Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers

18 reviews

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Police brutality

hufflehobbit's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Trafficking, Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Cancer, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcohol, Grief, Death of parent, Incest, and Rape

Minor: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Challenging themes and uncomfortable at moments, but well worth the read in my opinion

haileemeyers's review

challenging dark sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

Powerful and depressing. This one is not for the faint of heart, and, if possible, is as rough content-wise as Sadie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Child abuse

Moderate: Drug use

breysreviews's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers follows Georgia, an aspiring model and girl desperate to become an Aspera girl. When she stumbles across the body of a girl her age, her and the girls sister must unravel her death, and stop it from happening again. 

This is one of those books that tries to misdirect you the entire time, but is exactly what you suspect. I actually was excited for a big twist, and I just feel letdown. 

Georgia was meant to be a likeable main character I’m sure, but I just found myself annoyed by her. There’s a murderer running around and she just ignores all warning sides. She’s a teenager, so that’s definitely fair. 

I thought this was YA, but there is a steamy scene in it. 

I liked Courtney’s writing style, I just feel like the plot wasn’t the strongest or most unique. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Suicide, and Drug abuse

Adult with underaged female sex scene, child pornography

bekah1210's review

dark mysterious medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Murder, Death, Alcoholism, and Trafficking

Minor: Gun violence and Drug use

abookandaspotoftea's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, and Gaslighting

amergens's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Excrement, Drug use, and Pedophilia

toofondofbooks_'s review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Drug use, Suicide, Sexual content, Cancer, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Murder, Classism, Child abuse, Abandonment, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse

dez_blair's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

thereadingraccoon's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

I’m The Girl is a young adult mystery about a sixteen year old who discovers the body of a local girl. It contains thriller elements but it is also is a coming of age story. Due to the graphic nature of this book I recommend it to readers sixteen and older. 

Georgia is struck by a car while riding her bike to Aspera, a golf course and resort for the rich and famous where she’s dreamed of working as one of their elite “girls” since she was thirteen. When she wakes up injured by the side of the road her bike, cell phone and the explicit photographs of herself she was carrying are all missing. While stumbling to find help Georgia discovers the body of Ashley James, the thirteen year old sheriff’s daughter in the brush nearby. As she recovers from her accident she’s enlisted by Ashley’s older sister (Nora) to investigate exactly what happened that night. But due to all the attention from the murder and accident and her youthful beauty she attracts the notice of the Aspera owners (Matthew and Cleo) and she’s finally closer than ever to being an actual “Aspera girl”. Georgia juggles her skeptical older brother slash guardian, a blossoming romance with Nora, unexpected demands at Aspera, the investigation into the murder and the demands for answers from Ashley’s grieving father. 

As a reader you are very aware that something isn’t right with Aspera and only the main character’s age, naïveté and ambition keeps her from seeing the reality. It is a “ripped from the headlines” type novel echoing the #metoo movement and Jeffrey Epstein allegations as Georgia is pulled into a world of sex, money and power where the bodies of young girls are commodities to be bought and traded. 

I will state right off that this is not the feel good book of 2022. It is dark and gritty and has detailed scenes of the grooming and exploitation of a minor. The mystery and thriller elements keep the reader interested but there are also serious topics of discussion about abuse of power, consent and female sexuality. I thought Courtney Summers did an excellent job of showing the more complicated and human parts of a teenage girl and her desire to be special and beautiful. 

Overall this is a dark and tragic story about two teenage girls that are abused and exploited for the gratification of powerful men and the wall of secrecy that protects abusers. I would recommend it to readers that enjoy reading about challenging contemporary topics. 

3.5 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Death, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide