DNF @ 40%

This is Jeneva Rose's second book. I enjoyed her first book, The Perfect Marriage. I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy- especially because of the time period. Alexis going back to 2002, the year she was 18, was intriguing. I turned 19 in 2002, so the time period was spot on. I don't typically enjoy sci fi or fantasy books, so the time travel made me nervous. But I've enjoyed other time travel books in the past (The Time Traveler's Wife, In a Holidaze, The Dream Daughter, etc...) , so I gave it a chance. I almost quit immediately since Alexis was so obnoxiously self-centered. But, I knew that the premis of the book was to go back in time to change the trajectory of her life, so I perservered. I just wasn't into it. I thought the nostalgia would keep me interested, but it didn't. After constantly thinking about giving up, I ended up quitting at 40%. I honestly do not care to find out what happens. There are so many books out there that I'd like to read, so I chose to move on.

I did have the audio version. The narrator, Hillary Huber, is not one I am familiar with. For the most part the narration was ok, but there were times when it was annoying.

It wasn't awful. I just couldn't bring myself to care about it. 1.5 stars rounding up.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! I devoured it in less than 24 hours, but I enjoyed every second of it. I laughed, I pondered, and I even teared up while reading. It was heavy on the early 2000s nostalgia and I am here for it! I was a senior in high school in 2002 and I was transported back: the music, the fashion, the lack of cell phones and social media, and even things like printing out maps for directions.
I was a bit skeptical at first, and assumed that this book would be pretty cheesy, but it surprised me with how honest and genuine Alexis’s growth was depicted. Alexis and her 18 year old self share the same body but yet are distinctly different people, and the author expertly shows us that distinction.
As you find yourself reading, you can’t help but reflect on your younger self and what you would do different, if given the chance. I certainly wasn’t a party girl like Alexis when I was 18, but if I went back in time, there are definitely things I would change

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for allowing me to have a copy for an honest review!

"We can't stop bad things from happening to us but we can learn how to pick up the pieces and put them back together in a new shape and carry on..."

This truly resonated with me during a difficult point in my life. & for that I am grateful because it allowed me to take a step back and accept I cannot change certain things but I can control how I react and deal with a situation.

ANYWAYS 😅 back to my review ! I went in pretty blind and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it pretty quick!

Geneva brings you a story about a woman who ends up mysteriously going back to the past after she hit an all time low in her life. It is then that we begin to see her journey with reflection, acceptance,growth and accountability. So beware there are some triggers, so check those out prior to starting.

Alexis is known to be her own worst enemy. She has a tendency to self sabotage because sometimes life has a way of making people think they are not worthy of GOOD things. Therefore you develop a tendency of destroying all the good things in your life unconsciously.

This book brings us a story of what it would be like to go back in time knowing what we know now about our lives.

This book brought out many emotions from me. I definitely laughed out loud a couple of times. Alexis and Lexi definitely annoyed me plenty of times but I understood why. So it didn't bother me at all. I highly recommend it. The narrator did a great job too. Audiobooks can be a hit or miss for me due to the narrator and in this case it was a HIT. However, I must say don't go into this thinking that you'll get answers to the logistics of the time travel aspects.

This book starts out as a light rom-com / time travel story where a girl in her late 30s is floundering, wishes she could go back and change her life choices, and then poof! However, the characters really developed and grew on me and I was in tears by the end of the story. This is the first book I've read by Jeneva Rose but before I even got to the end I was looking up what else she has written and where I can get a copy! Amazing author and narrator, both have an uncanny ability to tell a story you can't put down. In addition to having relatable, realistic characters and suspense, The Girl I Was is also really entertaining, with funny throwbacks to the early 2000s and things 18 year olds in college do, and the banter between 30 year old Alexis and her 18 year old self made me laugh out loud. A thoroughly enjoyable audiobook experience!

This was a fun what if trope that delivered so much more than expected. This was unexpectedly emotional and I really enjoyed it. That said, I'm not really sure I understand the resolution, so that knocks off some points. ⭐⭐⭐💫 I recommend if you liked Maybe in Another Life.

Okay, hear me out. I started this book with an eye roll. I was thinking, "oh so this is just the movie 13 Going on 30 in written form." But dammit if I didn't get halfway in and shed a tear, or several. This starts out seeming like a surface level story of a girl who reflects on her past by visiting her younger self but ends up being a heartfelt, tender story about loving yourself and healing through forgiveness and closure. Rose shows her talent in The Girl I Was by crossing genre lines and still delivering a solid story with well developed characters. If you're willing to suspend reality a bit, I highly recommend this one!

Nothing like a little time travel to do some serious introspection. It's so easy to blame our past selves for who we were and how we've become who we are. Yes, Alexis just wants to get back to present day. Yes, Lexie is super annoyed by her future self. But what they learn in the midst of it all, will change their life forever, literally. The Girl I Was is a story that we can all relate to. The author excelled at bringing the reader in on an emotional level. One that makes you feel every feeling. The narrator, Hillary Huber did a fantastic job making these characters, really of a single character, come to life. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audio copy of The girl I Was in exchange for an honest review.

*Reviews will be posted to Amazon and B&N on publication date.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! So many emotions, along with so much cringe imagining meeting my 18 year old self! No thank you! But really this book was so good. It had the perfect amount of happy vs sad and really makes you realize just how precious each day and each friendship is!

This book was so much fun for me! Going back to 2002 and reminiscing about the music, style, and everything else that was early 2000’s was so much fun. This book was not only fun and had hilarious moments, it also pulls at your heart-strings and makes you wonder what you would do if you got to revisit your 18-year-old self. This book was a lot different than The Perfect Marriage, but really shows that Jeneva Rose can pull off all the genres. The audiobook had a great narrator that captured all the attitude too!

This book made me laugh, cry and everything in between. I think it really resonated with me because I am the exact age as our main character and was in college at the exact same time. I loved all of the throw back memories of the outfits, music and no cell phones!

Alexis has her life going exactly how she wants, about to get a big promotion and going to get engaged to the love of her life, until it all falls apart in 1 day. Feeling sorry for herself, she pulls out a bottle and drinks to black out, but when she wakes up, she’s back in 2002. She thinks she now has a chance to redo all of her mistakes, until she realizes she is still in her mid 30s and she has to convince her former party girl self to change their future.

I cannot wait to see what else this author writes in the future. I have read 2 of their books and will definitely pick up everything else!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• funny and witty
• all the nostalgia
• heartwarming character growth

This book was so relatable... and lots of fun early 2000s nostalgia. This is the first book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more from her!

🗣️ Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Jeneva Rose for the opportunity to read and review this book via audiobook. All opinions are honest and my own.

Alexis life is falling apart, so naturally she ends up back in 2002 with her 18 year old self to fix the mistakes of her past self.

I really enjoyed listening to this story. I’ve always enjoyed a good time travel book. This was better than I anticipated and the twists were not what I was expecting.

The Girl I Was by @jenevaroseauthor is such a gem of a book. If you’ve ever wanted to go back in time and tell your 18-year-old self to get their shit together, this one is for you!

I had the best time listening to Lexi and Alexis fight and blame each other repeatedly, knowing they were the same damn person 😂 I can’t even imagine how frustrating that situation would be, but it led to some hilarious moments.

Alexis spending time with her Mom filled my soul and destroyed it all at once. I loved that entire portion of the book and had tears streaming down my face in the truck. Thankfully my husband was driving because I couldn’t see shit.

The book is out now, and audio will release Nov. 30th! Read it...or listen!! ❤️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and DreamScape Media for the advanced audio in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great audiobook! The plot was captivating and easy to listen to. I liked the narrator a lot as well.

I loved reliving all things early 2000s as Alexis relived her college days. The plot had a lot of fun in it as well as sentimental moments. It always makes you think of what you would do if you could go back in time for a while.

I’m looking forward to more books by this author! Thank you ti the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose was SO much fun to listen to. Oh, boy! What an interesting premise! The main character, Alexis Spencer goes back in time, meets her past self, and tries to change a few of her life choices, hoping that it will improve her future. I don’t know about you, but I made a lot of dumb decisions when I was in my late teens/early twenties. I put myself in some questionable, embarrassing, and even dangerous situations. Would I like the opportunity to go back in time, and steer my younger self in a different direction? That’s a tough one. If I still met my husband, and we had our same two kids, then yeah, maybe. This book will really make you think about your past, present, and future self. Not only is it thought-provoking, it’s also humorous, and very entertaining. If you’re in a book slump, The Girl I Was will definitely get you out of it. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and 100% relate! Trust me. 4/5 stars for this new release!

Alexis just got fired from her job & it's time for her to grow up and take responsibility for her life. She purposefully starts a huge fight with her boyfriend, resulting in a breakup, & let's not forget he admitted he was about to propose....

She screwed up her life. Again. Great. In drunken sadness, Alexis wishes she could go back in time and fix everything.

Well, what would you do if you actually got that chance? If you could go back in time knowing what you know now? What would you say when you are standing face to face with your 18 year old self?

I loved this book so much because I've been having an ongoing quarterlife crisis thinking about how many bad choices I made. Alexis' story made me remember that it's never too late to make a change, big or small. Loved this.

Another Jeneva Rose and another great book! This one was very different from her thrillers I have read - such a huge range of motions! After some bad choices Alexis gets drunk and wakes up in 2002 - back in college. So many funny moments, heartfelt moments, and moments of self reflection. Makes you reflect on the choices you made during that time in your life and where you are now! This reminded me of 13 going on 30 and also a little bit of Five Years Later. Fun read with some deep emotions mixed in!

In this story we meet Alexis, who in the present day timeline is thirty-something and has just lost her job. She blames everyone - including her 18-year-old self - for things that have gone wrong in her life. In addition to losing her job, her love life is in jeopardy as well.

“How can I plan a future for you when you are so stuck in the past?”

With a twist on the familiar trope of “going back into the past to relive your life in order to learn a lesson before you are able to return”, Alexis goes back to when she was 18, but both selves are present. And, oddly (& at time irritatingly) the two selfs do not get along.

Older Alexis is convinced that she just needs to fix younger Alexis - “Lexi” - so that she can return to the future.

Lexi lives by a myriad of inspirational quotes such as “Everything happens for a reason.” & ”Everything is ok in the end. If it’s not ok, then it’s not the end.”, which she used for inspiration, but also as a way to relieve herself from responsibility. Think: “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

Although there were times I found myself rolling my eyes at both versions of Alexis and their decisions, (or was annoyed at cringeworthy scenes), there were also poignant moments that pulled at my heart strings.

“It’s odd that when we look back, the big moments are the little ones and the little moments are actually the big ones.”

If you are one to reflect upon choices that your younger self could have made, this is definitely a book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for a gifted copy of the audio version of The Girl I Was.

The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose

This story was like a lovely little surprise. I didn’t know anything about the book but love the author! I assumed it was a thriller based on the authors other books, but this is a funny, heartwarming story about finding yourself.

Alexis is in an unhappy, self-sabotaging, unsuccessful point in her life. She can’t figure out where she went wrong, until, after a horrible fight with her boyfriend, she wakes up in her old college town in 2002. She gets another chance to see what she was like back then and gets a unique outside perspective onto her life.

This was very charming and entertaining. Thanks to @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for my copy! The book is already out but the audiobook comes out on Nov 30th. Make sure to add it to your Christmas list 😉

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Thank you Dreamscape for my audiobook ARC of this book! & Thank you Jeneva for the e-arc copy of it :)

This book was absolutely everything I needed in my life right now! It's a solid 4/4.25 star read and I truly enjoyed every second of it. The narration for it was also done very well, and she truly brought it to life! (I was tandem reading this on Kindle and the Audiobook)

I've read Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose and absolutely loved it and I wasn't 100% sure what to expect with this one and this was surprising in the BEST way possible. The first half was a little slow to start but I absolutely loved the second half of the book. While I do enjoy the time travel kind of books, sometimes they can get a bit repetitive, HOWEVER I thought this one did an incredible job of being unique! I think Alexis' character I think will resonate with a lot of people.

Oh the things I would go back in time and tell my younger self. Think 13 going on 30 meets Freaky Friday with a twist!