Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn’t affected the content of my review.
I don’t think Courtney Summers is for me. I’ve tried three of her books now.
This is an extremely well-written and timely young adult thriller that is supposedly about the death of a young girl found on the side of the road, but it’s really about how the world is built to use up pretty young women and undermine their self-worth, and what that looks like. The main character is Georgia Avis, who dreams of becoming a model, of making it big, and she uses her looks to do it. At the same time, she’s horrifically innocent while being used by people who on the surface look like they are supporting her.
It was, frankly, really unpleasant to read. I don’t think it was meant to be pleasant, but that kind of book usually isn’t for me, and I don’t think it was here, either. It was so uncomfortable being in Georgia’s head, because her perspective is so skewed, and the things she doesn’t understand about the world around her (while thinking she does) are staggering.
If you liked Sadie, I think you will like this as well. It actually takes place in the same world, where a feature film has been made about West’s podcast from that book. But I think now that I’ve read three of her books, and none of them have gotten more than 3.5 stars from me, when so many other people are just blown away by them, I might have to retreat gracefully and pursue other authors who are more to my tastes.