#TheGirlIUsedToBe @MaryTorjussen @headlinepg

About The Girl I Used to Be

How can you hide your mistakes when you don't know what they are?

Gemma Brogan needs a break from her life.

A work event looks the ideal chance to get away. And a friendly new client seems like the perfect gentleman when he joins Gemma for an innocent dinner . . .

But the next morning she has no memory of how the night ended and he has vanished into thin air.

Suddenly, Gemma is plunged into a twisted nightmare she can't control. To protect her future, and her family, she will have to confront shocking secrets from her past - and the truth about the girl she used to be.

My review of The Girl I Used to Be

The Girl I Used to Be is a clever and claustrophobic psychological thriller of a read. What starts out as an innocent meeting with a client, sets in motion a living nightmare that sent chills down my spine. I found it so very difficult to put this book down.

The book opens with a scene from the past, when Gemma was a teenager and at a friend's party, celebrating the end of A levels. Something happened to Gemma that night, something unimaginable and unmentioned happens, and the scene is set. I was instantly on my guard, feeling that creeping sense of unease that never let go. 

We are then propelled into the future, meeting Gemma as a successful professional with her own estate agency. She is happily married and has a  young son. Her life is seemingly perfect, but that is all about to change when she meets a client one evening for dinner.

What unravels really is a nightmare . I read with horror at what was happening to Gemma. It was made even more frightening as it COULD happen. Gemma is also very much alone in trying to work out what happened and why. This book also works because I believed in Gemma, she is likeable, a normal working mum. I could feel her emotions when she woke up after that evening meal, realising she couldn't remember a thing. I too, was scared. I too felt as if the world was slowing collapsing around me. 

This book is a gripping read full of twists and turns and I held my breath wondering what on earth was going to happen to Gemma and her family. This is an unnerving book that is very unsettling at times to read. It made me question the characters, their  true intentions and who Gemma could really trust

If you love a psychological thriller that is incredibly realistic with a protagonist that you deeply  care for, and want the absolute best for  them, then you'll love this book. It's one hell of a cracking read.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital copy. 

The Girl I Used to Be is published by Headline in paperback on 9th August. It is available now in ebook.