In this riveting book told through letters, court transcripts and newspaper articles, a millionaire is found dead and Ruby, 14, is accused of stealing his wallet and truck. She’s sent to juvie awaiting a trial. At the motel where she was found, they found the victim’s wallet and blood on her clothes. Her social worker talks to Ruby wanting to know about Ruby and hearing what an abusive life she has had. Ruby met the victim for money and he invited her back to his house. What really happened, and at the trial is Ruby found guilty?

Ruby Monroe is fifteen years old and waiting in a Texas jail to stand trial for the murder of a local (wealthy) businessman. With the state lobbying to charger her has an adult, which would mean life in prison or possibly the death penalty if she's found guilty, Ruby has few people on her side. The prosecution is painting her has an angry troublemaker and that's the face the media wants to see. Only her court appointed lawyer and her social worker Cadence Ware believe she is someone worth fighting for, but Ruby has been burned too many times by adults she was supposed to be able to trust to open up right away. Told through a variety of mediums including Ruby and Cadence's points of view, meeting notes, court transcripts, and newspaper articles, this story takes an unflinching look at Ruby's story of abuse, drug use, sex trafficking, and possibly redemption?

This is a tough story to read. Ruby's story is heartbreaking and reading about the level of abuse she faced prior to landing in jail and her mistreatment at the hands of the justice system is difficult. Sumrow does an incredible story weaving together the different mediums she uses to tell this story in an unflinching way. There is an incredibly important message here about how the media portrays and the world views girls like Ruby only at their worst and turning a blind eye when help could and should have been rendered. I was surprised by the amount of tension and suspense I felt building throughout the story, unsure of how far Ruby would be willing to trust Cadence if there was really any hope even if she did.

Utterly fantastic thriller. I really liked this one quite a lot it was so tragic throughout thanks for the arc

This will break your heart. How can someone be treated so poorly, by so many different people, all before the age of 15? Everyone has let Ruby down. It’s no wonder that she doesn’t allow herself to trust anyone.

The story is related slowly, going back and forth between timelines. We get to know Ruby and other characters through letters, court transcripts and personal accounts. Certain chapters are through Ruby’s own eyes, and some are through the eyes of Cadence, the appointed social worker.

If you read the epilogue (and you most definitely should), Ms. Sumrow explains why she was able to craft this novel so expertly. There are some shocking, real life statistics about sex trafficking at the end. This is not an easy book to read—but it’s a necessary book. The plights of these girls are heartrending. Their stories should be told.

Trigger warnings: rape, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, sex trafficking, violent death

I received an eARC from NetGalley, HarperCollins and Balzer & Bray in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is not a feel-good book, but it is an important one. It's a heavy one.

Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow tells the story of 15-year-old Ruby Monroe, who is on trial for the murder of a local Texas millionaire. She was only 14 when the murder happened, and all evidence points to her. This is not a whodunnit mystery, which I mistakenly thought going in, and that's pretty clear from the get-go. This is about Ruby's trial and her testimony at that trial. The story is told through news clippings, letters (from Ruby to her former best friend, Maya), court transcripts, and 3rd person scenes which are mostly meetings between Ruby and her social worker, Cadence. These scenes alternate whose head we're inside, so we get to know both Ruby and Cadence closely. We also sometimes see Cadence's handwritten notes (or portions of them) from these meetings. One of the things I appreciated most is that you start getting court transcripts "early" in the narrative, so technically the book isn't in full chronological order, but it's done in a way that flows really well. It helps balance the story, build suspense, and it's not done in a confusing way. (And I'm usually a stickler for full chronological order!)

This book was intense, realistic (I'm not someone who watches Law and Order or other court dramas, but the court excerpts read as very realistic to me, and given that the author has a background in law, it makes sense that things feel authentic), and un-put-down-able. It made me cry (that's uncommon for me with books). It kept me guessing. I never knew what was going to happen, even when I thought that all my questions had been answered.

In short, this book is superb, and I highly, highly recommend reading it. Read through the trigger warnings/author's note at the beginning, though, and prepare yourself for the material. Sumrow pulls very few punches. But the punches are worth it.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC of this title. I received it in exchange for my honest opinion.