Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Girls I've Been

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

41 reviews

skullotonin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this is a truly captivating story, i read it in two sittings! highly recommend if you enjoy psychological horror or deep, well-rounded characters.

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courtneyfalling's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was really tense and at times emotionally hard to read but it had a beautiful combination of a twisty plot and real, heartwarming character development and found family. Plus pretty solid Own Voices queer and chronic illness rep!

The main reason I'm ranking it as 4.5 and not 5 stars is that it pulls the last act "oh no, I can't lose my moral righteousness by killing someone, even for the safety of myself and my loved ones." Which at that point I entirely didn't believe was true of Nora and it felt kind of like a lazy save. It would've been so easy to avoid too with some other reason for Nora not shooting Duane!

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kharlan3's review against another edition

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(f/f, YA, thriller). This book had me entranced all the way through. The author does an incredible job narrating, and the story, of a bank heist hostage situation interspersed with the mc’s history, is excellent. It solidified what I already knew, which is that I love found family stories so much, and I love “I adore my romantic partner but my friends mean just as much to me” even more. So good.

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thisiscourt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense 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

5.0

I had no idea books like this are being written. I definitely need more like this. (And here I was thinking I'm over YA books...pffff)
It is about a bank heist from the hostages point of view and the protagonist is this smart, resourceful, badass teenage girl. She's basically the modern day version of Arya Stark. This part of the story just reads like a mix of an action-adventure game and a Die Hard movie. I LOVED it. It's super action packed and fast pased with witty lines and dialogies. But the main plot is interrupted by flashbacks of the protagonist's pasts. Which is really had hitting and full of triggers. This part of the plot was a little weaker in my opinion but I still wanted to know what exactly happened in the past. And all the chapters going back and forth were really short, so it didn't get boring or distract too much from the main plot.
I absolutely loved the friendship group and the romantic relationships and the found family trope, these relationships were just wholesome. There was a lot of trauma and healing and LGBTQ+ representation and therapy and soooo many more little things I liked.

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yvonne_cl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read Sharpe’s novel Far From You last year and loved it, so I was excited to read her newest release. The Girls I’ve Been is a fast-paced thriller with a sapphic couple front and center. I absolutely loved it. I was intrigued from the very first page, and sped through it because I desperately wanted to know what happened next. I was kept on my toes the entire time I read, and never knew what to expect.

Nora was a complex yet realistic and relatable protagonist. I loved her, Iris, and Wesley. Their friendship was amazing, as was Nora and Iris’ romance. Also, major props to Iris for being so resilient and clever while on her period, because I could never. These two are the most badass girls I’ve seen outside of a fantasy book, hands down. The fact that they’re dating makes it even better. *chefs kiss*

The story features two timelines: one in present day where the three teens end up hostages in an armed bank robbery, and one exploring Nora’s past as she grew up frequently moving and helping her mother with various cons. The former takes place over about twelve hours, with a few chapters at the end of the book detailing what occurred in the following weeks. Both were intriguing, and they were managed well, balanced perfectly. Neither one ever seemed to overpower the other.

I don’t read many thrillers, but Sharpe’s are among the best I’ve read and this one is undoubtedly my favorite. I’ll definitely be reading more from her in the future, and trying other authors as well. My interest in the genre has certainly been renewed.

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