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A review by thewizardofbooks
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
5.0
4.5 stars.
The Girls I’ve Been is a masterful thriller, full of twisting prose that keeps you guessing till the very end.
Taking place over the course of a single and frightening day, The Girl’s I’ve Been follows Nora who has left her past behind her… or tried to. She is the daughter of a con artist, growing up with a new name and a forced new personality every few years. But when her mother falls for the mark, Nora escapes the only life she ever knew for a quieter existence where she can be the one thing that was always kept from her… herself. She makes friends, finds love, and begins healing. But on the morning she is meant to deposit fundraiser money at the bank, she, along with her girlfriend Iris and ex-boyfriend (but still friend) Wes, get caught up in the middle of a bank heist that starts unravelling from moment one. Nora has to again become the morally grey con she was raised to be if they are going to survive.
This book was heartbreaking and unique. Sharpe does a beautiful job of representing people who have experienced abuse, neglect and other trauma. With flashes into Nora’s past, the story still keeps you in suspense as it unravels, giving the reader one puzzle piece at a time. The way this book is woven together, with secrets being unearthed with each page turn, creates an all encompassing experience that couldn’t be put down.
I devoured this book in a day and when I finished, I flipped back through to experience some of the expertly written lines again. The words in this book were something else. It’s been a long time since I found myself going back and rereading immediately. I just needed MORE and would absolutely read sequels about these characters.
The Girl’s I’ve Been is oh so special in the way it represents queerness and bisexuality. Nora wears it like a badge of honor and it was like a breath of fresh air. I don’t read about as many bisexual characters who so confidently express their identity. It isn’t just the LGBTQ rep that excited me, but the careful yet blunt way these characters were shown healing from their abusive pasts. Nora goes to therapy and discusses it positively, where so often characters in YA begrudgingly are forced to go by their guardians.
This book was wholly creative and wonderfully thrilling. I absolutely look forward to any future books from Tess Sharpe, they will be an immediate buy from me.
The Girls I’ve Been is a masterful thriller, full of twisting prose that keeps you guessing till the very end.
Taking place over the course of a single and frightening day, The Girl’s I’ve Been follows Nora who has left her past behind her… or tried to. She is the daughter of a con artist, growing up with a new name and a forced new personality every few years. But when her mother falls for the mark, Nora escapes the only life she ever knew for a quieter existence where she can be the one thing that was always kept from her… herself. She makes friends, finds love, and begins healing. But on the morning she is meant to deposit fundraiser money at the bank, she, along with her girlfriend Iris and ex-boyfriend (but still friend) Wes, get caught up in the middle of a bank heist that starts unravelling from moment one. Nora has to again become the morally grey con she was raised to be if they are going to survive.
This book was heartbreaking and unique. Sharpe does a beautiful job of representing people who have experienced abuse, neglect and other trauma. With flashes into Nora’s past, the story still keeps you in suspense as it unravels, giving the reader one puzzle piece at a time. The way this book is woven together, with secrets being unearthed with each page turn, creates an all encompassing experience that couldn’t be put down.
I devoured this book in a day and when I finished, I flipped back through to experience some of the expertly written lines again. The words in this book were something else. It’s been a long time since I found myself going back and rereading immediately. I just needed MORE and would absolutely read sequels about these characters.
The Girl’s I’ve Been is oh so special in the way it represents queerness and bisexuality. Nora wears it like a badge of honor and it was like a breath of fresh air. I don’t read about as many bisexual characters who so confidently express their identity. It isn’t just the LGBTQ rep that excited me, but the careful yet blunt way these characters were shown healing from their abusive pasts. Nora goes to therapy and discusses it positively, where so often characters in YA begrudgingly are forced to go by their guardians.
This book was wholly creative and wonderfully thrilling. I absolutely look forward to any future books from Tess Sharpe, they will be an immediate buy from me.