The Girl I Used To Be

 ~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis :  

In her years of acting the perfect wife to Marc, Jill had built walls around herself so high that nobody could reach her. Now she has no money, nowhere to live and a future as uncertain as it was the day Marc first asked her—the shy, trusting new assistant—to lunch. Jill hadn’t known then what sort of man he really was…

When Jill Goodman’s picture-perfect marriage implodes, she’s heartbroken. Still reeling from the shock, the only thing she receives in the hasty divorce settlement is the deed to her husband’s sprawling beach house on the New Jersey shore. Overpriced, with a dark history and a crippling mortgage far outside her means to pay—the house is a symbol of everything Jill’s lost. She hates the sight of it, but knows she must face it if she’s to move on.

With no other choice, Jill travels to Dewberry Beach intending to sell the house quickly—but the task is not as easy as she expects. Still, she can’t help but be charmed by the little town’s leafy streets, sweetly old-fashioned ways and even the unexpected attentions of a handsome local with dark eyes and a teasing smile. For the first time, she can see a path back to the girl she was before she met her husband…

Then Jill dives deeper into the house’s dark past and Marc’s part in it, and she stumbles across a terrible secret that changes everything. Torn between the right choice and the easy one, Jill realizes the key lies with her ex-husband. But he would do anything to keep the truth from coming to light…

An emotionally gripping read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, perfect for fans of Amanda Prowse, Elin Hilderbrand and Diane Chamberlain.

Purchase links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3aWKrUe 

Apple: http://apple.co/2NbAdqV 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ZjYuy1 

Google: http://bit.ly/3b9TSjx

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I have never read a book by Heidi Hostetter.  I am happy to find a new author!  I enjoyed The Girl I Used To Be and the journey we went on with Jill.  The book starts out with Jill seeming to have it all: successful husband, beautiful house, fancy clothes, and more.  However, little did she know her husband was not only cheating on her, but using her name, forging loan documents and has made all sorts of shady business deals.  

Jill has to becoming one tough independent woman.  As part of the divorce she gets the beach house, which has the fraudulent loan her husband fraudulently used her name on the documents.  Her goal is to sell the house and pay off the loan.  What she wasn't expecting was to fall in love the beachside town and the people. As she continues to work on photography, she becomes friends with some of the locals, while others blame her for the big beach house.  It all works out in the end for Jill and the whole town.

The Girl I Used To Be is a good book to kick off summer/beach reading!

Heidi Hostetter is a proud Jersey Girl, born and raised. Growing up, she spent summers at her grandparents' house on the shore, in a town much like the one she writes about in her novels, and it was idyllic. The New Jersey shore has a culture all its own, where every magical thing can be found: sparklers on the beach, fireflies at night, and whole days swimming in the ocean. 

She went to college in South Carolina and found inspiration for her Lowcountry Novels. After graduation, she moved to the Pacific Northwest where she developed an appreciate the rain. Trips to the Oregon coast inspired her award-winning Inlet Beach novels. She and her family have recently moved back across the country, to the DC-area, where history is everywhere. They live in a one-hundred-year-old house that's definitely haunted and feels like inspiration for a really good story.

When she's not writing, you can probably find her digging in her garden or poking around old houses for inspiration. She loves the beach, a good podcast, and is always up for a trip to a bookstore, no matter how far away.

Heidi is currently at work on her new novel. She shares office space with a labradoodle named Emmett who keeps are careful watch for errant squirrels foolish enough to wander into his yard. She loves to hear from readers and answers all her own mail. You can find her here:

Author Links:

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Instagram @LoveTheShore_

Twitter: @HeidiHostetter

Website: HeidiHostetter.com