I was expecting the murder, and after that, nothing really went how I expected it to. Everything was unexpected, at. least for me, and some was good, some bad. There was a lot going on in the book, as in a lot of storylines, and sometimes it was a bit confusing, but, overall, I like the amount of detail put into the story. My other issue is with the ending, It cleared things up for me in the way that I know how the murder happened but also left me with a lot of questions regarding the why. Also, I was not expecting those spicy scenes in this book, and they felt out of place, considering the book was about a murder.

I swear with each Courtney Summers book I read, 10 years get added into my lifespan.

Now, if you haven't read a book by this author before, you need to know that they're not necessarily the "happy go lucky, happily ever after" type. But for that exact same reasons these books stand out amongst the endless releases that we're constantly hearing about. Courtney Summers has the ability to weave the darkness of reality into a fictional world in such a seamless way. We know the setting is fake, we know the characters are fake BUT the things they go through are so real. I'm not gonna lie, at times I wanted to scream at Georgia. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and tell her to look around, to realize what was happening. But here's the thing, either we know someone like Georgia or we've been Georgia. We've been taken advantage of by powerful people who manipulated us, made us believe that the world could only be seen through rose colored glasses. So while I wanted to shake her so she'd wake up, I also understood her. And that complexity in her characters is what sets Courtney Summers apart from other writers.

I read in her newsletter that this book was inspired by Marilyn Monroe and the victims of people like Harvey Weinstein. Is it really a woman's fault for having certain features that are considered desirable? Is it really so bad that a woman wants to feel beautiful? And here's the thing, it's even more complex during adolescence. So I did shed a tear (or several) for Georgia. Because you've got characters with good intentions who end up making marginalized comments, and you've got people with bad intentions whose entire job is to make her feel good about herself. Georgia is a teenager who got sucked into a vicious world with promises of grandiose and a career and beauty. It wasn't her fault, it's never the victims fault. This review almost turned into an essay because I feel very passionately about this book but damn, I could write pages and pages about this. For now, I just highly recommend reading this book.

I really enjoyed this book - I found it compulsively readable although there weren't a ton of answers to be found. Much like Sadie, everything is a little bit hazy and out of reach. I really enjoy Courtney Summers' work though!

Courtney Summers knows how to hook readers and keep them turning pages! I'm the Girl is absolutely impossible to put down. This suspenseful story about a girl in trouble really is so realistic that it hurts. Like many small towns the one in this book is ran by powerful people who will do anything to keep their control no matter who they hurt. It was painful to read about the girls who are in the path of Aspera and see how badly they need help. These characters are brave, honest, and raw. This book skirts the line between YA and Adult and readers of Sadie will love it.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy reading Courtney Summers’ books, but idk, I never feel like I fully GET them. It always feels like the author expects me to walk away with a big whoa idea in my head, and maybe I’m just not smart enough to get it. I expected a bigger reveal with Aspera. It was fine. I just wanted to like it more than I did. 3.5 stars.

I'm the Girl is my first Courtney Summers book. I've heard good things about this author, I like YA mysteries, and the synopsis sounded good, so I requested this. I had a few issues with this book. I'm 18, and this book was really hard for me to read. I don't know that it should be a young adult book. There's graphic sexual assault and rape in this book, and there's no trigger warnings. There needs to be. Secondly, I knew two years ago at sixteen about the model scam, I think most teenagers know about it. I could understand the main character wanting to belong, wanting to be powerful, to be seen like that, but she did come off a little stupid. I did like the sapphic romance in this book, it was the highlight in it, and watching George's character grow, what she learns about her mom. I also really liked Nora and Tyler's characters. Overall, this book tackles very important issues and ends on a hopeful note, but needs a trigger warning for it.

My biggest problem with I'm the Girl is that I'm not really sure who this book is for. It's VERY clearly inspired by the Jeffrey Epstein revelations, and as a result the final "reveal" feels extremely predictable. Because of this, reading it as an adult, the teenage protagonist feels naive to the point of stupidity, and I had a hard time engaging with the book because of that. Maybe if I were reading it as a teenager, she'd feel more believable, but the subject matter seems really inappropriate for a teen--I certainly wouldn't recommend this book to anyone below college age. So I don't really know who the target audience is. I did finish it, but I pretty much skimmed the last half of the book. I also felt pretty let down by the ending. I've liked Courtney Summers in the past, but this one was a miss for me.

Absolutely incredible! I didn't think Courtney Summers could top her last book, but she somehow did it. It's absolutely creepy and thought-provoking. I can't wait for everybody to read it!

Thank you first off to Netgalley and Wednesday books for a digital copy for review.

I’m so sad that this was just OK for me. Most of the time I was confused about what was going on and how it all connected. By the time the end came I just didn’t care about the reveal. I almost DNFed at 75%.

I was loving the Dynamic between Georgia and Nora though. I just thought everything else was just bizarre and boring.

DNF @ 40%. I'm just not gripped. After Sadie I thought Courtney Summers was an autobuy but it turns out that was a one hit wonder and I haven't actually enjoyed any of her other books 😭

I'm a long-time Courtney Summers fan, but both this book and her last work have left me feeling... cold. I struggled to feel engaged with the story in I'm the Girl, which is not a problem I ever had with Sadie or Some Girls Are. Summers has always been an expert at writing angry unlikable girls, but I didn't connect with Georgia the way I connected with her past protagonists.

Part of it, I think, may be due to the disorienting nature of the book, especially in the beginning when the timeline of events was really unclear to me. This immediately put me at a distance from the narrative. But I also just really dislike it when information is withheld for no good reason other than to prolong the drama.

Summers has a way of writing about the uncomfortable in a way that draws you in and dares you to look away. This one is powerful. George is wrapped up in things she doesn't understand based on things that have carried over from childhood and her relationship with her mom. Wonderful.

I found this book very hard to follow on a basic level in terms of characters and plot, and that made me really resistant to pick it up. I understand cultivating a level of mystery and a dark atmosphere, but when I was about 40% of the way through the book I still didn't have any real idea of what was going on or care very much, I find that kind of a failure on the part of the novel! I know there are teens who want mysteries/thrillers that are darker than what most of YA has on offer, and I will recommend this to them, and I think they'll be more motivated and interested to try and figure this book out that I was.

courtney summers can do no wrong in my humble opinion. this was another heartwrenchingly incredible story that i cant wait for the world to read

This wasn't what I was expecting. I expected a YA thriller with a girl investigating a murder in a wealthy, elite resort. Fun! Not. Georgia is a 16 year old who is obsessed with being an "Aspera girl", a worker at a secretive resort. Her dream comes true, but is more of a nightmare. Shades of Epstein's pedo island here. Huge ick factor in a lot of scenes.

I'm the Girl is one of the most haunting books I've read in recent memory (probably since reading Sadie, to be honest). The story tracks Georgie, a young girl who is coming into her awareness of her own beauty and grappling with what that means in the wider world, but most especially, with the world inside her town and the exclusive club that seems to run every part of it, Aspera.

It is impossible to put this book down once you have started reading it, drawn in by the eerie atmosphere and the heartbreaking narration of Georgie who believes that her beauty is her power despite men routinely taking advantage of it over and over again. Her refusal to see herself as a victim is one of the most devastating parts of the novel, even as the reader can see how badly she has been treated and handled by the men around her.

The murder mystery is handled with extreme care as Georgie and Nora, the sister of the young girl who is murdered, dig into the secrets that surrounded her and how they relate to the men who run the town. It would be easy for this novel to fall into the trap of the two of them solving a murder and finding some catharsis in that, but this novel is more concerned with what it means to be a young woman in a world that is hostile towards us than the solving of the crime.

The book left me devastated and also hopeful. The world doesn't always provide answers, there are no real endings in the world only a continuation. But Georgie and Nora are left with a belief that one day things may change and that has to be enough.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Courtney Summers is great at tackling the hard topics. Summers has a power to create these extremely enigmatic characters who you, and the characters, are drawn to and can't resist learning more about. I unfortunately found this story somewhat confusing to follow- it seemed obvious to me early on but the red herrings just added confusion rather than mystery.

I think a lot of readers will love this book, it just doesn't seem like it was for me.

Georgia finds the dead body of a thirteen old girl and is hit be a car. This is the start of a journey. Georgia is a teenager who thinks she know how to make her life successful. It is to become and Aspera Girl. She doesn't know exactly what that mean but she knows this is her ticket out of her life. What a wave of emotion.
Courtney Summers is an expert in writing about teens. She understand their inner turmoil and uses it to dramatic effect in her books.
I have read just about everyone of her books and would highly recommend any of them. She is truly a great YA author.

Thank you to #netgalley, @WednesdayBooks, @StMartinsPress and @CourtneySummers for this excellent book.
#ImTheGirl

During a summer filled with murder, lust, and riches, 16-year-old Georgia Avis grapples to find her place in the world and will do anything to get to the top.

I’ll start off by saying that I’M THE GIRL by Courtney Summers is full of some intense triggers, so take a look at those before you find yourself picking this one up…

I’M THE GIRL was both haunting and glamorous and gave me some characters to absolutely root for! Summers masterfully created a novel that built in mystery, and had wtf moments galore.

Despite not being able to put this one down and also feeling uncomfortable the entire time (A GOOD THING!), I felt that the connection between the murder and and Georgia’s entrance in the world of the elite could have been better elaborated on. It’s almost like you could feel the unease, and then BAM, everything is revealed, and I wish there was more of a dive into that.

I think a lot of fans of Courtney Summer’s work are going to love this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: September 13, 2022

I really enjoyed reading this book! I honestly can’t believe I have never read anything from this author until this book. The story line felt cohesive, interesting characters (my one criticism is that some characters felt a little flat or shallow), and was engaging.