The Girls I've Been
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4.1 • 87 Ratings
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
Soon to be a Netflix film starring Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown - this must-read psychological thriller, perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, will leave you guessing until the final page.
'Unlike anything I've read before... immediate, gripping, incredibly tense, heart-breaking, heart-warming and FUN! ' - Holly Jackson, author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
As an ex con artist, Nora has always got herself out of tricky situations. But the ultimate test lies in wait when she's taken hostage in a bank heist. And this time, Nora doesn't have an escape plan ...
Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley - the girls she's been.
Nora didn't choose a life of deception - she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.
For five years Nora's been playing at normal - but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes ... awkward). Now it will take all of Nora's con artistry skills to get them out alive.
Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is - that girl has been in hiding for far too long ...
'Slick, stylish and full of suspense' - Sophie McKenzie, author of Girl, Missing
'A powerful gut-punch of a book that will leave you reeling long after its final pages. I couldn't put it down!' - Chelsea Pitcher, author of This Lie Will Kill You
'I could hardly breathe until I finished. The tension! Absolutely loved it.' - Emily Barr, author of The One Memory of Flora Banks
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ex-grifter Nora O'Malley, who's 18 and bisexual, finds herself in an uncomfortable situation after her ex-boyfriend Wes walks in on her kissing their mutual friend and her girlfriend, Iris. Before the three can work things out, they're taken hostage during a bank robbery in their small California town and there's no guarantee they'll make it out alive. In order to save Wes and Iris, Nora must confront and make use of a past she's tried to leave behind. The first-person narrative gracefully shifts between Nora's childhood as her con artist mother's apprentice and the present, a structure that reinforces how inextricably the two are intertwined. Nora is a survivor of domestic, psychological, and sexual abuse, and was forced by her mother to adopt multiple identities, leaving her relationship with herself unsteady, and Sharpe (Barbed Wire Heart) focuses as much on her trauma and the systems of power that enable and excuse abuse as on mystery and heart-pounding action. Pacing is off in the book's final act, somewhat undermining an otherwise affecting conclusion, but the small, complex cast of characters and emotional core make this a poignant thriller. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Unexpected thrill ride
Loved this action packed
crime book yet it also happened to be a look into abuse and survivors. It was an unexpected bitter sweet thrill ride.
Couldn't Put It Down
I've been struggling to read books for at least a year now - I've gone through the first few chapters of maybe 10 - 15 books before losing interest. But I couldn't put this down and after not finishing a single book for more than a year, I finished this one in less than a week. A completely gripping and thrilling read!
my fav 2022 read so far
this book is hands down one of the best books i’ve ever read, i didn’t want to put it down from start to finish, the storytelling, the relationships the character development everything about this book is amazing i need more!!