The Girls I've Been

I wouldn't call this a "page turner" (minute spinner?) but I did get into the story about a third of the way in. There was just something missing in the beginning. But soon I got into the characters, learning about Nora and her past. I was a little confused with the past chapters for a while, they seemed out of order maybe, but that evened out too. My biggest complaint is the constant use of "conning," seemed a bit much and maybe cringe lol. But yea, I did enjoy this. I could have listened to another hour or two of it if there was more.

I love this book so much! It's action-packed & Fast paced. Plus the characters are so well written.

”I am someone who survives. I am a liar and I’m a thief and I’m a con artist. And I hope I’m still the girl you’re in love with, because I am really, really in love with you” I think the story's concept is quite unique. The first part of the book is a little bit confusing because there is a lot of flashback chapters and most of them talk in riddles 😬 The dynamic between Nora, Wes, and Iris is lovely, but there is far too little information about Iris, which makes her relationship with Nora feel forced due to a lack of chemistry. I know nothing about Iris except that she dresses like an elderly lady and has the capacity to detonate a bomb, lol. On the other side, I adore Nora and Wes' interactions since they appear to be (still) in love. And isn't it odd that Iris is meant to be the one with Nora, but Wes is the one who has more serious chats and moments with Nora? Idk maybe it's because they had a history together? 🤨 Anyway, I’m looking forward for the netflix adaptation 😌

Be Bi, Do Crimes I love how messy this book is. Very much be bi, do crimes. Also Nora is *che's kiss* I love her.

★★★★☆ (4) “What didn't kill me didn't make me stronger; what didn't kill me made me into a victim. But I made me stronger. I made me into a survivor.” those flashbacks had me on the EDGE. i love them all so much, my broken babies.

just WOW! i love this book‼️

4/5

WOWOWOW

Wow…just wow. Since picking it up one day ago, I couldn’t stop reading it. Unless I had to. “The Girls I’ve Been” has amazing humane characters which I now want to put in my jeans pocket and protect them at all costs. The variety of chapter lengths and the striking writing style made the story even better. This book is a masterpiece. Here are some quotes that I personally really loved: “My skin will hold the memory of him as permanent, because you don’t forget the first person to touch you with love after life’s taught you all touch is fear and pain.” “There is no normal,” she says. “There’s just a bunch of people pretending there is.” I hope you enjoy the book just as much as I did! See ya!

What an intense Read, Once I picked this up and got started, I was invested, and it was difficult to put down…. I read this in an entire weekend with the 250 pages in one day, I got lost in the story and just needed to know what happened next. The characters, Setting and pacing where just perfect, this is a thriller that I think you need to pick up and give a read!

This is a Thriller that features Nora, The daughter of a con artist who has been taken hostage during bank heist and Nora needs to use the skills from her past to help her current situation and with her friends they need to survive and must work together in order to do just that. Will they get out alive or will something happen along the way.

This has a super unique storyline and plot, morally grey characters, important messages, hard-hitting writing and themes, strong female characters, the best platonic AND romantic relationships, complicated family dynamics and backstories, and if that wasn't enough, great mental health and LGBTQIA+ representation.

It's honest, raw, fast paced, heart-breaking and expertly written. The execution of the multiple timelines was superb and made for a read that was truly impossible to put down. I wish I was a better reviewer and could say more than simply 'I love it' but honestly, I just loved it. Tess Sharpe sure knows how to write a true page turner.

all i can think of is: gate keeping. gaslight. girl boss. the ending lacked A LOT (unless there’s a second book coming) but i’m not even upset bc the rest of the book makes up for it. the main character is suchhhhh a bad ass. HELLA TRIGGER WARNINGS TBH! but insanely great book. fucked with it heavy. must mention: no plot twist :/

This book has a strong female lead who is learning who she is after growing up with a tragic childhood and manipulative family. This book leads you through her life in a unique and suspenseful way.

this is an absolutely amazing book i finished it within 1 night

tess sharpe i please ask of you to make your next book fluffy and not have me violently sobbing

holy shit

basically like casa de papel but sapphic and with girls having their periods?

3.75 stars |

Ugh this book was great There wasn’t a moment where i was bored I loved the story,the characters,the relationship dynamics,the writing style,like literally everything chefs kiss

we love iris and nora <3 (ofc wes too)

this book is excellent. i love the connection between the real time events and the past, how they're intertwined. i am a big fan of the chapter length, cause it's never long chapters, but always short or medium length chapters. I really want a lee sequel (prequel?) cause I really like her character. anyways this might be one of my favourite books.

At first I thought this book was a little young, but as I got into it I really started to unpack the meaning, and by the end it had me in tears. This book will hit very close to home for anyone who is dealing with or has dealt with abuse, which is probably why it hit me so hard. While I didn't grow up with a con artist mother, I know what it's like to have physically and emotionally abusive parents and this book has portrayed that subject brilliantly, along with topics of SA. Hats off to Tess, I have never come away from a book feeling the way I did reading this one in my life.

I thought the book was really good. It was easy to follow, and all the storyline’s made sense. The I ou thing that tripped me up was at the end when she was talking about Dallas, and I’m not sure if the audience is supposed to know or not. I’ve rated it four stars because I absolutely loved the characters. Wes has my heart, and is an amazing side character. Also, Nora as a main character is great because she isn’t unlovable - the trap many female protagonists fall into. She’s self assured, acts within her character bounds, and has faucets of herself that make the audience relate to her. Iris <3 Overall, really strong book with a consistently good storyline!

Sapphic thriller >>>> thriller

4,5 stars

RE-READ — a masterpiece, as always / 5 stars