A review by literarycherub
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
I am not much of a thriller reader but when I read this blurb and saw the main character was bi, I had to pick it up! There are two timelines. One is over the course of a day and the other is a flashback timeline of all of Nora’s identities leading up to the present.

This book really held on to me and didn’t let go until the end. I read this in one sitting which only took about three and a half hours! Nora is such an unbelievable character and the side characters really had their time to shine. I absolutely adored Iris, Wes, and Lee.

Iris is Nora’s current love interest and she is badass. She is feminine and clever and I really enjoyed reading about her. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and she really matches Nora.

Wes, my sweet boy. He is Nora’s ex-boyfriend and she calls him her “franken-friend”. They reconstructed their friendship and have an unbreakable bond. Even when Wes is upset with her. Wes has his own heartbreaking story and it was a topic I felt handled well by the writer.

Lee is Nora’s half sister and she will do anything, and I mean anything, for Nora. It was so beautiful to read about their relationship. Lee experienced the same as Nora as a child and she will do what she has to in order to protect Nora moving forward.

This was an easy five out of five stars for me. I haven’t read anything in one sitting for awhile. Maybe I will have to read more thrillers or just more of Sharpe in general.

Nora had so many intense scenes and experienced a lot of trauma in her adolescence. There are definitely dark themes such as violence, abuse, assault, and death. Please check trigger warnings. I provided a link to the list shared by the author.

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 26, 2021.