Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for THE GIRL I USED TO BE! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Rating: 5 Stars!
Rating: 5 Stars!
Synopsis:
When Olivia's mother was killed, everyone suspected her father of murder. But his whereabouts remained a mystery. Fast forward fourteen years. New evidence now proves Olivia's father was actually murdered on the same fateful day her mother died. That means there's a killer still at large. It's up to Olivia to uncover who that may be. But can she do that before the killer tracks her down first?
The Girl I Used to Be is a gripping young adult thriller that will have the reader devouring each page until the very end. I have to admit that I was in a serious reading slump before I started this book - but once I started it, I couldn't put it down and ended up reading the entire thing in a matter of a few hours. Needless to say, this novel grabbed my attention from the beginning and refused to let go until I had finished it entirely. I'm a huge fan of thrillers - they're one of my favorite genres - and finding one that hooks me like this is rare anymore. I always try to figure out what really happened or who the killer is before the main character does - and it's normally easy to do. Not with this book though - there were so many questions and a ton of twists and turns that I didn't see coming at all. Each time I thought I had a good theory going - a huge curveball would come out of nowhere and knock me right back to square one. Any author who can trick me like has amazing storytelling abilities and natural talent, which this author definitely has plenty of.
The book is told from the main character's perspective, which made the reading experience all the more immersive and exciting. I'm a huge advocate for the first person point of view writing style because it allows for a stronger and more personal bond between the reader and the narrator. I love getting inside the character's mind and having an inside look at everything that's normally hidden - thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams, memories, and so much more. I think that it was the perfect choice for this novel and it wouldn't have been as engaging otherwise. Everything else about the book was very well done - the characters were all well rounded, especially our main character, who was incredibly believable and realistic. I easily connected with her right from the beginning and was rooting for her throughout the entire story. The plot was intriguing and kept me guessing - like I mentioned before, it was full of twists and turns that kept me on my toes. The writing was incredibly well done with detailed descriptions and vivid imagery throughout, a natural flow, and an ever quickening pace that had me reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. Overall, I can't think of anything I didn't like about the novel - except for wishing it was longer! I'm definitely picking up all the other books by this author and will be keeping an eye out for her next work. I very highly recommend this one to fans of the genre as well as anyone looking for a great mystery, suspense, or thriller!
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I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.
If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.
When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.
My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written 13 novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into six languages, been named to state reading lists, and short-listed for the Oregon Book Award.
I also review YA literature and mysteries and thrillers for the Oregonian, and have written articles for both The Writer and Writers Digest.
I loved your review, and I just went and bough this book, I can't wait to start reading it >.<
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