: ̗̀➛ 4 stars.

thank you to netgalley, courtney summers, and wednesday books for this arc in exchange for an honest review

this is honestly one of the most frustrating books i have ever read and this is exactly what made it good.

courtney summers takes us through the life of georgia avis who is dreaming and aching to become a model. the thing about georgia is that she is immensely frustrating and aggravating to the point of screaming. you understand that she's being taken advantage of and it makes you hate the fact that she doesn't understand even more.

this in itself is an excellent use of reader response. i think that through the frustration of the reader and the anger that you feel at georgia's decisions and ashley's as well, you encounter the world's inclination to blame women for the instances they find themselves in instead of the predators that cause them. summers makes us think of how we tend to define the victim instead of the perpetrator.

even the dead girl is defined as a "trouble child". but in the end, she was a child, and now she's forever a dead one. the violence that is so synonymous with girlhood is explored explicitly and rawly through visceral writing and discomfort that sometimes is so great that you want to look away.

courtney summers makes us experience the world of women who are condemned instead of helped and questions of morality and legality are raised in the face of keeping the rich richer.

it's very easy to condemn those who are pointing a finger, but it's harder to recognize that it's your own hand.

3.25 stars!

I don't really know how to explain my feelings on this book. It was a solid read... buttttttttttttt having read all of Courtney Summers books, I feel like I just expected more??

Ugh, I don't even know. This was a good book that covers an intense topic and per usual, Summers does that super well.

BUT something didn't grab me in this one. I feel like I didn't really get into the story until the last 25% of the book. The first 75% just felt kinda...repetitive? We just keep hearing how Georgia was desperate to be an Aspera Girl. Over, and over and over again.

I feel bad saying this, but Georgia just got on my nerves TBH. She felt like the polar opposite of all of Summers previous main girls. I love reading the unapologetically, brash, bold and hard girls Summers gives us. I live and die for those girls.

As always, the book is impeccably written and Summers handled a really sensitive topic perfectly. I will say, there are parts of this book that are fairly graphic, that made my super uncomfy to read and made me audibly gag (FU rich, powerful men).

I will forever continue to read Courtney Summers books because I love her so much.

The biggest than you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC and wanting my honest opinion!

I feel so lucky to have gotten a chance to read I'm the Girl early. In my eyes, Courtney Summers is A Big Deal and I am not worthy. This was definitely a five star read for me. I was on an emotional roller coaster through the whole thing.

Georgia Avis is a teen girl that knows she's beautiful and she's meant to be something special. She doesn't know exactly what she wants to be but she knows her beauty will get her wherever she needs to go. She's painfully naive at times because she's young. I lost count of how many times I thought oh honey in response to something she thought or did. I just wanted to hold her and protect her from everything.

Right from the start, Georgia has already been taken advantage of by men who made her think she could be a model and took inappropriate photos of her. Then she discovers the body of Ashley James, the younger sister of Nora, the girl she's always had a crush on.

Georgia's life soon revolves around helping Nora figure out who killed Ashley and also working at Aspera. Aspera is a resort for the rich and powerful to hide and escape their lives for awhile. They are given everything they want with the utmost discretion. Georgia knows she should be an Aspera Girl, catering to these member's whims. Her late mother and the older brother that takes care of her have been against this particular dream of hers.

Georgia grows close to the husband and wife that own Aspera. She wants to impress them and win their approval so badly. The wife Cleo teaches her that men run the world and will do whatever they want to you, all you can do is use that. It was difficult to read about things Georgia thought was acceptable to happen, that she thought she was in control of or had a purpose that benefited her.

The only times it seemed like she could really be herself and have something nice was when she was with Nora. But only when Nora let her guard down, she had a lot of anger to deal with because of her sister's murder. You want to root for them even if their circumstances make them seem like an unlikely pair.

All I can say is I was blown away by this book. Courtney Summers ripped my heart in two then stomped on the pieces. As with everything she writes, this was brutal and honest. If you loved Sadie then you have to read I'm the Girl.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Courtney Summers does it again with a new explosive YA novel!
She is hands down my most favorite author!
And I'm the Girl is one of my favorites!

I cannot and will never ask for a better book than this one. It had everything I love and I cannot believe perfection like this even exists.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. As I knew I would be!
The plot is packed with twists and turns, and I loved how in the midst of a fast-moving storyline, there's still breathing room for wonderful character depth and growth. 
This has to be the most addictive, gripping, raw, real and simply the most delicious read I've laid eyes on!
It's brilliant!… Makes your heart skip a beat… Will have the hairs on your head standing… A total binge worthy story!

Summers you killed it! Nailed it!
And I couldn't be more thankful! For the opportunity to read such a powerful novel!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

St. Martin's Press:Wednesday Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Well this badass Publisher sent me a widget and I can't thank St. Martin Press enough!
Because this has been high on my wish list! 😘

Sadie was phenomenal, so for I’m the Girl to claim to be a spiritual successor to Sadie, I’ll admit I had really high expectations going into this book. Unfortunately, I’m the Girl didn’t live up to my expectations. Georgia Avis wasn’t my favourite character, because honestly, a lot of her decisions weren’t well thought out and reading from her perspective didn’t make me sympathize for her. One of the reasons why Summers is one of my favourite authors is that she’s usually able to write emotions in a way that makes you understand and feel for the character, regardless of whether the situation is relatable or not. I felt like emotion was extremely lacking in I’m the Girl, which may have been an aspect of Georgia’s character, but even so, I wish there was something more to explain her thoughts and feelings.

Most of Summers’ novels has disturbing content, but for some reason, this one was a bit too much for me. I had trouble staying engaged and ended up coming back to the book just for the sake of finishing it. There was a lot of potential with I’m the Girl, but ultimately, it wasn’t what I had hoped.

Courtney Summers has done it again! After loving her previous works, I was so excited to start this and was not disappointed!

When Georgia Avis finds thirteen-year-old Ashley James dead, it's up to her and Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find out what really happened. In a town filled with wealth, secrets, and more, it's up to the girls to find out what really happens behind closed doors before the killer strikes again.

Courtney Summers weaves a twisting and thrilling tale that will leave you gripped until the very end. Summers has always written her characters to see the world from a totally different view point than what I am anticipating, and makes the read the much more fun. Highly recommend to fans of the author of of the ya-mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Thank you for this book I’m the Girl in exchange for my honest review.

Based on the description, I expected more. However, the author’s writing style just didn’t grip me. I found myself bored in the first chapter and onward.

I have no words what to say about this book. The main character had a lot of things going on and things to do.

I was a huge fan of Sadie so I was super excited to read this and was not disappointed! I’m The Girl follows Georgia as she discovers the body of a dead thirteen year old girl and teams up with the girl’s older sister to figure out what happened.

Courtney Summers is known for her books that hit hard, and this one is not an exception. I love her raw emotional, and realistic writing style. It is unique and outstanding. I'm the Girl was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it met my expectations. If you are not afraid that the book will leave you devastated and heartbroken, then I highly recommend it.

*My full review will come closer to the release date.

this whole book was just me thinking that tiktok sound “it’s hard to watch her be so.. dumb”. it was really frustrating to read

Courtney Summers is a genius.

As far as I'm concerned, that's not even up for debate. No one does it like her, for good reason! Summers is unafraid to keep her protagonists prickly and world-weary and unlikable, and she fearlessly takes on the myriad ways this world is built to hurt and exploit and overlook and fetishize girls. Summers herself has described I'M THE GIRL as the 'spiritual sequel' to SADIE, which seems to have confused some readers or led them to believe that this novel is retreading the same ground or attempting to 'outdo' her runaway hit. This is a misreading, both of Summers' goals with I'M THE GIRL and of the complicated narrative moves she's made in this novel. Like SADIE, I'M THE GIRL pulls at the threads of patriarchal power structures, revealing patriarchy's spider-like network of support systems, and like most of Summers' novels, it does so by hyper-focusing on a young woman whose life has been upended by unspeakable trauma.

Unlike Sadie, though, I'M THE GIRL's Georgia isn't cynical and jaded, hasn't been worn ragged by the cruelties of the world. George is a dreamer who is drawn to the glittering world of the elite and all the opportunity it represents, and she's just starting to understand the fickle power her beauty affords. After so many wise and weary Summers protagonists like Romy, Sadie, and Parker, Georgia's naïveté seems almost offensive. I spent much of the book wanting to shake her by the shoulders, to get her to wake up and see the horrible truth of Aspira and the Hayes that leers from every page, plain as day. But she doesn't, until it's far too late -- and this isn't a fault of George's but rather proof of how insidious this sort of abuse and exploitation is; it's so horrible, so unthinkable that it hides itself in plain sight, relying on the disbelief and obliviousness of others to turn a blind eye. If SADIE is a novel concerned with patriarchy (and the true crime genre)'s external manipulation and exploitation of girls and their traumas, then I'M THE GIRL is concerned with patriarchy's internal manipulation of girls -- that George longs to be an Aspira Girl without necessarily understanding the full implications of that title, longs to wield the power she thinks her beauty represents, is not a miscalculation on Summers' part but rather a sickening look at how sexual abusers have learned to co-opt third wave feminism's sex positivity into girls' internalized willingness to participate in their own abuse. (Which is not to say that the novel or Summers or I take an anti-sex work stance or a sex-negative stance! Rather, the novel brilliantly demonstrates how blurry the lines can be, particularly when some women have opted to gain whatever power they can by colluding with the patriarchy.)

I could write about this novel for ages -- it's thrilling and tender and sharp and soft. Summers never gets enough credit for the formal risks she takes in her books, but I was blown away by this novel's construction. A stellar, stellar read.

I couldn’t get into this one. I felt like I joined the story halfway through. DNFed at 20%. May try again with print copy

Once again Courtney Summers pens an addictive and relevant read that will keep readers glued to the pages! Whether your and adult or a young adult doesn't matter. Readers of all ages can enjoy this gripping read!

This one was REALLY good. I was hooked the whole time. I tried to predict what happened and who did what, but it kept having twists and made me clueless. I enjoyed the premise and the main character is absolutely my favorite. The ending was phenomenal! There are major trigger warnings (rape, dead bodies, etc) but it was a great and thrilling read. I truly enjoyed this book, would highly recommend everyone check it out!

I received this ARC was given to me to review from the publishers and NetGalley. All comments above are solely my true opinion after reading this book.

“I’m the Girl” by Courtney Summers is a powerful, gritty, cut-throat novel with a bold message delivered point-blank that readers cannot ignore. In this gut-wrenching queer thriller, readers are going to be pulled into a world full of beauty, charm, and wealth including deception, lies, and secrets. Once you’ve entered this world … it’s impossible to leave.

“Everyone knows I’ve found her, and in the exchange of all our meeting eyes, I can no longer tell if I’ve come out for this grim parade or if it’s come out for me.”

Georgia Avis never expected to find thirteen-year-old Ashley James dead. Sure, Ashley was a wild child and no one was surprised when she ran into trouble—or caused it. Yet, no one ever could have predicted Ashley’s antics would get her killed.

Who would hurt a young girl? And why?

These questions haunt Ashely’s older sister, Nora, who seeks out Georgia for answers since she was the one who found Ashley. Together, they try to find out who is responsible for Ashley’s death, hoping to bring the killer to justice before they can harm someone else. The more clues they uncover, the more Georgia is pulled into a life of wealth, privilege, and beauty. As Ashley’s killer goes to extreme lengths to cover their traces, Georgia begins to realize the life of money and power that she desired is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

Summers creates another electrifying, heart-pounding thriller with a sucker punch ending. It’s another addictive read Summers will have to add to her shelf of “emotionally scarring stories that readers will never forget.” This book definitely opens some wounds and people should be especially careful of any trigger warnings before reading. Otherwise, this is another powerfully written story with strong female protagonists who will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets they seek.

Readers will easily fall in love with Nora for her unflinching determination to hunt her sister’s killer. Georgia took a while to warm up to as sometimes her thinking and perception of the people and world around her felt very shallow, selfish and narrow-minded. Yet, Georgia’s circumstances and her family life back up her thoughts and emotions, which validates the way she understands herself and other people. Georgia does become quite an admirable character. Though she does have a few ups and downs and loses herself a bit along the way, she is someone who becomes aware of her self-worth and is driven by her need to create a better life for herself.

“I’m the Girl” is not a story to cozy up with. It will leave a lot of people feeling unsettled and asking themselves several questions along the way. When picking up this book there is one important question all readers will have to answer … “Are you The Girl?”

“I’m the Girl” hits shelves on September 13th, 2022! A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for inviting me to read a free e-arc of Courtney Summer’s newest title and providing me with the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

Thank you NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Courtney Summers for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. It’s as shocking, disturbing, and realistic as Sadie was and I finished it in a day.

This book follows Georgia Avis, a queer girl who dreams of becoming someone. She believes the way to achieve this is by becoming an Aspera girl and working at the resort. She then finds the dead body of a girl that’s been murdered and her world turns upside down. She starts working with Nora, the girl’s sister, to find out what happened and starts to expose what’s truly happening at Aspera.

This book hurt to read because of Georgia’s narration. It was sad seeing that she truly believes these people and thinks that she’s climbing up in the world, when she’s really just being taken advantage of. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending - I sort of expected it, but I feel like it could have been expanded upon a little bit more.

This is a difficult book and I’m not sure that I “enjoyed” it, but that’s how Courtney Summers books are. It was well-written, gripping, and it brought up some very important and relevant topics. I highly recommend it.

Courtney Summers has done it again with her latest novel, "I'm the Girl". What an awesome story this was from the first page to the last.

I have a number of Courtney Summers books lined up to read - but I know that reading the next one will be difficult - so I let them pile up. However, when I was approved to read “I’m the Girl,” by Ms. Summers I had to mentally prepared myself - be aware there are going to be trigger warnings, be aware that the ending is not going to be happy, and be aware to be thinking about this book long after you’ve finished reading it.

On the surface, this book seems like a simple murder mystery - Georgia Avis, being raised by her brother Tyler, discovers the dead body of thirteen year old Ashley James, daughter of a policeman and sister to Nora, who Georgia has long had a crush on. Nora and Georgia decide to try to find Ashley’s murderer. But this is a Courtney Summers book - and nothing in this is “simple.” Once Georgia starts working at Aspera, an exclusive resort, and, basically, end up going down a rabbit hole of power, control, vulnerability, manipulation, deceit, and everything in between.

While reading this book, I was struck by a few things - that sound really odd - when mentioned separately: Epstein and 1950s Hollywood. Epstein and Maxwell came to mind because, well, just read the book. When Georgia described the beauty of the Aspera Girls, I immediately thought of Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth - two beautiful (and talented) 1950s movie stars. As one learns more about the Aspera Girls, I thought of both women’s unfortunate upbringing and how men they loved and/or respected treated them. Ms. Summers did mention that Marilyn Monroe influenced this book - something I didn’t know until afterwards.

I can never say that I enjoy a Courtney Summers books - but I always look forward to reading her next book when I learn it is coming out. Ms. Summers deals with difficult subjects and this book is no exception.

Read an eARC from NetGalley
Content warning: statutory rape (graphic), child sexual abuse, kidnapping, car accident, vomiting, stalking, blackmail

Georgia Avis is a queer girl who wants one thing: to be one of the girls serving the rich and the famous as an Aspera Girl. She collects her modelling photos from But on her way home from collecting some headshots, she stumbles upon the body of a 13-year-old. What then starts is a passionate pursuit of the girl George is meant to be while the house of cards falls apart to reveal a rotten core that feels all too real.

Bleak in the way that exploring the way power and wealth take advantage of girls’ search for validation, this book is a search for autonomy starring deeply flawed, messy, compelling girls.

If you’re at all familiar with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and stories from his survivors, this book has echoes of it in its set-up. There is a powerful man and his partner who have massive wealth from vague sources. They make promises and push the envelope in terms of trust at every opportunity. It is disturbing and deeply upsetting.

Repeated throughout the book is the notion that the world belongs to men, and women can try to wrangle what control they have from that system, but eventually it backfires. It’s cruel, brutally honest, and the journey to the ending is heart-obliterating.

This book takes place in the same slice of contemporary fiction as Sadie (there’s a nice reference about a third of the way in). The exploration of sisterhood definitely makes it a companion piece, with Nora’s search for what happened to her younger sister Ashley shares some echoes. But it’s a side plot that illuminates what could happen to George, even as she convinces herself that she’s different.

George is a girl who likes girls, but the plot isn’t about that. It does add a layer of stakes and another boundary between her and the man who runs Aspera. Every time it feels that George gets some autonomy, it’s another two steps backward. The perspective here is so firmly George’s. The depiction of her trying to use her beauty as a tool is uncomfortable when you (and others in the text) remember that she’s only sixteen. She is a child who was forced to grow up quickly after losing her mother and essentially having to be raised by her brother. There are perfectly reasonable reasons for the adults in her life to not share the gritty details, but Summers manages to make George’s frustration so familiar.

All you want throughout the narrative is for George to be right, that her beauty is power and the world is hers, but this is a Courtney Summers book, so prepare to have those hopes shattered.