I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers

Synopsis:

I’m the Girl, the new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I’m the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

Other Courtney Summers books I’ve Reviewed

Potential Triggers:

My Thoughts:

I’m the Girl focuses around Georgia, a character who is not particularly easy to like. I don’t start with that because it is a problem for me – I rather enjoy an unlikable character. I’m just saying it up front to save a certain type of reader some time right off the bat. You know the one – the reader who either thinks that every character reflects the personality and/or values of it’s writer, or the reader who believes that if they don’t like or can’t relate to a character then they could never possibly enjoy the story. If you are either of those types of readers, please stop here. You won’t like I’m the Girl. Georgia is…sad. She’s shallow and vain. But she’s also determined to do what needs doing to get herself to a better life than the one she came from.

Okay, now we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s carry on, shall we?

So, Georgia finds a dead body. Specifically she finds a dead 13 year old girl named Ashley. And she teams up with Ashley’s older sister Nora to try to find the killer – why you ask? Because, that’s why. I guess cuz police are never to be relied on – which does make some sort of sense.

The thing I like most about I’m the Girl is the sheer, unbridled disgustingness of just about every person you encounter. This story definitely has shades of Epstein. Midway through the story you’re just going to start rooting for a random act of nature to just brutally murder every single one of these monsters. I mean, not Georgia (she’s not terrible, just not…great), and not Nora (she’s fine, I guess). But definitely everyone else. Every single other person is gonna give you big time ick. But Georgia, despite being kind of shallow and whatnot, is actually a pretty interesting character. She’s a good mix of vanity and vulnerability. You will find that you’re rooting for her even though she’s not the most sympathetic girl in the world – but everyone else around her is so revolting that you kinda need her to win.

Rating:

Honestly, I think that Courtney Summers’ writing ability is the best thing about I’m the Girl. I think that while the story is pretty good, but her writing is spectacular. She’s got a knack for immersive writing. You’ll be sucked into the story whether you want it or not.

I'm the Girl
By Courtney Summers
Wednesday Books
Published: September 13, 2022 (OMG I'm behind on reviews)
ISBN: 9781250808363
Hardcover, Paperback, E-book, Audio
344 Pages
Author's Website