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Girls Like Her
Winner of the Golden Kite Award. A raw, gripping, authentic, and boldly original novel about a fifteen-year-old Texas girl set to stand trial for murder—and the one person who might be able to help her clear her name. A wealthy businessman is dead, and fifteen-year-old Ruby Monroe is in a Dallas jail awaiting trial for his murder. Ruby has no one she can count on—no one, except her state-appointed caseworker, a woman named Cadence Ware. In Ruby’s experience, that’s not anyone she can trust. Cadence is familiar with the cold reality of Ruby’s situation, even before she was arrested. Angry and alone, homeless and hungry, breaking the law just to survive, Ruby is the kind of girl no one wants to listen to, especially not the prosecutor who wants to put her away for life. But no one knows the story—the real story—of what happened the day Ruby met the man who would end up dead. As the layers of truth are peeled away and time is running out, Ruby and Cadence will both have desperate choices to make—choices that could mean the difference between Ruby spending her life in prison or her name being cleared. Told through a collection of letters, meeting notes, news articles, court transcripts, and more, Girls Like Her is a riveting and unflinching tale of the truths so often lost in the American justice system, and one girl’s fight to be heard.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2024
19 people are currently reading
6655 people want to read
About the author
Melanie Sumrow
3 books100 followersMELANIE SUMROW is the award-winning author of Girls Like Her, The Inside Battle, and The Prophet Calls. Before turning her attention to writing, she worked as a lawyer for more than sixteen years, many of her cases involving children and teens. She received her MFA in Writing from Hamline University and lives in Dallas. You can visit her online at melaniesumrow.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
January 14, 2024
This is not a feel-good book, but it is an important one. It's a heavy one.
Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow tells the story of 15-year-old Ruby Monroe, who is on trial for the murder of a local Texas millionaire. She was only 14 when the murder happened, and all evidence points to her. This is not a whodunnit mystery, which I mistakenly thought going in, and that's pretty clear from the get-go. This is about Ruby's trial and her testimony at that trial. The story is told through news clippings, letters (from Ruby to her former best friend, Maya), court transcripts, and 3rd person scenes which are mostly meetings between Ruby and her social worker, Cadence. These scenes alternate whose head we're inside, so we get to know both Ruby and Cadence closely. We also sometimes see Cadence's handwritten notes (or portions of them) from these meetings. One of the things I appreciated most is that you start getting court transcripts "early" in the narrative, so technically the book isn't in full chronological order, but it's done in a way that flows really well. It helps balance the story, build suspense, and it's not done in a confusing way. (And I'm usually a stickler for full chronological order!)
This book was intense, realistic (I'm not someone who watches Law and Order or other court dramas, but the court excerpts read as very realistic to me, and given that the author has a background in law, it makes sense that things feel authentic), and un-put-down-able. It made me cry (that's uncommon for me with books). It kept me guessing. I never knew what was going to happen, even when I thought that all my questions had been answered.
In short, this book is superb, and I highly, highly recommend reading it. Read through the trigger warnings/author's note at the beginning, though, and prepare yourself for the material. Sumrow pulls very few punches. But the punches are worth it.
Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC of this title. I received it in exchange for my honest opinion.
Girls Like Her by Melanie Sumrow tells the story of 15-year-old Ruby Monroe, who is on trial for the murder of a local Texas millionaire. She was only 14 when the murder happened, and all evidence points to her. This is not a whodunnit mystery, which I mistakenly thought going in, and that's pretty clear from the get-go. This is about Ruby's trial and her testimony at that trial. The story is told through news clippings, letters (from Ruby to her former best friend, Maya), court transcripts, and 3rd person scenes which are mostly meetings between Ruby and her social worker, Cadence. These scenes alternate whose head we're inside, so we get to know both Ruby and Cadence closely. We also sometimes see Cadence's handwritten notes (or portions of them) from these meetings. One of the things I appreciated most is that you start getting court transcripts "early" in the narrative, so technically the book isn't in full chronological order, but it's done in a way that flows really well. It helps balance the story, build suspense, and it's not done in a confusing way. (And I'm usually a stickler for full chronological order!)
This book was intense, realistic (I'm not someone who watches Law and Order or other court dramas, but the court excerpts read as very realistic to me, and given that the author has a background in law, it makes sense that things feel authentic), and un-put-down-able. It made me cry (that's uncommon for me with books). It kept me guessing. I never knew what was going to happen, even when I thought that all my questions had been answered.
In short, this book is superb, and I highly, highly recommend reading it. Read through the trigger warnings/author's note at the beginning, though, and prepare yourself for the material. Sumrow pulls very few punches. But the punches are worth it.
Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC of this title. I received it in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 1, 2024
So good! It was hard to put down.
October 31, 2024
Here's what got me hooked on this book that you probably don't know yet: it's a book about a court trial written by a lawyer. The author tried to create a character that embodies a lot of the girls she saw come through the court system in real life and to tell a story that explored some aspects of that. On top of that, it's a well-done audiobook with a full cast and sound effects. There's even a little jingle for all the news segments and chair squeaking and background chatter during the court recordings.
This book has HEAVY content, and there's no way you can read this without getting emotional. It's a lot. It's sad. But it's so, so good.
Also it was a really good book to read to get a better idea of what s*x trafficking actually looks like because there are a lot of myths and misconceptions, and this author/lawyer is showing what's much more likely to happen.
This book has HEAVY content, and there's no way you can read this without getting emotional. It's a lot. It's sad. But it's so, so good.
Also it was a really good book to read to get a better idea of what s*x trafficking actually looks like because there are a lot of myths and misconceptions, and this author/lawyer is showing what's much more likely to happen.
June 24, 2024
This is an eye opening fictional story, highlighting real issues in our world. This was heartbreaking to read.
January 15, 2024
This will break your heart. How can someone be treated so poorly, by so many different people, all before the age of 15? Everyone has let Ruby down. It’s no wonder that she doesn’t allow herself to trust anyone.
The story is related slowly, going back and forth between timelines. We get to know Ruby and other characters through letters, court transcripts and personal accounts. Certain chapters are through Ruby’s own eyes, and some are through the eyes of Cadence, the appointed social worker.
If you read the epilogue (and you most definitely should), Ms. Sumrow explains why she was able to craft this novel so expertly. There are some shocking, real life statistics about sex trafficking at the end. This is not an easy book to read—but it’s a necessary book. The plights of these girls are heartrending. Their stories should be told.
Trigger warnings: rape, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, sex trafficking, violent death
I received an eARC from NetGalley, HarperCollins and Balzer & Bray in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The story is related slowly, going back and forth between timelines. We get to know Ruby and other characters through letters, court transcripts and personal accounts. Certain chapters are through Ruby’s own eyes, and some are through the eyes of Cadence, the appointed social worker.
If you read the epilogue (and you most definitely should), Ms. Sumrow explains why she was able to craft this novel so expertly. There are some shocking, real life statistics about sex trafficking at the end. This is not an easy book to read—but it’s a necessary book. The plights of these girls are heartrending. Their stories should be told.
Trigger warnings: rape, child sexual abuse, physical abuse, sex trafficking, violent death
I received an eARC from NetGalley, HarperCollins and Balzer & Bray in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 2, 2025
This was a hard one. I really liked the format of the book, but the content was very upsetting.
June 29, 2024
4.5 STARS
Remarkable.
GIRLS LIKE HER grabbed me from the first sentence and hasn’t yet let go.
Ruby is charged with killing a man with a reputation for helping needy children. The prosecution attests although she killed three victim at age fourteen, the murder was perpetrated in the commission of a crime and should be charged as an adult.
Cadence, her forensic social worker believes Ruby acted in self-defense and that the victim had a darker side. As Cadence fights to save her client, sometimes harder than Ruby herself, Cadence sees parallels to her own life.
I loved how Melanie Sumrow used court transcripts and letters as part of the storytelling, which added depth to GIRLS LIKE HER. Sumrow also used both Ruby’s and Cadence’s third person points of view, unusual for a YA novel yet very effective.
What kept GIRLS LIKE HER from being a whole five stars for me was that with a read through by a social worker or psychologist, Sumrow could have tied up some of the inaccuracies about Cadence’s testing and evaluation. I have a master of social work and doctorate of psychology, so these technical issues might not bother everyone. One example is a forensic evaluation complete with psychological testing would have been done, which with a doctorate Cadence would have been trained to do. The exercise with the cards where Ruby told stories about the characters is an actual test called the CAT-Children's Apperception Test, one of a battery of tests in an evaluation. The reason this matters is as an expert witness, Cadence should have referred to the test rather than her own similar exercise.
Still, I enjoyed GIRLS LIKE HER so much I decided to relisten while writing this review.
Remarkable.
GIRLS LIKE HER grabbed me from the first sentence and hasn’t yet let go.
Ruby is charged with killing a man with a reputation for helping needy children. The prosecution attests although she killed three victim at age fourteen, the murder was perpetrated in the commission of a crime and should be charged as an adult.
Cadence, her forensic social worker believes Ruby acted in self-defense and that the victim had a darker side. As Cadence fights to save her client, sometimes harder than Ruby herself, Cadence sees parallels to her own life.
I loved how Melanie Sumrow used court transcripts and letters as part of the storytelling, which added depth to GIRLS LIKE HER. Sumrow also used both Ruby’s and Cadence’s third person points of view, unusual for a YA novel yet very effective.
What kept GIRLS LIKE HER from being a whole five stars for me was that with a read through by a social worker or psychologist, Sumrow could have tied up some of the inaccuracies about Cadence’s testing and evaluation. I have a master of social work and doctorate of psychology, so these technical issues might not bother everyone. One example is a forensic evaluation complete with psychological testing would have been done, which with a doctorate Cadence would have been trained to do. The exercise with the cards where Ruby told stories about the characters is an actual test called the CAT-Children's Apperception Test, one of a battery of tests in an evaluation. The reason this matters is as an expert witness, Cadence should have referred to the test rather than her own similar exercise.
Still, I enjoyed GIRLS LIKE HER so much I decided to relisten while writing this review.
November 23, 2024
***4.25 STARS*** PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE PICKING THIS ONE UP!
This book was surprisingly incredible. For a YA, it tackles some of the most unsettling topics there are (in my opinion). Sumrow does a fantastic job of painting a believable picture of a highly traumatized FMC who may have questionable morals herself. I thought the mixed media approach of telling the story through news clippings, letters written by the main character, and court transcripts was extremely creative and made the reading experience seamless. You could read this book in a day despite its 300+ page count.
This book begs the question of what true justice means to you. Can someone be both a victim and a perpetrator? Sumrow’s personal experience as a lawyer for cases like these shines through as does her extensive research on the subject. PLEASE do not skip the author’s note at the end! Heartbreaking, but very informative and so well done. This book accomplishes what the movie “Sound of Freedom” hoped to.
This book was surprisingly incredible. For a YA, it tackles some of the most unsettling topics there are (in my opinion). Sumrow does a fantastic job of painting a believable picture of a highly traumatized FMC who may have questionable morals herself. I thought the mixed media approach of telling the story through news clippings, letters written by the main character, and court transcripts was extremely creative and made the reading experience seamless. You could read this book in a day despite its 300+ page count.
This book begs the question of what true justice means to you. Can someone be both a victim and a perpetrator? Sumrow’s personal experience as a lawyer for cases like these shines through as does her extensive research on the subject. PLEASE do not skip the author’s note at the end! Heartbreaking, but very informative and so well done. This book accomplishes what the movie “Sound of Freedom” hoped to.
May 18, 2024
***TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault***
Girls Like Her follows troubled teen Ruby who is on trial for murdering someone. She is determined to prove that she’s innocent; with the help of her case worker Cadence. Will they be able to prove that she is innocent?
I thought this book was just okay. It felt very repetitive I think it would have better if it was shorter. I did want to read it to see what happened. But by the time it ended I didn’t really care what happened. I also hated the main character she was not likable at all. And the whole point of this book was to get you to root for her, but I just didn’t think she deserved it. Nothing really stood out in this book to me. I would not suggest this one.
Girls Like Her follows troubled teen Ruby who is on trial for murdering someone. She is determined to prove that she’s innocent; with the help of her case worker Cadence. Will they be able to prove that she is innocent?
I thought this book was just okay. It felt very repetitive I think it would have better if it was shorter. I did want to read it to see what happened. But by the time it ended I didn’t really care what happened. I also hated the main character she was not likable at all. And the whole point of this book was to get you to root for her, but I just didn’t think she deserved it. Nothing really stood out in this book to me. I would not suggest this one.
July 5, 2024
1.5/5
The story in and of itself was very interesting but with there being no way to tell when the chapters ended and with a mix of the letters, interviews and court hearings it just felt very slow, so much so I went to the end of the book and read it backwards so I could piece together what happened and not have to read as much. When it came down to the characters, it also just felt like they were one dimensional in a way. There wasn’t anything to really have me connect with them. I will say I am impressed by the author having had the job of a lawyer which made this story feel real in a way.
The story in and of itself was very interesting but with there being no way to tell when the chapters ended and with a mix of the letters, interviews and court hearings it just felt very slow, so much so I went to the end of the book and read it backwards so I could piece together what happened and not have to read as much. When it came down to the characters, it also just felt like they were one dimensional in a way. There wasn’t anything to really have me connect with them. I will say I am impressed by the author having had the job of a lawyer which made this story feel real in a way.
August 15, 2024
This book is heavy. It discusses abuse, the law system, and difficulties of a teenager who has been harmed in many ways. This book is a good read for anyone in social work or counseling and helps adults understand the struggles teenagers face when their parents are not present or committing crimes themselves. It follows the case of Ruby- who has been abused physically, mentally, and sexually. Cadence, her social worker helps her through the trial. There are graphic details. Would recommend for anyone interested in the law system.
February 27, 2024
3.5 - This one definitely made me think and has stuck with me. It's extremely well written. But in the end... It was the end that had me knock off a star. I am looking forward to others reading this one so I can hear their thoughts! Maybe my mind can be changed.
September 19, 2024
This was a compelling read.
Sumrow includes a trigger warning at the beginning of the book and while the majority of the violence (mental, physical & sexual) happens off page, it's a valid warning.
Ruby will be with me for a long time...Cadence, too.
Sumrow includes a trigger warning at the beginning of the book and while the majority of the violence (mental, physical & sexual) happens off page, it's a valid warning.
Ruby will be with me for a long time...Cadence, too.
January 17, 2025
Me after reading this book: 😯
This book is told through court transcripts, news clippings, letters and 3rd person descriptions.
It details the life of 15-year-old Ruby and the awful hand that she has been dealt as she is about to stand trial for murder.
I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this book, but it wasn't what I got. I suppose that I was anticipating a whodunit, but that was so far from what I got. It was heavy and emotional, but make no mistake, it was definitely well-written.
If you read this book, buckle up, because it's a trip.
This book is told through court transcripts, news clippings, letters and 3rd person descriptions.
It details the life of 15-year-old Ruby and the awful hand that she has been dealt as she is about to stand trial for murder.
I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this book, but it wasn't what I got. I suppose that I was anticipating a whodunit, but that was so far from what I got. It was heavy and emotional, but make no mistake, it was definitely well-written.
If you read this book, buckle up, because it's a trip.
July 12, 2024
This was a very hard hitting and emotional contemporary novel about crime, circumstance and the way we see victims/perpetrators involved in these cases.
In this book we follow our main character Ruby who is set to stand trial for murder. Ruby is alone and has no one to turn to until a support worker is sent in to get her side of the story in order to try and help Ruby with this process and reduce her sentence. Because of Ruby's background we see that trusting people doesn't come naturally to her, but as the reality of her situation starts to dwell on her she realises that Candace might be the only person that can turn her life around.
This book is told in dual timeline which added to the mystery, suspense and divulging of information. This also helped with the pacing and kept me intrigued throughout the book as I felt like I needed to know what was happening in the run up to the trial and the trial itself.
Told through a collection of letters, meeting notes, news articles, court transcripts, and more, Girls Like Her is a story that highlights the injustices that young people can face in the American justice system due to prejudices and pre-conceived ideas of what these individuals are like. It was a powerful story that will stay with me and I would highly recommend it.
In this book we follow our main character Ruby who is set to stand trial for murder. Ruby is alone and has no one to turn to until a support worker is sent in to get her side of the story in order to try and help Ruby with this process and reduce her sentence. Because of Ruby's background we see that trusting people doesn't come naturally to her, but as the reality of her situation starts to dwell on her she realises that Candace might be the only person that can turn her life around.
This book is told in dual timeline which added to the mystery, suspense and divulging of information. This also helped with the pacing and kept me intrigued throughout the book as I felt like I needed to know what was happening in the run up to the trial and the trial itself.
Told through a collection of letters, meeting notes, news articles, court transcripts, and more, Girls Like Her is a story that highlights the injustices that young people can face in the American justice system due to prejudices and pre-conceived ideas of what these individuals are like. It was a powerful story that will stay with me and I would highly recommend it.
January 22, 2024
Ruby Monroe is fifteen years old and waiting in a Texas jail to stand trial for the murder of a local (wealthy) businessman. With the state lobbying to charger her as an adult, which would mean life in prison or possibly the death penalty if she's found guilty, Ruby has few people on her side. The prosecution is painting her as an angry troublemaker and that's the face the media wants to see. Only her court appointed lawyer and her social worker, Cadence Ware, believe she is someone worth fighting for, but Ruby has been burned too many times by adults she was supposed to be able to trust to open up right away. Told through a variety of mediums including Ruby and Cadence's points of view, meeting notes, court transcripts, and newspaper articles, this story takes an unflinching look at Ruby's story of abuse, drug use, sex trafficking, and possibly redemption?
This is a tough story to read. Ruby's story is heartbreaking and reading about the level of abuse she faced prior to landing in jail and her mistreatment at the hands of the justice system is difficult. Sumrow does an incredible job weaving together the different mediums she uses to tell this story in an unflinching way. There is an incredibly important message here about how the media portrays and the world views girls like Ruby only at their worst and turn a blind eye when help could and should have been rendered. I was surprised by the amount of tension and suspense I felt building throughout the story, unsure of how far Ruby would be willing to trust Cadence and if there was really any hope even if she did.
This is a tough story to read. Ruby's story is heartbreaking and reading about the level of abuse she faced prior to landing in jail and her mistreatment at the hands of the justice system is difficult. Sumrow does an incredible job weaving together the different mediums she uses to tell this story in an unflinching way. There is an incredibly important message here about how the media portrays and the world views girls like Ruby only at their worst and turn a blind eye when help could and should have been rendered. I was surprised by the amount of tension and suspense I felt building throughout the story, unsure of how far Ruby would be willing to trust Cadence and if there was really any hope even if she did.
June 8, 2024
I received an arc from a local bookstore and all opinions given are my own.
This was a fairly heavy book to read. Following Ruby Monroe, a 15 year old girl from Dallas, we are taken through her journey in the adult legal system in Texas after she is arrested for murder at 14. The story is told in pieces by letters, court transcripts, and two different povs during talks between Ruby and her social worker Cadence. The story tackles the topic of sexual assault and trafficking of minors and how those events affect them. While it is a heavier topic and the things that happened to Ruby from a young age up till her arrest are all difficult to read about, I feel it is a worthwhile read to get a closer look at how the justice system handles these sensitive cases.
This was a fairly heavy book to read. Following Ruby Monroe, a 15 year old girl from Dallas, we are taken through her journey in the adult legal system in Texas after she is arrested for murder at 14. The story is told in pieces by letters, court transcripts, and two different povs during talks between Ruby and her social worker Cadence. The story tackles the topic of sexual assault and trafficking of minors and how those events affect them. While it is a heavier topic and the things that happened to Ruby from a young age up till her arrest are all difficult to read about, I feel it is a worthwhile read to get a closer look at how the justice system handles these sensitive cases.
November 6, 2024
I wish this book ended one chapter earlier, maybe I’ve read too much but the ending didn’t shock or amaze me, it just annoyed me
August 28, 2024
Dark and heart-wrending . Couldn’t put it down. The sound effects on the audiobook are super dorky though.
June 21, 2025
It blows my mind that author is a lawyer, and the twist to this book is our female lead, Ruby, has been coached to commit perjury in order to ensure her innocence.
The author's note is a plea to support children who are victims of sex crimes, and some non-fiction details.
So we automatically start the book on Ruby's side, and continue to root for her. Her story is horrific and heart-breaking. It's terribly unfair where she's ended up in life, and she's still SO young.
Throughout the book her background is uncovered, her story is told, and she's acquitted of a murder charge because it was self defense.
At the VERY end we find out her social worker (and thus lawyer) coached her to lie about the ACTUAL events during the murder in order to give her a better chance of being acquitted. Now, Ruby may have deserved to be acquitted with either version of the story - who knows?
But I just cannot get it through my brain that the author, a lawyer, is such a proponent of rights for girls like Ruby, but Ruby is saved through perjury. I'm guessing the suggestion is that the system is very very broken, and the author doesn't like what has happened to girls who have gotten a superficial chip on their shoulder too young in life.
Lie if you must to save your life, then.
The author's note is a plea to support children who are victims of sex crimes, and some non-fiction details.
So we automatically start the book on Ruby's side, and continue to root for her. Her story is horrific and heart-breaking. It's terribly unfair where she's ended up in life, and she's still SO young.
Throughout the book her background is uncovered, her story is told, and she's acquitted of a murder charge because it was self defense.
At the VERY end we find out her social worker (and thus lawyer) coached her to lie about the ACTUAL events during the murder in order to give her a better chance of being acquitted. Now, Ruby may have deserved to be acquitted with either version of the story - who knows?
But I just cannot get it through my brain that the author, a lawyer, is such a proponent of rights for girls like Ruby, but Ruby is saved through perjury. I'm guessing the suggestion is that the system is very very broken, and the author doesn't like what has happened to girls who have gotten a superficial chip on their shoulder too young in life.
Lie if you must to save your life, then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2025
Audiobook. This story was heavy, but important. The book was written by a lawyer and someone who saw these real cases daily. Due to this, the story was realistic and listening to it gave a documentary feeling. Having a Bachelors in Criminal Justice I appreciated that the story was not dramatized. None of the characters were perfect, some misguided. It made the reader reevaluate the definition of victim and criminal, and if a person can be both. The story had me tearing up and surprised by the end. I believe listening to this story as an audiobook was most likely a better experience than reading it because it had sound effects of a jail cell closing, audio filters, and made clear when new scenes were introduced and when others ended.
“To have choice requires you to have options.”
“Most girls don’t see themselves as victims.”
“They are victims. They are kids, and they need our help.”
“To have choice requires you to have options.”
“Most girls don’t see themselves as victims.”
“They are victims. They are kids, and they need our help.”
January 19, 2025
A wealthy businessman is dead and fifteen-year-old Ruby Monroe is in a Dallas jail awaiting trial for his murder. But no one knows the story of what happened the day Ruby met the man who would end up dead. Ruby and Caden Ware , her state-appointed caseworker have desperate choices to make as time is running out, choices that could mean the difference between Ruby spending her life in prison or her name being cleared.
Told through a collection of letters, court transcripts, meeting notes, news articles, and more, this YA story is a raw unflinching tale of the truths so often lost in the American justice system, and one girl’s fight to be heard.
Trigger warnings: drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual violence, suicidal ideation, graphic descriptions of death, and human trafficking.
Told through a collection of letters, court transcripts, meeting notes, news articles, and more, this YA story is a raw unflinching tale of the truths so often lost in the American justice system, and one girl’s fight to be heard.
Trigger warnings: drug and alcohol abuse, physical and sexual violence, suicidal ideation, graphic descriptions of death, and human trafficking.
January 22, 2025
TW: explicit mentions of sexual assault and abuse
This one hurt, a lot. I thought the subject matter was well handled and realistic, a credit to the author’s experience working in the criminal justice system. The mixture of narration, letters, and court transcripts kept a fast pace, and I never lost interest in finding the truth. Ruby was an example of a well executed unreliable narrator, as any traumatized teenager would be, and I was fully bought in to staying with her every step of the way.
I think the ending was risky. It took me a while to grapple with it and understand why it was a necessary addition. The author’s expertise in the field added some credibility to her choices, as did the afterward. But all in all, it made sense. It was realistic. It wasn’t tied up with a neat bow, because nothing ever is.
This one hurt, a lot. I thought the subject matter was well handled and realistic, a credit to the author’s experience working in the criminal justice system. The mixture of narration, letters, and court transcripts kept a fast pace, and I never lost interest in finding the truth. Ruby was an example of a well executed unreliable narrator, as any traumatized teenager would be, and I was fully bought in to staying with her every step of the way.
I think the ending was risky. It took me a while to grapple with it and understand why it was a necessary addition. The author’s expertise in the field added some credibility to her choices, as did the afterward. But all in all, it made sense. It was realistic. It wasn’t tied up with a neat bow, because nothing ever is.
June 10, 2024
Oh wow, this book was so so good. I was definitely not expecting it to be so intense and so heartbreaking, I felt so much while reading Ruby’s story. She is a young girl forced to live through lots of trauma and abuse and that pushes her to murder someone - we then follow the story of Ruby’s trial and I was waiting on the edge of the seat to find out if she is found guilty or not. I loved the format of the book, the dialogues between Ruby and Cadence and the transcripts from the court, I felt like I was right there with them while they were trying to help Ruby and I felt so sorry for her because she had such a horrible life.
March 5, 2024
Thank You to Netgalley for the Arc. Girls Like Her is a challenging read. If topics of sexual violence could upset you, I would recommend that you save this book to your TBR until you feel safe reading it. Ruby Monroe is 15 when she is charged with the murder of a local millionaire, and the state is now trying her as an adult. Girls Like Her is perfect for fans of Law and Order; unfortunately, I struggled with this aspect as the harsh reality of the justice system was explored, but not to the extent I would have liked. Women who are victims of sexual violence often are traumatized by having to relive their stories, and I wish we could have seen this from Ruby.
June 24, 2024
A 15 year old on trail for murder with no one who seems to support her. This is the story of Ruby. Even though this book is fictional, it could have been realistic. This book really shows another side of the legal system in America. The story is told through letters, flashbacks, court transcripts and meetings between Ruby and her social worker. How did Ruby end up in jail? What will her sentence be?
Girls Like Her is a good book and Ruby is a great main character. The whole story just felt so real. This book also has great movie potential, since I feel like this book features a story that deserves to be told.
Check out my full review on my blog Boekensteeg
Girls Like Her is a good book and Ruby is a great main character. The whole story just felt so real. This book also has great movie potential, since I feel like this book features a story that deserves to be told.
Check out my full review on my blog Boekensteeg
August 31, 2024
Hard to put this one down. I really liked the format that was used to write the story. This one was a quick read, but it was also very heavy. It deals with a lot of abuse and trauma, but is an unfortunate reality in our country.
September 4, 2024
this audiobook was soooo good and so entertaining. I’m not an audiobook girlie so this really surprised me.
This story was definitely a rough one but the authors note at the ending is so powerful. Definitely pay attention to the trigger warnings for this one.
This story was definitely a rough one but the authors note at the ending is so powerful. Definitely pay attention to the trigger warnings for this one.
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January 17, 2025Loved this one. It meandered a bit, but overall I think this is one of those can't look away but I'm terrified the entire time type of books. Cant wait to talk about this one in class bc I know people are gonna have Opinions.
May 24, 2024
Oh, this was such a great read, it really got the emotions going, and I loved reading it!
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