I enjoyed reading this latest book by Louise Allen. It's different to her usual fostering memoirs but is an excellent read .
Based on Charlotte ,the books tells the story of her life. It was sad and emotional and a bit of an eye opener of how gangs operate and exploit young girls .

A sad, emotional, and shocking story. An unpredictable page-turner.

I've read a couple of Louise Allen's fostering memoirs, and found them excellent, and very interesting. This latest book is a departure-not about a child she's fostered; here she's helping someone tell their story. For this book, she's named 'Charlotte'.

It starts where she's six. She has a mother, father, grandparents, siblings. Her parents have good jobs. What could go wrong from these seemingly happy beginnings?

A lot is covered all in the first chapter-I like how it's concisely told. There are very sensitive issues, and Louise Allen knows how to tell it, and does it very well.

Even though I enjoyed a couple of books previously by Louise Allen, one of them did take a while to get into (I actually went back and restarted Stella's Story, then it was great after doing so), but I was straight into this book right from the beginning. It was so easy to read, and fast-moving.

Charlotte is drawn into a world completely different to the one she's known. And you can see how this can happen. To anyone; from any background.

I probably wouldn't usually have picked this from the title-hard subject matter, but, I wanted to read it on the strength of the author's other writing. She has made a great job of conveying this poor girl's story; Charlotte's thoughts and feelings, so you see how things happened, then spiralled.

A sad, emotional, and shocking story, very well-told by Louise Allen. A quick and easy, yet uncomfortable read.

Slave Girls: The Cutting Girl tells Charlotte’s story. The daughter from a wealthy family, attending a prestigious boarding school, not the “typical” sort of girl you’d think of when talking about County Lines gangs, prostitution and drug dealing.

This book is an eye opener as to how gangs operate, infiltrate, recruit and exploit children like Charlotte. This poor child was subjected to neglect, not only from her parents, but her schools, her “friends” and the care system itself.

What this girl goes through in this book is utterly sickening, chilling, heart wrenchingly emotional and thoroughly dark. It’s a struggle to believe this is actually based on a true story.

“Loneliness and the need to belong are a powerful double-act”

Triggers: child sexual abuse, drug abuse, self harm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror Books for my advanced copy.

Cutting Girl by Louise Allen is a gripping and deeply moving start to the Slave Girls series. It shines a light on the hidden horrors of modern-day County Lines and child exploitation, tackling themes of grooming, abuse, privilege, and survival with raw honesty and emotional depth.

At the heart of the story is Charlotte—a girl from a seemingly perfect, influential family. Despite appearances, she becomes vulnerable, groomed, and drawn into a world of drugs, abuse, and silence. Her privileged background offers no protection, exposing the painful truth that abuse can happen anywhere, to anyone.

As Charlotte’s life spirals, she finds unexpected hope with the Reynolds—a foster family who, despite lacking wealth or status, provide the love, safety, and acceptance she desperately needs. Their care reminds us that true family is about people who choose to stand by you, not appearances or prestige.

Louise Allen doesn’t sugar-coat or sensationalise. Her writing is bold, honest, and deeply compassionate. Cutting Girl is a necessary and courageous story that gives voice to the voiceless and sheds light on the darkness too many endure. For anyone who has ever felt lost, invisible, or silenced—this book sees you.

Thank you to Louise Allen, NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is nothing like a 'normal' Louise Allen, so please dont go into it with that expectation!

The book is incredibly informative, and 'real life' enough, whilst having that element of still being a story

To say I enjoyed this book feels wrong due to the nature of the story but I did. It delved into grooming and County Line gangs and how easy it is to drag someone down who feels ignored and unloved by her own family. I found myself rooting for Charlotte and wishing her a happy ending. Having the ability of an author to draw the reader into feeling invested in the characters is a very special talent.

Thanks for the advance copy I cant wait for the next one.

OMG, this book is so brutal and raw! Charlotte's story totally wrecked me, and I didn't see it coming. The author doesn't hold back, and I couldn't stop reading. I'm still thinking about it.
You really need to read this to get it.

Slave Girls : The Cutting Girl by Louise Allen

A heartbraking story of young girl being exploited and groomed . Shocking , sad but a book that mixes fact & fiction to tell the story of what these girls are groomed to do .

I can't say I enjoyed it because of the subject matter but a cautionary tale of what is happening out there to more girls ( and boys ) than society would date to think .

I'm so conflicted with this book because it is such an important story to tell but it is let down by the writing. I love Louise Allen's non fiction work and I feel like this is a mishmash of fiction and non. The story is real but elements have been changed to protect identities. Charlotte is the youngest child of a well-to-do family and she is sent to boarding school at a young age. This book shines a light on the grooming gangs that target girls who are vulnerable but not in the way you would typically expect. She's from money but doesn't have much care and input from her family which leaves her susceptible for abuse when she's starved of affection. Charlotte is targeted by these gangs and also starts to self harm and its tragic but the way the story is told feels a bit distant. There's a lot of important stuff in here its just let down by the narrative.