A review by jayecard
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.25

 I thought this book would be 80% con schemes and lying and smart manipulation, and 20% character, or so. The book is more like, 20% con stuff (which is ok), and 80% character, which is to say 80% horribly abused and traumatized teenagers finding ways to deal with it (which is done extremely well). It's a very fast read, style is alright, with the most difficult parts of the content done damn well. But check the trigger warnings for sure, the heavy stuff caught me off guard for real.

tl;dr: Full ass recommend, but check content warnings first

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Alcoholism

Child Sexual Abuse and horrible handling thereof by the parent