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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed Sadie. But this book just wasn't it. I didn't really enjoy the narrator. But more than that the story was boring and had several trigger warnings I wasn't aware of. It was more about this girl trying to find her way to be a high class prostitute, than two girls teaming up to solve the murder of her sister - which is what I thought it would be. Several depictions of SA and inappropriate behavior with a minor that the minor herself writes off as "ok" because "she likes girls" and "it'll get me what I want". Very gross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars probably? I always appreciate readability but this was no Sadie, unfortunately
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Courtney Summers just wants to come for my heart and rip it out, I've learned. Her and her lovely, brutal writing.
The narrator of the audiobook, Lori Prince, should win an award for her performance. Even when I switched back and forth between the audiobook and the book, I heard it in my head in her voice (at one point I HAD to know what was going to happen, like NOW, so I switched to reading because it's faster). Her narration was particularly good at nailing Georgia's mix of naïve, earnest, proud, vulnerable, and that "trying too hard to be grown-up" kind of self-absorbed -- Georgia was so frustrating at times and yet, Prince's voice really sold it and made her a sympathetic figure.
Courtney Summers just wants to come for my heart and rip it out, I've learned. Her and her lovely, brutal writing.
The narrator of the audiobook, Lori Prince, should win an award for her performance. Even when I switched back and forth between the audiobook and the book, I heard it in my head in her voice (at one point I HAD to know what was going to happen, like NOW, so I switched to reading because it's faster). Her narration was particularly good at nailing Georgia's mix of naïve, earnest, proud, vulnerable, and that "trying too hard to be grown-up" kind of self-absorbed -- Georgia was so frustrating at times and yet, Prince's voice really sold it and made her a sympathetic figure.
I loved Courtney Summers other books but just couldn’t get into this one.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m the Girl bills itself as a mystery, and the comparisons to Sadie are inevitable, but I’d argue that both these things are setting it up for failure. The problem with the novel is that it lacks any kind of catharsis or solution. The entirety of the book the heroine, George, is obviously misguided—self-obsessed, worried about what men think of her, and ignoring all the clear warning signs about the super secret rich people club in her town. However…she doesn’t learn. Even up until the last chapter, she is still willing to accept that she has no higher purpose than beauty.
The book’s sexual and physical violence don’t seem to have much purpose. We already know real world things like this happen, so what is Summers trying to say about it? The novel offers no solutions, no way to vent our rage, no justice—-nothing.
I love books that aren’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, but if there is no payoff then it starts to just feel voyeuristic.
For a different (and more adult) take on a similar topic, I recommend Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife (full disclosure—I was a beta reader of the manuscript).
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
The book’s sexual and physical violence don’t seem to have much purpose. We already know real world things like this happen, so what is Summers trying to say about it? The novel offers no solutions, no way to vent our rage, no justice—-nothing.
I love books that aren’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, but if there is no payoff then it starts to just feel voyeuristic.
For a different (and more adult) take on a similar topic, I recommend Ashley Winstead’s The Last Housewife (full disclosure—I was a beta reader of the manuscript).
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
This is a difficult one to rate. I think I was expecting more sleuthing like in Sadie but really the main character, Georgia, doesn't seem all that invested in solving the mystery of who killed Ashley, just in keeping close to Nora, Ashley's sister. Which, fair. She was really traumatized by finding Ashley and did not want to keep revisiting her case. So the sleuthing bit is more Georgia doing what Nora asks and kind of stumbling onto things but not putting the clues together. On the one hand, I don't think Georgia wanted to see the truth or all the warning signs around Aspera. She had built it - and the owner, Matthew - up into an unshakable ideal, and even as bad things started to happen to her at Aspera, she wouldn't admit that anything was wrong. The story is heartbreaking and heavy, especially when Georgia finally discovers how deep the rot and conspiracy at Aspera has gone. For me, it was frustrating to read Georgia's denial of all the bad things she goes through and how she continues to place her trust in the worst people instead of the ones who love her. However, I do realize she was being groomed and didn't want to see herself as a victim, but instead as someone with power over her situation and future. All that to say, this book stirred up a lot of complex feelings! Not a book to be taken lightly.
*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes