I was blown away by this book. Part One is a bit slow but it totally paid off in Part Two. It has some minor twists as well as some solid writing.

Trigger Warning: sexual assault ( )

Fifteen years ago Gemma goes to a party with friends and something happens. Now Gemma is married and works hard running her own business. A new client appears and things begin to happen.

This book for me was just an average thriller. I liked the story and the story moved along steady. For me however I found the plot a little predictable and guessed easily who done what. There was a slight twist half way through which I didn't see coming.

The book was very easy to read but it had nothing new and there are other books out there along the same lines. Now wow factor with this one but an easy average read. ( )

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen is a suspense-laden mystery about a woman who is being harassed by someone she barely knows for unknown reasons.

Fifteen years ago, Gemma Brogan's life was forever altered at a party with her classmates just as she was about to go off to University. By the time she meets her now husband, Joe Brogan, she has finally moved past her demons and they are now settled into married life. Gemma owns a thriving real estate business and she puts in long hours so Joe can be a stay at home dad to their three year old son, Rory. Her life is shockingly upended following a dinner with prospective client, David Sanderson, who begins sending her harassing photos and threatening messages. With few memories from that night, Gemma is desperate to keep Joe from finding out she was less than truthful about how she spent her evening whilst she was at a business conference. When she uncovers stunning information about her stalker's identity, will Gemma stop him from ruining her life?

Gemma puts in long hours at her business which means little time to spend with Joe and Rory. She desperately misses her little boy, but with Joe not working and the downturn in the economy, she cannot afford to hire another employee. She loves Joe with all her heart, but Gemma is becoming resentful of being the family's sole breadwinner. Unfortunately, she risks losing her husband and her son if she reveals to him that someone is threatening her. One innocent lie about how she spent her evening during her business trip soon becomes a tangled web of mistruths as she tries to uncover the truth about David's identity.

The first half of the novel is written entirely from Gemma's perspective. Her exhaustion, frustration and fear are keenly felt as she tries to keep her life together. After she stumbles onto shocking information at about the halfway point, the novel then alternates between two points of view: Gemma's and one of her employees. She then discovers who is harassing her and why, but will the two of them take their discovery to the police before it is too late?

The Girl I Used to Be is a fast-paced and compelling mystery. Gemma is a well-drawn character and it is very easy to empathize with her as she tries to disentangle herself from this stunning turn of events. Although sharp-eyed readers will most likely zero in on a suspect fairly early, Mary Torjussen has a few clever plot twists that will keep the pages turning at a blistering pace. The novel's conclusion is just the teensiest bit predictable but this does not detract from the overall enjoyment of watching the perpetrator get exactly what they deserve for their despicable actions. An outstanding read that fans of the genre are sure to love.
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I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.My Review of

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen

This book opens with Gemma and her good friends on the way to an end of the year celebration. Summer is starting and everyone will be going off to College after vacation. Inevitably there is too much alcohol consumed and Gemma finds herself in a life altering and horrible situation. The problem is while Gemma knows that she has been violated in the worst way, she feels guilty.

Fast forward to the present; Gemma is now married to Joe a stay at home Dad, has a young son and a successful real estate business. After a night away from home, a dinner with someone that she probably should never have had and too much wine, Gemma wakes up knowing that something might have happened but unfortunately she just cannot remember.

Hold on tight because the thrill ride started from that point on and just kept building. Someone is taunting Gemma with photos and threats, Gemma's life just seems to unravel as she tells lie after lie to her husband. This is an edge of your seat type of psychological thriller that I love to devour. This story drew me in with its unrelenting twists and turns into Gemma's past and present. I enjoyed every page of this intense and gripping book.

If you love a bit of a twist and a well written psychological thriller then you will enjoy this book. I liked the fact that it was told from different POV's . This author did a great job of character building.This review was originally posted on My Fiction Obsession ( )

This is the first book I have read by Mary Torjussen, but after reading some good reviews, I wanted to give it a try. What happens when you lie to your spouse about how you spend your evening away? Can a marriage survive when one spouse is resentful? Do you ever know who you can completely trust? The Girl I Used to Be is a psychological thriller that is almost completely told from Gemma’s point of view, however, there are some chapters told from another point of view as the story goes on. There are some flashbacks to past events that have shaped the situation happening in the present, as well as making Gemma the person she is. The story is very easy to follow and everything flows smoothly.

When Gemma Brogan gave birth to her son she and her husband agreed that he would be the one to stay at home and care for their child while she got her real estate business up and running.It is now four years later and Gemma is becoming resentful. Joe does not even pretend to look for work and with her being the only breadwinner, she puts in long hours. She is beginning to feel like an outsider in her family, especially when Rory wants daddy to do everything for him. When an out of town training event takes Gemma away she tells him she is looking forward to a quiet and restful evening with dinner in her room. When she calls home to talk to her son, she is upset because he is already in bed. Frustrated and hearing the happy sounds from the bar terrace below, she heads out of her room and runs into a client who invites her to dinner. The night led to a lot of talking and quite a few drinks which left Gemma kicking herself the next morning. Not only is she hungover, but she does not remember what happened after she got to her room. When she begins to receive messages, pictures and video, she realizes that something happened that she does not remember. Will the police be able to help her? Who is sending these things to her? What will happen to her marriage if Joe finds out?

As I read this story, I thought I had it figured out, then boom, something happened to change my mind. There were several twists and I could just see Gemma falling apart and not knowing where to turn. This story kept me guessing almost to the end. I felt for Gemma, she was a good person who did not seem to deserve what had happened to her in the past or the present. I really liked the ending. It tied up all the loose ends and was very satisfactory. The writing flowed smoothly, was descriptive and had me emotionally involved in this story. As the story progressed, it was hard to put it down. I will definitely look for more books by Mary Torjussen. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Edelweiss.

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