This author just breaks my heart over and over again with her books, and I am happy to let her keep doing so. This is a companion to the wonderfully heart-breaking SADIE and is just as gripping. It's described as a "spiritual companion' so it isn't a direct sequel. This story of two young women attempting to solve a very personal murder mystery and bring some sort of justice is so gripping and powerful. I love the way Summers writes-- Georgia felt so real to me. I was absolutely on the edge of my seat as she went into these very dangerous situations, and in that way, it reminded me a lot of my experience reading Sadie. I don't want to say too much here as I think it's better to go in fairly blind. But omg, this is such a powerful book.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!!

I'm super upset to say this as an unapologetic Courtney Summers fan, but I did not like this as much as I thought I would. Obviously, this is a tough read as it touches on so many harsh topics and you can tell it takes direct inspiration from the world of Jeffrey Epstein.

But unfortunately, I just didn't jive with this. I started and stopped this about 5 or 6 times and even did the audiobook for a good majority (a last resort if I'm struggling with a book) but I just found myself not into it. Once we found out who Ashley's killer was, I found it especially hard to stay focused on getting to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

So this wasn't one of my favorites by Courtney. I feel like this is mostly because this is aimed towards thriller fans but after reading it the thriller parts of it are on the back burner. The mystery isn't the main focus like I thought it would be. Hopefully, I'll like the next book she writes.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While I did enjoy Courtney Summers other book Sadie, I unfortunately had to DNF this one.

Deepest apologies for the late review—this one slipped through the cracks!

I'm afraid this one just wasn't the book for me. I tried, I really did, I must have started it at least three times, but it never clicked.
I rarely DNF books, but this one was such instance.
The writing felt really disjointed, and I could never get into the story. It constantly felt like I was missing a chapter or some very important info, and I didn't manage to get past that feeling.

I really enjoyed her previous book, but this one didn't work for me.

Courtney Summers is an auto=buy for me and has been for years. She gets better and better with ever book.

I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed the author's other book called Sadie. But I never quite connected to this book. Despite the low rating, I don't think this was a bad book. It just wasn't for me.

I'm learning that Courtney Summers is pretty hit-or-miss for me, and it seems her older stuff is more "hit" and the newer stuff is more "miss." Alas, here we are again. This one was okay, I did enjoy it more than The Project. It just... tried too hard to include all of the current hot topics?

I am all for reading a book that supports feminism and LGBTQIA+ and independence and maybe even a dash of politics if it is even-keel on both sides. This just wasn't it.

I also felt like this was Sadie rewritten without the podcast. A missing girl, a sister looking for the answers surrounding her death. I don't know, it just didn't grab me the way some of Summers' older works have. The story was fine, it wasn't fantastic. I read this a while ago and didn't review it right away, and looking at other's reviews to refresh my memory, I realize that there are a lot of smaller details I can't recall because I wasn't that invested.

3 stars

This was not a winner for me. I often felt extremely confused by the narrative and felt detached from the main character and everything that was happening. I think maybe it was written intentionally confusing to reflect how the mind processes--or struggles to process--after experiencing trauma, but I think that is just a narrative choice that I do not like. I understand why it was made, but it is hard for me to even follow along with what is happening in a book if it is structured in that manner.

This was a read that challenges and confronts the topics of desire, power, abuse, control and manipulation through exposing the dirty secrets and underbelly of the rich and powerful and the interior world of girls. It was so painful and uncomfortable to relive and be entrenched in teenage thinking especially among adults who take advantage and destroy. We as readers are witnessing this destruction and can’t do anything to protect the characters. That was really tough to see adults fail children at every turn. This was the toughest content I have read this year and in a long time and this story underlines how this does happen in real life which is at the same time inconceivable, disturbing and unbearable. A worthy and important topic to explore on behalf of these victims and the broken branches of society that allows this to continue.

I recall liking this book but apparently didn't review it here. I will say that Courtney's book, Sadie, still remains one of my favorite audiobooks and I highly recommend it... while this didn't top Sadie by this author, it was still a good read. This book had some good twists.

Even though. I had a hard time reading this book, it was an important and beautiful one. Georgie’s character was interesting to get I got he head of and I liked the look at beauty being a form of power. As well as how a young girl feels powerful but isn’t sure how to use it.

I'm a big fan of Courtney Summers. She never fails to tackle challenging issues and present them in a way that captivates the reader and makes them want to give up everything in order to finish a book.

This book, like Sadie, is a dark look at what one teenager goes through when she is forced to take a job she doesn't necessarily want in order to keep her family afloat financially. It's a dark look at how far women, especially young women, will go in order not to rock the boat or uncover the deep misogyny that runs rampant in society. Embedded within all of this is a mystery about a missing girl and what really happened to her.

I wouldn't recommend this to every reader in my 8th grade classroom, but I do think it would appeal to a certain demographic of reader. I will definitely be continuing to read Courtney Summers as she continues to put out books that make me really stop and think.

I enjoyed this book when I did read it, but now thinking back on it, it's unfortunately forgettable. The characters and plot seem to blend together and it's hard to recognize if the motivation of the main character is because this is the best choice for her, or for the plot.

This is one of those books that’s upsetting, and full of triggers and is a wild ride. I wouldn’t say it’s a strong as her previous book, Sadie, but it was still well written.

Courtney Summers’ writing is unflinching, and I’m the Girl is no exception. The exploration of wealth, power, and abuse is not an easy read, but the themes are important.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this one with me.

In the unsettling aftermath of discovering thirteen-year-old Ashley James' lifeless body, sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis embarks on a harrowing journey. In her quest for justice, she joins forces with Ashley's older sister, Nora, determined to apprehend the killer before he can claim another victim. Yet, their investigation immerses Georgia in a world where unimaginable privilege and boundless wealth reign supreme, a realm devoid of conscience or consequence. As they close in on Ashley's killer, Georgia will come to realize that in a domain where money, power, and beauty hold dominion, culpability may not be a matter of who is guilty, but rather, who is guiltiest.

"I'm the Girl" delves into the essence of innocence and the profound impact of its loss. It exposes the manner in which the affluent and powerful manipulate their influence and control, revealing the predatory nature of those who exploit the vulnerabilities of others. This book portrays the arduous process of growing up, laden with its challenges and complexities.

This is not a tale of carefree contentment; rather, it confronts daunting subjects and situations head-on. It sheds light on how naiveté can crumble when faced with the malevolence of others. "I'm the Girl" is an unvarnished, gripping narrative that stirs a maelstrom of emotions.

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

This was a heart-pounding read that kept me up at night because I just had to know what would happen next. A great spine-tingling read.

A captivating read by an incredible author.

I’m the Girl is an intense heartbreaking and un-put-downable story. Summers creates characters that are so real and haunting in a variety of ways. We follow Georgia as she tries to find the person who killed the girl whose body she found. The path takes her back to her past all while confronting her present feelings for the sister of the murder victim.

If you are looking for mystery, queer love, and dark twists and turns, I’m the Girl is the book for you.

Courtney Summers does it again. Her early work remains my favorite; I'm a sucker for the broken, tough girls of All the Rage, Some Girls Are, and my personal favorite, Cracked Up to Be, but her newer stuff has a leaness to the writing style that I really appreciate. Not a word wasted.

If you've read Courtney Summers before, you'll be familiar with many of the themes: feminism, what it means to be a girl (and a woman), poverty, the interplay of female beauty and male desire. They are well done here, but heed the trigger warnings as this is one of her most brutal books.

The sapphic romance, which I was incredibly excited for, rang hollow and was the weakest element for me. Surprisingly for a Courtney Summers' book, I found myself disengaged with Nora, the love interest, and to some extent with Georgia, our protagonist, because her relationship with Nora seemed so surface-level. YMMV.