This book is different than The Perfect Marriage, but it’s just as good. It’s so heartwarming. There’s many life themes in this book that make you think about how you can change your life now to make your future self better.
I listened to the audiobook version and really enjoyed the narrator. It was perfectly paced and kept you listening.

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

After reading Jeneva Rose’s previous novel, The Girl I Was was nothing like I was expecting. The Perfect Marriage was a thriller, while The Girl I Was is women’s fiction. I so admire authors that can write multiple genres and write them WELL. This is such a testament to Rose’s talent that she really can do both.

These characters were so well written. I laughed out loud at some of the banter and snark, especially the arguments between Alexis and Lexi. Lexi’s friends must have been so confused! I also love all the nostalgia--I was only 9 in 2002, but there were still some things I recognized from that time. The comparisons made me laugh as well.

While the first half of this book was humorous and entertaining, the second half is where it really shines. It begins to discuss grief and how grief can change the course of your life. I loved the realizations that Alexis came to during these chapters, and her personal growth was really fun to read about.

This book is sure to resonate with anyone who wishes they could go back in time and change part of their past. I think many readers will really identify with Alexis, and perhaps even be able to improve their own lives based on some of her realizations.

🔊Song Pairing: Don’t Let Me Get Me - P!NK
Quite possible the most accurate song pairing ever. When you read this take a listen. You’ll get this)

💭What I thought would happen:

I truly thought it would be a missing woman thriller

📖What actually happens:

Alexis is a “contractor” recently fired without severance not that she quite understands what that is. When she ends her 7 year relationship due to self destruction and leans into a drunken stupor she awakes to find herself in 2002.

Alexis finds her college freshman self, Lexie (because she thought that better. GTFOH) Lexie is the worst and Alexis would like nothing more than to casually hold her head under water for a minute too long, especially for she keeps commenting on the weight gain.

This is Alexis’ chance to write the wrongs from her past self, to say the things she couldn’t and to prevent that god awful “live laugh love” tattoos from touching her lower back.

🗯Thoughts:

All the stars for this one! This book may as well have been called Kelly, this book could be about you if you were capable of time travelling. Needless to say I related to both present and past tense Alexis and Lexie.

Ohhh 02 what a glorious year 😂 low rise jeans (anorexia encouragement much), small dogs in LV bags and Ashton Kutcher is the hottest thing since sliced bread

There is a moment between Alexis and her mother in past tense, without giving anything away, it just hit me so hard and reminded me so much of my relationship with my mother. Would recommend to any girl with a deep attatchment to her mom.

Like Alexis, I too would want to smother my younger self. So much attitude. No thank you…your breasts are an A cup stop wearing 2 push up bras, avoid frat boys like an STI you can contract touching a handrail and wine coolers are not a suitable drink of choice…get rid of the rum and mix…gin and an olive are all you need. Xx

This book had a very cute premise, but it took a while for me to get on board. Like other reviewers, the second half was MUCH better than the first. It reminded me of 13 Going on 30 and Oona Out of Order. An easy to listen to book!

This was a great story! I have so many books I’m reading right now that I forgot what this was supposed to be about until I started it and it was a surprise when it turned out to be a twist on Freaky Friday and similar tales I was pleasantly surprised! It is a deviation from my normal genre preference but I love the author so much I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed. The main characters started out unlikable, as they were supposed to be, and as they grew throughout the book, so did my fondness for them. As a millennial, I loved the throwback to the early 2000s, as I was just about the same age as the main character was then. The author did a great job of referencing life in the early 2000s with relevant, nostalgic, and accurate references to pop-culture and world events. I could very vividly picture everything that was described. While the story included obvious tropes of time travel stories, there were surprises and twists that prevented the story from feeling like just a rehash of existing stories. I loved it!

I absolutely loved the other book that I’ve read from this author so I jumped at the chance to listen to the advance copy of this audiobook. This definitely held up. Super cool concept that I haven’t read anything quite like it before. The main character ends up back in time with her younger self. I was touched by the story. I like her thrillers better but I still really liked this one. Would recommend it for sure!

I loved everything about this book! I laughed, I cried, and I was just not expecting to love this book SO much! If you have ever thought, I wish I could go back and tell my younger self… then this book is for you! It is so relatable, and I have not one critique! The characters were perfect. The plot was so well done. I highly recommend this book. The narrator was easy to listen to and follow so if you love audiobooks, I recommend listening!

Oh I loved this book! Alexis, our MC, is the kind of person you don't really want to connect with or be friends with. She was a grump and very self-centered. And then she gets thrown back in time and has to spend time with her college self. And all of a sudden, Alexis seems pretty great. I loved the experiences Alexis has on this time-traveling journey. Her character arc, and that of her younger self as well, was so wonderful. Time travel stories always interest me, and this one had some great elements that I loved experiencing. There were moments that made me laugh, but also touching ones that made my heart swell.

Filled with moments that make you remember that you are the owner of your own life, this was a great story that had me captivated from start to finish!

4.5 stars rounded up!

I’m sure you all have been asked, “what would you tell your younger self?” Or we’ve all had thoughts about how adulting is too hard and can we go back to being younger. Not only that, but what if you did one thing differently a few years back? How different would your life be now?

Well, this book is that! It’s 13 Going on 30 meets Back to the Future and in the most enjoyable way. Alexis (as a 30-something-year-old) wakes up in 2002 to befriend her 18-year-old self, Lexi. Alexis thinks by helping Lexi, she’ll change the hardships of her adult life.

This book gave me all the feels. I felt for my younger self, the woman I’ve become, as well as relationship with my family. I laughed out loud yet needed a big hug after a few realizations came about.

The first part of the book was a tad slower than the last half, making me wonder where the story was going. I wish the beginning was quicker, but it really came together nicely.

Sometimes it’s the least expecting books that give you all the feels, and that was this book for me. It definitely made me thankful for how my life has played out because who knows where I would be if I went back to change one thing.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC! You can get your copy November 16.

Content warnings: grief, car accident, fatphobic comments, mention of eating disorder, cancer

Oh my heart! This book is an absolute must read if you were a teen in the early 2000s. Actually, this book is must read for all women who might just need to forgive themselves for choices made in the past.
I loved all the references to 2002. They had me laughing out loud remembering my ridiculous self. This book also brought on tears, so many tears. It made remember the way I was in college... a lot like Lexi. A mess. A girl who did not take college seriously. I spent more time in the bars than I did in class but had a blast. Of course, I wish now I would have studied harder, but reading this book helped me let go of that regret just a little bit.
I will be recommending this book for years to come! Thank you so much #Netgalley for the advanced audio copy of this book. I binged it in a day. It was that good!

#TheGirlIWas

4 stars

The Girl I Was takes the somewhat tired trope of time travel and turns it on its head by setting both the past and future versions of the same character on a journey of self-fulfillment...together. It is a choice that feels both fresh and dangerous, considering how most time travel stories warn against this exact action for fear of changing the characters' lives forever. However, in centering this dreaded idea of change as the very reason for the time travel, author Jeneva Rose is able to give what could have just been another women's fiction story of growth an incredibly unique twist.

As talented of a writer as Rose is, she isn't able to completely break away from the issues of writing time travel. Both Alexis' initial journey back and her eventual return are not as fleshed out as they could have been. The return trip, in particular, comes so late in the novel that you don't get to fully enjoy how Alexis manages to change her life; it feels like Rose is afraid that if the audience looks any closer, they will be able to unravel what she has created. It did leave me a little bit unsatisfied, but the rest of the novel is so strong that I would still recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I’m obsessed!!!! I read this ARC over this past week and absolutely adored it. I was even surprised that I cried at the end! With that being said, the audiobook was even better. I think the narrator did a great job with capturing the personality of both versions of Alexis.

Lets say - I liked this book a lot.

Then I read the authors note and knew the meaning behind the story and OH MY GOSH I swooned so hard, I appreciated the story so much more and I just understood it so much more.

This was a fantastic story and even though we had a time travel element, it worked and I loved it!