Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers

9 reviews

directorpurry's review

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

kteq's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

2.25

Although a book of heavy subjects, this was an incredibly quick read, that admittedly felt at times easy to predict - I would have loved to see more closure for the protagonist at the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

hollyk's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I think this book's description is misleading. The mystery is a subplot and if I knew what this book was really about I likely wouldn't have read it--it's very heavy in terms of subject matter. I felt lost the whole time and honestly didn't really get the end?

TW:

Spoiler

SA, statutory r*pe, CP, grooming, murder, CSA. All of these are featured HEAVILY

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Cancer, Alcohol, and Drug abuse

nicolehedley's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Violence and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape and Drug abuse

breysreviews's review against another edition

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

amergens's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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

clarereadstheworld's review

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

1.0

I found this book deeply disturbing.
I really struggled to identify with the main character, who was so desperate for any tiny scrap of validation from the male gaze that she was totally blind to how grossly she was being manipulated and abused by those around her. I know this kind of thing happens in real life, and it's important to have books and discussions about it, but I felt the writing, much like the main character was sorely missing in depth and maturity. 
Not only this, I think it would be a rather dangerous book from the impressionable younger audience it seems to be written and marketed to. Seriously, do not let younger girls read this book, and even as a full grown semi mature adult I wouldn't really recommend it either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

lrcartee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

Georgia Avis wants more from life. She feels she deserves more and is determined to have more no matter the stakes. To Georgia, the epitome of making it is to become an “Aspera girl”. Aspera is an elite resort for the rich and famous surrounding by mystery and secrets. When Georgia is offered a job there, the secrets begin to unravel.

I love Courtney Summers books. I love how she tackles difficult subjects and brings them to light. I wanted to love this book. I did not. There were so many plot points that it was very hard to decide how to write a synopsis. Was it about Georgia’s obsession with the resort and the people who run it? Was it the fact Georgia found the dead body of a 13 year old girl and trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her? Was it about trying to spotlight a young girl’s naïveté and thereby unable to see the dangers that lurked around her? I don’t know! It was all those things and didn’t do any of them particularly well. It was too disjointed and because of that nothing really resolved. As for character development, there was none. Georgia wandered in and out of so many traumatic experiences seemingly learning nothing from any of them. She became very trying.

The blurb for this book says it’s about Georgia and her friend trying to find out what happened to her friend’s sister. To me this was secondary. In my opinion, it was more about Georgia fulfilling her dreams no matter the cost and sometimes stumbling upon something about the murder case, usually by being in situations from very poor decision making.

Another  reviewer wrote that the entire book was a giant trigger warning and I agree. They were all represented, rape, child molestation, grooming, human trafficking, murder, suicide, drug use, classism and more. For me, the book needed more cohesion. As I said I have loved Summers other books but this one, for me, was just too all over the place.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Car accident, Classism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Drug abuse