Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create accountShop Small Sale
Shop our limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks. Don’t miss out—purchases support local bookstores.
Shop the saleLimited-time offer
Get two free audiobooks!
Now’s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, we’ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.
Sign up todayThe Girl I Wanted to Be
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn moreAs a lowly freshman, Presley Moran walks high school corridors paved with the stuff of family legend. Her cousin, Barry, a senior heartthrob and brainy varsity letterman, insists that looking good on paper is the key to success. But Presley’s young aunt Betsi, a former homecoming queen, has her own ideas about good looks and how to use them.
“Can you keep a secret?” Betsi asks Presley, who, at age fourteen, is eager to enter the adult world of beauty, attraction, and romance. But as Presley is about to discover, some secrets should never be revealed. Will the illicit thrill of being a trusted confidante be worth the consequences of guilt by association?
Propelled by the crash of falling idols, The Girl I Wanted to Be is a timeless and true portrait of passion, loss, and hard-won wisdom.
Sarah Grace McCandless, a graduate of Michigan State, resides in Washington D.C. where she is a freelance writer contributing to several publications including Venus, Mudsugar, and Daily Candy.
Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. She has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career. With over four hundred titles to her credit, her narration spans nearly every genre, from nonfiction to mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and children’s fiction. AudioFile magazine says, “Marguerite Gavin…has a sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion.”
Reviews
“From the start of this thoughtful novel it’s clear that the girl who 14-year-old Presley Moran wants to be is her vivacious, daring and alcoholic aunt, Betsi.”
“Gavin reads slowly, allowing the story to unfold from the young protagonist’s perspective...McCandless emphasizes the crises in a teenager’s life as she learns about life, friends, and family loyalty.”
“McCandless’ coming-of-age-story is recounted by seasoned narrator Gavin, who breathes life into the characters, especially teenage protagonist Presley Moran…Through changes in vocal intensity and tone, Gavin displays appropriate emotion, enabling listeners to feel the characters’ sorrow and joy.”
“Presley’s voice comes through with a believable mixture of confusion, innocence, and growing wisdom.”
Expand reviews