“The Girl I Wanted to Be” is a story of growing up, growing wiser and suddenly realizing life isn't always what you

Simon & Schuster Paperbacks (2006)
ISBN 0743285182
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (7/06)


“The Girl I Wanted to Be” is a story of growing up, growing wiser and suddenly realizing life isn't always what you thought it was as a child.

A wonderful piece of fiction that encompasses the life of a young girl, coming of age as a teenager.  Like all of us, she couldn't wait for the time when she too would be one of the 'cool teens' that she admired as a young child.  But perhaps growing older has its consequences also, as she finds that the one person she loved and admired most had a lot more skeletons in her closet than one could ever imagine.  The seemingly perfect life of her Aunt Betsi, the same person who was given the exclusive honor of naming her niece Presley, starts to unravel before Presley's very eyes as she seems to venture down the right of passage to young adulthood.  Perhaps this seemingly cool, totally together woman whom Presley had looked up to her entire life wasn't exactly as together as she thought.  Family secrets no longer remain secret as you cross over to young adulthood and sometimes you realize that the one person in the world that you thought was who you really wanted to grow up to be like, might not really be the person you want to end up like anymore.

A touching, realistic piece of work that not only somehow grasps the reader in its holds immediately, there is some mystical power that the author seems to have over you that makes you want more and more.  I simply couldn't put it down, reading through the night until I finished.  Perhaps because the author does such a wonderful job at not only making you feel as though you too are a part of this family and learning the secrets but because you suddenly realize that every one of us has had this experience when we suddenly crossed over to adult hood and realized that life isn't always what it seems. 

Amazingly written.  Completely gripping.  This book could be enjoyed by young and old alike.  A completely realistic, down to earth novel that reminds us how quickly our lives change when we take that right to passage into growing up.