The Girl She Was

Name: The Girl She Was
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9780648508434
Price: 37.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Rebecca Freeborn

0.0 (0 reviews)

3.7

( 377 ratings, 58 reviews)

Summary

‘She’d long ago stopped wondering whether anyone would find out what she’d done. It was in the past, and Layla didn’t dwell on the past.’ Seventeen-year-old Layla lived a typical teenage life in Glasswater Bay, until a relationship with her older, married boss changed everything. Two decades later, now a suburban wife and mother, Layla’s carefully constructed life is shattered when she receives a cryptic message: I know what you did. Her past comes rushing back, threatening to unravel the person she has become.
Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$37⁹⁹

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Girl She Was

$37⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers who enjoy psychological drama and stories about how past choices impact present lives, particularly fans of suspenseful, character-driven general fiction.

BIOGRAPHY 21 Sep 2026

Review of Home Again by Jon Toogood

When it was revealed that Jon Toogood was to release a memoir I pretty much jumped out...

BOARD GAME 18 Sep 2026

What I Read (and Played) in Bali

I always read more when I travel. There’s the flight over, the hotel breakfast where...

A Seven Sharp Visit and a Huge Thank You!

It's been a busy last week at Rawiri Place before our big move, with a...

AMELIA'S CORNER 17 Sep 2026

A Puzzle for Every Season: Why I Love Seasonal Puzzles

From spooky Halloween puzzles to floral spring scenes and Christmas favourites we bring out every...

THE BOOK BRIEFING 16 Sep 2026

The Book Briefing - September 16th

This week there are so many exciting new book announcements out and about with covers,...

Description

‘She’d long ago stopped wondering whether anyone would find out what she’d done. It was in the past, and Layla didn’t dwell on the past.’

Seventeen-year-old Layla was just like any other teenager in the small town of Glasswater Bay: she studied hard, went out drinking with her friends and worked at the local café. But when she started having a relationship with her older, married boss, everything changed.

Twenty years later she’s living a quiet life in the suburbs with a husband and two children, a life far removed from the girl she was. Until she receives a text message: I know what you did.

For years she outran her past, turning away from the town and her friends. Now her past has caught up.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"This novel has many strengths, none more so than the pitch-perfect dialogue and real suspense. Yet what lingers is that it is all so possible." The Weekly Times
"Timely, painful and playful all at once, Freeborn's book may be a challenging wake-up call to readers, and not just those who share Layla's profile." Readings

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780648508434

Publisher: Pantera Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 March 2020

Country: Australia

Imprint: Pantera Press

Illustration: Text only

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 496g

Pages: 400

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Rebecca Freeborn

About the Author

Rebecca Freeborn, the author of Hot Pursuit (2018) and Misconception (2019) has been writing since the age of 12. At her home in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, she writes before the sun comes up. By day, she works as a communications and content editor for the South Australian Government. Rebecca lives with her husband, three kids, a dog, a cat and a horse and spends her moments of spare time reading novels and feminist articles and compulsively checking Facebook. The Girl She Was is Rebecca’s third novel.

Also by Rebecca Freeborn

View all

The Favour

‘There was a smug satisfaction in the knowledge that her friend’s picture-perfect life was tainted by a dirty secret. Quinn may be far from perfect, but she’d always have that over Hannah.’ Old friends Hannah and Quinn have grown apart over the years as their lives take them in opposite directions. Hannah cares for her three young children, her career...

By Rebecca Freeborn

Paperback

$37⁹⁹

Available
Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from General Fiction

View all

The Wedding People

'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...

By Alison Espach

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

(3)

In Stock
Ships today
Lizzy's Pick

Yesteryear

A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...

By Caro Claire Burke

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$36⁹⁹~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships today
Dylan's Pick

Theo of Golden

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...

By Allen Levi

Paperback

$28⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$34⁹⁹~~

(6)

In Stock
Ships today
Dungeon Crawler Carl

The apocalypse will be televised! Welcome to the first book in the wildly popular and addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman-now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition! You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what's worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction...

By Matt Dinniman

Paperback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$38⁰⁰~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships today
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Carl and Princess Donut have to team up with other contestants to not just survive, but to solve a deadly puzzle in this third, mind-twisting novel in the addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition! Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The...

By Matt Dinniman

Hardback

$47⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$60⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
Fourth Wing

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NUMBER ONE GLOBAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON! DON'T MISS OUT ON THE SERIES THAT EVERYONE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT: 'This book contains an addictive, drug-like essence that will make you relinquish all responsibility until the very last word. Do not say I didn't warn you' Glamour 'I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, and when I finished, I...

By Rebecca Yarros

Paperback

$22⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$39⁹⁹~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Shirl's Pick

Taipei Story

TAIPEI STORY is the electrifying new novel by bestselling literary phenomenon Rebecca F. Kuang, a profoundly moving coming-of-age story that explores first love, second language and final goodbyes – all set against the backdrop of one unforgettable summer in Taipei. Yale student Lily Chen arrives in Taipei hungry: for family, for culture, for connection. But her summer of discovery quickly...

By R.F. Kuang

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$36⁹⁹~~

(3)

In Stock
Ships today
The Gate of the Feral Gods

The fourth book in the explosive LitRPG Dungeon Crawler Carl series New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that's talent. Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy's most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess...

By Matt Dinniman

Hardback

$60⁰⁰

(2)

In Stock
Ships today
Iron Flame

The instant number one Sunday Times bestseller and thrilling sequel to the global phenomenon, Fourth Wing! DON'T BE THE LAST TO DISCOVER THE SERIES THAT EVERYONE CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT: 'Yarros is the true inheritor of Harry Potter and inspires Hunger Games levels of devotion' Guardian 'Fear not, levels of fighting, rebelliousness and all-round sexiness are still sky-high' Daily Mail...

By Rebecca Yarros

Paperback

$22⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$39⁹⁹~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships today
Haunting Adeline

VIRAL BOOKTOK SENSATION AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR! The Manipulator I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me. I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh. But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave. He's always there, watching and waiting. And I can never look away....

By H. D. Carlton

Paperback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$37⁹⁹~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships today
Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...

By Matt Dinniman

Hardback

$46⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$60⁰⁰~~

(1)

In Stock
Ships today
A Court of Thorns and Roses

The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan – Time Harry Potter magic, Taylor Swift sass, Fifty Shades-level athleticism – The Sunday Times With bits of Buffy, Game of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series...

By Sarah J. Maas

Paperback

$21⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

(2)

In Stock
Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.