{"id":39844,"date":"2021-09-09T22:10:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T02:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39844"},"modified":"2021-09-09T22:10:17","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T02:10:17","slug":"review-of-the-girls-ive-been-by-tess-sharpe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39844","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Girls I’ve Been, by Tess Sharpe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Girls I\u2019ve Been<\/em><\/p>\n

by Tess Sharpe
\nread by the author<\/p>\n

Listening Library, 2021. 9 hours, 48 minutes.
\nReview written August 12, 2021, from a library eaudiobook
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Wow! This thriller for teens doesn\u2019t let up the tension for a second.<\/p>\n

The book begins as Norah goes into a bank with her girlfriend and her best friend, Wes. We learn that Norah’s worried about Wes, who’s mad because he hadn\u2019t known Norah and Iris were a couple and this is one more time Norah has lied to him.<\/p>\n

Then the guy in the line behind them pulls out a gun.<\/p>\n

The bank robbery clearly doesn\u2019t go according to plan \u2013 the bank manager is not in his office \u2013 so the two would-be robbers take hostages. They have no idea who they\u2019re dealing with in Norah. They\u2019re going to be sorry they thought they could use her to their own advantage.<\/p>\n

The story is told beautifully, with little bits of Norah\u2019s background slipping out as the tense situation in the bank keeps developing. We learn she\u2019s escaped her mother, who is a con-artist. Her mother used to find a mark and play a con \u2013 and then get out, completely changing their identities. So Norah has been many different girls.<\/p>\n

But can she use what she learned from those other girls to get herself and her friends out of the hostage situation alive? It\u2019s for sure not going to be easy.<\/p>\n

I wish I could say more \u2013 but it\u2019s all revealed in perfectly small, tantalizing doses, and I don\u2019t want to detract from that. Let me simply say that this is one of the best suspense novels I\u2019ve ever read.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a big mistake for bad men to mess with Norah!<\/p>\n

Besides the gratifying triumphs and clever, surprising escapes (I\u2019m talking about the past, not necessarily the bank, because I don\u2019t want to give that away), this book also shows the beautiful friendships Norah has during the present time of the story, after escaping the abusive childhood with her mother. So this book also gives the hope that people can recover and heal. They may still have scars, but they can rise above.<\/p>\n

The author reads the audiobook, and it\u2019s just as well I listened to it, because this is a book I don\u2019t think I could have stopped reading if I didn\u2019t have to turn off the sound.<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/girls_ive_been.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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