Will and Anna met as teenagers and had a whirlwind romance, falling in love as kids. Life has taken them in different directions with different partners but they keep meeting up by chance. This is the story of how they find their happiness.

I think this book was kind of beautiful. Choosing your happiness and looking for the good is a lovely message. There is a LOT of privilege in this book though, just being able to quit your job, fly or drive to a different country on a whim… it’s a dream life though for many!

The mini twist at the end was easy to see, I will say.

Overall, this was a sweet love story about second chances and fate.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

***contains spoilers ***

This felt like the longest fortune cookie nonsense ever, full of signs from the universe and flowery romantic notions! Will they/won’t they forever in the most ridiculous ways and reasons! I enjoyed the beginning, loved the duel povs and timelines and suddenly it went sideways for me! The first hit was when Anna starts a fling with Will even though she’s married…that’s a nope from me instantly. Then it gets worse and more silly when Will gets back together with his ex, who he can’t stand, just because their brat runs away! Not to mention the wonderful lifestyle of not having to work, having friends who happen to have spare villas lying around and every fridge has a bottle of champagne in it! This started off so well but plummeted beyond repair sadly!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Boldwood Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A story that will have you laughing, crying and you won’t be able to put it down.

Wow, some books touch your heart and this book definitely did.
Teenage love that broke up due to family relocating. Meeting by chance again in your twenties but missing each other again. Obviously it's not meant to be so both Anna and Will move forward with life.
Marriage and children before they bump into each other again. Is this their time finally? I am not going to spoil the story but keep tissues close for the final section

The Girl I Used to Be
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fiction
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/19/22
Author: Debbie Howells
Publisher: Boldwood Books
GR: 3.60

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Anna and Will have been passing in and out of each other’s lives since they were just kids. Now 20 years later, Anna is married - she has a lovely house, a step daughter in university and a husband with a good job. What she doesn’t have is joy. When she runs into Will it sparks something in her, a longing for the Anna she used to be. Together they embark on a journey to find what brings them joy, to discard what doesn’t and to become the people they always wanted to be. But in finding themselves, can they also find each other?

My Thoughts: This book was a bit slower for me. Her first book, The Life You Left Behind, was amazing, so I was excited to get this one. The story was narrated in a present and past flashback POV by both Anna and Will, I do love the dual POV as you get a sense of both sides. It gave you a glimpse into their romantic backstory. Anna was married when she reunited with Will, which I did not care for. However, the back stories gives you an understanding of why. The characters were fleshed out, had depth, had flaws, and were creatively explored. The author’s writing style is complex, intriguing, even if I did not agree with some of the paths. I struggled staying and keeping in tuned with this book. Since Howells’ first book, I will definitely be on the lookout for her next book.

This is an endearing book about fate, about second chances, about living the life you’re meant to live. Anna and Will have been connected since teenagers, but although fate keeps bringing them together, circumstances always seem to get in their way. There are many ups and downs in this story, a winding tell that kept me wishing and hoping that everything would turn out the way it was supposed to.

I read and loved The Life You Left Behind by Debbie Howells and was really excited to get this one from NetGalley. Unfortunately, I was left feeling very disappointed and I found it hard to get into this book, it was very slow going. I do enjoy the find your teen/first love trope and I appreciated the format of the book. This one is told past/present via flashbacks (note to publisher I did not like the italic chapters) and I was pleased getting to know Anna and Will’s romantic backstory.

I didn’t like that Anna was still married while she pursued Will. I know her husband, James is an arse and he deserved to be left but do the leaving first, before you start something new, or even better be on your own first and get your head together. The same can be said for Will. If I were Anna I would never have gone back to Will in the first place, he too is an arse as he kept leaving her hanging over and over again…“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I found both Will and Anna to be whiners and complaining all the time instead of doing something about it.

I did like the fact that we get both Will’s and Anna’s perspectives, there was a lot of internal dialogue from both of them and I felt that I got to know them well, they were normal, real human beings, flaws and all. It also helped me try to understand their dilemmas and their thought process for what they were doing. Watching Anna and Will grow into the people they really want to be was a joy to read and I really liked that both of them put their daughters front and center, that is a very redeeming quality. Will’s ex, Darcey was a piece of work though, as she used her daughter to get back at Will and that’s a low blow and shameful.

I think I had so many thoughts and feelings about this one because I divorced when my kids were small and would never do some of the things these two did. I liked the author’s other book so much though that I’d be willing to give her another chance and look forward to what she comes up with next.

This is the sort of book perfect for a lazy holiday or to curl up in bed or snuggled by the fire. A lovely heart-warming story of lost and found love and a reminder that things can change at the most unexpected times.

Personally I prefer her mystery/crime books, but as I like her style of writing I thought I would give this a go and was definitely not disappointed. A lovely change of pace and I will certainly read future ones in this genre from her.

Boldwood does it again! This was such a beautiful book. It gave me Love Rosie vibes which is a very good thing. I love how it draws you in and then take you back. Anna & Will were such great characters and I was instantly rooting for their happy ending. I think we all reach that point of life no matter how grateful we are that we realize someone or something is missing and that’s the case for Anna. I was so drawn to her story and could relate in so many ways. The writing was crisp and descriptive. I loved the cover and what that signifies in relationship to the book and I would definitely recommend this book as it is a beautiful story of love, peace, and discovery about one’s life journey. More thoughts and a full review to follow soon.
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The brand new page-turner from the bestselling author of The Life I Left Behind.
Marie Kondo for the soul.

Anna and Will have been passing in and out of each other’s lives since they were just teenagers.

Now 20 years later, Anna is married - she has a lovely house, a step daughter in university and a husband with a good job.

What she doesn’t have is joy. When she runs into Will it sparks something in her, a longing for the Anna she used to be.

Together they embark on a journey to find what brings them joy, to discard what doesn’t and to become the people they always wanted to be.

But in finding themselves, can they also find each other?


Praise for Debbie Howells:

‘A warm, uplifting story’ Clare Swatman

‘A powerful, emotional, and life-affirming story of love and hope’ Rachael Lucas

‘The writing was INCREDIBLE! I’ve never highlighted so many sections of a book before, but there were just so many beautifully written passages that I knew I indeed to save to come back to' Shan _treatyoshelves_

‘I do not think any other book touched me so much’ itsallaboutbooksandmacarons

'I really loved this book. It's one I'll never forget’ coffee.break.book.reviews

'That was absolutely beautiful' mrsbookburnee

This book sounded great and I love the cover art! I have been meaning to read a book by Debbie Howells in forever and am pleased that I finally got the chance.
Sadly, I don't think this book was for me.

More of a personal preference than a comment on the writer, but I don't like the use of flashbacks and there were so many here. I didn't engage with the writing style - it felt basic (as an example, telling the reader that the bracelet snapping was symbolic rather than letting the reader come to this assumption themselves) and unexciting and just didn't capture me as I'd hoped it would. The overall idea of the plot and the themes of making the most of life are inspiring, I just think it's missing something for me as it fell slightly flat.

The book starts out in an interesting way which makes you want to read to know more. The concept is interesting with the tropes of first love, reconnecting old lovers, family, friendship and finding oneself.

It took me a while to get into it and was a slow burn. There are perspectives from both the protagonists and timelines (present and flashback). There is a theme of dreams, people we used to be and who we want to be along with the concept of happiness. The book does that quite well with the comfortable lifestyle vs companionship and joy underlying theme. It also highlights the different kinds of loss and grief that accompanies. Overall a good read which takes some time to settle into.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC in exchange of my honest review.

I loved the premise of this, it sounded thoughtful and uplifting and whilst it definitely does make you look at life to see if it could be happier I actually found this a bit if a struggle to read, mostly I think as I just couldn’t take to the main characters especially Anna. Not once could I understand why Anna was married to James as there was nothing between them whatsoever and he just seemed horrible frankly, as the story doesn’t tell us about when they met, how they fell in love etc it’s very difficult to understand the relationship. That said I do appreciate it can be emotionally difficult to end a marriage but Anna’s mental thought processes in getting to that stage were quite gloomy and to an extent Will was the same as the book progressed but at least by then Anna’s state of mind was more upbeat at least. I was ultimately glad I persisted as the second half of the book was much improved and was ultimately positive. 7/10