This was an extremely painful, yet necessary book to read. I felt so captivated with the way Sumrow told this story. I will highly recommend this novel! 5/5 stars.

Fans of Tiffany Jackson's Allegedly should grab this book! Fifteen year old Ruby is on trial for murdering a prominent businessman. But did she do it? Did her past compromise her future? A fast, enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Balzer + Bray for allowing me to read this book. This book was definitely a breathe of fresh air when it comes to original concept. The author executed this book like no other.

A wholly original YA novel by @melaniesumrowbooks that’s going to change the game for the industry.
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A wealthy construction company CEO is shot to death in Dallas and all signs point to fifteen-year-old Ruby Monroe being the only suspect in the crime. As her murder trial gets closer, the reader tries to piece together the real story from newspaper articles, interviews and letters. Cadence Ware is Ruby’s caseworker and is trying desperately to work with both Ruby and her lawyer to help get her acquitted. As the #book builds to the stunning finale we see what being a survivor looks like.
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WOW. When @harpercollins asked me to read this novel to provide an honest review, saying I would be blown away by this YA debut, they were right. Sumrow’s history as a lawyer really shown on the pages, as you knew she was well-versed in what she was writing about. The reader will be dying to know what happens with each turn of the page. This was told so intentionally, even until the final word. Please check content warnings on this one, as it discusses very important topics, but ones that aren’t always easy to read. High school libraries should grab this one up when it releases June 25! 5⭐️

CW: addiction, alcoholism, drug use, gun use, murder, blood, vomit, adult/child relationship, domestic abuse, sexual assault, physical abuse, emotional abuse, abortion, violence, prostitution, abandonment, unhoused youth, incest

It is not a stretch of fiction to say that I was fully addicted to this book. I started and finished it over the course of 24 hours. I fell asleep with it smashed into my face and woke up like a hangover and turned off the light. This story was incredibly gripping and would not let me go.

15-year-old Ruby Monroe has been accused of murder, but her legal team is determined to set the record straight and return her freedom. Told through interviews, letters, and court transcripts, Girls Like Her follows the story of Ruby's incarceration, trial, and aftermath with a no-stop fever that will pull readers in from the jump.

This book really did it all for me. I love books that are told through unconventional means like the notes, letters, transcripts, and interviews that we see in this book. Something about having more than just descriptions and dialogue really appeals to me, and I love when something looks more like a photocopy than a real page in a book.

The pacing was absolutely break-neck and only really slowed down when Ruby was writing letters to her friend, Maya. Those were more reflective than most of the other sections and gave the reader a quick second to breathe before diving right back into the fray of interviews and emotional outbursts. This made it incredibly hard to tear my eyes away from the page.

The one place where this book frustrated me a little bit was Ruby herself. Ruby is described as "difficult" in the first few chapters and boy-oh-boy is she. This girl has six walls built around her and a complete disdain for anything even remotely resembling authority. While I get that Ruby's life experiences have made her defensive, it really irritates me when characters lack self-preservation skills. Yes, Ruby has been abused. Yes, her life has been hard. But if her goal of getting out of jail, sniping at the only people trying to help her isn't the way to go. I did gain some sympathy over the course of the book and was really rooting for her by the end, but I never really grew to actually like her.

The final twist was one I absolutely did not see coming. I loved the aspect of the "missing" files that were clearly going to be leading somewhere, but it was really anyone's guess where. The reveal literally made me catch my breath. A true twist that you absolutely could have guessed early one, but didn't give you so much that it was obvious where the story was taking you.

Overall this was a very solid YA thriller and I am thoroughly grateful to #NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

this was such a great concept for a book, it had the elements that I was looking for and about a trial for murder. The characters felt like real people that worked in the story being told. It uses the injustice of what could happen and it felt like a real story. Melanie Sumrow tells a great story and I look forward to reading more.

Thank You to Netgalley for the Arc. Girls Like Her is a challenging read. If topics of sexual violence could upset you, I would recommend that you save this book to your TBR until you feel safe reading it. Ruby Monroe is 15 when she is charged with the murder of a local millionaire, and the state is now trying her as an adult. Girls Like Her is perfect for fans of Law and Order; unfortunately, I struggled with this aspect as the harsh reality of the justice system was explored, but not to the extent I would have liked. Women who are victims of sexual violence often are traumatized by having to relive their stories, and I wish we could have seen this from Ruby.

I started reading this one expecting a mystery/thriller but what I got was more realistic fiction. Not to say that is a bad thing, it just wasn’t what I anticipated based on the synopsis. I also actually thought this was the authors debut book based on her writing, but it is not. Not to say the writing was bad! But I would have expected a little more from a seasoned author. I really liked the fact that the author was a lawyer in the Texas court however and drew this character together based on her experiences. She has a nice authors note in the beginning which explains this, as well as the fact that this book does contain mention of trauma and some trigger warnings for readers. This novel was a combination of court transcripts, letters and narrative, which I thought was a great way to present Ruby’s story. I did find the narrative a little repetitive though, until things really picked up toward the end. This was a heart wrenching story and I think it is a needed representation of the girls like Ruby who find themselves in a cycle of trauma and can’t navigate their way out alone.

Girls Like Her does feel grippingly realistic to young girls who have witnessed so much trauma at a young age. You see how Ruby got to this point in life without anyone having her best interests. Overall, this was a quick and approachable read, especially for teens. But, the writing style was not for me. There was a lot of telling rather than showing the audience. At times, I felt like this book was trying to resemble Tiffany Jackson's Allegedly. Ultimately, teens will empathize with Ruby's struggles and will root for her.

Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow is a fantastic YA fiction read.
This story deals with some heavy topics but at the same time I was completely and utterly hooked.
The writing was so well done here and the characters sucked me into their world and riveting story of the truths so often lost in the American justice system, and one girl’s fight to be heard.

Thank You NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was SUCH a good read!! While I had an inkling about the *twist*, I still was very pleasantly surprised when it was revealed. Even though Ruby is in jail for something she has confessed to, you still can’t help but empathize and pray that she catches a break. It also sheds even more light on our (in)justice system, and how many people can fall through the cracks if they don’t have a good support system in place.

I love the way this book is set up in the use of newspaper articles, reports, letters, etc. It doesn't read like a "normal" book and I love this. It adds so much to the storyline!

This book has a strong premise. Honestly, I think there should be more like this, but the topic is a bit strong, and I don't think it's appropriate for young adults.
Girls Like her was an roller coaster of emotions. It was raw, and I felt terrible for Ruby and everything she had gone through.
I liked the way this book is written. Telling the story through court transcripts, letter, and social worker meetings was a new idea and I thought it worked well with the story.

This was a tragic story written beautifully. I don’t think the switch between court transcripts and the actual story was cohesive but with that being said I did feel like I was watching one of those limited series shows where they flip between the trial and the events leading up to trial. It was that interesting and that good.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

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.