This book was not at all what I expected…but in the absolute best way. No, it’s not a thriller BUT I would consider it to be speculative fiction which is still a preferred genre of mine.

This book is for any one who has struggled to come to terms with their last and be honest with themselves and accepting accountability for their actions. What would you do if you could go back and change the past? What would you do differently? How would you be a better person for yourself and those around you?

I thoroughly enjoyed this one—it was easy to read, thought provoking, and the dash of time traveling was a nice touch.


Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Harlequin/MIRA for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in for my honest review.

I will read anything Jeneva writes. I enjoyed this book and actually had read the indie version. I was surprised to enjoy it just as much this time.

This is not at all what I was expecting. This author is an automatic for me, so I didn’t even bother to read the synopsis. She even tried to warn me in the beginning and I still didn’t listen. lol I absolutely loved this thought provoking novel. Geneva can do no wrong, even if it’s not a thriller.

This is the first book by Jeneva I've read that wasn't one of her thrillers. I loved the story and she did such a great job of telling it. The book follows Alexis who has been working a bunch of dead end temp jobs since graduating college. She gets drunk after her most recent firing and time travels back to 2002 to her former college, party girl self Lexi. While Alexis and Lexi are trying to figure out how to send Alexis back to her time they both end up learning new things about theirseves and their friendships. Alexis helps Lexi connect with her friends and family members in new ways that she missed the first time around. I will say that Lexi really annoyed the crap out of me several times, but by the end I loved both sides of her and their growth together. I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC for a review.

Pushing this book to the top of my TBR was the best decision I could have made for myself. I feel as though it has begun to reshape me into a better person with a different outlook on life. Alexis’s transformation throughout the story is one everyone should be able to experience if they are unhappy with themselves or their current path of life . Jeneva Rose has done it again.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book for the first half of it. I really wanted to find out how it ended though, so I pushed through and I am so glad I did!

I was crying my way through the last 1/4 of the book. Alexis and I have a similar backstory that I won’t spoil here, but it made my heart ache. I wish I could experience what she did, by going back in time, but I know magical realism doesn’t work in real life. 🙃

Jeneva Rose wrote this book years before her thrillers, and originally self-published it in 2021. It’s now being republished by Mira, and has been expanded. I’m so glad she revisited this story because I have loved her thrillers, and really respect her as a writer and an individual!

The Girl I Was is a poignant story about what it might be like if you could change your past self for the better. I think it’s worth the read!

Thank you to Mira for the ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

If you could go back in time and change anything, would you? Alexis, after having a bad day with being fired and a break-up, goes drinking, blacks out and wakes up as her younger self (Lexi) in the early 2000's while still being her older self as two separate people!

This book tugged at my heart strings and I really enjoyed the read! I think a lot of readers can empathize with Alexis!

This book was a bit different than her typical thriller and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this as an ARC thanks to Jeneva Rose, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing!

I have always loved Jeneva Rose so when I heard she took a step into writing something other then thrillers I knew I had to get my hands on this book. Boy am I glad I did! This has to be one of my top favorite books. The idea of being able to go back and talk to my younger self and tell her everything will be okay would be life changing. Take things day by day and not rush them. LOVE YOURSELF. Be kind to yourself. I love one of the quotes in the book:

“I cry for the girl I was, the girl I am, and the girl I might never become.”

I love the balance of seriousness and quirk in this book. It makes you think but also enjoy. I love this book so much! It’s one I will HIGHLY recommend!

If you've ever wanted to grab your younger self by the shoulders and scream, "Make better choices!" then The Girl I Was is the time-travel therapy session you didn’t know you needed. Jeneva Rose spins a witty, heart-tugging tale that perfectly blends second chances, self-discovery, and the ultimate enemies-to-allies dynamic—with yourself. Alexis, a snarky, struggling millennial, wakes up in 2002 face-to-face with her chaotic, crop-top-wearing college self, Lexi, and chaos ensues. Early 2000s nostalgia? Check. Awkward self-reflection? Check. A hilarious, emotional journey of growth and redemption? Absolutely.

This book hits all the right notes for fans of coming-of-age with a twist, found-again friendships, and the kind of life do-over we all fantasize about. Lexi and Alexis may start out at odds, but watching them fumble their way toward understanding and healing is funny, frustrating, and ultimately uplifting. The Girl I Was is charming, relatable, and refreshingly real—even when time travel is involved. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d say to the girl you used to be, grab a copy and find out.

I wasn’t sure how this book was going to go but it really did come together at the end. I read this in record time and have to say I ended up loving it ❤️

I am a new fan of Jeneva Rose and have read only one of her thrillers so far. When I picked up this reprint of her first book, I had no expectations. While some parts of the story were better than others, I really enjoyed the book overall. It had a completely different vibe compared to her thrillers. A wave of nostalgia hit me as I felt transported backto 2022, where the main character, Alexis, must figure out why she is stuck in time with her younger self. My favorite part of the book was when Alexis returned home for Thanksgiving and experienced all the emotions that came with it. I also enjoyed the debate about Blockbuster versus Netflix at the dinner table. The book serves as a love letter to our younger selves, encouraging us to be less hard on ourselves and more aware of the feelings of others. If you need a break from thrillers but still want Jeneva Rose's humor and some deeper reflections, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for my copy.

Woowie this was a good one! I genuinely couldn’t believe the ending I didn’t see that coming. It was so dark and twisted in all the best ways!

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

It was very interesting to read Jeneva Rose in a different genre. I’ve loved all the books by her that I’ve read so far so this was an instant yes. I was initially drawn to the story with the time travel and found the plot and character development to be very interesting. I enjoyed the realizations Alexis had with her friends and herself. Whatever I did dislike a lot which affected my rating was the bickering between Alexis and Lexi. I know she is supposed to be immature, but Lexi was more of a teenager than in college. I definitely flipped forward through a lot of those scenes.

Wow! I LOVE Jeneva Rose. I’ve only known Jeneva Rose the author of thriller stories though. Let me tell you, she’s has proven herself as an author that can write anything. This was the opposite of a thriller and still so well written you can’t put it down. She is so talented and you won’t be disappointed when you take a chance on this one!

I loved this book! 5/5 ⭐️! This is not the typical Jeneva book but I still loved it. I didn’t want to finish it because I didn’t want it to end. This book made me smile, made me laugh, made me think and made me cry. Jeneva is so talented how she can write anything and I absolutely love it.

Ahhh absolutely loved it!! I got the opportunity to meet Jeneva recently and it was great to read this after

Phenomenal work! Jeneva Rose has proven she can write any genre! This book is out of her usual genre but ther is still some suspense and you can’t put it down because you have to know what happens.

Love Jeneva Rose, just wasn’t a huge fan of this one! The concept was interesting but ultimately fell flat for me because I didn’t care for the FMC. It was interesting to read Jeneva writing a different genre than I’m used to but ultimately wasn’t for me.

I loved this book so much! What a sweet rollercoaster ride of emotions as we navigate life with Lexi & Alexis!