As an ex con artist, Nora has always got herself out of tricky situations. But the ultimate test lies in wait when she’s taken hostage in a bank heist. And this time, Nora doesn’t have an escape plan…

Meet Nora. Also known as Rebecca, Samantha, Haley, Katie and Ashley – the girls she’s been.

Nora didn’t choose a life of deception – she was born into it. As the daughter of a con artist who targeted criminal men, Nora always had to play a part. But when her mother fell for one of the men instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con herself: escape.

For five years Nora’s been playing at normal – but things are far from it when she finds herself held at gunpoint in the middle of a bank heist, along with Wes (her ex-boyfriend) and Iris (her secret new girlfriend and mutual friend of Wes … awkward). Now it will take all of Nora’s con artistry skills to get them out alive.

Because the gunmen have no idea who she really is – that girl has been in hiding for far too long…

Title: The Girls I’ve Been
Author: Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Hachette Children’s Group
Genre: Thriller
Age Range: Young Adult
Trigger Warnings: The full list of trigger warnings can be found here.
Rating: ★★★★★

Review

I am not much of a thriller reader but when I read this blurb and saw the main character was bi, I had to pick it up! There are two timelines. One is over the course of a day and the other is a flashback timeline of all of Nora’s identities leading up to the present.

This book really held on to me and didn’t let go until the end. I read this in one sitting which only took about three and a half hours! Nora is such an unbelievable character and the side characters really had their time to shine. I absolutely adored Iris, Wes, and Lee.

Iris is Nora’s current love interest and she is badass. She is feminine and clever and I really enjoyed reading about her. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and she really matches Nora.

Wes, my sweet boy. He is Nora’s ex-boyfriend and she calls him her “franken-friend”. They reconstructed their friendship and have an unbreakable bond. Even when Wes is upset with her. Wes has his own heartbreaking story and it was a topic I felt handled well by the writer.

Lee is Nora’s half sister and she will do anything, and I mean anything, for Nora. It was so beautiful to read about their relationship. Lee experienced the same as Nora as a child and she will do what she has to in order to protect Nora moving forward.

This was an easy five out of five stars for me. I haven’t read anything in one sitting for awhile. Maybe I will have to read more thrillers or just more of Sharpe in general.

Nora had so many intense scenes and experienced a lot of trauma in her adolescence. There are definitely dark themes such as violence, abuse, assault, and death. Please check trigger warnings. I provided a link to the list shared by the author.

Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 26, 2021.

---

_{we are all stardust and stories…}