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suchita_r's review against another edition
5.0
Tess Sharpe is my new favourite author.
I’m not surprised that Netflix picked this up and can’t wait to see Millie Bobby Brown tackle this character.
Who’s going to play Iris and Wes??!!
I’m not surprised that Netflix picked this up and can’t wait to see Millie Bobby Brown tackle this character.
Who’s going to play Iris and Wes??!!
finzijade's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shannon_mcdrapcho's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
les's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kebs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sarahhreads's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
i loved this book so much but i wish i hadn’t read it when i did.
i saw this recommended in a tiktok as a bi girl romance heist book so i was like sign me up and read it on the plane back from europe. turns out this book is veryyyy different than that (i don’t think the person who recommended it to me even read the book). this is a hostage book. this is an escape book. this is a book about a girl that is running from her past and for her life.
i think this book was crafted amazingly well. like it was so cool to be in nora’s head, she is such a badass character and so unbelievably strong. and the plot was really cool and thrilling and kept me gripped. to be honest the problem wasn’t really with the book but with me. i’m such a mood reader that if the vibe i’m feeling in my life doesn’t match the book i’m reading it really affects my reading experience and unfortunately that’s what happened here slightly. i am sure that when i read this again some day i’ll up the rating to 5 stars and i really do wish that i had read this when i was in a better headspace and more prepared for it (cause parts are pretty heavy).
anyway that was a lot of rambling but overall i’d definitely recommend this book just make sure you look up trigger warnings and know what it’s about before going in
i loved this book so much but i wish i hadn’t read it when i did.
i saw this recommended in a tiktok as a bi girl romance heist book so i was like sign me up and read it on the plane back from europe. turns out this book is veryyyy different than that (i don’t think the person who recommended it to me even read the book). this is a hostage book. this is an escape book. this is a book about a girl that is running from her past and for her life.
i think this book was crafted amazingly well. like it was so cool to be in nora’s head, she is such a badass character and so unbelievably strong. and the plot was really cool and thrilling and kept me gripped. to be honest the problem wasn’t really with the book but with me. i’m such a mood reader that if the vibe i’m feeling in my life doesn’t match the book i’m reading it really affects my reading experience and unfortunately that’s what happened here slightly. i am sure that when i read this again some day i’ll up the rating to 5 stars and i really do wish that i had read this when i was in a better headspace and more prepared for it (cause parts are pretty heavy).
anyway that was a lot of rambling but overall i’d definitely recommend this book just make sure you look up trigger warnings and know what it’s about before going in
alsoiread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cwalsh's review against another edition
4.0
I can't really put into words why I liked this book so much, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I've never read anything quite like this before. I will say that it has the potential to be a triggering book for readers who have dealt with grooming of any kind and sexual abuse, but it's a necessary component of the story to understand why Nora is The Girl She IS.
I really have to give Sharpe so much credit for constructing such a complex character like Nora. While the central bank robbery plot takes place over the course of only few hours, readers are also seamlessly transported back in time to Nora's childhood and learn about the facets of her six alter egos.
I don't have many complaints about this book, but I do wish that we could've learned a bit more about Nora's ex-boyfriend/friend, Wes. For being such a strong emotional crutch, I wish we could've learned more about their relationship.
I really have to give Sharpe so much credit for constructing such a complex character like Nora. While the central bank robbery plot takes place over the course of only few hours, readers are also seamlessly transported back in time to Nora's childhood and learn about the facets of her six alter egos.
I don't have many complaints about this book, but I do wish that we could've learned a bit more about Nora's ex-boyfriend/friend, Wes. For being such a strong emotional crutch, I wish we could've learned more about their relationship.
skynet666's review against another edition
4.0
When I realized that the author was narrating her own fiction book, I cringed. However, she was perfect and the story kept me entertained throughout. Nice to listen to something unique.
megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
rep: bi m/c, f/f romance, bi li who also has endo
content warnings: child abuse, domestic violence, threats of rape, sexual assault, violence, mentions of abortion
'I learn it isn't a game. I learn it's my life. Rebecca. Samantha. Haley. Katie. Ashley. The girls I've been. The perfect daughters to the women my mother has become to con her marks.'
The Girls I've Been follows Nora O'Malley, the daughter of a con artist, as she is taken hostage in a bank heist with her girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. The situation she's in is deadly and unpredictable, but so is she. For years Nora has been playing at normal, but that isn't who she really is. Now, though, she needs to dust of those skills she ditched and try and get herself and her girlfriend and ex-boyfriend out alive.
Tess Sharpe is a favourite author of mine - I loved both Far From You and, more recently, Barbed Wire Heart. Tess Sharpe has a way of creating such a tense and brutal atmosphere - especially in Barbed Wire Heart - and she does it again in The Girls I've Been. It's non-linear, which is like one of my all time favourite things. and it's done well (which came as no surprise). It adds to the atmosphere, and the slow buildup and slow reveal really ramps up the tension and the mystery surrounding our protagonist, Nora.
The Girls I've Been takes on quite a dark tone. It's about family, survival, identity, and male violence and Tess Sharpe doesn't hold back. It's about how Nora's toxic relationship with her mother, and her relationships with her mother's marks has shaped her as a person.
Nora is the true star of this book, she is one hell of a protagonist. I'm very fond of morally ambiguous characters and Nora is definitely that, but she is so much more than that. She's sharp and smart, she's abused and traumatised, she's angry but also hopeful, she doesn't know who she really is - she struggles with her identity but she's learnt a lot from every single girl she's been. She struggles, and she makes mistakes, she isn't always honest, and she doesn't trust easily, but she's healing with the help of those around her - the healthy relationships she's making along the way and the love and care that those relationships bring to her life.
The Girls I've Been also has a prominent f/f romance, and the love interest, Iris, has endometriosis, which is great because I've actually never seen that featured in a book before and I could really relate. So, that was also great!
The Girls I've Been is a high-stakes, intense thriller that goes deep into the violence women suffer at the hands of men.
rep: bi m/c, f/f romance, bi li who also has endo
content warnings: child abuse, domestic violence, threats of rape, sexual assault, violence, mentions of abortion
'I learn it isn't a game. I learn it's my life. Rebecca. Samantha. Haley. Katie. Ashley. The girls I've been. The perfect daughters to the women my mother has become to con her marks.'
The Girls I've Been follows Nora O'Malley, the daughter of a con artist, as she is taken hostage in a bank heist with her girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. The situation she's in is deadly and unpredictable, but so is she. For years Nora has been playing at normal, but that isn't who she really is. Now, though, she needs to dust of those skills she ditched and try and get herself and her girlfriend and ex-boyfriend out alive.
Tess Sharpe is a favourite author of mine - I loved both Far From You and, more recently, Barbed Wire Heart. Tess Sharpe has a way of creating such a tense and brutal atmosphere - especially in Barbed Wire Heart - and she does it again in The Girls I've Been. It's non-linear, which is like one of my all time favourite things. and it's done well (which came as no surprise). It adds to the atmosphere, and the slow buildup and slow reveal really ramps up the tension and the mystery surrounding our protagonist, Nora.
The Girls I've Been takes on quite a dark tone. It's about family, survival, identity, and male violence and Tess Sharpe doesn't hold back. It's about how Nora's toxic relationship with her mother, and her relationships with her mother's marks has shaped her as a person.
What didn’t kill me didn’t make me stronger; what didn’t kill me made me a victim. But I made me stronger. I made me a survivor.”
Nora is the true star of this book, she is one hell of a protagonist. I'm very fond of morally ambiguous characters and Nora is definitely that, but she is so much more than that. She's sharp and smart, she's abused and traumatised, she's angry but also hopeful, she doesn't know who she really is - she struggles with her identity but she's learnt a lot from every single girl she's been. She struggles, and she makes mistakes, she isn't always honest, and she doesn't trust easily, but she's healing with the help of those around her - the healthy relationships she's making along the way and the love and care that those relationships bring to her life.
The Girls I've Been also has a prominent f/f romance, and the love interest, Iris, has endometriosis, which is great because I've actually never seen that featured in a book before and I could really relate. So, that was also great!
The Girls I've Been is a high-stakes, intense thriller that goes deep into the violence women suffer at the hands of men.