This book had me hooked from the beginning! I never thought I’d call a time travel book beautiful but I can’t think of a better word to describe this one. The main character, Alexis, is forced to take a hard look at herself and her younger self. The experience is told in such a fun and detailed way that I feel like I am there with Alexis. I could relate to both versions of her in so many ways - the good and the bad. I loved all the nods to the 2000s and what it was like being a teenager. I’ve loved all the thrillers I’ve read from this author (5 stars for all!) and this one is no exception. I’m adding this one to my forever favorites list.

☆ARC REVIEW☆
Re-Publication date: Available now!


Sorry, the FMC, Alexis, was absolutely insufferable. Definitely would not recommend it unless you enjoy very whiny characters with a victim complex.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I really liked this one. Definitely a departure from her other books but I actually liked when authors do that. I really enjoyed when Alexis went home and was able to see her mom again that’s when I really got into the story. I didn’t like Alexis in the beginning but she had great character growth.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Harlequin trade publishing for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: 13 going on 30 vibes

This was so cute and entertaining. It really makes you think about yourself and your life. It's so easy to connect with the characters. I highly recommend it!

I am still trying to comprehend that the same Jeneva Rose that wrote Home is where the bodies are, The perfect marriage and The perfect divorce, You shouldn’t have come here, One of us is dead…. (and the list continues!) is the same Jeneva Rose that wrote this wholesome, funny, heart-strings pulling of a story!! Are you kidding? It was like going from nighttime to daytime! So so different! I’m also a sucker for time travel/time loop books so I knew I had to read this one asap! It was funny and I was rooting for them! It was also a little trip to memory lane because I was also in college during the early 2000’s. I loved it!

I feel generous with the three stars. I think the reflective pieces were nice when Alexis was leaving her childhood home and knowing she would not see her Mom again. I liked the quotes at the end for readers to consider. I liked the length of this book. I didn't like that the Mom, Dad and Brother didn't comment more about the OBVIOUS similarities between Lexi and Alexis. That was very disappointing since it seems like the college friends of Lexi gave it more pause than the family members.

I forgot that I read this book years ago when it originally came out. I started reading and remembered so much of the story and the things I liked about it. While it is so different than what I've read from Jeneva Rose more recently, this story is so so good. It's so easy to get sucked in.

I loved this book so much! The nostalgia, the characters, the wit! There was one part that I was mad about but then I read the author's note, and not only did it make sense, but it made me love the story even more. 5-star read!

Not the typical book I expect from Jeneva Rose, but still oh so good! You can’t help but root for Alexis and stay for the 2000s references. 4 stars for me. I would recommend to others!

This book surprised me! I had difficulty getting into it, for whatever reason: Timing, tone, connecting to the characters. However, about halfway something just “clicked” and I felt all the emotions. I am fortunate to still have my mom but the scenes where the main characters gets a second chance to spend time with her really hit hard for some reason. Those parts were beautifully written and felt very real.

I wasn’t 100% convinced that the older character was the only one to blame though. But perhaps she was the one who had to take responsibility in order to change her younger selves mind. Loved the complete picture of how your actions can affect yourself, your partner, your family and friends. We affect one another more than we will ever know…unless we go back in time.

Solid finish and great journey.

The Girl I Was is raw, emotional, and impossible to put down. Jeneva Rose delivers a gripping story about identity, healing, and the secrets we bury. Beautifully written and full of heart—an unforgettable read!

I loved this book so much! The nostalgia, the characters, the wit! There was one part that I was mad about but then I read the authors note and not only did it make sense but it made me love the story even more. 5 star read!!

What if you woke up one day and found it was 15 years earlier and you were given the opportunity to prevent your life from spiraling into the failure it’s become? Would you take the opportunity to change the future? This is a fun time traveling, coming of age/mid-life crisis story I think most people can relate to. If you think you would hate your younger self, this is for you!

Alexis realized her life was falling apart… she lost her job, her boyfriend left her, and she is no where near the goals she once had for herself. After a bender, she wakes in a random frat house with no memory of the night before… and finds herself transported back to her college years. She doesn’t know how she got there or how to get back, but deep down she knows she has to convince her former self to change her ways before it’s too late.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this one. It was so unexpected!! Just the right amount of nostalgia to take me right back to that time! The writing was excellent. I laughed, I cried, and loved the way it all came together.

Like others have stated, this is like a love letter to our previous selves.

While I did not really like the main character, either version, it was an interesting read and fairly fast paced.

Mother Goose has struck again and I am here for it. Jeneva Rose always delivers with such taut tension in her thriller building and The Girl I Was had and pulled all the stops.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think it’s safe to say Jeneva has become one of my favorite authors. In 2025, this makes 3 of her books I’ve read this year and it’s only August! I’ve even got my mom obsessed with “The Perfect Marriage”.

As an avid Jeneva reader, I was intrigued when I read the description of this book. Even more so when I read the author’s note saying that this book was nothing like her thrillers. There wasn’t going to be any murders or suspense. So I went into this completely blind as there really wasn’t much information in other reviews either(yes I like to look at other reviews).

After losing her job and her boyfriend, Alexis wakes up hungover. The night before she had drank her problems away, wishing to go back in time to fix her young self whom she blames for ALL her problems. But she’s not in her apartment anymore. And when she walks downstairs she quickly realizes she’s not even in the same year if the frosted tips and Madden ‘03 is to be believed. Upon looking in the mirror, she realizes she still looks like her older self and not her younger self as often seen with time travel.

Alexis’s already crazy morning turns even more upside down when she runs into her younger self, exactly the way she was in 2002. Realizing that she had a chance to change her life, Alexis attempts to force Lexi to be better. But Lexi isn’t the kind of girl to roll over easily. What ensues is each girl fighting to get the other to change. But who’s going to give in first?

The book gives “13 Going On 30” mixed with “17 Again” vibes that really hits home. You may want to go back and change the past but what if you are the one that needs to change too? The book was a bit slow to start and Alexis grated on my nerves for a while with her whole “oh pitiful me” routine. I felt bad for Andrew for putting up with her for so long. But as the book progressed, I became emotionally attached to both Alexis and Lexi, seeing myself in both. Wishing I could go back and change the past but learning I can only change the future.

Don’t even get me started about the note her mom left her. I balled my eyes out. I can’t remember the last time I cried over a book and I broke down over this one. It shattered my heart as I was reminded of me and my mom and of me and my children. Broke my heart.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It definitely started slow and Alexis grated on my nerves but I think that was the point to help you understand both Alexis and Lexi. It reminds you to hold a mirror up to yourself and realize you are the only one who can change yourself and it takes a lot of work and self reflection.

Such a good read!! It kept me wanting to read more. Definitely recommend this book too all readers !!! Five stars!!!

This book is ultimately a love letter to who we once were, despite the questionable choices some of us may have made when we were younger

“Here’s to you, ya dumb b***h. I wish that I could make you better, that I could go back in time and fix every mistake you ever made, because you ruined us.”
“It’s odd that when we look back, the big moments are the little ones and the little moments are actually the big ones.”

I am a huge fan of Jeneva Rose’s thrillers. She is the absolute Queen of Twists! This book is so very different from her other books but it is literally amazing! I think all of us have wished we could go back and change things, to make better choices. In The Girl I Was, Alexis does just that. She goes back in time and meets her college self. I loved everything about this book. I love that it’s dual perspectives because we get both Alexis’s point of view, and that of her college self, Lexi. They both learn so much from each other, even though they’re technically the same person. This story has a way of really making you take a good look at your life, how far you’ve come. It made me laugh and cry, a few times within minutes of each other. This really is a fun read and I highly recommend it.