It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour and sharing my review of the latest book from Debbie Howells, The Girl I Used To Be. Published on 19th October by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and also as an audiobook. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
I very much enjoyed Debbie’s first book for Boldwood, The Life You Left Behind (now available free for kindle via Amazon Prime) – some particularly raw emotional content (and perhaps “enjoyed” isn’t exactly the right choice of word…), but a book with stunning impact, along with a compelling story that kept me entirely hooked throughout (you can read my review again here). I was looking forward to seeing what she did next…
Marie Kondo for the soul.
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?
Something I really liked about this book was the authenticity of Anna’s experience – there aren’t always explosions and pyrotechnics as a relationship dies, sometimes it just withers and dies through an absence of care. I found it difficult to forgive her husband for his failures – and I totally identified with Anna as she asserted her right to live her own life and find her own path to happiness.
And then there was the romance, the lovely Will, there in the background for much of her life – the catalyst for her taking some action to do something about the joylessness of her life, it had a particular emotional intensity and I found myself entirely invested in its many twists and turns, hoping that they’d both find lives that brought them happiness. Their personal baggage – the families, the obligations and commitments – repeatedly keep them apart, and there were times when this book really broke my heart.
I really must commend the writing – it moves between the viewpoints of Anna and Will, into their innermost thoughts and under their skins, capturing the complexity of their emotions and the depth of their attraction to each other. And if that all sounds rather heavy, it really isn’t – there are plenty of moments of sheer joy before the barriers rise, touches of lightness and humour that make your heart sing. I liked the way the timeline was handled too – dipping into the past, their long history, all those opportunities that didn’t quite come to fruition.
The supporting cast is excellent – much of the book’s message is about people being there when you most need them, and Anna’s friendship network is particularly strong and well drawn. And then there are life’s surprises – the clouds that often eclipse the sunshine, the darkness you don’t see approaching, so sensitively handled – there’s heartbreak between this book’s pages, but it did leave me uplifted by its messages and with a smile on my face.
The author’s first book for Boldwood was a particular emotional rollercoaster – so is this one, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Quite a read, and one I very much enjoyed – very highly recommended.
About the author
While working as long-haul cabin crew in her twenties, Debbie trained as a pilot and qualified as a flying instructor. But as the mother of two small children, she wanted a career she could fit around them and started a wedding flower business, Country Flowers. For thirteen years, Debbie created the natural, seasonal designs she became known for to venues throughout the South East.
It was towards the end of this time she started writing, in a notebook in the shade of her garden on her days off, self-publishing three women’s fiction novels, the third of which, Wildflowers, almost but not quite found her a literary agent.
Pursuing her dream of a traditional publishing deal, she went on to write her first psychological thriller, the Sunday Times bestseller, The Bones of You. Four more have followed including the e-book bestseller The Vow, but it’s another long-awaited dream come true that her women’s fiction novels have now found a home with Boldwood. Her first title with them, The Life You Left Behind, was published in February 2022.
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Sounds a great read so I just downloaded.