I first read this book a few years ago while my mom was alive. I loved it then now I’m rereading the revised copy now as mom has passed two years ago, and I still absolutely love this book. It stayed with me for a while the first time and it definitely will now. I love all of the characters. I love the writing. I love Jeneva Rose.

The revised edition of The Girl I Was is amazing. I love Jeneva's books. This book in particular is poignant for me. I lost my mom just after I got married and this gave me all the feels of going back and seeing her one more time during my college years. Jeneva hits all the right spots in the desire to have a better future. She creates a Freaky Friday dynamic, without all of the confusing 'pretend to be my mom' aspects. I am a huge thriller reader, but honestly anything Jeneva puts out automatically goes on my must read list.

Alexis going back in time to try after a drunken day from hell, is honestly a very refreshing way to get us thrown in a time loop. I mean normally it's a generic wish on a star, a body swap or something of the like. However, Alexis, waking up in 2002 and pretending to be her younger selfs "older sister" is iconic. When the promos for this book push a nostalgic twist, they delivered. They hit in the feels with all of the amazingness that comes with being a millennial. The CD players, frat parties, even the negative scenarios of shaming the "fat" friend. I feel like low rise jeans hurt all of us.

100 percent would read again. (and again.) Because as much as I like to reminisce about my high school memories, I would much rather relive Alexis' journey to self discovery than mine.

The Girl I Was is a new edition of Jeneva Rose’s first novel with updates and six new chapters. I’ve seen her novels in many stores, and was curious to read her work. This novel is largely autobiographical, much different than her mystery/suspense novels. I enjoyed this book overall, but was sometimes irritated by the main character and her actions.

Alexis is the narrator and main character of this novel. After her life crumbles around her when she loses her job and her boyfriend breaks up with her, she travels back in time to her younger self in an attempt to change her path in life. She finds her younger self, Lexi, during her college years, and attempts to change her decisions and outlook. Lexi is resistant to Alexis’ ideas and the reader sees the many poor choices she makes.

I found the main character Alexis/Lexi very immature and irresponsible. While living independently at college, Lexi rarely attends class, sleeps a lot and is focused more on her social life and partying than actually being successful in college. This novel is a coming-of-age story, and I appreciate Alexis’ efforts to change her past mistakes, but her actions and choices were not appealing to me.

The pacing of this novel is fast. The reader alternates between Alexis and Lexi’s POV, which provides a lot of insight into both characters’ thoughts and motivations. I appreciated Alexis and Lexi’s time with their family at Thanksgiving. It was touching to see Alexis’ happiness in spending some extra time with her mother before she dies unexpectedly the following year.

Thank you to Jeneva Rose, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy of this novel!

Although not your typical thriller by this author, I absolutely LOVED this one! Part nostalgia, part sci-fi, and a bit emotional, this one will stay with me for a while. I enjoyed all of the nostalgic references throughout and, although present, weren’t overly done. I thought the MCs were well developed and, although their lack of understanding of each other caused frustration for them at times, I think it is a realistic interpretation of speaking to your younger self. Without spoilers, this book also made me cry - something that almost never happens to me - which speaks to the uniqueness of this author’s writing. I fully believe that this author can write about anything she puts her mind to! Even if this book isn’t your typical genre, I HIGHLY recommend giving it a read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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. Going into this book I didn’t realize that it was a different genre than the standard Jeneva Rose title, but I really enjoyed getting to read a different kind of book by her. The Girl I Was answers the question: what if, in a moment where I’ve just blown up everything good in my life, I had a chance to go back in time and influence my college age self and her trajectory? And from that - what would be the same regardless, and what would be different? How would friendships and family relationships change, how would one’s career differ, and would we still end up with the same romantic partner in the end?

If you go into this expecting another Jeneva Rose thriller then you may be disappointed, but this book is a solid work of contemporary fiction and reminds me of how annoying I probably was when I was 18 (which was less than a decade ago for me 🤣) and how my perspective of my current self will change as I age and grow as a person.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this title!

This book was so frustrating and at the same time so sweet that I couldn't help but cry at my desk finishing this book. I love Jeneva Rose and was excited to read a non-thriller from her! Alexis was just fired from her job and loses out on the engagement of her dreams after a stupid fight with her boyfriend all on the same day. After going on a drunken bender she wakes up back in 2002 with her younger self in her college dorm. The two butt heads and try to figure out how to get Alexis back to the the present day all while trying to correct past wrongs. I love magic realism so this definitely kept my attention. I found Alexis really insufferable, but that is the point of the character. I will say tw for parental death/ grief. I was pleasantly surprised with this book! Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC.

Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity.
This book makes you think. If you went back in the past with your younger self, would you change things for a better you now? Very touching story and loved all of it

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be able to read this book. I am truly impressed with this book. I know this author for her other works which are very different than this book. This story is so wonderful and emotional! Definitely a must read! Everything Jeneva writes is amazing!! Again, thank you!

I wanted to like this, but I felt like the main character had to change too many relationships and habits. It felt super unrealistic and would have benefitted from a smaller scope, I think. Instead of having Alexis/Lexie have to adjust her behavior, friendships, and family relationships, maybe she could have just focused on one or two of these? Change happened super quick, especially after the slow start to the book.

Overall, it was a creative idea to have an older self have to go back in time and interact with their younger self (who hasn't dreamed of wanting to do this?), but I felt like it could have been executed better in order to be more genuine and effective.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced e-copy of this novel.

I was so happy to get this ARC through the Facebook group!

This book was phenomenal. I loved all the throwbacks, the love story, the angst. It was all amazing. Jeneva is a genius!

Oh my heart !!❤️ - I LOVED this book!! ❤️ I read my first @jenevaroseauthor book last month… and it made my top 10 of 2022!! This very well is going to be a favorite read as well for this year!! 🥳🥳

Why did I love it SO much?! I connected at every level to this book!! It gave me ALL the feels!! It was FUN…emotional.. and unique!! Okay listen to this…

Let’s jump back to 2002! 😎 Who is with me!! 🙋‍♀️ Let’s go back armed with our current information and “fix” our younger selves!! That is exactly what happened to Alexis… she time hopped back to her college days… when she was known as Lexi. 🥳 📚🥂🍷🍹🥃🍺🍻

CONFESSION TIME… I literally could be Lexi..😂🤫 I too was a party girl…🥂… I also made terrible choices..🙄…There is ALOT my adult boring self would change. 🙄

The timeline in 2002 was soo damn FUN!! I must have laughed a million times!! 😂I wanted to scream SAME GIRL 🙌🙌 Okay so let’s say you aren’t someone that made mistakes… first of all… who are you?! 😂 However … I dare you not to love when Lexi goes home… OMG my heart…❤️… I can say no more… 🤫🤐 As if I didn’t love the book before that… well that definitely sealed the deal!! 🥰

I flew through this book!! It’s a super fast read and I couldn’t put it down. The characters are so well developed that I felt I knew them all!! You MUST read the author’s note… again… my heart…❤️ Obviously @jenevaroseauthor has shot straight to the top of my favorite author list! ⬆️ Having read two 5 star ⭐️ books in a row!! Her writing resonates with me.. I can't recommend it enough.

When Alexis feels like everything in her life is going wrong, she finds a very old bottle of liquor in a box with some other things from college. She decides to drink it and wakes up back in time. She takes this opportunity to try and change the outcome of her future but quickly realizes her past self is also there with her! Alexis tries to convince her past self that she needs to change in order to have a better future but past Alexis refuses! Will she succeed in changing her future?

Such a fun, nostalgic read from Jeneva Rose—and very different from the thrillers she writes! The Girl I Was was actually her first-ever book, originally released in 2021 and just re-released on July 15, 2025 with 6 new chapters and a fresh POV. Alexis gets sent back to 2002 to deal with her chaotic college self (Lexi), and the dynamic between her and her younger self had me laughing out loud. Living with your younger self? Absolutely unhinged. There’s a touch of fantasy with the time travel, and it totally works. The early 2000s vibes? ❤️😂 Frosted tips, pop songs, pay phones and Blockbuster—talk about throwbacks. But it also touches on the darker stuff, like the diet culture and toxic media we just accepted back then. 😬 It’s not all laughs—there’s grief, growth, and some really tender moments by the end. A solid 4 stars from me!

This is one of those twisty domestic thrillers. The dual timeline keeps you guessing—past-me vs present-me—and it’s honestly a little unnerving how real some of the emotional fallout felt.

The pacing is slick, and Jeneva Rose knows how to keep the tension tight. The final twist? I didn’t see it coming, and I usually clock those early. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s messy in a human way, which I respect. Great weekend binge when you want to sit in someone else’s drama for a while.

This was probably my least fav book by this author unfortunately. I really wanted to like this but I had to force my way through when I should have decided to DNF. FMC is not my cup of tea.

This was such a nostalgic and fun read - for the most part. More on that later. Jeneva Rose's The Girl I Was reminded me a bit of the movie 13 going on 30, but in reverse. Alexis Spencer loses her job and her relationship in the same day. She comforts herself with an old bottle of vodka she found in a box from her college days, and the next thing she knows she is back in 2002 with what she believes is an opportunity to right her perceived mis-steps.

There is a lot of early 2000's nostalgia, which I loved. I love a great time travel story as well. I found both Alexis Spencer and her 18 year old self, Lexi, to be insufferable at times. However, both grew as characters in a really satisfying way as the story progressed.

Now for my prior comment about this being fun, for the most part. Alexis having the opportunity as an adult to return to her childhood home circa 2002 Thanksgiving and see her parents and her older brother was heartbreaking. Reading that section with the knowledge that Jeneva Rose wrote this novel originally as a way to process and grieve the loss of her own mother was tough. As someone blessed to have both of her parents, I was keenly aware while reading this that I am grateful for what I have and need to be more cognizant of ensuring those I love in my life KNOW that I'm grateful for and love them. I cried a lot, needless to say.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and MIRA for this eARC. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

Wow! I really enjoyed this novel by Jeneva Rose. I read a thriller of hers, and sometimes the genre change up within an author doesn’t work, but this was a fun change up! It felt like Freaky Friday, but within Alice’s own body from present to younger self. It had a ton of early 2000s nostalgia that really worked for this 90s kid. Definitely recommend for a little change up if you’d like a time traveling self-growth read! :)

Thanks Harelquin for my e-arc!

Nostalgia at its best.
The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose is unlike her other thrillers—and honestly, that’s what makes it stand out. This one had me feeling all the emotions. It’s heartfelt, raw, and deeply nostalgic in a way that completely surprised me. While it’s not your typical Rose twist-fest, it quickly became one of my favorites. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for something a little different but just as powerful.

Thank you to Jeneva Rose, Mira, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars

Dual Timelines

If you like 13 Going on 30, then you will enjoy this book. I loved all the early 2000s references. But unfortunately, I did not like younger Alexis at all. She was rude. Older Alexis wasn't all that much better.

I want to begin by thanking NetGalley and Mira for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As a diehard Jeneva Rose fan, I jumped at the chance to read her very first work, after it had been revised and additional content added, and I was not disappointed.

The Girl I was is entirely different from any other Jeneva Rose book you've ever read. This was her first novel, and as she mentions in the acknowledgments, she wrote it partly to prove to herself that she could finish a novel and partly to help her work through her grief after her mother's death.

The story follows Alexis Spencer, who, in one day, manages to get fired from her job and ruin her long-term relationship, and then blames the world, including her younger self, for all of her problems. During her epic pity party, she finds a bottle of vodka and photos from her college days and drowns her sorrows, only to wake up back in 2002 in a college frat house! She comes face-to-face with her college-age self and dislikes her immensely, but must work with her to figure out why she has traveled back in time and to return to her present-day life.

This book was a nice departure from my usual genres of horror and thrillers, and it helped me relive some memories of my own mother and deal with some of the lingering grief from her death five years ago. You never fully get over that kind of grief, but I can see how writing this book was cathartic for Rose, and likely for many of us who have read it. I highly recommend this one for anyone who is a Jeneva Rose fan, or who enjoys a fun, quirky, and heartwarming story.

#NetGalley #TheGirlIWasStandardEdition