I loved this book, it was very thought provoking and yet a funny, light quick read. Completely different from her other book but I loved them both for different reasons. Highly recommend! The audio was fantastic and so well paced. It totally sucked me in and I couldn't stop listening.

This is the modern day 13 going on 30 feel good book. I read it WAY too fast because I couldn’t put it down. It was beyond fun and really took me back to 2002! I felt like the author was writing the story about me - the details were spot on for the time period. How I would love to go have a chat with the younger me! Well done! A must read!

If you could go back in time and talk to your former self, would you? I know I would!

In The Girl I Was, that’s exactly what happens to the main character, Alexis, who’s lost her job and the love of her life and wakes up one morning back in college in 2002.

From the velour track suits and “chicken cutlets” (raise your hand if you had these 🙋‍♀️) to frosted tips, Yahoo and MySpace, this Class of 2000 reader 👏 loved 👏 every 👏 minute 👏 of the nostalgia dished up.

This book reminded me a lot of the movie, 13 Going on 30. Some of it was suuuuuper cringey (ok a lot, but that’s 2002 for ya) but then there is this very heartwarming storyline with her mom that catches you off guard.

I listened as an audiobook and the narrator sounded a bit robotic and the voice she used as younger Alexis was beyond annoying. That said, giving the story itself ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it was just delightfully light and entertaining.

Thank you to @dreamscapemedia and @netgalley for the advanced listener copy.

Wow, this book evoked so many feelings for me that I didn’t expect! I laughed, I cried, I questioned some life choices, and thanked my lucky stars that I made some of the moves I did or else I wouldn’t be where I am today. Alexis and Lexie were such phenomenal characters that both went through their own development in a way that had me smiling through the tears during the last chapter. I listened to the audio version and spent a few mornings sitting in my car outside of work for a littttle bit longer than usual because I just HAD to see what happened next. Jeneva Rose has such a way with words and the narrator was absolutely perfect!

✨ Thank you, @netgalley, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! The Girl I Was is out now so run and get your copy now! ✨

Alexis Spencer has reached a point in her life where she feels like she’s been a total failure. She just lost her job and is now in jeopardy of losing the one guys she’s ever really loved. Suddenly, Alexis wakes up in the early 2000’s and experiences her college days from another perspective.
I love the message in this book, but it just fell short for me. I think it’s been done before and wasn’t a new concept. I like happy endings, but I think sometimes stories are tied up way too neatly with a bow. They just don’t represent real life. This was 2.5⭐️ rounded up to 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley, Jeneva Rose, and Dreamscape Media for this eARC! Pub date is today, 11/16!
*4.5* but rounding up for NetGalley!

Alexis' life is a hot mess. She gets "let go" (PR lingo for fired - as a PRAD major, I laughed), her boyfriend breaks up with her, her friends suck. In true fashion, Alexis drowns her misery in a bottle of vodka and passes out. When she wakes up, she realizes she's in a frat house in the year 2002 and comes face to face with her younger self, Lexi. Alexis has always blamed herself for her choices when she was younger as to why her current life as an adult has failed. But with being in 2002, Alexis is determined to show and tell her younger self, the right way of doing things in her life that will help shape her future and hopefully make better choices in the long run. But will this be enough to get her back home?

What truly got me with this book was the message. I think we can all go back to a time that we wished we could have changed or done differently. We've all wondered what would have happened, or how our lives would have changed by a different decision or choice. Aside from that, the nostalgia behind this book and all things early 2000's really hit home. The texting and hitting the button three times to get a letter you want, the low rise jeans, the Christina Aguilera "Dirty" album...all things that bring me back to 2002. I loved Jeneva's book "The Perfect Marriage" so I was very eager to read this one by her. Although, TOTALLY different in writing, I think Jeneva knocked it out of the park with this one! It was funny and nostalgic. Absolutely loved it!

#netgalley #thegirlIwas

“Everything will be okay in the end, if it’s now okay it’s not the end.”

Alexis Spencer thinks she has it all figured out, even when her life is crumbling around her. She lost her job, her boyfriend broke up with her and she has no one to fall back on. Feeling bad for herself, she finds an old bottle of alcohol given to her by her college friends. When she wakes up, she soon realizes she is back in 2002. Thinking she’s been given a second chance to fix her 18 year old self Lexie, Alexis does all she can to change all the mistakes she made during her college years. What she doesn’t realize is Lexie is determined to fix Alexis too!

I adored this story! It was full of memories of low rise jeans and body shaming, Missy Elliot and Eminem, and cell phones that were used just to call people. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, and some very heartwarming moments. I loved the ending so much!

“I want to go back to my time. I want my iPhone 10. I want to binge-watch ‘The Office’ on Netflix. I want to wear leggings as pants. I want brunch with Andrew on Sunday mornings. I want Wi-Fi everywhere I go. I want to express my feelings via emojis on Instagram. I want to wear my AirPods all the time so no one will talk to me. I want to listen to Billie Eilish when I’m sad and Lizzo when I feel like I can take on the world.”

Jeneva Jeneva Jeneva. What is it about your writing that sucks me in as it does? Your books have me thinking, laughing out loud, horrified in the best way, and then thinking some more. I loved The Perfect Marriage and, although this book is completely different, I devoured it. Like read it in an afternoon!

First of all, this book was like stepping back in time to my younger 20’s self and it was so nostalgic. Second, the concept of being able to go back and guide your younger self is just fascinating. I was rooting so hard for Lexi to get her shit together! This book has heart and soul and hope and it’s just everything I look for in a story. It even had me tearing up in certain spots. If you have ever texted using the keypad of your flip phone, worn low rise jeans, or jammed out to some classic R&B, please do yourself a favor and read this one. *adds my girl to auto buy authors list*

The audio book, narrated by Hillary Huber, is wonderful! I went between reading and listening and actually enjoyed her inflection so much that I listened to the majority of it.

Thank you to the author for the gifted ARC and to Dreamscape media for the audio version in exchange for an honest review.

If only the inspirational quotes she recites over and over again would actually be true in Alexis’s life, maybe she wouldn’t have made a wish to start all over again? But that’s exactly what happens when she gets sent to past and comes face to face with the younger, wilder version of herself. Together can they find a way to fix their life or will Alexis be stuck in 2003 forever?

If you love references to the 2000’s including: frosted tips, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, LMFAO, flavortown, etc. this is the read for you! Think 13 going on 30 except instead of being sent into the future as her older self, Alexis is sent back to the past and has to team up with her younger self to figure out a way “back to the future” pun intended. As a 1992 baby this book was filled with nostalgic moments and scenes that are relatable as Alexis knows what we experience in 2021 and has to go back to a time when everyone didn’t have cellphones and texting took 12 minutes to say hello 🤣 I loved every single bit about this book. Jeneva Rose is a must-read author for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This book was a complete surprise. I laughed. I cried. (I cringed a few times.) It made me ponder my own life and reassess it a bit. The Girl I Was is a fun book full of wit and heart that completely resonated.

Alexis’ life has officially hit rock bottom. Nothing is going right… the job, the friends, the man. So she drowns her sorrows in a bottle of vodka and passes out in her (very empty) bed. But upon waking, she finds herself in a frat house in the year 2002 where she must come face to face with the 18 year old version of herself. Alexis has long since blamed Lexi, her younger self, for the path of destruction she’s on. But now that she can confront Lexi, will it create the change she’s banking on? And how will she get back home?

I devoured this book. Rose’s writing style kept me hanging on and wanting more. The messaging and character development are also on point. I’m a bit amazed at how Rose created two completely unique characters that are also the exact same person. She showed the dichotomy between the differing versions of self (age, maturity, sensibility) with adeptness.

The messaging of this book is what really made this book pull at my heartstrings. We’ve all looked back over life and wondered about the decisions we’ve made. Which parts of life could’ve been changed for the better? What parts were always meant to be? I really loved walking back in time with Alexis and Lexi, while also reminiscing over my own past.

But no review for this book is complete without mentioning all of the nostalgia. I loved EVERY bit. From the low rise jeans (with a one inch zipper) to the Juicy Couture track suits. From MySpace to R.Kelly’s music (before we knew what scum he was). The 2002 pop culture references were on point. Maybe the best part was being able to revisit all of those things while still having access to my iPhone.

The audiobook is exceptionally well done, adding an extra layer of depth to the characters and drama that unfolded. Narrated by Hillary Huber, her nuanced rendition of the text makes this book a complete experience.

Thank you Jeneva Rose, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

If you’re looking for a twisty thriller like The Perfect Marriage, The Girl I Was is probably not going to make you happy, but, if you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud, thoroughly entertaining blast to the past, this is definitely it! I loved every bit of the Lexi-Alexis drama. Was it a little cheesy? Yes. Did I care? No, I did not. For audiobook lovers, consider downloading the audio. Narrated by Hillary Huber, it’s just simply perfect.

The premise for this book was an interesting one. It involves a woman who is unhappy with her current position in life who is given the chance to go back to her college years and do some “adjusting” of her life choices. While the book was good, I thought it would be a bit deeper. It’s a solid read, but I was just not totally satisfied. 3 stars ⭐️ for this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscapesmedia for this advanced audio copy.
💛
The Girl I Was
By: Jeneva Rose
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely loved this book. Have you ever wondered if you could change something in your past? What would you tell your younger self? Alexis Spencer wakes up in 2002 and ends up meeting her younger self.
Alexis ends up going back home to her family with her younger self. Quite the twist! She knows how she was as her younger self and how much she has missed over the years. She has the chance to hang out with her family. Do they realize who she is?
This author has become an auto buy for me. I loved her last one and can only imagine what’s next! #thegirliwas, #jenevarose, #audio, #netgalley, #bookstagram, #bookstagram, #stamperlady50, #dreamscapemedia, #advancedcopywriting

This was such a great story for women! ⁣
⁣
What would you tell your 18 year old self if you could? I know I’d tell her so much.⁣
⁣
This hits on loss, grief, learning that you hold your future in your hands and have to work for it. Listening and hearing your friends is so important for friendships to last. Appreciating your loved ones and seeing them for who they are instead of bickering just because. ⁣
⁣
There are so many great life lessons in this. I really enjoyed the plot. The audio was great, I loved the narrator, and her voice was exactly how I picture Lexi sounding when she talked. ⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
Thank you @dreamscapes for the gifted copy!

Alexis thought her life was figured out until she loses her job, and gets into a massive fight with her boyfriend. She decides a large number of drinks would help to ease her pain, but when she wakes up with her hangover she finds she is back in 2003, and is now expected to live with…herself? Now she and Lexi must figure out how to fix their life, as well as how to get Alexis back to the future.

This was the perfect audiobook to put on and craft to after getting my booster shot. I flew through the entire thing on one day, I just loved Alexis and Lexi and following them trying to fix their lives. This book definitely makes you think about the decisions you make and how they effect your future. If you are looking for a quick and fun read I highly recommend this one!

The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose was a fun and quick listen! I enjoyed the narrator and the unique take on time travel.

Alexis is in her thirties and floundering. Her professional and personal lives are crumbling. A little bit of magic sends her back to college to help her younger self. Can she get back to her time or is she bound to see her younger self repeat her same mistakes?

If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self? 𝒲𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃?

Thirty-something Alexis Spencer is A D R I F T. At first she assumes she has it all figured out, but we all know the problem with assumptions. Losing her job, her man, her friends, but unfortunately not her student loan debt, she has a few choice words she’d like to say to her younger self.
One night, after drowning her sorrows in a bottle of vodka, she wakes up in her old college town …….𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝟤𝟢𝟢𝟤.

Slurp that Jamba Juice smoothie you grabbed from the mall, and munch on that bag of Bugles, only original flavor will do. Don’t forget to minimize your MSN Messenger, and cue your 2nd gen iPod to Avril Lavigne’s Complicated.

“You come over unannounced
Dressed up like you're somethin' else
Where you are and where it's at you see
You're making me
Laugh out when you strike your pose
Take off all your preppy clothes
You know you're not fooling anyone”

Jeneva Rose has created a literary time machine, a pop culture tour de force, a blast from the past. Listeners will delight as Alexis and her former self, Lexi, navigate through the early 2000s as Alexis tries to figure out how to return to her own time. The perfect remedy for a long road trip, The Girl I Was, made me laugh out loud, and even wipe tears from my cheeks. It serves as a reminder that life in the real world has its up and downs, and it’s (mostly)always fun to reminisce. Girls just wanna have fun…right?!

I highly recommend this quick, sweet, feel-good book by Jeneva Rose that publishes tomorrow! It’s the perfect time of year to give it a read!

Thank you to @dreamscape_media and @jenevaroseauthor for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ Women’s Contemporary Fiction/Coming of Age Review

The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose. Swipe to see a selfie I took after ugly crying while finishing this book as well as some #thegirliwaschallenge shots.

One sentence synopsis: If you were to go back in time to confront your 18-year-old self would you want to hug or slap them?

Author’s note: “When down-on -her-luck Alexis Spencer, wakes up in the year 2002, she thinks she’s been given a second chance to do things over, that is until she comes face-to-face with her 18 year old unruly self. “

Ya’ll this book gave me all.the.feels. I laughed a lot; I cried a few times and in the end I felt like I had been wrapped in a big ole feel good hug. Sometimes we read books for the nail biting and stress they bring us, but sometimes we need a palette cleanser with a book that warms us up inside and that is what this book will do to you.



For anyone who was around for college or young adult life in the early 2000’s you will love the nostalgia this book brings you. With a unique story line, and a touch of magical realism this book stands out among others of the genre.



Jeneva Rose is one of my favorite auto buy authors and we are so lucky to have gotten such a quick turnaround on her wonderful book. Don’t forget to read the oh so touching author’s note at the end.

Thank you to my friend @jenevaroseauthor for entrusting me as a first reader and for sending me an arc of your masterpiece.



QOTD: what do you miss most about the early 2000’s



AOTD: Blockbusters

Five ❄️ from Mrs. Frost

#charlottebookstagrammers #thegirliwas #tgiw #jenevarose #early2000s #blockbusters #bookreview #arc #advancedreaderscopy #ebook #digital #sparks #juicycouture

The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose #jaylammreviews

I loved Rose's Perfect Marriage last year so I was so intrigued to see she had written something other than suspense. I am so glad I was able to read this one early! I loved it.

Alexa has just lost her job and her boyfriend. She is feeling like if she could do it all over again she would make better choices, and she is blaming past Alexa for her dumb decisions. Alexa, feeling sorry for herself, gets drunk and wakes up 17 years earlier. She is feeling like she can finally set things right, until she runs into herself, her 18 year old unruly self...Can she change the future?

I am a sucker for "what could have been" type stories like this. What I loved about this one is that it wasn't the traditional type. Alexa isn't reliving her life, she is guiding herself to the right decisions. She wants her to see what is important and to cherish the people around her now, because they might not be there later.

The ending got a little crazy but I really loved this book. It really brought out a lot of emotion and was extremely thought provoking. This book really had me thinking about what I would say to my past self if I had the chance.

As far as the audio. I thought the narrator was great at conveying the emotion in this book. She was great at letting the listener know which Alexa was talking. This could have gotten confusing but it was well executed.

This is out Nov 30th. This would be such a great book to read with a buddy. Lots to discuss.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 18 year old self? Alexis is a 30-something who has made a mess of her life. She makes a wish that she could go back in time and set herself on a better path. The next morning she wakes up 17 years earlier and confronts the 18 year old version of herself, who goes by "Lexi". Alexis is determined to fix Lexi and get back to present day so her life can be good again. Lexi is annoyed by the older version of herself and just wants to be rid of her. It turns out that getting Alexis back to present day is going to take a lot of work for both of them.

I adored this book. The conversations between Alexis and Lexi made me laugh out loud multiple times. This book is a wonderful departure from every day life. I found myself rooting for Alexis to get back to present day, but not wanting the book to end. Alexis annoyed me slightly at the beginning of the book because of her refusal to take responsibility for anything in her life, but I loved her character arc.