Cover Image: Throwaway Girls

Throwaway Girls

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Member Reviews

For the majority of this book I was enjoying it well enough. I got to know the characters and I was interested in what was going on. I liked it enough to give it 4 stars, but then towards the end of the book a major reveal happens that I didn’t realize was where this book was going to go and it hit me really hard. My emotions were everywhere and I wanted to bawl my eyes out, but I had to go to work and I had to control myself.

Caroline and her friends don’t always make the best decisions. In fact, they make a lot of pretty not great ones. I can see them even being unlikable, but in my eyes their convictions for what is right and what they should do makes them so human. Caroline just wants to love who she loves. I also really enjoyed that while her experience at a conversion therapy place is discussed it’s not the focus of the story. The story is about Caroline trying to find the missing girls that no one is looking for.

However, even if it isn’t something that we see happen in first person, it is something that informs a lot of Caroline’s actions, her secrecy, her mistrust of her parents, and the messiness of a lot of what goes on in the book. I love the way that her and her girlfriend discuss this in part of the book. People can often be messed up and they are who they are and you can’t change them, but being true to yourself is beautiful. Sometimes we need to accept when someone isn’t capable of giving you the love that you deserve and when that happens it’s time to move on.

Even though the ending couple of chapters are what stole my heart and made me really want to celebrate this novel, it doesn’t mean that the beginning was dry or that not much happened. This book is a whirlwind beginning to end. These teens get into deep water from the start, but it just spirals more and more deep as it goes. There’s a lot of things that get entangled with each other and pieces you learn from the start that finally truly make sense at the end. It’s one of those books you can read more then once and get a whole new reading experience the next time around.

This book is so much for all the girls out there that are fighting for their lives. For the girls who just want to be themselves. Most importantly it’s for the throwaway girls that never get found. We need to do better in remembering those who we loose in our lives. We need to do better in fighting for them. I hope that one day we never have to see a story about a throwaway girl again.

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Sadly this book just was not for me. This sat on my kindle for quite some time - twice I have attempted to read and twice I did not finish.

Thankyou for the opportunity but I will not be providing feedback on any commercial sites for this book.

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I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

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Had this been one of my first YA thrillers, I think it would have felt much stronger, but after going through so many, this just didn’t have any staying power and severely fumbled the bag with the climax and ending. You expect a YA thriller like this to have some deliciously wicked ending or something razor blade sharp yet it felt quite flat and dragged out a bit. Overall, just not something I think will be memorable or stand out in a crowded genre.

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"Throwaway Girls" by Andrea Contos is a gripping and powerful debut novel that tackles important issues such as sexual assault, trauma, and victim-blaming. The story follows Caroline Lawson, a high school student who becomes the target of cyberbullying and is accused of lying about being sexually assaulted at a party.

Contos' writing is raw and emotional, drawing the reader in and immersing them in Caroline's world. The characters are all well-drawn and feel like real people with their own strengths and flaws. Caroline's journey is heart-wrenching and inspiring, and the way she finds her voice and stands up for herself is truly empowering.

The novel deals with difficult subject matter but does so in a way that is both sensitive and honest. It sheds light on the issue of victim-blaming and the damaging effects it can have on survivors of sexual assault.

Overall, "Throwaway Girls" is a timely and important novel that is sure to resonate with readers. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of believing survivors and the strength that comes from speaking up and standing together. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thought-provoking and impactful read.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

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Thank you for this arc copy of this book. It wasn't; my type of book but others may like it. I did enjoy the cover picture though.

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This book is something I would consider a coming of age book mixed with a mystery. The characters are very interesting personalities and this book kept me guessing until the end. I loved the suspense building and quickly turning points in the story.

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DNF. Couldn't get into this book, this book just wasn't for me, sadly. Thank you for approving me and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the book.

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Standouts for me were (these are remembered quotes and unlikely to be exact): 'How many missing girls does it take to make a pattern?' And 'I kept waiting for someone to ask why there were so many perfect victims, how so many girls could be at risk, but no one did.'

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Everyone can relate to the excitement of graduating H S and having a life of their own. But when her best friend is missing and the questions keep piling up. Suspenseful and well plotted out. Kept me guessing right up to the end.

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I really wanted to love this book. The premise was good. The LGBT representation was good. The writing itself at times was marvelous. However, the actual execution of the plot had me bored. Things took too long to happen and I kept putting it down but lacked the curiosity to keep going. Still I kept coming back and trying again until I decided to give up at 60% of the way through. Also, and maybe just because it was an ARC copy, I found the viewpoint of the 2nd narrator super confusing. For the longest time I thought that was still Caroline and I was like wait...who is Livvie as a girlfriend? Caroline was with Willa. Then I was like how is she at a boarding school with her mom and Dad together but talking about her mom's boyfriends that she calls the Larrys? Seriously embarrassing how confused I was. I will try something again from the author as there is just something about the actual writing I like.

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Now I'm a big fan of YA thrillers and had extremely high hopes for this one, but I think it missed the mark a little. I would give it 3. Stars. It just didn't catch my attention

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Beautiful read. Contos goes deep into her characters. It was very hard to make time because I just couldn't put it down. (Previous review missing).

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This was a great YA thriller … reminded me of Kit Frick’s I Killed Zoe Spanos, which is a huge crowd pleaser in my classroom! I most enjoyed how fast paced it was, and I was very surprised by the twists about two thirds of the way through when Caroline starts to put things together. I will be recommending this to my students. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review

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Too unlikely, despite enjoyable. I cannot conceive the idea of a teenage girl taking a missing girl's case into her own hands, thinking she does a better job than the cops (althoug obviously she does, because this is fiction). Caroline was too full of herself for my liking, too reckless and also too whiny - enough of Willa, please!

I was entertained and annoyed in the same measure.

Thanks NetGalley for this copy!

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I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

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Why was this book so boring? Wow. It had so much potential.

I got to maybe 20% before I decided it wasn't worth reading, so I skimmed ahead to 60% or so. And guess what? Still nothing going on. Perhaps Caroline found some information, sure, but all that for barely little. I skimmed further ahead and got everything I needed to know and it was all underwhelming and very . . . lacking.

This is a "it's me, not you" book. I'm sure there are many others out there that will enjoy Throwaway Girls.

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I read this book at the most perfect time. I received the arc for this book last year and never got around to it until now.

This was everything that I needed right now. It gave me A Good Girl's Guide To Murder vibes and I became obsessed with this book. It was engaging and surprising. I had no clue who was taking all of the girls until the big reveal happened. I was shocked and it was brilliant.

With conversations about privilege, sexism, justice and who really matters when they go missing, this is a stunning book that brings to light that truth of who really matters in the eyes of law enforcement.

This was my first Andrea Contos book and I hope that there are more thrillers to come. Contos is a genius when it comes to setting up a perfect thriller and stringing the reader along to only have our mouths drop when the truth is revealed. Do I wish I read this earlier? Yes, but also I don't think I would have appreciated it as much as I do now.

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I loved this book! The writing was smooth and well thought out, the twists and turns were completely unexpected.
My only gripe is I didn't care for Caroline the MC. She was kind of insufferable.
But other than that it was great!

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