I Wanted to Be Wonderful

A Braided Novel

De: Lihi Lapid

Narrado por: Sara Sheckells

Instant National Bestseller

This book begins where most love stories leave off: at the beginning of real life.

I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character trying to live the happily-ever-after many imagine for themselves, and the second woman is inspired by the author herself, relating the most intimate moments of her life.

Both couples start their marriages full of idyllic happiness, but as the stressors of everyday life seep into their daily lives, that spark of young love begins to dim. In trenchant, thoughtful prose, Lihi Lapid tells a braided story of women struggling to live up to modern pressures: about shattered dreams; and about finding the strength to gather up the pieces and to learn to smile again.

©2025 Lihi Lapid (P)2025 Zibby Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A poignant and relatable exploration of adjusting to motherhood.” —Kirkus

“Gut-wrenching, powerful, lyrical, achingly raw . . . Lihi Lapid’s I Wanted to Be Wonderful will make every woman feel seen, even when she is hiding. Following the lives of two women in the early years of motherhood (one is the author herself), Lapid doesn’t miss a beat in her deeply honest, provocative exploration of motherhood, parenthood, womanhood, and marriage. Ultimately, Lapid teaches women that when we finally let go of all we've been carrying—we stop leaving pieces of ourselves behind. Brava!” —Lisa Barr, author of The Goddess of Warsaw

“Lihi Lapid’s new novel, I Wanted To Be Wonderful, is, quite simply, wonderful. Sharply observed, deeply felt, subterraneanly witty, and scrupulously told, it tracks in fine detail, sometimes painfully, the lives of two charming and prickly heroines, as they navigate life with small children. Riven by guilt and held (by whom?) to superhuman standards, the women find themselves at crosshairs with their husbands, ships passing in the night. They want the men to help without being asked. Their men for their part, would help if their wives asked. The killer line: ‘And their bed is more full of children than sex.’ This book deserves a wide audience but I recommend it particularly to new parents, fathers as well as mothers, so they might see how the other half lives.” —Susan Rieger, author of Like Mother, Like Mother

Relatable Novel on Marriage and Motherhood

This was a super unique listen. It starts off talking about a prince and princess and an heir, which is not at all what I expected this book to be about. But I quickly realized the author is switching back and forth between a fantasy version of what a woman thought her life would be like and the reality of what it is.

In this novel, Lapid explores marriage, motherhood, careers and how each change with the different phases of life. It was interesting to hear the comparisons between the fantasy and real life. I feel like everyone woman, wife, mother can relate to this.

So much of this novel really hit home for me, being 15 years into marriage with 2 young boys. My marriage has definitely gone through ebbs and flows, particularly as our careers changed, but mostly with parenthood. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day and life becoming just about the kids and the work and the house, that we have realized we need to work harder to stay connected, something we have not always been good at.

Additionally, the expectations of our roles as parents and in the home have been challenging at times. As women, we tend to take on the full management of the family, which was fine when women mostly stayed home and that was essentially their career. But as a career driven woman, these roles have had to shift to balance it all. And it seems while women have evolved, men haven’t in the way that would create the partnership needed for the life to be sustainable.

I Wanted to be Wonderful is such a relatable take on this midlife phase. I think it is a great read or listen for anyone in this stage!