I really enjoyed this book! Time traveling isn’t my typical genre and I must admit that I only picked up this book because I read Jeneva’s previous book and absolutely devoured it. I didn’t read the description or even check the genre, oops! Her previous was a thriller and I definitely preferred that, but I’m so impressed at how well she did with something new! It was full of your favorite early 2000’s references from Juicy Couture and low rise jeans to Blockbuster. There were major 13 going on 30 vibes and it was a light (but not to light) entertaining read with lots of heart. Would definitely recommend it!

I think I enjoyed more listening to it than i would have reading it. I’m around the same age as Alexis so I could really resonate with the time differences and what it would be like seeing your old self. Makes you think what you would tell your younger self to change your present.

Another amazing book! Whether it is written by Jeneva Rose or JR Adler, I will read it! This was such a fun book, and I really hope Jeneva continues to write womens fiction! I half listened to this on audio and half read on kindle unlimited. It was such a fun one to listen to because the voice actress was perfect for reading Alexis and Lexi! I just read a lot faster than listening, so finished it up reading! This was such a heartfelt book and was even better to read as Thanksgiving is later this week!

Oh, this book. This beautiful, beautiful book. This is a love letter to your younger self. This novel is you in your prime, you at your worst, and represents all that will never be forgotten. We grow up. Everyone grows up and some of us succeed, while some of us don't...and for some of us, we just need a little wake-up call.

I never expected to cry my eyes out. I wish I could say why but it goes well beyond spoiler territory. All I can say is this hit home on so many levels. It is a time warp to all the most amazing fads I'm sure most of us miss (or don't!) This book is reminiscence at its finest. There is humor sprinkled throughout the wonderful pages.

When I finished I hugged my Kindle. With this book, I let go of some of the guilt I've held from my childhood that I had no control over. If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be: Be kind & true to yourself, you're doing amazing. I'd also have to tell younger me that we no longer use tanning beds in 2021!

I can't wait for you all to read The Girl I Was. It's a story that you will get lost in.

The audiobook was fantastic. I've read and listened.

This might just be my favorite book of the year!! Thank you @netgalley for the audio! After a little over halfway, I reached a part in this book that hit me hard! To the point where I literally felt like I was transported back into time! I felt like I was the character in this book. Lexi’s family was my family, I was Lexi, and I sat at my desk with tears streaming down my face hoping no one would interrupt me so I could keep listening. To say I was engrossed in this book is an understatement. Jeneva you have outdone yourself with this one, and I’m sure so many people can relate to this story in one way or another, so thank you for writing this, and thank you for transporting me back in time to relive some really amazing memories.

If you could go back and change the past, would you?

I loved the premise of this book...what a fun twist on a classic tale! I laughed and teared up throughout the story. However, I didn't quite enjoy the characters. The main character, especially, was hard to root for.

🎧 The audiobook quality and narration were wonderful.

This book was cute, but it fell flat for me. I wanted more out of the characters. I feel like they were too superficial for me to relate to. My favorite part was when Alexis’ family got involved in the plot over Thanksgiving. If more of the book would have been on a deeper level like that, I would have enjoyed it more.

Jeneva…. Talk about a book hangover!!

I just…
…..Wanted
➡️MORE⬅️

Lexi & Alexis… at first I was questioning the “what is going on and why” …but with the personalities that came out, the love/hate, the brotherly love (haha 😬), the pain and love that was expressed, and the realization of it all… I must say this was crafty and so well-written.

If I could make one suggestion - I’d love for YOU Jeneva, to read one of your books. I completely pictured you as the main character. Crazy? Its just how it started and kept going…. I think with your amazing presence on IG and impersonating the roles sometimes, it’s so easy to think you’ve the main female!

Side Note: Loved getting this audiobook via NetGalley with the promise of an honest review. Thank you Dreamscape Media and Jeneva Rose.

If you could go back in time, meet your younger self, and fix past mistakes, would you?

Alexis has had a rough life since college. She has no real ambitions, a blah relationship with her friends and family, and her boyfriend decided she's to closed off and negative to stay with. So when she wakes up in the year 2002, in an unknown frat house, she figures this is her second chance! She just needs to convince her party girl younger self to make better choices so they can have a "better life".

This wasn't a terrible read but it wasn't great. Alexis is not a nice person (in both times) and I didn't really care what ended up happening to her. I didn't care for the constant talk about the body positivity movement of now only to have the character turn around and body shame her friends or self. The college friends all felt like super cliche versions of typical college girls. This one just didn't click for me.

This book was a fast, fun, read with a surprisingly emotional chapter that left me in tears. It was a unique take on time travel filled with lots of throwbacks to the early 2000s, from track suits with Juicy on the butt to Mapquest directions and the old 10 cent text message system. I loved where this story went, and the ending was just perfect.

Alexis loses both her job & her boyfriend in the same day. When she tries to drink the day away she wakes up the next morning back in 2002 alongside a younger version of herself.

I thought the premise of the book was great - go back in time, try and change the direction of your life, grow & learn, and come back to the present a better version of yourself. I just found myself wanting more from this book. The parts of the book I truly enjoyed were when she went back to her parents for Thanksgiving and we were able to see her interact with her mother who had passed & then when she jumped back into the present at the end. Other than that I was just a little bit bored and didn't find the characters to be super likable. I also think the ending wrapped up a bit quick and would have liked to see more from her return back.

Thank you so much to Jeneva Rose, NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for a copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Girl I Was" by Jeneva Rose is funny, it is charming, it is painful and emotional even at times. This book truly has it all! Alexis is in her thirties in 2021: a stuck up, really mean, self-sabotaging, and rude girl with no job, recently going through a breakup with the love of her life, and she finds herself suddenly back in 2002. Like, actually in 2002. She finds "Lexi", her younger self, her friends in 2002, and this is essentially about what happens. Alexis knows that she has a chance to do it over, to teach her younger self how not to ruin her life. And this do-over seems to be just what she needs to get through to herself. A new exploration of "what would you tell your younger self if you could go back in time" but not done in a tacky way. I actually enjoyed this a lot!

This was such a fun read. I could feel the authors personality soaked into it. (Having seen a bit on social media) i loved the humor in it. I laughed often. I can’t imagine being thrown back in time and meeting my 18 year old self and I’m sure i wouldn’t get along with me then either. I did find her character to be annoying at times but i loved the growth of both of them. I loved how she portrayed both characters at different ages, it seemed so accurate.

I absolutely adored the parts with the mom. Omg the feels!! I loved their bond and how she discusses her feelings about everything. And the note 😢

Such a wonderful coming of age story that made me laugh and get caught up in my feels.

I was super excited for this book. And while I loved the story behind it, I feel like I would have done better reading the book than listening to the audio. I did not care for the narration, there was a echo when I would sped it up, and when I lowered it the voice was to monotone and hard to listen. I will pick this up as an ebook and give it another shot tho because I loved the whole 13 going on 30 vibes.

After a pivotal day, Alexis wakes up in 2002 back in her college town. She stumbles upon herself at 18 and they must work together to establish what needs to take place for Alexis to get her life back.

Okay this one totally brought me back to 13 Going On 30 with a touch of Oona Out of Order! Woman’s fiction isn’t my typical go to genre but I really enjoyed this book. For the setting I pictured a lot of my university town so that was a trip down memory lane in itself. It is also impossible to avoid the self-reflection that inevitably pops up. I’m sure this storyline was not an easy one to write but it was executed well. I was rooting for both girls to come together and figure things out for the entire book.

I powered through this one in less than 12 hours. I listened it to it on audio. The only negative I would add is the audio when put to 2x speed had a bit of an echo which I have never experienced before. I listened through the NetGalley app. I want to say thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape for this ARC. The Girl I Was released earlier this week.

Yay, The Girl I Was is officially out now! Jeneva Rose (aka JR Adler) is a must read for me. This is so much different from her other books - I'm used to thrillers/mystery and this one is more of a laugh out loud, cry sometimes women's fiction/magical realism. I really liked the main character and story development. I highly recommend picking up the audiobook copy because it is SO good.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, the author and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

This was such a fun and funny book. It was an entertaining take on a do over/time travel story. The main character was a bit annoying at times as she isn't supposed to be the most likeable of characters.

TW: fat phobia

This one just didn't do it for me, the characters felt unlikeable and shallow. I did enjoy the nostalgia of the 90s.

I generally listen to books while I’m at work and I wasn’t expecting the range of emotions I felt with this one.
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Alexis loses her job and boyfriend on the same day and blames her past self for setting her up for the disaster her life has become. Since she’s leaning into her bad decision making, she drinks a bottle of vodka that was tucked into her college memory box and wakes up in 2002.
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Oh boy. The cringe. So many cringeworthy moments. I was also a ton of fun in college and would be HORRIFIED if I woke up back then too so I felt it all in my soul.
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But this also ran the other way and I had an actual headache from not crying at my desk during a scene when she went home for the holidays.
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Get the book. Read it. Forgive your college aged self for being a mess.
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Pub date: 11/16/2021
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Thank you to Netgalley, Jeneva Rose, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook copy. My opinions are my own.

This is my second book by Jeneva Rose. She’s not an auto-buy author in my book!

This audio was adorable. It’s just what I needed right now. I loved the overall theme of working hard and being better for the life you want. We all, at some point, think the grass is greener on the other side. But, the grass is greener on the side you water it. This is a great reminder to be grateful and work hard. I loved the relationship of Lexie/ Alexis and their mom. Those encounters were some of my favorite!