I’m just going to start this review off strong: this is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year. I never wanted to put this book down and stayed up until midnight to finish it (and I am NOT the best when I don’t get enough sleep so this was a bad idea 😂). So I’m going to just go ahead and word vomit about everything that I loved about this book. 

First off, the characters are *chefs kiss* amazing. I loved Nora and everything she struggled through and overcame. I loved her big sister, Lee. Of course, I hated their mom, but the thing is, I’ve seen so many women like her that I appreciate the art of creating that character in a light that was real. So many women look for approval when it comes to men and often sacrifice the things that are most important to them. Nora’s mother was a perfect example of that. The other thing I want to mention is that even with all of the different girls Nora has been, they were all distinct enough and you were given identifiers that helped you remember them. The three words to describe them? That was the perfect way to make them stick out in my mind and it was great storytelling. 

Alright, so if you’ve read a few of my reviews, you know I’m not a fan of alternating timelines. The Girls I’ve Been alternates between telling us about Nora’s past selfs and telling us about the bank heist. I have never in my life liked an alternating timeline more than I like this one. It was done SO well. I was just as excited to read about the past as I was to read about the present. There was never a moment in the book where I was like, “Well, I wish we’d just get back to this part already.” I was invested. The absolute best story with past and present chapters I’ve ever read. 

Okay, and the pacing? Holy cow you are at a breakneck speed the whole entire time and all I wanted to do was keep reading! The bank heist: their lives are at stake. The cons: her life is at stake. I just wanted to keep going and never stop. And the ending?? Ugh. I just love it. I love all of the healing throughout the novel and the grief that Nora carries. Not only was this a fun novel, but my goodness it packs a punch as well. Emotionally, my heart was breaking, but it was still such a fun novel even with the dark topics that it touches on. I would definitely look up trigger warnings if you feel you need them, but I’m not going to include them here just in case it spoils some of the plot points for others. 

Overall, this was an easy 5/5 stars. I’m telling you, this book will probably be at the top of my list this year and I cannot wait to see (hopefully) the Netflix adaptation soon. If you liked this novel with the dark and twisty mother and the cons and the heists, I definitely recommend checking out Thieves’ Gambit. It has a lot of the same things going on in the novel and is also one of my top reads this year :). 

Source: Personal Copy

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Audible, which gives you two free audiobooks of your choice!)