Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - I'm the Girl

I found this book deeply disturbing.
I really struggled to identify with the main character, who was so desperate for any tiny scrap of validation from the male gaze that she was totally blind to how grossly she was being manipulated and abused by those around her. I know this kind of thing happens in real life, and it's important to have books and discussions about it, but I felt the writing, much like the main character was sorely missing in depth and maturity.
Not only this, I think it would be a rather dangerous book from the impressionable younger audience it seems to be written and marketed to. Seriously, do not let younger girls read this book, and even as a full grown semi mature adult I wouldn't really recommend it either.

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thebookstagrambabe's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

What the F*ck did I just read? The only way I can describe the book as is ICKY! The trigger warnings are in abundance. I can't believe this is a book marketed towards young adults. I can't even summarize this book because it just felt so messy and disjointed and not in a good way. Im not gonna lie, I was attracted to the cover and the blurb sounded somewhat interesting so I requested this on Netgalley. I hadn't read any of the authors other work but her other books seemed to have good ratings.

This book had one too many plots and was way too graphic. It seemed to glorify abusing beautiful women and there really is no resolve to this book. We just find out what happens and then fade to black. Like WHAT?! There is no conclusion here. No, she finds out and tries to stop it. Basically this book is just a big middle finger to woman and to tell them don't even try to help because the bad guys are always gonna win and the people you think are good guys aren't. Maybe I'm just too bright eyed, but this book was just not it.

Thanks to the publisher for an ALC in return for an honest review. This book releases 9/13

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lrcartee's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Georgia Avis wants more from life. She feels she deserves more and is determined to have more no matter the stakes. To Georgia, the epitome of making it is to become an “Aspera girl”. Aspera is an elite resort for the rich and famous surrounding by mystery and secrets. When Georgia is offered a job there, the secrets begin to unravel.

I love Courtney Summers books. I love how she tackles difficult subjects and brings them to light. I wanted to love this book. I did not. There were so many plot points that it was very hard to decide how to write a synopsis. Was it about Georgia’s obsession with the resort and the people who run it? Was it the fact Georgia found the dead body of a 13 year old girl and trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her? Was it about trying to spotlight a young girl’s naïveté and thereby unable to see the dangers that lurked around her? I don’t know! It was all those things and didn’t do any of them particularly well. It was too disjointed and because of that nothing really resolved. As for character development, there was none. Georgia wandered in and out of so many traumatic experiences seemingly learning nothing from any of them. She became very trying.

The blurb for this book says it’s about Georgia and her friend trying to find out what happened to her friend’s sister. To me this was secondary. In my opinion, it was more about Georgia fulfilling her dreams no matter the cost and sometimes stumbling upon something about the murder case, usually by being in situations from very poor decision making.

Another reviewer wrote that the entire book was a giant trigger warning and I agree. They were all represented, rape, child molestation, grooming, human trafficking, murder, suicide, drug use, classism and more. For me, the book needed more cohesion. As I said I have loved Summers other books but this one, for me, was just too all over the place.

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blueeyedshook's review

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Maybe the timing of my reading this book just wasn’t it. Maybe I’m not the biggest fan of Summers storytelling style (though her writing is beautiful).
But what I do know is that this is not a book I would recommend a teen. And the point of the book is to get an important message across to teens. But instead of teaching a valuable lesson and imparting a message, because of Georgia’s naïveté I feel like the message is more harmful.
It is also just a painful, disturbing book to read. Like make me physically ill. And I can only count a handful of books that have done that to me.
I just think it’s a bit too gritty and graphic for YA.

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