Will I love The Girls I’ve Been?

I loved this book because it’s whip-smart, super witty, and full of sharp edges.

I’m a speed reader, but this is the rare kind of book that leaves me racing to keep up with a narrator too clever for her own good. I love a complicated protagonist, and I was wrapped up in how vivid Nora felt, carrying so much pain under a sharp, protective exterior.

It reminded me how surviving something doesn’t make you invincible—it makes you complicated, layered, human. I feel like it taught me something new about myself, or maybe my work with youth.

This book is aimed at a young adult audience, and it’s a fun pacey read. The author uses a ticking clock in her chapter titles – ‘(12 minutes captive) 1 lighter; no plan’ – which ups the tension. There are two stories running in parallel – the current events in a bank and the back story of Nora’s life. I enjoyed the small glimpses of the protagonist’s childhood and I was dying to know more about the relationship with her mother. Why did the mother force Nora to assume so many different identities? Who is Nora really?

Love can make us braver than we are, smarter than we ever thought, and strong enough to face the unthinkable. Tough-minded Nora is caught in a predicament she turns out to be well-prepared for. It's the other ten hostages in the bank robbery that are not, especially her ex-boyfriend Wes and her current girlfriend Iris. Now, it’s all about saving them. Warning: this is a guns-in-your-face thriller that deals with abuse and violence. As a survivor of a violent crime, I can’t normally read books like this, however, The Girls I’ve Been is a beautifully-crafted love story, and the reckoning… show more.