Review: The Girls I've Been

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Publisher's Description

A slick, twisty YA page-turner about the daughter of a con artist who is taken hostage in a bank heist.

Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.

For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:

#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.

#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:

#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.

The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…

My Thoughts

I received an eARC courtesy of G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, this was an intriguing story about what happens when a former con-artist is trapped as a hostage during a bank robbery gone haywire with her ex-boyfriend and her new girlfriend. The story has an interesting non-linear structure as "Nora's" past is revealed in increments throughout the bank robbery.

Sharpe has a very fluid way of writing that flows effortlessly. It was quick read and the action throughout should be super appealing to teens.. In addition to the great LGBT+ storyline, at its core, this is a fantastic story about sibling love (because what Lee goes through for Nora is impressive).

Trigger Warnings: Assault, violence, murder, abuse 

 Publication Date:  26 January 2021