emotion when needed and kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the early copy of I'm the Girl.

What a gripping and powerful YA read! "I'm the Girl" will be a hit for any YA reader looking for something deeper but who still loves a thriller.

Maybe I should have read trigger warnings, but it's hard to get the full list before a book is out. I can't read books with sexual assault of young girls. I wish that wasn't thrown into so many thrillers.

3.75 rounded up

This book was… unsettling. I haven’t read this author’s work before but she definitely succeeded in writing an uncomfortable, realistic story about a young woman learning how her image and body can be sexualized and used to her advantage. Like others have noted, the fact that this book’s main character does change things in terms of comfort (by making it unbearably upsetting and difficult to read at times) but it makes me believe she didn’t alter her story just for the sake of the main character being a minor, which does have more realism rather than straying away for the sake of a young main character. Her nativity is clearly apparent and again, is painful to read at times. Please be conscious of these characteristics and check the trigger warnings, as there are many, including but not limited to, rape, incest, minor/adult relations, grooming, and some problematic lgbtq+ misconceptions.
The narrator on this one, wow. She nailed it. She brought an extra depth to the story and really nailed the nativity of a young girl who ends up scared and confused, which was chilling to listen to but was spot on for the book.

Maybe the timing of my reading this book just wasn’t it. Maybe I’m not the biggest fan of Summers storytelling style (though her writing is beautiful).
But what I do know is that this is not a book I would recommend a teen. And the point of the book is to get an important message across to teens. But instead of teaching a valuable lesson and imparting a message, because of Georgia’s naïveté I feel like the message is more harmful.
It is also just a painful, disturbing book to read. Like make me physically ill. And I can only count a handful of books that have done that to me.
I just think it’s a bit too gritty and graphic for YA.