The Girls I've Been

A New York Times Bestseller * A USA Today Bestseller * In this feminist, suspenseful thriller the daughter of a con artist is taken hostage in a bank heist--and will need to tap into all her skills in order to survive.

Now in paperback!

Nora O'Malley's been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother's protégé. But when her mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.

For five years Nora's been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:

#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they're all friends, Wes didn't know about her and Iris.

#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It's a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:

#3: Right after they enter the bank, two guys start robbing it.

The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora's something else entirely. They have no idea who they're really holding hostage . . .

A FORBES, BUZZFEED, BOOK RIOT AND KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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368 pages

Average rating: 7.37

81 RATINGS

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5 REVIEWS

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Community Reviews

JT Penguin
Oct 02, 2024
8/10 stars
I enjoyed this book. It's not the typical kind of story I go for. I didnt realize it was a YA novel at first but I liked that about it. I felt I could relate for the FMC alot through her struggles and loved seeing her strength grow through all the girls. I would definitely recommend!
1mrsbeck
Jun 20, 2024
6/10 stars
Very fast paced interesting read. Fell a little flat. WNR.
ayv4s.bookm4rk
Apr 02, 2024
7/10 stars
I really did enjoy this book. The con-artist, 50s vibe was really interesting and I loved reading Nora's backstories. I loved the franken-friends relationship between Nora and Wes. I loved Nora's complex character. The bank setting throughout the book kept me so entertained, and them trying to figure out how to escape. All the tricks and plans were so clever and well-written. The problem I had with the book was just that I had trouble connecting with the characters and I was very in and out of being engaged with the text. The ending was good but personally, I did get confused. Tess Sharpe slowly revealing each of the girls throughout the book was really smart and did occupy me though. Overall, a good read.
yenjii
Jan 25, 2024
8/10 stars
I've been wanting to read this for a while so was very enthusiastic when I finally got my hands on it.

I was immediately hooked by the fast pace, and the characters shrouded in mysteries, but the narrative started to get repetitive, predictable and dragged towards the end. Still very enjoyable read though!

Tess Sharpe's published content warnings here: https://sharpegirl.tumblr.com/post/627443296317358080/content-warnings-for-the-girls-ive-been
Cuda.17
Jun 19, 2022
7/10 stars
amazing!

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