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

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Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

150 reviews

jazminnnnnnn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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debussy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.5

The Girls I've Been is immersive and burns rubber the entire ride, which makes it a quick read. I enjoyed nearly everything about it, especially how much deeper the plot became outside of the surface level bank robbery. That said, I found some of the flashback scenes a bit hard to buy given the age of the main character is always referenced but never quite feels true-to-age for these sections. Granted, Nora is forced to grow up fast, but I still had a hard time suspending my disbelief.

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manoushp109's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

so well done i absolutely loved it. so much respect for this author for the way such dark and challenging issues were handled. cover design is super fitting. i loved the three main characters in a way that developed really beautiful and i found myself quite attached to them. the protective and intense nature of Lee was something i loved and needed. incredible read. not something i usually go for but so so good

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holliesatchell's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

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yvonne_aaf's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like 'Pet' by Akwaeke Emezi, I am so grateful to the universe for pulling whatever strings had to be pulled into alignment, to allow me to be in the position where this book landed in my lap. I think most people have a favourite book that shakes them to their core, and this is mine! The Girls I've Been has definitely made it into my favourite books of all time!

Initially, I planned to listen to the audiobook whilst I got on with my day, but by chapter 15 I was swaddled in bed, for 3 hours, doing nothing but listening to Tess Sharpe spin the most beautiful, heartwrenching story.

It took me a while to fully sink into the story, I think I often have a bias against YA novels for some reason, but once I was in it, I was in it. The characters are so well developed - Lianne is maybe my favourite character of all time - it's difficult for me to imagine that Iris, Wes, Nora and Lianne don't actually exist out there in some town, learning their way through life. The sapphic romance was the cherry on top, woven into the story in such a gorgeous way.

So many intense topics are discussed in this book, and a lot of them really hit me hard in the chest in a way I wasn't expecting - one of those moments where the universe won't let you run away from your own issues anymore. They were discussed so thoughtfully, and carefully but were also dissected in such a frank way. There's no shying away from the trauma in the novel, which I think is an important warning for anyone going into it with childhood issues, esp past abuse!

Everything you would need in a tense high-stakes thriller was here - perfectly crafted villains, nuanced characters, twists & turns - a true 5/5 book for me!

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applesapplesapples's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced

3.25

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goddaniiit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

Sometimes, you just KNOW a book is going to be worth 5 stars right off the bat. That's how I felt as soon as I started my book annotation journey with this book in particular. I went insane not just with the witty narration style but also with the amount of details showcased at the start of every chapter. The Flashbacks might've been a problem to others but, maybe this is on me being an anime viewer, I found that it was shown to the reader/s at the perfect time. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to guess how they were going to get out of the situations they were in whilst getting a better understanding of what each individual 'girls' thought process is like.

I'm also a sucker for the found family troupe. So, seeing Nora and Wes banter all throughout was very enjoyable to read about. As I also like some angst sprinkled along, the aftermath of their break-up was handled really well especially with how great of a middle-man Wes played during Truth for Truth between Nora and Iris. Speaking of Iris, Her chaotic energy truly brings me life.

As curious as I am for a sequel (since the resolution made it seem like that was a possibility and I would love to see more of Lee if I'm being honest), I also wouldn't mind if it just stayed as a standalone. It works either way - as the reader sees how far Nora has grown as a character when comes to a conclusion about her identity and how her trauma doesn't define who she is.

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