Unfortunately, this one fell short for me. I felt the plot was unrealistic and quite boring. Not for me.

*Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

This is an engaging story about Evangeline who serves time for a crime she didn't commit. She works on navigating her life post-prison with one major hurdle - catching the real criminals. This story really made me feel for her - it was hard to see how her family treated her and how she suffered as a result of her circumstances. I enjoyed the love story as well - I felt like she deserved it after everything she had been through. I was intrigued throughout and enjoyed reading this.

My rating: 3.5 stars, bumped up to a 4 for Goodreads.

Four years ago, Evangeline Austen pled guilty to stealing a case of rare, expensive wines. But Evangeline is not guilty. She took the blame, keeping the secret of who the real culprit was, in order to protect her family. While serving a six-year prison sentence, she refuses to see or communicate with her parents or two brothers, letting her family think that she really did commit the crime, which led to her father drinking himself to death from a broken heart. When her father’s death leads to a compassionate early release, Chris Carter, the cop that originally arrested her, knows she wasn’t guilty and offers to help get her record expunged if she agrees to help him capture the real criminals. Evangeline agrees to the deal in order to get her life back on track. Thinking that Chris has always hated her, Evangeline soon learns that he actually has feelings for her and will do anything to help Evangeline and her family as her long-held secrets come out.

Romantic suspense is not really a genre I read often, but I enjoyed this book for what it was. While not a super-suspenseful thriller (everything is pretty much spelled out early on so there are not a lot of surprises), it was well-paced, interspersing the family drama and romance with the crime story, without laying any of it on too thick. And while the background characters are a bit flat, the MCs are really well fleshed out. Evangeline is strong, smart, and capable, and a likable heroine that I was rooting for her the entire time. As the love interest, Chris was not just a burly, macho, cop-dude. He is written as a kind and intelligent partner that allows Evangeline independence and never treats her as a “feeble-minded, damsel in distress”-type. The family - the mother in particular - kind of got on my nerves at first, but that aspect of the story was resolved by about the middle of the book so it didn’t drag the rest of the plot down.

For me personally, knowing the type of fiction I usually enjoy, this was just an okay read. It was a good time and I would give it about a 3.5-star rating. However, while I may not be the ideal audience for this book, I would definitely recommend it to someone that enjoys reading Colleen Hoover or watching something like the tv show “Yellowstone.” It’s definitely got that kind of vibe to it.

This is the second book by Jennifer Ryan that I have enjoyed. I was rooting for Evangeline the whole time! Chris was just a dream come true and after a hard life, he was all Evangeline deserved.

The only complaint i have is that I do wish there was more to lead up to the romance between the two; it just happened so suddenly and it was a bit unbelievable.

Not my normal sort of book, but I’m so glad I have the opportunity to read and try new books!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I got this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.This is a sweet romance story about Chris and Evangeline.You won't want to put the book down.

This book was different from other books I have read. My favorite genre is mystery. I love when they keep me guessing until the end. Evangeline is released from her jail sentence to find out the life that she once knew is completely different. Her mom, who she once had a great relationship with, blames her for the death of her husband. And it only gets worse from there. Evangeline has to take all the lessons that she learned from being behind bars to help her with all the problems coming her way.

This was a light fun read. The plot was good, a little predictable, but it still kept my interest.

Thank you #WilliamMorrow and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #TheMeIUsedtoBe in exchange for an honest review.

The book was a typical romance. It was unrealistic in some ways. A girl in prison, gets out and falls in love with the cop that put her in. The timeline also seemed very quick., for someone that needs to adjust to life. The decisions that she makes for the family when she has been away and doesn’t know the dynamics was amazing. The events that happened in the story, did keep me wanting to find out what happened.

This story made me think. Here is a girl released from prison for a crime she didn't commit; she comes home to a family that hates her; all she wants to do is get on with her life. As the story unfolds we find out who the guilty person really is.

It made me think of the way people judge and blame without knowing the whole story. I enjoyed the action, the danger, the disclosures. I like the author's use of 3rd person.

On the other hand, there seemed to be a lot of repetition at the beginning of the story. Regardless, this is a good story.
#themeiusedtobe #netgalley

This is not the kind of book I would normally read, but I loved this story. A few parts may have been a bit unbelievable, but overall I really liked it. I was invested in the characters from the beginning. Quick read, good story.

This is a book about secrets kept and lies told to protect others. Evangeline Austen is sent to prison after being found guilty of possession and transporting stolen goods. Did she do it, or was she protecting someone?

I liked Evangeline and some of the other characters, but I didn’t believe they were real. Emotions seemed to turn on and off, as if someone had flipped a switch. Evangeline comes out of prison and steps right back into her life. There’s no disorientation about being able to move around as she wishes, no looking over her shoulder for guards or aggressive prisoners, nothing to indicate that she spent four very difficult years locked in a prison where she was brutally attacked, to the point of almost dying, more than once. And while meeting with a parole officer was mentioned a time or two, it never happened, even after she’d been out of jail for weeks.

Her family members were beyond belief. Given that they knew her and who she’d been before getting arrested, they treated her as if she’d gone out of her way to bring shame and grief to them. Not a one of them ever asked her to explain what really happened or why she might have done it. They were just happy to throw accusations at her. Her mother was the worst. One incident, and they wrote her off and out of their lives. And while Evangeline mourned their treatment, she wasn’t about to reveal the truth, until she did.

The confrontation between Darren and Tom, Evangeline and the police seemed extreme, but I could see it happening when all you care about is yourself. I doubt Tom gave a thought to the repercussions of his actions.

I also thought this was just a so-so read. It’s nice, but nothing out of the ordinary for a romantic-suspense tale.

I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

The Me I Used to Be is an intriguing romance told using different storylines throughout the book. Evangeline returns home after serving jail time for a crime she didn’t commit. She isn’t welcomed by her family, as they aren’t convinced of her innocence & motives for returning to their ranch. Evangeline has a lot of navigating through her strong emotions and strained relationships to do, along with trying to figure out what really happened in the crime she was put away for. The officer who helped convict her has had doubts about her guilt, and now joins forces with Evangeline to shed light on things and solve the mystery.

This book has characters that you can easily visualize in your mind. It begins when Evangeline just got out of prison after four years with scars on her face, neck and shoulder from a vicious fight that nearly killed her. She was arrested by Lt. Chris Chambers for transporting stolen and valuable wine from the Napa area of California. It was also the same man that requested her release right after her father died leaving his only daughter in charge of the family ranch with two opposing brothers. She returned to a home where everyone in the family was angry at her for doing something totally out of line and reckless. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her making her feel unwanted. Only her grandmother seemed to be willing to give her a hug.

The book had a strong beginning and then half way, it was too easy to figure out the rest of the plot. However, there's some interesting themes in the story. It shows how one mistake can make a big impact in someone's life. It's about one girl's strength and skill to make the best of a situation. It's a sweet soft romance that may appeal to those that are looking for an easy read.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

The premise of The Me I Used to Be is interesting, and for the most part I like the storyline of a young woman who's been wrongly imprisoned making a new life for herself and reconnecting with her family. But I really don't care for pretty much all of the characters - Evangeline, despite being "toughened up" in prison just comes off as a pushover who lets people walk all over her. Her mother, until finding out the truth, has absolutely no room for forgiveness for her, and her brothers are so wrapped up in getting what they want that they have no concern at all about Evangeline and what she needs. And while Chris, the sheriff that originally arrested Evangeline, may be one of the better characters, the romance that develops seemingly out of nowhere feels like it's obligatory. To go from hating the person that arrested you to falling madly in love after a kind gesture or two? And I have my own personal pet peeve, which is when a woman in no more than her mid-twenties (because Evangeline can't be more than that) wonders if they'll ever find love and happiness and have children of their own because someone else in their life already has those things. The story had potential, but gets washed out for me in weak characters and unnecessary subplots.

This story follows the deal Evangeline makes to secure her release from prison and assimilation back into her family, when her father has died. I loved the characters and build up, the cat and mouse game, and second chance after second chance after second chance. Evangeline is a fixer and a problem solver, which I could relate to as the only girl with two brothers. The family dynamic is spot on. Really enjoyed this book. Very emotional, I cried a few times.

Evangeline Austen is sitting in front of the parole board when Chris Chambers, the sheriff that put her behind bars, walks into the room. He hands the parole board Evangeline's release papers. Then he looks at Evangeline and tells her that her father is dead.

When Evangeline arrives at the family ranch it is obvious that she is not welcome. Her mother blames her for her father's death. Her brothers blame her for their father's mishandling of the family ranch. They only see her as a criminal. Then at the reading of the will the family is shocked that Evangeline is left to decide the future of the ranch.

Will this family ever forgive Evangeline for what she did? Will the truth behind the night Evangeline was arrested ever be revealed? Will Evangeline do what is right for the family ranch and her family?

The Me I Used to Be is a fast read with strong characters and a solid storyline.

Thank you #WilliamMorrow and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #TheMeIUsedtoBe in exchange for an honest review.

Evangeline is in a parole hearing when Chris, the officer that arrested her walks in and begins whispering to the parole board. Chris has hated Evangeline for years. As her boyfriend's best friend, Chris never thought she was good enough, then he caught her transporting stolen goods. Although Evangeline was behind the wheel she had no knowledge of carrying anything but hay for her cattle ranch. She pled guilty and was put in prison, but who did this to her?
Evangeline is released and has to rebuild her life with a family that can't accept she had stepped outside the law and been put in prison. Chris now wants her to work with him to catch the people that stole the wine she had been in possession of. But she can never tell what she knows, she went to prison to protect someone, she'll never tell now. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my voluntary and honest opinion of #TheMeIUsedtoBe. I have been working to read books outside my normal genres and this was one, and I found it an enjoyable read.

This was a nice, light, book. I thought that the plot was a little bit unrealistic and that some of the character development was abrupt. Overall, though, I enjoyed it!

Evangeline returns home after serving four years in prison to grieve the death of her father. She also returns home to a family that blames her for her father's death and the hard times they have endured during his decline. All the while Evangeline holds a secret tight in her heart as to who set her up on the night she was arrested. This book was fast paced and the family conflict made it even more interesting. The story was multi-layered with a sting operation, redemption and a love story. I especially enjoyed how the author fleshed out the other family members and Evangeline's love interest as the story moved forward.

I found myself emotionally connected to the characters within the first few pages of the book. and it was hard to. put down. This was the first book I've read by Jennifer Ryan and I look forward to reading more of her work..