I’m The Girl

I’m The Girl by Courtney Summers is a dark thriller with gritty themes. Courtney Summers returns with another thriller based on the teen female experience.

All quotes are from an advanced reader copy, and may or may not reflect the published edition.

From Goodreads:

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I’m the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

“Beauty like ours always has a cost, Georgia,” she murmurs, our eyes meeting in the mirror. “But you don’t have to be the one who pays it.”

I want to give a small precursor here that there should be absolutely massive trigger warnings for this book, and there were none in the advanced reader copy I received. While I have specific triggers that this did not hit, it may be beneficial for others to be aware before they pick this book up. With that being said, huge content and trigger warnings for: sexual assault, sexual abuse, grooming, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, alcoholism, troubled teen industry mentions, and murder (okay, duh on that one).

“Oh: the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s me. I’m the girl.”

Courtney Summers returns with another fantastic thriller. Summers is somehow capable of capturing the multifaceted aspects of teenage girlhood in all of her books, and “I’m The Girl” is no exception to this. Georgia is a frustrating main character, enraptured with the idea of a place rather than the truth of a place. She lives in a rural community that doesn’t support her or gives her space to process trauma, and instead, hides things and blames girls for the things that happen to them.

“What makes you decide to kill a girl?”

This story is excellent, especially in that it’s conceptually not the most unique. If you grew up in rural communities, you know this story or someone in your hometown knows this story. The golden, gleaming pinnacle of uniqueness comes from the Aspera aspect of it all. You are left wondering if it’s truly a ticket out, or a death sentence after all. This was well written and very enjoyable, with complex characters and their needs.

“Don’t put a ceiling on what you’re meant to receive, Georgia. That’s not how you ended up here. And it doesn’t suit you.”

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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