YA author Courtney Summers doesn't believe in shielding her teenage readers from the world's darkest realities. From addressing the allure of cults in The Project to tracing a seemingly doomed revenge quest in Sadie, Summers explores her subjects with brutal honesty. I'm the Girl is no exception, as it follows narrator Georgia Avis into a realm of power, secrecy and exploitation informed by the real-life crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

Sixteen-year-old Georgia has always been told she's beautiful; she's viewed her beauty as one route to escape a dead-end future in her home town of Ketchum, Idaho. Ketchum, near ski country, is the location of an exclusive resort, Aspera, and Georgia has long aspired to be one of the "Aspera girls" hand-picked to interact with the wealthiest and most famous guests. Before her death from cancer, Georgia's mom—who used to work as a cleaner at Aspera&#...