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The Girl I Was
“If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.”
Alexis Spencer will use any inspirational quote to rationalize her failures and shortcomings. Her closest friends are a distant memory, and her college debt is still as high as the day she left—but that’s all fine and dandy, because “whatever will be, will be.” However, when Alexis loses her job and her relationship on the same day, there’s no quote strong enough to help her cope. In typical fashion, she blames the world for her problems, including her younger self, who should have tried harder. Feeling sorry for herself, Alexis finds a bottle of vodka from her college days and goes on a bender, blacking out in the process. Only this time she doesn’t wake up at home—or even in the right city. In fact, she isn’t even in the right year.
Alexis Spencer will use any inspirational quote to rationalize her failures and shortcomings. Her closest friends are a distant memory, and her college debt is still as high as the day she left—but that’s all fine and dandy, because “whatever will be, will be.” However, when Alexis loses her job and her relationship on the same day, there’s no quote strong enough to help her cope. In typical fashion, she blames the world for her problems, including her younger self, who should have tried harder. Feeling sorry for herself, Alexis finds a bottle of vodka from her college days and goes on a bender, blacking out in the process. Only this time she doesn’t wake up at home—or even in the right city. In fact, she isn’t even in the right year.
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First published November 16, 2021
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About the author
Jeneva Rose
17 books39.6k followersJeneva Rose is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Perfect Marriage and The Perfect Divorce. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages and optioned for film/tv. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Drew, and her stubborn English bulldogs, Winston and Phyllis Vance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,372 reviews
January 13, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
“ Here’s to you, you dumb b****. I wish I could fix you, that I could go back in time and fix every mistake I ever made. I wish you had a freaking clue. I wish I could take back every stupid thing you every did”
What would you say to your 18 year old self, if you had the chance to go back in time? 👀I would first slap my younger self across the face, than pull out a laundry list of things I need myself to know. You know that saying- “if I knew what I know now…” or “the youth is wasted on the young”
⭐️The rating is strictly out of enjoyment. I had so much fun reading this book. ⭐️
The Plot-
Alexis is a 30 something year old who lives her life as a “free spirt”. She thinks life problems can be solved with alcohol and inspirational quotes. One day Alexis hits rock bottom. The love of her life breaks-up with her. She gets fired and she has no real friends anymore.. Distraught with her life, she decides to do what she know best, get drunk and try to forget about her problems. On this particular night, while getting mindlessly drunk she wishes she can go back in time and fix her college self.
The next morning, Alexis wakes up all discombobulated in a frat house. No shoes, mascara running down her face and realizes she is in the year 2002, at her old college campus. On top of all of this, she runs into her 18 year old rambunctious self that goes by the name “Lexi”. She needs to convince Lexi that she is from the future and she is here to make sure Lexi makes the right choices so her life doesn’t end up the way it is.
“ Its odd that when we look back, the big moments are the little ones, an the little one are actually the big ones”
Writing and Pace- Told in Alexis POV. This was such a quick read. The pace in this book was steady. I didn’t feel bored at all while reading this book. You can find a lot of “inspirational quotes” in this story. Which had me laughing but also feeling nostalgic. I remember a time when everyone would post an inspiration quote for everything. Mad at your man?! Posting a quote about it. Mad at your friends? Posting a quote. Mad at your mom? Post a quote lol. There is a lot of pop culture references, which normally I would not like. But I think it was needed in this book so that you could really transport back to 2002 and capture the vibe and also see the difference between todays world. The first half is definitely a different vibe than the last half of the book. The second half really ended up getting “heavy”.
“Pop culture in the early 2000s really messed me up- probably all women for that matter. Thank god for the body positivity movement”
🗣️TW- Eating Disorder. I do want to mentioned that when Alexis time travels back to 2000s the writing is a product of that time. There’s a lot of references about body image and how Lexi is upset she is no longer 100lbs while looking at her future self. Lexi does “fat shame” her friends and her 30 year old self. I remember growing up in that time and seeing magazines and entertainment shows,calling pop stars “fat” and you had to be a certain weight to be consider attractive. And this is far from the truth. You can be whatever make you comfortable. I want to let y’all know you are beautiful 😍 eat the cake, eat the pasta, or don’t. do whatever makes you happy. please don’t let social media ruin you mental health and tell you how you need to look or what makes you beautiful. 💖
“The hardest things to admit are the thing we have to admit to ourselves. I known that I’am the problem, but I also know i’am the solution. There’s still time for me to change, still time for me to make things better”
My Thoughts- I LOVE everything about this book. I wasn’t expecting that at all. This book has been sitting on my shelf forever. I was feeling slumpy and just randomly started reading this book and it was exactly what I needed! I could not put this book down. I laughed out loud so many times. I cried (was not expecting that either). I had closure. I really was rooting for Alexis. This plot really makes you think and reflect on your own life. Let’s be serious we all wish we could go back in time and change at least one thing.
👏Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. This obviously is not a groundbreaking novel. It’s a fun read. I think millennials would really enjoy this book. But I also think anyone, any age would love this book and could relate to it in someway.
“Everything is okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”
Playlist-
🎶Good News- Mac Miller
🎶Say Don’t Go- Taylor Swift
🎶Angels Like You- Miley Cyrus
🎶Used To Be Young- Miley Cyrus
🎶Dirty- Christina Aguilera
🎶Shots- LMFAO
🎶Complicated- Arvil Lavigne
🎶What was I made for- Billie Ellish
🎶Truth Hurts- Lizzo
🎶What A Girl Wants- Christina Aguilera
🎶Dont Let Me Get Me- Pink
🎶Bye, Bye, Bye- NYSNC
🎶Slim Shady- Eminem
🎶Ride Wit Me-Nelly
🎶A Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton.
🎶Get Busy- Sean Paul
🎶Lose yourself - Eminem
🎶Without me- Eminem
🎶Work it- Missy Elliot
🎶I’ll stand by you- The Pretenders
🎶Gimmie the light- Sean Paul
🎶Get The Party Started- Pink
🎶As Long As You Love Me- Backstreet Boys
🎶Dog Days Are Over- Florence + The Machine
”my guess is he thought I was a diamond in the rough that needed time to develop. Turns out, I was actually just a dirty rock” 😭😂
“ Here’s to you, you dumb b****. I wish I could fix you, that I could go back in time and fix every mistake I ever made. I wish you had a freaking clue. I wish I could take back every stupid thing you every did”
What would you say to your 18 year old self, if you had the chance to go back in time? 👀I would first slap my younger self across the face, than pull out a laundry list of things I need myself to know. You know that saying- “if I knew what I know now…” or “the youth is wasted on the young”
⭐️The rating is strictly out of enjoyment. I had so much fun reading this book. ⭐️
The Plot-
Alexis is a 30 something year old who lives her life as a “free spirt”. She thinks life problems can be solved with alcohol and inspirational quotes. One day Alexis hits rock bottom. The love of her life breaks-up with her. She gets fired and she has no real friends anymore.. Distraught with her life, she decides to do what she know best, get drunk and try to forget about her problems. On this particular night, while getting mindlessly drunk she wishes she can go back in time and fix her college self.
The next morning, Alexis wakes up all discombobulated in a frat house. No shoes, mascara running down her face and realizes she is in the year 2002, at her old college campus. On top of all of this, she runs into her 18 year old rambunctious self that goes by the name “Lexi”. She needs to convince Lexi that she is from the future and she is here to make sure Lexi makes the right choices so her life doesn’t end up the way it is.
“ Its odd that when we look back, the big moments are the little ones, an the little one are actually the big ones”
Writing and Pace- Told in Alexis POV. This was such a quick read. The pace in this book was steady. I didn’t feel bored at all while reading this book. You can find a lot of “inspirational quotes” in this story. Which had me laughing but also feeling nostalgic. I remember a time when everyone would post an inspiration quote for everything. Mad at your man?! Posting a quote about it. Mad at your friends? Posting a quote. Mad at your mom? Post a quote lol. There is a lot of pop culture references, which normally I would not like. But I think it was needed in this book so that you could really transport back to 2002 and capture the vibe and also see the difference between todays world. The first half is definitely a different vibe than the last half of the book. The second half really ended up getting “heavy”.
“Pop culture in the early 2000s really messed me up- probably all women for that matter. Thank god for the body positivity movement”
🗣️TW- Eating Disorder. I do want to mentioned that when Alexis time travels back to 2000s the writing is a product of that time. There’s a lot of references about body image and how Lexi is upset she is no longer 100lbs while looking at her future self. Lexi does “fat shame” her friends and her 30 year old self. I remember growing up in that time and seeing magazines and entertainment shows,calling pop stars “fat” and you had to be a certain weight to be consider attractive. And this is far from the truth. You can be whatever make you comfortable. I want to let y’all know you are beautiful 😍 eat the cake, eat the pasta, or don’t. do whatever makes you happy. please don’t let social media ruin you mental health and tell you how you need to look or what makes you beautiful. 💖
“The hardest things to admit are the thing we have to admit to ourselves. I known that I’am the problem, but I also know i’am the solution. There’s still time for me to change, still time for me to make things better”
My Thoughts- I LOVE everything about this book. I wasn’t expecting that at all. This book has been sitting on my shelf forever. I was feeling slumpy and just randomly started reading this book and it was exactly what I needed! I could not put this book down. I laughed out loud so many times. I cried (was not expecting that either). I had closure. I really was rooting for Alexis. This plot really makes you think and reflect on your own life. Let’s be serious we all wish we could go back in time and change at least one thing.
👏Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. This obviously is not a groundbreaking novel. It’s a fun read. I think millennials would really enjoy this book. But I also think anyone, any age would love this book and could relate to it in someway.
“Everything is okay in the end, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”
Playlist-
🎶Good News- Mac Miller
🎶Say Don’t Go- Taylor Swift
🎶Angels Like You- Miley Cyrus
🎶Used To Be Young- Miley Cyrus
🎶Dirty- Christina Aguilera
🎶Shots- LMFAO
🎶Complicated- Arvil Lavigne
🎶What was I made for- Billie Ellish
🎶Truth Hurts- Lizzo
🎶What A Girl Wants- Christina Aguilera
🎶Dont Let Me Get Me- Pink
🎶Bye, Bye, Bye- NYSNC
🎶Slim Shady- Eminem
🎶Ride Wit Me-Nelly
🎶A Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton.
🎶Get Busy- Sean Paul
🎶Lose yourself - Eminem
🎶Without me- Eminem
🎶Work it- Missy Elliot
🎶I’ll stand by you- The Pretenders
🎶Gimmie the light- Sean Paul
🎶Get The Party Started- Pink
🎶As Long As You Love Me- Backstreet Boys
🎶Dog Days Are Over- Florence + The Machine
”my guess is he thought I was a diamond in the rough that needed time to develop. Turns out, I was actually just a dirty rock” 😭😂
July 19, 2025
—— 𝟒.𝟓 ✰ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬. ☯️
❝ “𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒’𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑦𝑎 𝑑𝑢𝑚𝑏 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ. 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.” ❞
📖┆𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞
🏷️┆𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝕎𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟’𝕤 𝔽𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕞
📆┆𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟟/𝟙𝟘/𝟚𝟝 - 𝟟/𝟙𝟛/𝟚𝟝
📋┆𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 “When Alexis Spencer loses her job and her relationship on the same day, in typical fashion, she blames the world for her problems, including her younger self, who should have tried harder. Feeling sorry for herself, Alexis finds a bottle of vodka from her college days and goes on a bender, blacking out in the process. But when Alexis wakes up, she’s back in her college town in the year 2002. Convinced this is her chance to do things over, she heads to her dorm and comes face to face with her eighteen year old unruly self who goes by Lexi. They might be the same person, but they couldn't be more different from one another. Now Alexis and Lexi must learn to get along and come to terms with the fact that alone, they will never make things right, but together, they could change their life for the better.” 」
❝𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔.❞
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ★★★★½
ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟹.𝟽𝟽 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ: 🍂
ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ: ʜᴏᴍᴇᴍᴀᴅᴇ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰʏ ʟᴇᴍᴏɴ ᴄʜᴇᴇꜱᴇᴄᴀᴋᴇ 🍰
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?: ✅
⊱ ────── {⋆ ‧₊˚♪𝄞 ⋆} ────── ⊰
lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıılıı.lllııılı.
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀɴᴛɪ-ʜᴇʀᴏ — ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛ
0:25 ———♡——— 3:21
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻
╭───
┆
╰⪼ I should not be left to my own devices, they come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis (tale as old as time). I wake up screaming from dreaming, one day I'll watch as you're leaving ‘cause you got tired of my scheming (for the last time). it's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me. at tea time, everybody agrees. I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror.
⊱ ────── {⋆ ‧₊˚♪𝄞 ⋆} ────── ⊰
ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
☯️ᴄʀʏɪɴɢ
💿 ʏ2ᴋ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ
☯️ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ
💿 ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏᴠᴇʀʏ
☯️13 ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ 30
💿 ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇꜱ
⚠️TW: grief, death of a parent, body shaming, eating disorder
❝𝑆ℎ𝑒’𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑒𝑥𝑖’𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝐿𝑒𝑥𝑖.❞
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
💬┆𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
• Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by a book 🙋🏼♀️
• I can’t believe how much I related to Alexis. It truly felt like a look inside my mind. For the past year, I’ve been on a path of healing from grief, self sabotage, and struggling to love myself, basically everything Alexis is going through. I couldn’t have read this book at a more perfect time.
• Was this a bit silly? Sure. But the heart you felt trumped over any silliness. I laughed with Alexis. I cried (more like ugly cried) with Alexis. I’m guilty of using inspirational quotes to make myself feel better like Alexis. I am my own worst enemy like Alexis. I felt for her in learning to forgive/love her younger self. As much as we want so badly to put the blame on something or someone else, we need to accept that the blame is just as much ours’. Of course, there are events that are out of our control, such as losing a parent, that we shouldn’t blame ourselves for. As much as Alexis wanted to hate Lexi and say she was the reason for all her mistakes, she needed to love her instead. Because who are we without every version of ourselves?
• This book hit hard, if ya couldn’t tell 🥲 Not me getting called out the entire time because of how much Alexis reminded me of myself. I got 2000’s vibes with a side of therapy. Speaking of the vibes, they were VIBIN’. I hate to say that I’m nostalgic for the early 2000’s because it makes me seem ancient, but I am nostalgic for them! Those were some of the best years and to read about them transported me right back to days filled with mixed CDs, lava lamps, ✨live laugh love✨, posters covering my bedroom walls, and CoverGirl Dream Mousse foundation, two shades too dark (if you know you know).
• If you want to feel every emotion possible, read this. I promise you’re going to have a good time and you might even walk away learning something new about yourself; past, present, future, or maybe even all three.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
✒️𓂃 ᴍᴏʀᴇ Qᴜᴏᴛᴇꜱ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ
❝𝑆𝑒𝑒, 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛-𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟-𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑎 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 “𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙” 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠, 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦, 𝑦𝑎 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑: “𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛.” “𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑.” “𝐼𝑓 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒, 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒.” “𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑔𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.” “𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑. 𝐼𝑓 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑.” “𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒, 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒” (𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒, “𝑄𝑢𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟á, 𝑠𝑒𝑟á”).
𝐴𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡, 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑞𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 “𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑦” 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 “𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒.” 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑚��𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡.❞
❝𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝐼 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠, 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑤𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼’𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼’𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐼 ℎ𝑢𝑔 𝐿𝑒𝑥𝑖 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝐼 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛. 𝐼 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡. 𝐼 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. “𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐿𝑒𝑥𝑖,” 𝐼 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟.❞
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.
❝𝑇𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠.
𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆.❞
♡ Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Be on the lookout for The Girl I Was, hitting shelves on July 15th 2025!
January 8, 2023
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.
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.
Read
September 18, 2024Dnf. What a horrible main character and the writing isn’t better
April 28, 2025
♥ My Overall Thoughts ♥
This book made my heart happy! I absolutely loved this fictional, new adult fantasy novel! It took me on a ride back in time that gave me all the nostalgia feels. This is my new favorite Jeneva Rose book so far! This story was thought provoking and had lovable characters in it. Even the minor characters stood out to me. I found the female main character to be relatable, funny, smart, witty, caring and understanding. The time travel aspect in this story and the way it was presented was perfection. It felt like I was watching a movie that I didn’t want to end. Seeing how this author can write both thriller books and heartfelt fantasy books shows how much talent this author truly has! The themes explored in this book are the power of choice, self acceptance and understanding, regret and redemption and second chances. It made me cry, laugh, feel sadness and even had me heartbroken while reading this.
♥ Synopsis ♥
“The Girl I Was” is about a woman named Alexis blacking out while she was drinking, only for her to wake up and find out she time traveled back in the 2000’s! However, she quickly figures out that there are two of her now. Her regular older self and her 18 year old self named Lexi, in two separate bodies, at the same time. As this story unravels, she discovers new things and it gives her a different perspective on life. Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 star rating!
♥ Content Warnings ♥
Content warnings include death, grief, alcoholism and body shaming.
♥ Who I think would love this book ♥
I think anyone that loves reading heartfelt books about time travel and second chances would enjoy this book. This also reminded me of the movie 13 going on 30!
♥ Thank You ♥
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jeneva Rose and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this digital advanced revised copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
♥ Publication Date ♥
This revised book is expected to be published on July 15, 2025!
♥ Quick Review ♥
✈️ Time Travel
✔️ The power of choice
✈️ Heartfelt
✔️ Second chances
✈️ Regret & Redemption
✔️ Self Acceptance
✈️ Emotional
✔️ 13 Going on 30 Vibes
》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ * 。° 。 • ˚《
❥ ୨⎯ Connie ⎯୧ ❥
ツ౨ৎ
This book made my heart happy! I absolutely loved this fictional, new adult fantasy novel! It took me on a ride back in time that gave me all the nostalgia feels. This is my new favorite Jeneva Rose book so far! This story was thought provoking and had lovable characters in it. Even the minor characters stood out to me. I found the female main character to be relatable, funny, smart, witty, caring and understanding. The time travel aspect in this story and the way it was presented was perfection. It felt like I was watching a movie that I didn’t want to end. Seeing how this author can write both thriller books and heartfelt fantasy books shows how much talent this author truly has! The themes explored in this book are the power of choice, self acceptance and understanding, regret and redemption and second chances. It made me cry, laugh, feel sadness and even had me heartbroken while reading this.
♥ Synopsis ♥
“The Girl I Was” is about a woman named Alexis blacking out while she was drinking, only for her to wake up and find out she time traveled back in the 2000’s! However, she quickly figures out that there are two of her now. Her regular older self and her 18 year old self named Lexi, in two separate bodies, at the same time. As this story unravels, she discovers new things and it gives her a different perspective on life. Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 star rating!
♥ Content Warnings ♥
Content warnings include death, grief, alcoholism and body shaming.
♥ Who I think would love this book ♥
I think anyone that loves reading heartfelt books about time travel and second chances would enjoy this book. This also reminded me of the movie 13 going on 30!
♥ Thank You ♥
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jeneva Rose and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for this digital advanced revised copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
♥ Publication Date ♥
This revised book is expected to be published on July 15, 2025!
♥ Quick Review ♥
✈️ Time Travel
✔️ The power of choice
✈️ Heartfelt
✔️ Second chances
✈️ Regret & Redemption
✔️ Self Acceptance
✈️ Emotional
✔️ 13 Going on 30 Vibes
》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ * 。° 。 • ˚《
❥ ୨⎯ Connie ⎯୧ ❥
ツ౨ৎ
January 17, 2024
Wow. I LOVED this book.. 💞
“The plant and I have a lot in common, both a little rough around the edges with the inability to properly care for ourselves.”
Brief Summary
When Alexis hit rock bottom, she turns to drinking and she ends up blacking out after a bender. She finds herself transported back to 2002, back in her college days. Where she must learn how to live with and love her unruly 18 year old self.
"What’s a Kardashian?” Wow, a world where no one knows what a Kardashian is. How refreshing.”
Worth Mentioning
🌻 TW- Grief/Death of a parent
🌻TW-Diet Culture in the early 2000's
🌻Millennial Core
🌻Chick- Lit
🌻Coming of Age
🌻Women-Self realization
👍To me, this book meant something to me and I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. It surprised me how deeply I enjoyed it. I really didn’t expect much from this book, even rolled my eyes a few times in the beginning but it turned out to be a really heartwarming and uplifting story..The experiences in our lives make us who we are and Alexis was able to see those from a different perspective and age by visiting her past and making better decisions and/or appreciating the decisions she did make. This was a very fun read and encourage everyone who like to feel nostalgic and wonders "what if" to give this one a try. This was magical and poignant love story about learning to love ourselves.
Alright so meagan justforced convinced me to read this. Saying it got her out of a slumpy mood. If this doesn’t work 🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺🤺
“The plant and I have a lot in common, both a little rough around the edges with the inability to properly care for ourselves.”
Brief Summary
When Alexis hit rock bottom, she turns to drinking and she ends up blacking out after a bender. She finds herself transported back to 2002, back in her college days. Where she must learn how to live with and love her unruly 18 year old self.
"What’s a Kardashian?” Wow, a world where no one knows what a Kardashian is. How refreshing.”
Worth Mentioning
🌻 TW- Grief/Death of a parent
🌻TW-Diet Culture in the early 2000's
🌻Millennial Core
🌻Chick- Lit
🌻Coming of Age
🌻Women-Self realization
👍To me, this book meant something to me and I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. It surprised me how deeply I enjoyed it. I really didn’t expect much from this book, even rolled my eyes a few times in the beginning but it turned out to be a really heartwarming and uplifting story..The experiences in our lives make us who we are and Alexis was able to see those from a different perspective and age by visiting her past and making better decisions and/or appreciating the decisions she did make. This was a very fun read and encourage everyone who like to feel nostalgic and wonders "what if" to give this one a try. This was magical and poignant love story about learning to love ourselves.
Alright so meagan just
April 10, 2023
this was a quick book that will resonate with a ton of people, especially women. TW: grief, loss
i wish the first half was more like the second half as i found that plot/focus to be so much more powerful. this plot really makes you think and reflect on your own life. wish i had it as an 18 year old 🖤
full review to come by pub day! thank you to Jeneva for the gifted copy.
i wish the first half was more like the second half as i found that plot/focus to be so much more powerful. this plot really makes you think and reflect on your own life. wish i had it as an 18 year old 🖤
full review to come by pub day! thank you to Jeneva for the gifted copy.
Read
September 13, 2024DNF @ 20%. No connection to storyline….
July 29, 2022
Wow I loved this book so much
November 29, 2021
This was a painful 2 stars for me. I suffered through this mostly because I wanted it to be different than I was experiencing but it just wasn’t for me. I hated the main character, both of them.
I’m absolutely sure I couldn’t be friends with this type of person and I was really interested in how she would find herself. Many people loved this so I’m just going to say again that it’s me not the writing.
I listened to this and thought the narrator was really good.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.
I’m absolutely sure I couldn’t be friends with this type of person and I was really interested in how she would find herself. Many people loved this so I’m just going to say again that it’s me not the writing.
I listened to this and thought the narrator was really good.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.
September 18, 2025
Sometimes the biggest twist is looking in the mirror
⚡️ read this book if you are questioning everything but can’t afford therapy
⚡️ read this book if you are questioning everything but can’t afford therapy
June 3, 2025
“Sometimes the biggest twist is looking in the mirror.”
I want to extend a HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and my forever Mother Goose, Jeneva Rose, for the opportunity to read this emotional, nostalgic, and wholly unique early read of The Girl I Was. It’s almost hard to believe this was the first book Jeneva ever wrote—and I’m so thrilled she chose to bring it back with a new look and a special edition. This story deserves the spotlight.
The Girl I Was is not the pulse-pounding thriller we've come to expect from Jeneva Rose—but make no mistake, this one still hits hard... just in a very different way. 😭❤️
The premise is both fun and full of feels: Alexis Spencer wakes up not only in her college town but in the year 2002—staring down her younger, brasher, "sexier" self, Lexi. What starts off as a light-hearted body-swap-style time-travel comedy turns into a touching, often raw journey of reflection, redemption, and growth.
Alexis’s arc is messy and real—equal parts frustrating and endearing. Watching her reckon with her past, face hard truths, and try to course-correct not only her life but her attitude was deeply moving. And Lexi? A chaotic delight with a lot more depth than she lets on. Their dynamic is where this story truly shines. 💫
While the pacing wobbled a bit in the middle and leaned into a few expected beats, the emotional payoff was so worth it. And the early 2000s references? ICONIC. Jeneva nailed the throwback vibes—hello flip phones, low-rise jeans, and AIM chats. 📟🧃💿
This book tugged on my heartstrings and has no plans to let go anytime soon. It’s a story about second chances—not just at life, but at self-compassion. And THAT is timeless.
Pub Date: July 15, 2025 — mark it down and pre-order the special edition because you’ll want this beauty on your shelf. 📚✨
I want to extend a HUGE thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and my forever Mother Goose, Jeneva Rose, for the opportunity to read this emotional, nostalgic, and wholly unique early read of The Girl I Was. It’s almost hard to believe this was the first book Jeneva ever wrote—and I’m so thrilled she chose to bring it back with a new look and a special edition. This story deserves the spotlight.
The Girl I Was is not the pulse-pounding thriller we've come to expect from Jeneva Rose—but make no mistake, this one still hits hard... just in a very different way. 😭❤️
The premise is both fun and full of feels: Alexis Spencer wakes up not only in her college town but in the year 2002—staring down her younger, brasher, "sexier" self, Lexi. What starts off as a light-hearted body-swap-style time-travel comedy turns into a touching, often raw journey of reflection, redemption, and growth.
Alexis’s arc is messy and real—equal parts frustrating and endearing. Watching her reckon with her past, face hard truths, and try to course-correct not only her life but her attitude was deeply moving. And Lexi? A chaotic delight with a lot more depth than she lets on. Their dynamic is where this story truly shines. 💫
While the pacing wobbled a bit in the middle and leaned into a few expected beats, the emotional payoff was so worth it. And the early 2000s references? ICONIC. Jeneva nailed the throwback vibes—hello flip phones, low-rise jeans, and AIM chats. 📟🧃💿
This book tugged on my heartstrings and has no plans to let go anytime soon. It’s a story about second chances—not just at life, but at self-compassion. And THAT is timeless.
Pub Date: July 15, 2025 — mark it down and pre-order the special edition because you’ll want this beauty on your shelf. 📚✨
August 4, 2025
Very different genre to what this author is know for. It was fine, nothing exciting unfortunately.
So our MC ends up 16 years in the past, trying to possibly rectify the mistakes her younger self made in other to prevent losing the love of her life in the future. Tall task ahead; younger self isn't having any of it!!!!
Solid 3 stars!!!
So our MC ends up 16 years in the past, trying to possibly rectify the mistakes her younger self made in other to prevent losing the love of her life in the future. Tall task ahead; younger self isn't having any of it!!!!
Solid 3 stars!!!
July 3, 2025
✨ Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
🫧 Vibes: hot-mess express, crisis core
🎶 Song: night changes - one direction
📖 Favourite Quote: "Thank you for being the girl I was."
📚 Would I recommend?: YES.
💬 Final thoughts: for the girls who thought they had it all figured out at 18.
in the package:
📦 laugh out loud moments
📦 questionable life choices
📦 early 2000s pop culture references
If you could go back in time to speak to your younger self, would you do it? This is the exact situation Lexi finds herself in. She's officially hit rock bottom (lost her job, boyfriend, friends and family) and she has no aspirations in life. Everything is a mess, until she gets taken back in time to meet her 18-year-old self. And boy is she insufferable, immature, rude, selfish, messy and careless. I wanted to reach into my book and shake her several times so she would just STOP. Their personalities have drastically changed and they butt heads A LOT.
This is a story about forgiveness, grace and learning from each other. This was such a fun take on second chances, I laughed out loud so many times at how ridiculous some of the situations were. The early 2000s references were just top notch. I think I would go back in time just for that. Give me all the juicy couture suits, MTV TRL and RnB music. There are also some very heart wrenching moments in this story and I appreciated the fact that going back in time didn't change those plots because in real life, some things cannot be changed.
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for the arc!
✩⁺₊✩☽⋆ follow me on tiktok ⋆☾✩⁺₊✩
🫧 Vibes: hot-mess express, crisis core
🎶 Song: night changes - one direction
📖 Favourite Quote: "Thank you for being the girl I was."
📚 Would I recommend?: YES.
💬 Final thoughts: for the girls who thought they had it all figured out at 18.
in the package:
📦 laugh out loud moments
📦 questionable life choices
📦 early 2000s pop culture references
If you could go back in time to speak to your younger self, would you do it? This is the exact situation Lexi finds herself in. She's officially hit rock bottom (lost her job, boyfriend, friends and family) and she has no aspirations in life. Everything is a mess, until she gets taken back in time to meet her 18-year-old self. And boy is she insufferable, immature, rude, selfish, messy and careless. I wanted to reach into my book and shake her several times so she would just STOP. Their personalities have drastically changed and they butt heads A LOT.
This is a story about forgiveness, grace and learning from each other. This was such a fun take on second chances, I laughed out loud so many times at how ridiculous some of the situations were. The early 2000s references were just top notch. I think I would go back in time just for that. Give me all the juicy couture suits, MTV TRL and RnB music. There are also some very heart wrenching moments in this story and I appreciated the fact that going back in time didn't change those plots because in real life, some things cannot be changed.
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for the arc!
✩⁺₊✩☽⋆ follow me on tiktok ⋆☾✩⁺₊✩
May 24, 2025
♡ thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Jeneva Rose for an ARC of this book via NetGalley ♡
5/5 ⭐️
it's the way i would PAY to read Jeneva's GROCERY LIST. everything she writes is just.. pure excellence & this book was NO DIFFERENT. this was an emotional rollercoaster full of nostalgia & i shed a few tears during this one!!
📖 plot & pace: after losing her job and a breakup with her dream man, alexis grabs a bottle of alcohol & wakes up in her old college town.. in 2002. she's convinced she'd been sent back to stop herself from essentially ruining her life. this was a "read in one sitting". it was funny, heartwarming & super bingeable.
👥 characters: alexis (and young lexi) are SO relatable in their own ways. watching them interact was wild at first LOL but i admire the emotional growth & the self-reflection along the way. we see how the characters in young Lexi's life truly shaped her future self.
🤩 tropes: time travel, dual timelines, second chances, self-discovery, emotional healing
i also really enjoyed the acknowledgments of this book. i typically don't read them but something told me to this time.. i felt like i could truly understand jeneva 💕
this book is nostalgic, beautifully written & hits you right in the heart. if you love emotional fiction with a magical/sci fi twist, add this to your TBR asap!!
5/5 ⭐️
it's the way i would PAY to read Jeneva's GROCERY LIST. everything she writes is just.. pure excellence & this book was NO DIFFERENT. this was an emotional rollercoaster full of nostalgia & i shed a few tears during this one!!
📖 plot & pace: after losing her job and a breakup with her dream man, alexis grabs a bottle of alcohol & wakes up in her old college town.. in 2002. she's convinced she'd been sent back to stop herself from essentially ruining her life. this was a "read in one sitting". it was funny, heartwarming & super bingeable.
👥 characters: alexis (and young lexi) are SO relatable in their own ways. watching them interact was wild at first LOL but i admire the emotional growth & the self-reflection along the way. we see how the characters in young Lexi's life truly shaped her future self.
🤩 tropes: time travel, dual timelines, second chances, self-discovery, emotional healing
i also really enjoyed the acknowledgments of this book. i typically don't read them but something told me to this time.. i felt like i could truly understand jeneva 💕
this book is nostalgic, beautifully written & hits you right in the heart. if you love emotional fiction with a magical/sci fi twist, add this to your TBR asap!!
November 21, 2023
this was so painful and wholesome 🤧💗❤️🩹
September 8, 2025
If you could go back in time and steer your younger self in the right direction, would you? Alexis loses both her job and her relationship on the same day, and in her frustration, she blames the world and her younger self. To cope, she grabs an old bottle from her college days and blacks out, only to wake up not the next day, but years in the past.
July 18, 2025
3.75 stars - thank you HTP for an early copy in exchange for my honest feedback
Thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6FTyqqG/
Thoughts: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6FTyqqG/
November 13, 2021
I’m convinced Jeneva Rose doesn’t know how to write a bad book. I’m a thriller lover and rarely do I read women’s fiction, but because Jeneva wrote it I had to, and I loved every word of it!
This gave me all the 13 Going on 30 vibes and I felt like I was a fly on the wall throughout the entire novel. I was rooting for both Lexi and Alexis and wanted them to each find their way and figure things out.
I think my favorite part of the book was when the two girls went home for Thanksgiving—it was an emotional rollercoaster… laughter, joy, sadness, closure.
I couldn’t put down this book and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a feel-good story.
Bravo to Jeneva for hitting it out of the park yet again. Can’t wait to start reading her new thriller, One of Us is Dead now!
This gave me all the 13 Going on 30 vibes and I felt like I was a fly on the wall throughout the entire novel. I was rooting for both Lexi and Alexis and wanted them to each find their way and figure things out.
I think my favorite part of the book was when the two girls went home for Thanksgiving—it was an emotional rollercoaster… laughter, joy, sadness, closure.
I couldn’t put down this book and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a feel-good story.
Bravo to Jeneva for hitting it out of the park yet again. Can’t wait to start reading her new thriller, One of Us is Dead now!
May 29, 2025
3.5 upgraded to 4 stars
This was a fun, cute book, a perfect palate cleanser between some heavier books. And, something very different for this author. There were perfect moments of humor mixed in with some life realities. And, I'm always a sucker for a happy ending!!
Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin publishing giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a fun, cute book, a perfect palate cleanser between some heavier books. And, something very different for this author. There were perfect moments of humor mixed in with some life realities. And, I'm always a sucker for a happy ending!!
Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin publishing giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 27, 2021
I really wanted to love this book. I really enjoyed The Perfect Marriage by this author, but this one missed the mark for me. I made it a little over 50% but couldn’t find the interest to finish it. My biggest complaints were how often the characters talked about being fat and unattractive. I understand it was part of building the character, but I found it really unhelpful and triggering. The banter between the two characters just got to be annoying. Two stars because though this book was not for me, I know a lot of people would really enjoy it. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
January 25, 2022
Full review to come!
4 ⭐️.
4 ⭐️.
November 2, 2025
3.75 stars
This was fun, entertaining, and fast paced. It was very different from the usual Jeneva Rose books. It wasn’t a thriller, and I wanted to give this book a shot. It was fun to step out of that genre, and try something different. I enjoyed the character growth, and the message behind the story. Nothing ground breaking, but definitely enjoyable.
Very rare that an author manage to make me cry, but Jeneva Rose has managed it.
In this book which is a love letter to the main characters younger self. Alexis/Lexi’s journey to accepting who they were, and who they are, hoping to change who they will be was profound, hilarious, heartwarming, and tear-jerking all in one.
If you’re looking for a book with a heart, humor, and a little touch of magic, this is it!
This was fun, entertaining, and fast paced. It was very different from the usual Jeneva Rose books. It wasn’t a thriller, and I wanted to give this book a shot. It was fun to step out of that genre, and try something different. I enjoyed the character growth, and the message behind the story. Nothing ground breaking, but definitely enjoyable.
Very rare that an author manage to make me cry, but Jeneva Rose has managed it.
In this book which is a love letter to the main characters younger self. Alexis/Lexi’s journey to accepting who they were, and who they are, hoping to change who they will be was profound, hilarious, heartwarming, and tear-jerking all in one.
If you’re looking for a book with a heart, humor, and a little touch of magic, this is it!
October 6, 2025
I never heard of this author before, but she's apparently very popular in thriller reader circles. I have to say that this book which is out of the norm for her was very very good. We got some time travel here with some heart. And I do say heart though parts of the book is heartbreaking. I really did enjoy this and am happy I got to read something that took my mind off of things for a bit.
"The Girl I Was" follows Alexis who has had a bad run of luck since college. She finally thinks her luck has turned though when she finally hits the 1 year mark at her temp job which she was told would become permanent. Unfortunately, Alexis is let go, goes home, picks a fight with her long-term boyfriend, Andrew, breaks up with her. She finds a bottle that she didn't recall from her so-so friends from college. She drinks it and wakes up back on her college campus. We get a twist though because Alexis is still in her 30s in this timeline and goes and finds her younger self (going by Lexie) who doesn't believe Alexis at first, but promptly wants her gone though.
The book follows Alexis mostly (with some chapters with Lexie as the lead) who is determined to make her younger self change because it has to be her fault that the future that Alexis has is so bad right now.
I thought the book was insightful. I know that a lot of my college friendships just didn't survive after graduation outside of one (Tanya--still hanging tight for 20 years!) and mostly that's because you don't let yourselves be vulnerable with each other. I also thought that Rose did a great job of not letting us readers know everything that was going on with with Alexis and the big event that changed/shaped her. I thought it was cleverly done. Parts of this book made me laugh and other parts made me tear up.
All in all, a great book about forgiving your younger self and moving on and being the better for it. And oh yeah, the confirmation that inspirational quotes really do suck.
"The Girl I Was" follows Alexis who has had a bad run of luck since college. She finally thinks her luck has turned though when she finally hits the 1 year mark at her temp job which she was told would become permanent. Unfortunately, Alexis is let go, goes home, picks a fight with her long-term boyfriend, Andrew, breaks up with her. She finds a bottle that she didn't recall from her so-so friends from college. She drinks it and wakes up back on her college campus. We get a twist though because Alexis is still in her 30s in this timeline and goes and finds her younger self (going by Lexie) who doesn't believe Alexis at first, but promptly wants her gone though.
The book follows Alexis mostly (with some chapters with Lexie as the lead) who is determined to make her younger self change because it has to be her fault that the future that Alexis has is so bad right now.
I thought the book was insightful. I know that a lot of my college friendships just didn't survive after graduation outside of one (Tanya--still hanging tight for 20 years!) and mostly that's because you don't let yourselves be vulnerable with each other. I also thought that Rose did a great job of not letting us readers know everything that was going on with with Alexis and the big event that changed/shaped her. I thought it was cleverly done. Parts of this book made me laugh and other parts made me tear up.
All in all, a great book about forgiving your younger self and moving on and being the better for it. And oh yeah, the confirmation that inspirational quotes really do suck.
August 13, 2025
I didn't realize that I had read this book back in 2023 since it has a new cover. I thought that since I was two years older, I might enjoy the book more. Unfortunately, I didn't. I wish the publisher would have made it known that it was published before, so I could have checked. (If they did, I apologize now.). I do like the new cover better.
This story is just two slow for me. It has a great premise, but once again, I just couldn't get into it. I love the author, and I will always choose Jeneva Rose books when possible, but I didn't like the character of Alexis. I was hoping she would make me more nostalgic for that time in my life, but I found her to be frustrating instead.
This was just an okay read for me. I didn't love, I didn't hate it.
Thank you to NetGalley for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.
This story is just two slow for me. It has a great premise, but once again, I just couldn't get into it. I love the author, and I will always choose Jeneva Rose books when possible, but I didn't like the character of Alexis. I was hoping she would make me more nostalgic for that time in my life, but I found her to be frustrating instead.
This was just an okay read for me. I didn't love, I didn't hate it.
Thank you to NetGalley for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.
November 25, 2025
*** This review is for the 2025 published version of this book ***
Thoughts
I was so happy when Jeneva said she basically revamped this book because it still is one of my absolute favourite reads, for someone reason it made me even more emotional than the original version, I think its the whole concept of going back in time and seeing how your younger and older self was and dealt with things, I often imagine myself facing my younger self brings me to tears both in a positive way and a negative way .. This read will forever have a special place in my heart
My Bookstagram
Thoughts
I was so happy when Jeneva said she basically revamped this book because it still is one of my absolute favourite reads, for someone reason it made me even more emotional than the original version, I think its the whole concept of going back in time and seeing how your younger and older self was and dealt with things, I often imagine myself facing my younger self brings me to tears both in a positive way and a negative way .. This read will forever have a special place in my heart
My Bookstagram
February 13, 2023
I don’t get it. Alexis is terrible.
July 16, 2025
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster 🎢 I didn’t know I needed. It’s messy, hilarious, painfully real—and by the end, I was actually in tears. 😭 If you’ve ever looked back at your younger self and cringed (hard), this one will hit home in the best and worst ways.
Lexi’s life is in full-blown disaster mode—she’s lost just about everything, and she’s completely aimless. But then comes the twist: she’s transported back in time to face her 18-year-old self, who is… a whole problem. Reckless, bratty, and totally unapologetic, young Lexi is hard to love—which makes watching their dynamic unfold so compelling. Their interactions range from laugh-out-loud awkward to deeply moving.
This book is more than a quirky time travel plot. It’s about giving yourself grace, even when you’re not proud of who you used to be. It’s funny, nostalgic, and full of heartfelt moments that sneak up on you—and yes, the early 2000s callbacks had me grinning (and craving a flip phone and a chunky highlights comeback).
What really stuck with me was how the story doesn’t pretend that life can be perfectly fixed with a do-over. Some things stay broken. And that realism is what brought me to tears. Growth doesn’t erase pain, but it gives it meaning. 💚💚
For anyone who thought they had life figured out at 18, only to be humbled by adulthood—this one’s for you. Bring tissues. And maybe a playlist of 2000s bangers.
This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster 🎢 I didn’t know I needed. It’s messy, hilarious, painfully real—and by the end, I was actually in tears. 😭 If you’ve ever looked back at your younger self and cringed (hard), this one will hit home in the best and worst ways.
Lexi’s life is in full-blown disaster mode—she’s lost just about everything, and she’s completely aimless. But then comes the twist: she’s transported back in time to face her 18-year-old self, who is… a whole problem. Reckless, bratty, and totally unapologetic, young Lexi is hard to love—which makes watching their dynamic unfold so compelling. Their interactions range from laugh-out-loud awkward to deeply moving.
This book is more than a quirky time travel plot. It’s about giving yourself grace, even when you’re not proud of who you used to be. It’s funny, nostalgic, and full of heartfelt moments that sneak up on you—and yes, the early 2000s callbacks had me grinning (and craving a flip phone and a chunky highlights comeback).
What really stuck with me was how the story doesn’t pretend that life can be perfectly fixed with a do-over. Some things stay broken. And that realism is what brought me to tears. Growth doesn’t erase pain, but it gives it meaning. 💚💚
For anyone who thought they had life figured out at 18, only to be humbled by adulthood—this one’s for you. Bring tissues. And maybe a playlist of 2000s bangers.
May 10, 2025
What a lovely and heartwarming time travel novel! This is a departure from Jeneva Rose’s other books, not exactly a romance but reads a lot like a romance, this is a very well done time travel book. I was completely surprised and touched by this book. It’s less about finding love and more learning to love yourself.
I never end up eating a book 5 full stars unless I get a little choked up at the end. If you eye roll at schmaltz, maybe skip this one. But I ate it up.
Alexis is at a rock bottom in her life, it’s 2017, she hasn’t really accomplished anything, her boyfriend dumped her, and she has been let go from her job. That’s when she wakes up in 2002. Unlike other time travel stories, she interacts with her 2002 self and they work together to find out what it’s going to take to get her back to 2017.
The ending is really satisfying. The characters are great! The pop culture references are outstanding. It also is amazing that the 2002 characters have never heard of things that feel like they have been around forever- like Taylor Swift, the kardashians, and iPhones. They’ve never heard of an iPhone! Wow! 2002 doesn’t seem like that long ago but it really was.
If you are in the mood for something heartwarming and lighthearted, you should pick this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mira for the ARC. Book to be published July 15, 2025.
I never end up eating a book 5 full stars unless I get a little choked up at the end. If you eye roll at schmaltz, maybe skip this one. But I ate it up.
Alexis is at a rock bottom in her life, it’s 2017, she hasn’t really accomplished anything, her boyfriend dumped her, and she has been let go from her job. That’s when she wakes up in 2002. Unlike other time travel stories, she interacts with her 2002 self and they work together to find out what it’s going to take to get her back to 2017.
The ending is really satisfying. The characters are great! The pop culture references are outstanding. It also is amazing that the 2002 characters have never heard of things that feel like they have been around forever- like Taylor Swift, the kardashians, and iPhones. They’ve never heard of an iPhone! Wow! 2002 doesn’t seem like that long ago but it really was.
If you are in the mood for something heartwarming and lighthearted, you should pick this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley and Mira for the ARC. Book to be published July 15, 2025.
September 3, 2023
That second half.. YES. if the whole book was like that.. then it would’ve been better! Cute read but wanted more.
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