The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen ** Blog Tour Review**

The Girl I Used to Be was published in paperback by Headline on 9th August and I am delighted to feature it on the blog today. As psychological thrillers go, it keeps you on edge to the end. You can read my review of Mary's debut novel Gone Without a Trace here.

Now here is a little about The Girl I Used to Be: 

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

The Girl I Used to Be did not disappoint. It had my attention from the start. I found Gemma to be a cleverly drawn character with a complex back story and conflicting feelings about how her life has worked out. You are given details of past events a little at a time and are gradually introduced to a range of characters whose motivations are difficult to second guess.

    Half way through the story, there is a definite gear change as the plot takes a sudden shift and the pace increases until its stunning ending where there is a real shocker in store. As a reader, you are kept on the edge throughout, never quite sure which way the story is going to go. You feel Gemma's unease as she tries to unravel the mystery. She may seem to be in control on the surface but you realise that events in her past have undermined her feelings of security and of her self-worth. 

In short: A fast moving thriller with a satisfying final twist. 

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.

You can follow Mary here: Twitter 

Book links:  Amazon UK  |  Goodreads

Thanks to Mary and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Be sure to catch up with the rest of the tour!