Nora O'Malley has survived, however her murderous stepdad Raymond is finally free. She's determined to enjoy her summer, so she plans a backpacking trip with Iris and Wes. And Wes's girlfriend Amanda tags along. Then Amanda gets mistaken for Nora and is held hostage. They have to work together so they survive but someone is lying, someone is keeping secrets and someone has to die.

I was so glad to be back with some of my favourite characters - I didn't realise how much I had missed them until I dove into this sequel! I loved seeing them work together again, learning more about them and how their characters further develop (especially Nora's), as well as seeing how much trouble they have gotten themselves into this time.

This is such an immersive read, as I felt like I was there in the story with them, following Nora, Iris and Wes on their adventure. The atmosphere was stunning as paired with the setting, it created so much tension and it held my interest throughout.

I love Tess' writing style and I am obsessed with how she narrates the audiobook for this series because I feel like you get the true sense of how the book is meant to be read, as well as what the characters are like. It flows so well between the past and present, which is oftentimes something I don't always enjoy in books but Tess does it in a way that's cohesive, adds to the story and is easy to follow.

I really love how this book is paced, especially with the reveals as it leaves breathing room for each one to have its own moment and be able to sink in before the next one happens. It didn't feel like it was dragging and all of the side characters had a purpose to the story. I found it hard to put this book down as I consistently enjoyed this book throughout. Everything made sense and all of the questions that I did have were answered by the time the book was over. I will definitely be checking out more of Tess' books and can't wait to see what she writes in the future.

Thank you to Hodder Children's Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: violence, injury detail, gun violence, chronic illness, blood, murder, death, gore, stalking, panic attacks, grief, cursing, fire, vomit, confinement, child abuse, domestic abuse, kidnapping; mentions abortion, homophobia, drug use, overdose ⚠️

I loved the first book and was anxious to know that it was getting a sequel. While I loved the characters and was eager to read more about them I was unsure whether it actually needed to have another book. However I decided to give it a try just due to my love for the first book.

I ended up sadly dnf-ing this one. Maybe it's because I put so much pressure on it to be just as good as the first one but I just didn't get on with it. I might try again in the future.

Wow this was fantastic! The pacing, the action, the plot twist halfway through that had me reeling, and the worlds greatest dog all made for a fantastic pacy YA thriller. I can't wait for whatever TS publishes next!

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

An exciting, fast paced mystery that kept me hooked. I had a fun time reading this!
3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for providing an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this sequel! Just like the first book, the action and mystery is written very well, and had me on the edge of my seat. Though it took a bit to get into the meat of the plot, once I was hooked I was ~hooked~.

I liked being back with the characters again and seeing how they’ve changed since the first book and also how they changed in this one. Nora is really interesting because of her past and how it is hard to predict her actions. The relationships between all of them was another aspect I liked, and how all of them care for each other so much. I appreciated getting other perspectives in this too as I think it helped to flesh out the whole story.

I wouldn’t be opposed to another book with these characters but honestly I hope they’re all happy and never have to go through bad stuff again. Maybe a short fluffy novella then.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed The Girls I've Been and so knew I had to catch the next chapter in Nora's story. I really liked the twists and turns in the narrative, and I also really appreciated the focus on Iris and getting to know her character more. The plot was pacey and full of action, as you might expect, but there were also very sweet moments of emotion and reflection. It'd be good to see this get a Netflix adaptation alongside the previous novel!

Tess Sharpe is a master of the YA caper. I had so much fun reading this following The Girls I’ve Been.

A super strong follow up to the best con novel (YA or otherwise) that I’ve read in years. I’ll be handselling forever.

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher!

I knew I was in for a good book as soon as I heard about this book - revisiting Nora and her messy past, and reading about her getting up to more shenanigans with Iris and Wes? Count me in. Then we got to the end of the first chapter and I was like 'well, this book is going to keep me on all of my toes'. And then you know when you get to about 50% of the way through a book and you think 'there is no way this isn't going to be a 5 star rating and one my new absolute favourite books'? Yup. That.

I adore the way the relationships are written between Nora, Iris, Wes, and Lee. How there is so much unconditional love, understanding, immediate loyalty and true unyielding affection and friendship there, besides the things that they've gone through to bond them. I also love the way Tess Sharpe weaves through timelines and points of views so seamlessly that it is never confusing, but all crafted so well for me a as reader to build the backstory at the exact right time for the plot. The Girls I've Been is a phenomenally executed as a YA thriller, but The Girl in Question knocks it right out the park. The pacing, the plotting, the character.

Also shout out to the queerness of it and bringing endometriosis to the forefront!

I would definitely not go into this though if you haven't read The Girls' I've Been, and I'd definitely recommend a reread if it's been a while since there are a lot of flashbacks and callbacks to the plot in that.

4.5⭐️
Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this early! I was so hyped for this book after reading the first one, and it didn't disappoint. From the first chapter, I was hooked! There's just something about their friendship and the way each and every one of them would literally kill to protect each other that I love, and it's put to the test when their hiking trip is ambushed by Nora's enemies and their teams of killers. It was gripping, it was plot twisty (right from the beginning. I full-on gasped!), it was emotional, it was necessary. I'm not sure if there's going to be a third book. It could be left where it is, but there's also room for more if Tess chooses to, and I'd totally be down! I'm ready to see Nora and Lee be the best PIs that ever lived, but I'd also be happy if the series ended here. I really enjoyed it. Thank you!

I loved the first book in this series and I was so excited to finally read this one and I wasn't disappointed! I love Nora, Iris and Wes and it was great being back with them.
The book starts by throwing the reader straight into the action and it is only later that you connect the beginning to the rest of the story. I really enjoyed the plot; what looks like an innocent, hiking summer trip through a forest with friends turns into a fight for survival as Nora has to hide information from her best friend to ensure they all get out alive.
There are lots of twists and turns in this gripping novel about found family and trying to escape the past.

The Girl in Question is a book with true bite. It’s gritty, gripping and gives you one hell of a reading experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Girls I’ve Been and this follow-up was just as twisty, dark and deliciously full of vengeance. You can never fully trust everything you are presented with in this world of false identities and shifting allegiances. In particular, I loved the characters. Nora came into my life and stole my heart. I really liked her moral grayness and how she valued survival above everything initially, but learnt to trust and love again. Here, she is now turning to face that past once and for all. There is a deep-seated rage that I adored in this book. It is unapologetically angry at the monsters of this world, yet still holds a kernel of hope for the future. I also really enjoyed Iris’ narrative along this same thread - that opening sequence was heart-pounding and shows an evolution of the character into new territory.

As previously, the pacing and atmosphere was off the charts. The isolated setting gave it more of a survivalist feel than the ticking time bomb of the bank in the first book. I was glued to the pages, desperately hoping for everything to work out for our central characters. There are also incredible twists and turns in store. This is such a layered story, with even more secrets and lies to uncover. I love how Sharpe utilises long reaching consequences from earlier actions, creating a ripple effect of mayhem. Everything has its place and nothing is ever fully left to chance. This is a book that wallows in ambiguity and morally gray territory. In particular, the final third was such a brilliant culmination of everything that had gone before, adding a final few curveballs for the reader as well. It focuses on facing your trauma and learning to live with its effects on your life. Sharpe keeps it raw and real, but always allows for some element of hope within it.

The Girl in Question brings one of my favourite YA characters back into my life and for that I am grateful. A breath-taking, brilliantly riveting read once again.

This was a fantastic, heart pounding follow on from its predecessor The Girls I've Been.

I really liked how this one continued on with the storylines from the first novel. I do think the first book would have worked well as a stand alone, and does work well if you don’t feel like reading past it, but if you’re interested in seeing the consequences from the first book unfold then this one’s for you. The stakes were high, my blood pressure was high, it was a stressful time all around! Stressful — and entertaining!

The plot continued from the first, and we came face to face with Nora’s enemies in the present. I truly was struggling to see how she was going to get herself out of this one so it was interesting to see more of her scheming and plotting unfold.

I liked how we got to see more of the characters and this book gave room to explore more of their backstories, their personalities, their arcs, and the complicated relationship dynamics between all of them. Things got messy, and I was both glad and sad for it, because it fit the character growth.

I did guess some of the plot twists / was on the right tracks so I was quite pleased with myself however it did not make the reveals any less impactful.

Like with the first book, I think this ended well however I do think if Sharpe wanted to tell another story in this world there’s still plenty of story left — just maybe not with Nora in the front seat.

I think I'm in the minority with not having read the first book so went into this one with not knowing what had happened before. It did take me a few chapters to get into it but once I had I was hooked and couldn't put it down!

📚 r e v i e w 📚

the girl in question - tess sharpe

nora, wes and iris are back with a bang that certainly blows their last adventure out the water. it’s been a year since the three of them ended up hostages in a bank heist and nora’s identity as a teenage con artist was revealed. now the three of them are heading out on a hike through the forest as one last horrah before college only it doesn’t exactly go to plan.

it’s been years since i read all the girls i was before and it is still on my mind. i can see the same thing happening with the girl in question

full of tess sharpie’s usual wit and intrigue the girl in question is a thrilling and entertaining ride with everything from fbi agents, murderous ex cons and frankly a bunch of teenagers that james bond could take some lessons from

the girl in question is out 14th may- so grab your copy and while you’re at it pick up all the girls i’ve been! thank you @netgalley for the early copy.

I really don't know what I thought of this book. I had so much fun reading it and would absolutely recommend the series, but did I think this book was necessary? No. No, I did not. Would I have read it had I not adored the friendship between Nora, Iris and Wes? No, I probably wouldn't. Hence the 3.5 star rating.

But did I love the friendship group, the sisterly love, the sweet sapphic romance? I absolutely did. Nora and the gang are some of my new favourite book characters, and this book only furthered that love. They were even more fleshed out than before, and the backstory and world grew so much more. It was fun, that's for sure, and I was hooked, finishing the book in two days.

I did, however, have some gripes about the book - and the fact it even exists.

Firstly with the way it was written. Call it a pet peeve, but when a successful standalone inherits a sequel, I like there to be some consistency between the two... such as a similar plot structure, for example. This book just wasn't as thrilling as the first, even though it was also set over a short space of time, and was incredibly action-packed. The sense of mystery wasn't... well, anywhere. It was an action book, and a little too gory, and kind of just felt like the author having a lot of fun with an existing world.

Which brings me to my second point. I'm not really a fanfiction girl, but I'm sure some fabulous fanfiction has been written about Tess Sharpe's books - and this book felt exactly like that. A fanfiction of a successful standalone, which finished on a cliffhanger. I would have much preferred for this book to maybe be a completely new mystery with the same characters, like the sequel to AGGGTM, for example. Instead, the book sort of... ruined a lot of the cliffhanger aspect, which was something I loved about book one. It was a lot less subtle, and spelt out plot points which were deliberately kept ambiguous at first.

I also found it sort of lazy how Tess Sharpe used perspective, here. We don't need to hear from every character's perspective, just because Nora isn't present in the scene. I would have loved for the book to have just been told from Nora's POV... or even Iris's!

All in all, I did really, really enjoy this book. But it also brought up many questions for me about the importance of creating a sequel that will compliment a successful standalone, instead of milking its success. A lot of mystery books do this well... and unfortunately, I don't think this was one of those times.

I LOVED the girls I've been so i had to get the sequel!! it's got the same fun, fast paced mischief and trickery and sweet sapphic light-hearted moments. i adored this (but definitely still prefer the first!)


We're back with Nora, who's murderous stepdad has just been released from prison. While camping in the forest, Nora's friend is mistaken for her and kidnapped. Nora, Iris & Wes must make it out of the forest & save Wes's girlfriend.


This was so fun and I'd definitely recommend reading both!


thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book, publish date april 11th

This book!!!!!!!

Omg, it's perfect for me. It is everything I want in a book. The emotions, the questions, the heart pounding from start to finish, the action, the absolute badass women!!!! I absolutely loved it. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this arc before release.

I need more of these books, I need more from these characters!!

Let the book hangover commence.

The Girl in Question is the wonderfully satisfying sequel to The Girls I've Been. It is fast-paced, full of tension that had me zooming through the pages and twists I didn't see coming. Like the first book it is written in a non-linear way, jumping around in time both within the current events, and also giving us more backstory of Nora's life before she was Nora. For me, this built the anticipation even more and I loved the suspense. The stakes are higher but it still has those lovely elements of found family and loving relationships.

Highly recommended for fans of The Girls I've Been. This was everything I loved from the first book but turned up a notch.

DNF at 16%/chapter 13. Nothing to draw you into the story and keep you engaged. Unfortunately feels messy. I loved the first book so really disappointed.