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A review by chronicallybookish
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
5.0
Quick Stats
Overall: 4.5 stars maybe 5 idk
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Diversity: 4.5/5
~
Let me start by saying: Wow. I was totally absorbed into this book. I read the whole thing in one sitting. This is the first book by Tess Sharpe that I’ve read, but I have another of her books on my shelf that I cannot wait to read now.
This book is a bit hard to describe genre-wise. It’s like a light thriller, maybe? There are mystery aspects, but more in the “what’s gonna happen next” sense, not “who dunnit” vibes. We know from the start who the bad guys are. We don’t particularly know why they do it, but that’s not a big motivator for the story. It’s mostly: We have to get out, and learning Nora’s story and about “the girls she’s been”. It’s got a good mix of suspense without being stressful—I have anxiety, so thrillers tend to stress me out too much. TGIB kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat, but I never got too anxious.
Now let’s talk one of my favorite aspects of the book: the diversity! This book has LG(B)TQ+ rep as well as chronic illness rep! The book follows mainly Nora, the narrator, and her two best friends, Iris and Wes. Nora and Iris are dating (Nora is bi, Iris’s sexuality isn’t explicitly mentioned).
As for the chronic illness and disability rep—Iris has endometriosis and is on her period during the book. Her endo isn’t a big factor of the story, but it’s handled pretty much perfectly when it does come up. As someone who’s chronically ill and disabled, I am obsessed with finding good rep in YA. I’d heard good things about Tess Sharpe’s first book “Far From You” where the main character is disabled. I believe she has chronic pain. But I wasn’t expecting it from this book, so when Iris’s endo became a part of the story, I was thrilled. Because seriously, Tess Sharpe writes this rep beautifully.
“I should’ve told her she could stay home this morning, that I had it handled. But she made me promise not to tiptoe around her endometriosis and how sometimes her pain changes our plans, so I try not to fuss when she insists she’s okay.” (pg 54-55 uncorrected proof).
This is one of the first times Iris’s endometriosis is addressed, and it’s great. It shows that disabled people aren’t weak, that we don’t need to be treated like we’re fragile, and it shows Nora respecting that. As the book goes on, we get more of Iris handling her pain like a champ, suffering realistically, and even, in a few cases using it to her advantage. I cannot stress how much I adore Iris and Tess Sharpe for giving us the rep we desperately need.
Please, just read this book.
But on a serious note, I really loved this book, and I highly, highly recommend it!
I gotta go read every other book she’s written now.
Overall: 4.5 stars maybe 5 idk
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Diversity: 4.5/5
~
Let me start by saying: Wow. I was totally absorbed into this book. I read the whole thing in one sitting. This is the first book by Tess Sharpe that I’ve read, but I have another of her books on my shelf that I cannot wait to read now.
This book is a bit hard to describe genre-wise. It’s like a light thriller, maybe? There are mystery aspects, but more in the “what’s gonna happen next” sense, not “who dunnit” vibes. We know from the start who the bad guys are. We don’t particularly know why they do it, but that’s not a big motivator for the story. It’s mostly: We have to get out, and learning Nora’s story and about “the girls she’s been”. It’s got a good mix of suspense without being stressful—I have anxiety, so thrillers tend to stress me out too much. TGIB kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat, but I never got too anxious.
Now let’s talk one of my favorite aspects of the book: the diversity! This book has LG(B)TQ+ rep as well as chronic illness rep! The book follows mainly Nora, the narrator, and her two best friends, Iris and Wes. Nora and Iris are dating (Nora is bi, Iris’s sexuality isn’t explicitly mentioned).
As for the chronic illness and disability rep—Iris has endometriosis and is on her period during the book. Her endo isn’t a big factor of the story, but it’s handled pretty much perfectly when it does come up. As someone who’s chronically ill and disabled, I am obsessed with finding good rep in YA. I’d heard good things about Tess Sharpe’s first book “Far From You” where the main character is disabled. I believe she has chronic pain. But I wasn’t expecting it from this book, so when Iris’s endo became a part of the story, I was thrilled. Because seriously, Tess Sharpe writes this rep beautifully.
“I should’ve told her she could stay home this morning, that I had it handled. But she made me promise not to tiptoe around her endometriosis and how sometimes her pain changes our plans, so I try not to fuss when she insists she’s okay.” (pg 54-55 uncorrected proof).
This is one of the first times Iris’s endometriosis is addressed, and it’s great. It shows that disabled people aren’t weak, that we don’t need to be treated like we’re fragile, and it shows Nora respecting that. As the book goes on, we get more of Iris handling her pain like a champ, suffering realistically, and even, in a few cases using it to her advantage. I cannot stress how much I adore Iris and Tess Sharpe for giving us the rep we desperately need.
Please, just read this book.
But on a serious note, I really loved this book, and I highly, highly recommend it!
I gotta go read every other book she’s written now.