The Girl I Used To Be by Mary Torjussen - BlogTour


The Girl I Used To Be by Mary Torjussen
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Source: Random Things Tours
Rating: 4'5/5
Amazon

About The Book
YOU DON'T REMEMBER. HE WON'T LET YOU FORGET.
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 Thoughts
Gemma Brogan has a flourishing business, a stay-at-home husband and a sweet little kid to make her feel like she has a successful life. But as I am sure you know, everything is not always as beautiful as it would seem from outside. Gemma has been working really hard to make her business working, with long hours at the office and without time to spend with her son and husband, making her to feel disconnected from her family and tired all time. So, when she finds one of her clients on one of her trips to London, she doesn't doubt to dinner with him, without thinking that he will be her worst nightmare.


"When I think of that night now, I remember the heat, clammy and intense on my skin, and the sense of feverish excitement in the air. I think of the taxi ride to the party with my friend Lauren, her body soft and scented against mine as we sat crushed into the back seat with her boyfriend Tom. The radio was on, the windows were open, and 'London Calling' started to play. I remember the surge of happiness I felt then; I'd just been accepted by London University and would be there within a month. Whenever I hear that song now, it takes straight back to that taxi ride to Alex's house. It's as though I am that girl, the girl I used to be."

I can not imagine anything worse than waking up in a room without remembering the night before. Gemma can not remember anything of the night she was in London, simply returning to her room and a kiss with a client... She "knows" that didn't happen anything that night, but she didn't tell her husband that was having dinner with a client, so what will happen if he discovers the truth? And what does "David" (the mysterious client) really wants from her?
This had been a twisted and addictive read, even if we know soon what is really happening, the mystery and the guessing doesn't stop. Gemma had a past, a night when she was young that made her change forever and it seems that if she wants to have a future, she will have to confront her past.
I am not sure I really liked Gemma in the beginning, she is not happy with her life, but instead of talking with her husband she works more and more, making her more unhappy and missing to spend time with her family, a vicious circle. And of course I didn't like Joe at all, I know what it is staying at home with your child 24 hours a day, and without going out with friends or running... But let me say that if my husband ever had a trouble at work, he always knows he could talk to me, even if he is tired, scared or doesn't know what to do, he knows I am there! So, I can not understand his need to move to another country or complain while Gemma is not at home (but she is working) and he is not able to go out on time with his friends...!
Let's face the truth, Gemma has bad luck, she didn't do anything bad on the fateful night in London, but someone has decided to make her pay for something she hasn't done, she should go to the police or confront the hater? While the reader has a lot of doubts and guesses during all the plot, we really trust Gemma that she is innocent, simply scared to have her marriage broken and being separated from her son, something all mothers would understand if they would be in their place. But that makes the story more real and connected to the reader, we could understand Gemma's decisions and thoughts, she simply wants her life to be right, stay with her son and husband at home.
The story is told between two parts, the first one it explains Gemma's life and how everything started, and the second one told in first person, and making the reader discover in first hand the secrets that were kept from the past, shocking and disturbing, of course.
I can only say good things about this book, I liked the writing, the story and the unexpected twists hidden on the plot, making this a great book and a suspenseful read.
Ready to discover the Girl I Used To Be?

About The Author
Mary Torjussen grew up in Stoke-on-Trent. There was no television in her family home so books have always been her escape - she spent hours reading and writing stories as a child. Mary has an MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University, and worked as a teacher in Liverpool before becoming a full-time writer. She has two adult children and lives on the Wirral, where her debut novel, GONE WITHOUT A TRACE, is set.

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