I saw TLJ and it SUCKS

Rey had already been aware of the Force by that point. If you'll recall, those scenes follow her freakout after finding the lightsaber, and after the dried apricot lady flat out stated that Rey had a connection to the Force. She does have his powers and she's well-aware of it by that point. The only question for her is whether she will embrace them and or whether she will run from them to avoid taking on the responsibility (again, this is in character, as she is reluctant to take on responsibilities but her conscience or circumstances often forces her to do exactly that).

So yes, it was implied to her very strongly that she could use the Force. It was a pivotal moment for her character and again, all this stuff was set up and didn't come out of nowhere.

I can see saying it wasn't executed well or that the pace was rushed, but in terms of storytelling, it covered its bases just fine in terms of setting up a logical progression.