[Review] The Girl You Thought I Was - Rebecca Phillips

Summary: No one looking at Morgan Kemper would think she has a secret—at least not one that she’s deeply ashamed of. To everyone she meets, she comes across as sweet, pretty, and put together. But Morgan knows that looks can be deceiving. For over a year, she’s shoplifted countless pieces of clothing and makeup. Each time, she tells herself it will be the last, and each time, it never is.

But when she’s caught and sentenced to thirty hours of community service, the image Morgan has carefully constructed starts to crumble. She’s determined to complete her punishment without her friends discovering the truth about her sticky fingers, but that’s easier said than done . . . especially once she meets Eli, the charming, handsome nephew of the owner of the charity shop where Morgan is volunteering. Soon Morgan is faced with an impossible decision: continue to conceal the truth or admit that she’s lied to everyone in her life, including the boy she’s falling for. (Pub Date: July 31, 2018)

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Morgan has been having it hard lately, now her mother left home for another man and her sister is away in college the only thing that makes her feel better is shoplifting. But when she's caught and meets Eli at the place she had to volunteer, her secret gets in the way of a real relationship with him.

Phillips is a great writer. This is the third book I read and each of them had not only quality but also meaning; I really like how she focuses on family without it being the only thing, and it's always a different issue. The thing is that this was the less exciting of the three I've read. I can't can't what exactly went wrong. It wasn't the pacing, it wasn't that the main girl was a thief—I've never stolen a thing in my life but I could still relate to the mess Morgan created for herself. I just think Phillips has been more entertaining.

Still, the themes here were great and diverse. Eli used to be a hockey player but an accident forced him to rebuild his life, just like Morgan had to rebuild hers without her mother. Phillips didn't run away either from all the drama a divorce ensues. Really, it's excellent material for book club discussions, for example. One side story I didn't like was Morgan's friend. I mean, the story itself was okay, one of her friends is in love with the other, who doesn't seem to return the feelings. It's only that it had absolutely nothing to do with the main plot, it was distracting and I couldn't care less actually.

I guess this review is also all over the place. But I did like the book, I even wonder if I'd have enjoyed it more hadn't I expected more for knowing this writer. If you want well-written YA, this is a sure thing.

Rating: 3 out of 5.