The Girl I Used to Be: A gripping and emotional page-turner

Name: The Girl I Used to Be: A gripping and emotional page-turner
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Heidi Hostetter

May 2021 · Bookouture

5.0

2 reviews

Ebook

350

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

Your husband is not the man you thought he was… but how do you move on, when you’re forced to keep his secret?

When Jill Goodman’s picture-perfect marriage implodes, she’s heartbroken. Still reeling from the shock, the only thing she receives in the hasty divorce settlement is the deed to her husband’s sprawling beach house on the New Jersey coastline. Jill never cared about money – only her marriage – but with Marc determined to take everything she owns, the beach house is her only lifeline left.

With no other choice, Jill travels to the shore intending to sell the house quickly—but the task is not as easy as she expects. Still, she can’t help but be charmed by the beautiful seaside town and its sweetly old-fashioned ways. Despite everything, Jill is starting to see a path back to who she was before she met her husband – not the demure, polished housewife she’d become, but the smiling young woman with the strong Jersey accent who loved her family more than anything.

Then Jill dives deeper into Marc’s secrets and she stumbles across a something in her husband’s past that changes everything. Could Jill herself have been unknowingly complicit in what Marc did and, if so, what will happen to her when the truth finally comes to light? With Marc determined to bury the evidence, can Jill find a way to save herself before her once perfect husband takes her down with him?

A gripping, emotional read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Elin Hilderbrand and Diane Chamberlain.

What readers are saying about The Girl I Used to Be:

“Known as the Queen of Summer fiction, somebody better tell Elin Hilderbrand Heidi is out to steal her crown… hands down one of the top 10 summer reads of 2021!… the perfect read… Five huge stars and I've already added her whole catalog to my TBR list. Ahh this was so good!!!!!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Amazing!!! I read it in one day… super amazing… I didn't want to put it down… magical.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The perfect book to read on the beach… compelling and addictive and I loved how it ended!!! A lovely page-turner that whisked me away to a gorgeous beach resort… I LOVED it.” bookworm86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What an amazing book it is!... I was immediately drawn in… excellent… I cannot describe how much I loved The Girl I Used to Be… I didn't want the novel to end… 5 sparkling stars.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Absolutely gorgeous! I loved everything about this book and kept finding reasons to sneak away to read it!... I felt whisked away to the shore… I’m not ready to leave!” Motherhood for Slackers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The story grabbed me in the first few pages and reeled me in! I was hooked by the end of chapter one!... Delicious!” Goodreads reviewer

“You find yourself quickly falling in love with the characters and the Jersey Shore… read this as soon as you can.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The perfect beach book… I fell in love with the residents in the sweet little beach town and cheered for Jill. Highly recommended.” Meanderings and Muses

Ratings and reviews

5.0

2 reviews

Chelsea Taylor

April 13, 2021

Known as the Queen of Summer fiction, somebody better tell Elin Hilderbrand Heidi is out to steal her crown. This is hands down one of the top 10 summer reads of 2021! Jillian DiFiore changed her whole entire life to marry Marc, a man twice her age. She was truly in love, or so she thought, and she did everything to mold herself into his perfect woman. Doing so forced her to block out the things he did that may not have been as honorable as she would have liked. All of that comes to a head the moment she receives photos from his mistress that were undeniable. Marc was having an affair. Armed with a prenump, he wanted out within weeks. All Jill wants is her freedom. And the house in Dewberry Beach that was mortgaged in her name fraudulently. You quickly fall in love with the Jersey Shore due to the almost artistic writing. This is a book that you fall into so easily and wether or not you've ever even been to the East Coast you feel your toes in the sand and hear the water lapping at your feet. Her writing is just that good. There's a little suspense, romance, friendship, and the feel good community all wrapped up perfectly to make this the perfect read to have in your beach bag while you spend a summer afternoon on the shore. Even if you can't go to the beach, this book is a mini holiday in itself. Five huge stars and I've already added her whole catalog to my TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley, Heidi Hostetter, and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Edward Graham

May 14, 2021

To Be True To One's Own Self This is a great piece of women's fiction. A young woman who marries for money decides that the price is too dear. The plot of this story is excellent. The characters are totally believable. The author paints a word picture that lets the reader even smell the salty sea air. This was a fun book to read that left a smile in my heart and on my face! I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

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