Girlcrush

The #1 Sunday Times Bestseller

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Pub Date 09 Aug 2022 | Archive Date 30 Sep 2022
Mobius | Brazen

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Description

GIRLCRUSH is a dark feminist retelling of Jekyll & Hyde by bestselling author Florence Given.

In Given's debut novel, we follow Eartha on a wild, weird and seductive modern-day exploration as she commences life as an openly bisexual woman whilst also becoming a viral sensation on Wonderland, a social media app where people project their dream selves online.

The distance between her online and offline self grows further and further apart until something dark happens that leads her into total self-destruction, forcing Eartha to make a choice; which version of herself should she kill off?

GIRLCRUSH is a dark feminist retelling of Jekyll & Hyde by bestselling author Florence Given.

In Given's debut novel, we follow Eartha on a wild, weird and seductive modern-day exploration as she...


Advance Praise

'Dark, funny and wild. A riotous trip down the rabbit hole into a world where lives are lived and lost online' - Chloe Ashby, author of WET PAINT

'Dark, funny and wild. A riotous trip down the rabbit hole into a world where lives are lived and lost online' - Chloe Ashby, author of WET PAINT


Marketing Plan

  •     National media campaign including television, print, radio and online coverage
  •     ARC distribution campaign
  •     Digital marketing/publicity campaign
  •     Review campaign targeting media, Amazon and Goodreads reviewers
  •     Social media outreach
  •     National media campaign including television, print, radio and online coverage
  •     ARC distribution campaign
  •     Digital marketing/publicity campaign
  • Review campaign targeting media, Amazon and...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781914240522
PRICE £16.99 (GBP)
PAGES 384

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Average rating from 61 members


Featured Reviews

I could not put this book down, I read it in 2 days.

As a queer woman in a relationship with a man, the commentary surrounding bi-erasure in the queer community within the book was both affirming and heartbreaking to read about. Eartha lives through the journey of a queer person coming out later in life - the realization, the coming out, the joy of accepting oneself fully and then the biphobia that is very relevant to discourse today. This book is a phenomenal social commentary on the queer experience, social media, its impact on mental health, and how media conglomerates control our collective online existence,

It was also very affirming to read a book that had a non-binary character that didn't have a big moment where they have to profess their identity, The reader simply discovers that Rose uses they/them pronouns.

Eartha was a relatable protagonist, her journey through discovering her queerness was rooted in reality, I found the writing to be very fresh, the pacing made this book a page turner. I am unsure still if I wholeheartedly believe this opinion - that I would have liked to see a resolution between Eartha and her friends and family. While on one hand it would have provided a conclusive ending, on the other hand, it reflects how life works sometimes, mistakes are made and there is no resolution and I am torn between admiration and critique.

As this was a ARC, I can not wait to add a physical copy to my bookshelf and return to it soon.

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This book is an emotional rollercoaster.

Told through a unique combination of first person narration, online "postings," and director-of-a-scene bird's eye view, this book tells the tale of a nobody to somebody: Eartha.

After experiencing an eye opening event, she begins the journey of an online influencer. At first things are great... until they are not.

I started and finished this work in one sitting, wanting desperately to know what would happen to Eartha as she navigated her own sexuality and interaction with the world with so many eyes on her every move. Would recommend for fans of reality tv.

[Graciously received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

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5* such a great read!

"In Given's debut novel, we follow Eartha on a wild, weird and seductive modern-day exploration as she commences life as an openly bisexual woman whilst also becoming a viral sensation on Wonderland, a social media app where people project their dream selves online."

This book reminded me a bit of The Circle by Dave Eggers. Kind of its queer sequel about modern times in social media. In the book we follow along on Eartha's journey to become a well-known influencer, having someone represent her and living her best life. Until it becomes apparent that being "someone" on social media also comes at a price. The book takes some turns and has some really interesting plot twists, showing the down sides of living your life completely online. What I also liked is that one of Rosa's best friends is a non-binary character, without any introduction they/them pronouns are used for them throughout the entire book. I love how this is normalized in the book without question. Would highly recommend reading this book!

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This book is such a rollercoaster and I can't wait to buy a physical copy asap!

I started this book thinking it would be a story about a girl who realises she is bisexual and would begin exploring the world of dating women and stumble upon some Internet fame. Whilst all of this did happen, I think that my attempting to summarise what happened in Girl Crush would do the book a massive disservice.

Eartha is a character that you cannot help root for. Watching her rise to fame and then struggle with the pressure was heartbreaking, particularly the ending. I wanted everything to work out but in a way, I'm happy it didn't because that really brought the message of the book forward.

The side characters in the book were also amazing, particularly Rose, I think they were my favourite. They were the grounding force that Eartha needed.

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This book was so jam-packed with so many topics and I loved every second of it.

-This book was an emotional rollercoaster. The spiral of Eartha had me second guessing the whole book. I am still thinking, what did I just read? But in a starstruck way.

-The writing style fits the book perfectly. The fragments of Eartha’s point of view, emails, social media posts, text messages, and a birds-eye director's point of view. As the book progressed, the style fit even more. I felt like I was falling down a rabbit hole along with Eartha.

-The reflections and commentary on so many topics were insightful. It put a lot of things into perspective, especially regarding the use of social media.

-I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. I was seriously invested in Eartha’s journey.

Overall, I loved this book! It was amazing.

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A dark dive into the power of social media, girlcrush is a coming of age story about self discovery and sexuality. I am a big fan of Florence’s and was super excited to read this book. It did not disappoint and is a fabulous debut novel.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for the ARC!

This was my first Florence Given book. And it was amazing. I absolutely loved it. Our main character Eartha is in an unhappy relationship with a guy. At the beginning of the book she's learning more and more about her sexuality. Her best friend Rose (aka a legend) helps and supports her and is hands down my favorite character in this book. However the main part of the book is centered around Wonderland. It's a fictional social media platform in the book which is a bit similar to insta (but not quite). For some reason Eartha goes viral on that platform and we follow her on this new journey.

I laughed, I cried and felt so much while reading Girlcrush. There were so many funny bits but it also got very dark towards the end. Florence showed us what a negative impact social media can have on you and talks about some other serious topics. The description on the book "A hot, dark story" is the perfect way to sum it up. Definitely a highlight of 2022!

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I picked this up after really enjoying Women Don't Owe You Pretty and this book gave me many of the same messages I got from that, but in a fictional setting. The power and impact of social media is well executed here and is as important as ever to address.

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This book’s blurb was a tad misleading for me. I thought GirlCrush was only about a young woman’s journey through exploring her bisexuality and a coming-of-age story. I mean, there are definitely aspects of that in this book but its main focus was social media and its impact on Eartha and her life. I enjoyed this book and I loved the social commentary as the story unfolded. I’ve read books with “influencer” characters and they’re almost caricatures of themselves so it was interesting to read the Eartha’s before and ‘becoming’. This isn’t one of those cozy books where you can sit back and let the story unfold. I found myself on the edge of my seat in anticipation as the story unfolded. So be warned that this isn’t one of those ‘easy reads'. That being said, it was wonderful and I enjoyed it. I wish I had known more about the book going into it so I wouldn’t have been as surprised about the premise. Overall, a solid book with a killer cover. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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