Named a Best Book of the Year by BuzzFeed * CrimeReads * Indigo * Kirkus Reviews * School Library Journal * Shelf Awareness , 4 starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal and Shelf Awareness! Available now from bestselling and award-winning author Courtney Summers , an "emotionally raw and brutally captivating" ( Publishers Weekly, starred review) queer coming-of-age thriller based loosely on the Epstein case that's "not for the faint of heart." ( The New York Times ) All sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis wants is everything, but the poverty and hardship that defines her life has kept her from the beautiful and special things she knows she deserves. When she stumbles upon the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, Georgia teams up with Ashley's older sister Nora, to find the killer before he strikes again, and their investigation throws Georgia into a glittering world of unimaginable privilege and wealth--and all she's ever dreamed. But behind every dream lurks a nightmare, and Georgia must reconcile her heart's desires with what it really takes to survive. As Ashley's killer closes in and their feelings for one another grow, Georgia and Nora will discover when money, power, and beauty rule, it's not always a matter of who is guilty but who is guiltiest--and the only thing that might save them is each other. I’m the Girl is a brutal and illuminating 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? Gr 10 Up-In Ketchum, the shadowy organization Aspera rules everything-including the local economy and law enforcement-from behind its gated entrance in the mountains. Despite a lifetime of warnings from her now-deceased mother, 16-year-old Georgia is determined to convince her brother and guardian, Tyler, to let her work there; not even finding 13-year-old Ashley James's body on the side of the road can change her mind. When magnetic, beautiful Nora, Ashley's older sister, demands Georgia's help to find out if Ashley's death is connected to Aspera, Georgia sees a way to solve everyone's problems and impress her crush at the same time. But the further Georgia is pulled into the orbit of Matthew and Cleo Hayes, owners and monarchs of Aspera, the more she begins to understand why her mother was so adamant she stay away, and the less sure she is that she will ever get to leave. From the opening scene, Summers propels readers into an unwavering staring contest with some of the darkest truths the world has to offer young women. Georgia seeks approval and acceptance at every turn, while grappling with her growing understanding of the dangers she faces and trying to determine where her trust and loyalty should lie. Unexpected revelations and a quick pace keep the more disturbing sequences from being overwhelming, and the tenderness with which Summers handles even her angriest and most revenge-obsessed characters is on full display here, providing brief moments of respite from the rage and brutality. VERDICT A powerful and important story recommended for all library collections, though with a caution for some sensitive readers.-Allie Stevensα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Praise for I'm the Girl : A September/October Kids' Indie Next pick Apartment Therapy , "If You’re Going to Read One Book in September, Make It This One" Autostraddle , "103 Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Fall 2022" Book Riot , " 11 September Mystery & Thriller Books to Read", "30 Of the Buzziest, Best Fall Books Of 2022", "New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week" BuzzFeed , "All The Best Books Releasing In September" Bookish , " September’s Most-Anticipated Books" Bustle , "Most Anticipated Books Of September" CBC , "65 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in fall 2022" and "27 Canadian books we can't wait to read in September" CrimeReads , " The Most Anticipated Crime Books of Fall 2022" Daily Hive , "12 hot-off-the-press books we recommend reading this September" E!News , "Books to Read in September" Epic Reads , "The 20 Most Anticipated YA Books to Read in September " GoodReads , "39 of the Most Anticipated YA Books for the Rest of the Year" and "September's Highly Anticipated Young Adult Books" Kirkus , "150 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall" LitHub , "Gothics, Whodunnits, Psychologicals, Historicals, and More: 19 Young Adult Reads for the Summer" P aste Magazine , "The Best New YA Books of September 2022" Publishers Weekly , "New and Noteworthy Children's and YA Books: September 2022 " SheReads , "Best YA Thrillers Coming in 2022" and "Best Books of Fall 2022" The Honey POP, "September Book Releases to Welcome Fall" The Lesbrary , "34 Bi and Lesbian Books Out September 2022" United by Pop , "13 M
