Jill Goodman has been married to Marc, a rich property developer for three years. She is his glamorous much younger wife who runs his home and hosts parties. From the beginning it is clear that he controls everything she does. The way she looks, the way she behaves. In love with her husband, Jill has been happy to make these changes; to become the woman he wants her to be. However, when she discovers he is having an affair with one of his employees and is asking for a divorce, she realises how much of herself she has lost in the years she has been his wife.
Ruthless in business, Marc now applies the same tactics to the wife he is ridding himself of, making sure she is left with nothing. But things don’t go to plan, and Jill ends up with a house. Perched on the cliffs at Dewberry Beach, on the East Coast, she needs to sell it in order to clear the fraudulent mortgage her husband arranged in her name.
Settling into Dewberry Beach while she organises the sale, Jill sets about reclaiming her old self and resurrecting her love of photography. But gradually she begins to realise the damage Marc has done to this close-knit community and decides to do something about it.

The Shore House was my first outing with Heidi Hostetter and The Girl I Used to Be I guess could be called a sequel, as many of the characters are included. Once again Ms Hostetter has woven a wonderful tale of larger-than-life characters and close friendships in a small, close community. For Jill it is a wonderful journey, reclaiming much of what she thought she had lost, and seeing how superficial a life she had led with Marc. But the centre of this is all about bringing justice for the community.. Does she achieve it? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Girl I Used to Be in exchange for an honest review.

I made it 20% into the book and just couldn't keep going. I knew where the book was headed--clearly Jillian and Marc's relationship was toxic and the book would be about how Jillian comes back from that. But, I didn't connect with Jillian enough to care to keep going, unfortunately. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of The Girl I Used To Be
I really enjoyed this book. The characters came to life and it drew you into the story. A very naive young woman marries a successful man and becomes someone who is not the person she used to be or wants to be. She finds out a lot about her husband who is having an affair and is very flippant and mean about it. They divorce and she starts to learn a whole lot more about this man and it’s all ugly! She explores the little town he did business in and finds out a lot about his business deals. I don’t want to give spoilers so I won’t say more.. One thing I will say is I thought the author referred to her Aunt & Uncle too much.
I do highly recommend this book.

This was my first book by Heidi and it was amazing!!! I read it in one day. Super amazing quick read. I didn't want to put it down. I had to know who was buying the house and what was going to happen to Jilly and Marc.

First off Marc is scum of the earth and so so glad she saw that after what he did! How can people treat others this way!!!

I could just picture the beach town during the fall and I would love to visit such a place. It sounds magical 😍.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this! Definitely checking her other books out.

The second book in the Dewberry Beach series and a completely different feel to this second book but the beauty and sense of community in still there.

An easy read where the sense of place is strong. Jillian is married to Marc and they live a lavish lifestyle but their marriage has cracks which very soon start to appear. Jillian has been controlled by Marc all through her married life and when secrets are uncovered her life takes a new direction.

Selling a huge house in Dewberry Beach brings Jillian into contact with the locals and she soon finds herself becoming part of this community. As she starts to discover the impact her husband has had on the town she is determined to try and help.

One the one part this is a story of greed and control and on the other a sense of community and doing what is right.
I enjoyed this read, quick and easy to become immersed in the storyline and a sense of place which takes the reader to a quaint setting filled with warm characters.
3 stars 🌟🌟🌟 a good second story in the series

This is the first Heidi Hostetter book I have read but it won’t be the last. I loved the setting and the way the town was described and I took well to the character of Jill. It is an easy read that I completed in a day.

I have already recommended to my mum and my mother in law as I think this is exactly the type of book they would enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.
A lightweight and easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I wasn't sure about it for the first few pages but I soon got sucked in. I would highly recommend it.

This inspiring novel will hook line and sink you!
I loved how detailed every page was! How the writing flowed so beautifully.
You'll enjoy this heartwarming story!

Jillian DiFiore Goodman’s marriage isn’t what she thought it was, and she is tired of pretending to be someone she isn’t. After finding out that her husband, Marc, is keeping secrets, Jill decides to take back her life and find out who she really is – who she is supposed to be. Heidi Hostetter’s The Girl I Used to Be is a book with wonderful characters, a creative plot, and an ending that gives readers a sense of redemption and closure.

This was a quick and easy read for me. Jill is married to Marc who is a real piece of work. I hated him from the very beginning! Jill finds out some secrets about him and tries to make the town a better place. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Heidi Hostetter is a new author for me and I truly enjoyed her writing style. She writes in a way that you find yourself quickly falling in love with the characters and the Jersey Shore. I personally have never been to the Jersey Shore but after finishing this I find myself wanting to take a vacation there ASAP! I will for sure be adding more books by her to my TBR pile. I highly recommend you read this as soon as you can.

This book was so different than I expected. I really enjoyed the book and it was more than I expected. The main character was strong and eventually fought for what she wanted. I loved the neighborhood and community she was surrounded by and of course who doesn't love the happy ending? The writing was good and each chapter gave more and more and gripped you to find out was happened. I had to keep reading in order to find out what happens to the lovable main character!

Known as the Queen of Summer fiction, somebody better tell Elin Hilderbrand Heidi is out to steal her crown. This is hands down one of the top 10 summer reads of 2021!

Jillian DiFiore changed her whole entire life to marry Marc, a man twice her age. She was truly in love, or so she thought, and she did everything to mold herself into his perfect woman. Doing so forced her to block out the things he did that may not have been as honorable as she would have liked. All of that comes to a head the moment she receives photos from his mistress that were undeniable. Marc was having an affair. Armed with a prenump, he wanted out within weeks. All Jill wants is her freedom. And the house in Dewberry Beach that was mortgaged in her name fraudulently.

You quickly fall in love with the Jersey Shore due to the almost artistic writing. This is a book that you fall into so easily and wether or not you've ever even been to the East Coast you feel your toes in the sand and hear the water lapping at your feet. Her writing is just that good. There's a little suspense, romance, friendship, and the feel good community all wrapped up perfectly to make this the perfect read to have in your beach bag while you spend a summer afternoon on the shore. Even if you can't go to the beach, this book is a mini holiday in itself. Five huge stars and I've already added her whole catalog to my TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley, Heidi Hostetter, and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for a feel good novel! This isn’t usually my type of reading, but I LOVED it!!! The main character was a bit too young for all the things that happened to her, but all in all it worked. It just put a smile on my face and the ending was just one of happiness for a character in a book. I’m very glad I went out of my norm to read this.

I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't sure what to expect and if I'm honest, I expected a different story from reading the description.

Saying that, it was a lovely story about getting back to being yourself. I loved the character Jill and how down to earth she was, and how she took it all in her stride.

Round up to 3.5 stars
Jill DiFiore is trying to find herself again. After leaving behind her old life and old self of mismatched clothes, wild nights and calories for her dream man offering her a dream life, she has lost who she once was. Her new husband, Mark, has transformed her into a plastic, fake woman who lives a pampered life of personal shoppers, hair appointments and salads to keep up his façade of a life. Once she finds him cheating on her, all bets are off as she starts over in trying to find the old Jill while starting a new life at Dewberry Beach.

There was a lot to this story that I did enjoy. Jill finding her voice. Her never ending friendships with others around her. Her desire to do what was right. Dewberry Beach and the townspeople. I had a hard time with Marks storyline, in particular, the scandal with the house on Dewberry Beach. There were so many details and back and forth on what happened, how he scammed the owners, etc that it was hard to keep up with at times and I found myself losing interest at times.
This is my second book my the author and I loved The Shore House and look forward to future books with the same setting. I always love how the women find themselves again and get back to their roots, but this one wasn't my favorite.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinions.

How much of your Self are you willing to trade for the “good life?”

Jill DiFiore Goodman came from humble beginnings in a small beach town on the New Jersey coast. When she marries Marc Goodman (as the story unfolds the irony of his last name comes into sharp focus) she is suddenly elevated into a wealthy life style that seems too good to be true. When she discovers that he is not what he seems, both as a husband and a businessman, she realizes how much of herself she has lost in the bargain – her self-esteem, her style of hair and dress, her friends and even her family connections. The divorce proceedings complete the shattering of the illusion she holds about her life and Jill begins a slow and steady process of reclaiming herself and her values.

I was fully engaged with the book for the opening chapter. It is an easy, fun read although the storyline touches on some serious issues. The characters are diverse and well-developed. Jill and her relationship with Ellie, her one remaining friend, is heart-warming and serves as the catalyst for much of her transformation. The supporting “cast” from the small town of Dewberry Beach are believable and add dimension to the overall theme of redemption. The conclusion is a bit predictable, but nonetheless satisfying. I’m definitely tracking down “The Shore House,” the other book in the Dewberry Beach series.

My thanks to the author, Bookoutre, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The Girl I Used to Be is a wonderful, easy read set on the East Coast of America. Jill - a housewife - negotiates divorce from her husband Marc only to find she gets more than she bargained for. The story follows her return to the girl she used to be through resolving 'the monstrosity' she finds herself left with. Its a story about the return from being stuck in a relationship tainted by gaslighting, about righting past wrongs and about friendship. A great summer read and I'm off to find the other Dewberry Beach books by Heidi Hostetter!
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

Absolutely gorgeous!

I loved everything about this book and kept finding reasons to sneak away with my kindle to read it! Jill is such a lovely character and - as she goes on her journey from realisation to action – the author makes sure you are with her every step of the way and you are rooting for her to succeed, The minor characters are also so well depicted – I partly liked her best friend Ellie and their lovely friendship – and the character of Marc is so horrible that I wanted to punch him on the nose!

On top of a great plot, the author also has a real talent for description and I felt whisked away to the shore, which was an absolute treat: it made me desperate to visit in real life!

A fabulous read and I am now going to go back and read the author’s other book set in Dewberry beach – because I’m not ready to leave!

When I chose to read this book, I didn’t give the synopsis more than a cursory glance. I had fancied reading more books from ‘across the pond’ and thought the premise seemed interesting.
With hindsight, I’m glad that I didn’t know what was coming as the story unfurled like a flower catching the new dawn’s light. When we first meet Jill, she is living a seemingly charmed life, but without any real idea of her true identity or self-worth. The term gaslighting has become common in our vocabularies, yet it is still uncomfortable to realise the many forms that it takes.
As Jill moves to Dewberry Beach, intent on selling the house which is a monolith to her controlling ex-husband, the gentle changes in her outlook and self-confidence are evident. This new-found confidence brings about deeper changes both for her and for the people of Dewberry Beach.
Jills relationship with her best friend, Ellie, is a steadying factor in her metamorphosis from controlled ‘stepford wife’ to independent woman. Their relationship is quite special and serves to remind us all that true friendship can be the force that drives us forward.
There are many charming characters in Dewberry Beach, and each one delivers a special layer to the overall story. From the deli owner to the neighbour who has been left with a dying fruit tree. The sense of community is remarkable. It certainly provided a perfect escape for this locked down reader.