#BookReview ‘The Girl Who…’ by Andreina Cordani

The girl who… survived

The girl who… inspires

The girl who… has something to hide

People can’t bring themselves to say what happened to her. They just describe her as ‘the girl who… you know…’. But nobody really knows, no one sees the real Leah.

Leah is the perfect survivor. She was seven years old when she saw her mother and sister killed by a troubled gang member. Her case hit the headlines and her bravery made her a national sweetheart: strong, courageous and forgiving.

But Leah is hiding a secret about their deaths. And now, ten years later, all she can think of is revenge.

When Leah’s dad meets a new partner, stepsister Ellie moves in. Sensing Leah isn’t quite the sweet girl she pretends to be, Ellie discovers that Leah has a plan, one she has been putting together ever since that fateful day. Now that the killer – and the only one who knows the truth – is being released from prison, time is running out for Ellie to discover how far Leah will go to silence her anger . . .

Published by Little, brown in 2014, ‘‘The Girl Who…’ by Andreina Cordani is available in paperback and e-book formats, my copy was kindly provided by the publishers via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

A YA thriller which deals with sensitive subjects such as child murder, suicide attempts and mental health issues, this is a novel which pulls zero punches in examining the lives of 2 young women who are increasingly defined by the world around them.

Leah is a girl stuck in time, following the murder of her mother and younger sister, forever paraded out as the survivor, ‘Poor’ Leah, attending award ceremonies in the company of her father who has directed his energies into CAREY, the charity he established after this event.

He has moved her to a book store , which she hates, the headquarters of CAREY , a place she hates with all her heart, after all, how can it be a ‘fresh start’ when she is surrounded by pamphlets , fundraiser materials and the memories of her family, killed in front of her?

The idea that the killer has been released from prison and able to claim a ‘normal’ life that she will never have, has Leah creating her own , personal and private identity where what others see is only a shell, a robot to be brought out for show.

She keeps her anger, her plans and her future self tucked inside, hidden behind a bookshelf in the shop, whilst presenting this face to the world which has her perpetually frozen.

Into this uneasy half life comes her complete opposite , step-sister Ellie, an aspiring vlogger and Youtuber whose USP is to sprinkle glitter wherever she goes, and takes an apple to every event/concert, as a ‘quirk’.. However hard she tries, though, she cannot break through to what she perceives as ‘success’,especially when her new step dad has a strict moratorium on anything web based to protect Leah’s saftey.

In secret, she builds her brand, ‘Little Girl Big Dreams’ around how much she does not get on with her step family.

Unfortunately, Leah finds out about Ellie and in return for keeping her secrets, she engages Ellie into her revenge plan.

Completely outside her comfort zone, will Ellie sacrifice what she has wanted to achieve in the web world to bring the real Leah out?

Told through the narratives of Crow (the teen killer of Leah’s mum and sister), Leah and Ellie, this is a heartbreaking narrative of teens dealing with things they have no emotional resilience , and situations they were out in, no teen should be.

One of my biggest bones of contention is that YA writers write how they think teens should, especially girls (looking at you, John Green, though I doubt he will lose any sleep over me not buying his books…)

Here , I felt there was an authentic inner voice that shone through each of these characters, creating a compelling narrative of loss, grief and recovery. They felt honest which made me really feel for each of them, and invest in their journeys.

The murders were tragic and awful,there is no getting away from this, but they are not graphically described or overly dwelt upon.

What Leah and her dad went through is beyond belief for most of us, it is a club that no one asks for membership to, and you can, essentially, never leave.

Ellie is pulled into this orbit against her will, and her choices to either be the girl she thinks she wants to be, rather than her authentic self, are wonderfully explored in an internet age which has only become more corrosive and toxic to many young minds since this was published.

If the category ‘YA’ puts you off, ignore it.

Just come for a fantastic story, well told, and enjoy.

Andreina Cordani has a background in journalism, working for women’s magazines including That’s Life, Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping. Specialising in ‘real life’ stories, she interviews seemingly ordinary people about their extraordinary lives – most of which you wouldn’t believe if you read it in a novel.

She lives on the Dorset coast with her family where she reads voraciously, watches YouTubers with increasing fascination and swims in the sea.

Links-https://andreinacordani.com/