The Girl I Wanted To Be
by Sarah Grace McCandless
Published by Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
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Reviewed By Jocelyn Pearce
In The Girl I Wanted To Be, Sarah Grace McCandless introduces readers to a colorful, believable cast of characters.
Presley Moran is a high school freshman, named Presley by her mother's sister, Betsi, after Elvis. Presley's aunt, Betsi, was only a teenager when Presley was born, and Presley has never called the former homecoming queen "aunt" anything--she's always just been Betsi. Barry is Presley's cousin on her father's side, a senior at Presley's school; Presley seems to be known by other students just for being his cousin.
Presley Moran's is a coming of age story full of secrets. Since she was five years old, she has been Betsi's trusted confidante, and now Betsi has secrets that Presley isn't sure she wants to know. Presley, however, is growing up, and entering the adult world that Betsi's secrets are a part of. When Betsi and Barry aren't living up to Presley's ideas of them, she can't deal with it, and has to find someone who knows the secrets she does. Can Presley reconcile with her and realize they are real, imperfect people as well as being her idols?
McCandless is certainly brilliant at creating fantastic, life-like characters. Betsi and Barry are both idolized by Presley, and are painted by this brilliant writer as very real, complicated characters. Character development is another strength of hers. As this novel progresses, Presley really grows up from a child into a young adult.
Besides her strength at creating great characters, McCandless is also an amazing writer with an equally brilliant story to tell. It is a story of secrets, growing up, and seeing people, flawed as they may be, for who they are, and dealing with that.
Armchair Interviews says: It's a story that almost anyone can relate to, and this author tells it beautifully in The Girl I Wanted To Be.