I Wanted to Be Wonderful

by Lihi Lapid

This book begins where most love stories leave 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. It’s a story of metamorphosis, from independent working woman to mother, helpless in the face of the discovery that her daughter may need more from her than she ever thought possible.

In trenchant, thoughtful prose, Lihi Lapid tells a braided story of women struggling to live up to modern a story about shattered dreams, and about finding the strength to gather up the pieces and to learn to smile again.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Full of Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the description of this book, I felt I needed to read it because I am a wife and a mother. I don’t usually know what book I’m going to read because I can be really picky/moody and it really has to stand out to me. I decided to read the first page of this book just to see how it sounded and I couldn’t put it down.

I’ve never felt so seen by a book. I highlighted so much that I almost should’ve highlighted just the whole book. That’s how good this book was and how much the words on these pages spoke to me.

The way What to Expect When You’re Expecting is almost required reading for every pregnant woman, I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL should be required reading for every wife and mother. It is food for thought and a soothing balm for the soul. It is definitely going into my top book of the pile.

[Kelly - readinginthe419 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my heart! I adored this short (224 pages) novel with all my heart, both as a wife and as a mother.

I Wanted to Be Wonderful follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character, a princess, 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.

In beautifully rendered prose, Lapid reveals the transformation from newlywed to new parent and beyond. It is touching in so many unexpected ways and made me recall many similar feelings as I was struggling to balance babies and young children, work, housekeeping, and being a spouse. There were many times I felt like everyone but me had it figured out. In reality, not many women do. This was such a rich and refreshing examination of how hard that struggle to be wonderful can be and the toll it takes.

I loved the dual perspectives and narrative structure of this book. Here, Lapid did away with standard chapters and forced breaks, simply allowing each woman time to examine their lives and their feelings in alternate timelines. It can be easy to compare one's own life to someone else's, but our vision of perfection and comparisons to others often gets in the way of real happiness.

And this one good moment plus another one is what happiness made of. Because happiness is something that suddenly emerges, illuminating the sky for one second, or one moment, and then it passes. It's so easy to miss them, those tiny moments of happiness.

This was such a beautiful story I'd highly recommend to other women, especially those with young children or with friends or loved ones coping with motherhood. It is both poignant and wholly relatable.

Rounding up to 4.5⭐️

Many thanks to Zibby Publishing and NetGalley for complimentary digital ARC of this book.

[LaGaryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Sharon]

DNF - page 111 (50%)
(January 29, 2026)

I tried really hard, but I just do not connect with stories where the primary focus is motherhood.

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous and devastating narrative about motherhood and the quest for perfection - that we put on ourselves, that society puts on us, that we perceive others expect of us - and what that quest does to us as women, mothers and partners.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all men about to embark on fatherhood, and for all women deep in the trenches of motherhood to feel like they’re not alone.

I Wanted to Be Wonderful braids together a story of two women in the first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character trying to live the standard happily-ever-after we see in portrayed in society; the second woman is inspired by the author herself, relating intimate moments from her own life.

Both start idyllic, filled with happy marriages and the spark of young love. Over time, we see both go from independent working women to mothers and the sacrifices each make to live up to the idealized image of motherhood.

I found this book to be so on point with how I have felt – and still feel many times – about the standards we set for ourselves to be wonderful mothers. At times, I felt that I was reading my own story in beautiful, thoughtful prose, and it made me feel both seen and saddened that we feel such modern pressures to be good mothers. This book will resonate with me, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Lihi Lapid, Zibby Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. What a beautiful book. The way it’s written and narrated is so unique and poetic. It’s a creative way to showcase the stories of 2 women out of so many that struggle and endure as they navigate life as women, mothers, and wives. This book felt magic and emotional to read. This is a timeless tale and again so so relatable for every woman.

[Tali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short read with a powerful punch. Motherhood and womanhood are examined through two women: one is written as a princess after the “happily ever after” ending, and the other is a very realistic portrayal of the struggles of being a wife and mother and balancing your own and societal expectations, judgments, ideals, ambitions, and being a whole person while giving so much of yourself away. This was so relatable and honest. Women fought to have it all, but we are expected to do it ALL: raise kids, keep house, stay sexy, be nurturing, support our partner, have a career, have ambition, smash glass ceilings, and somehow still have time for ourselves … if we can remember who that even is. Lihi Lapid wrote the main character based on her own experiences and the princess at the “perfect” woman we observe from the outside and strive to be. Reality creeps into the narrative and breaks down those barriers of observation vs real life. So much in this story resonated. I applaud Lapid for challenging what we understand to be a woman’s path and goal in life. I very much enjoyed the ending and the realizations the main character had about her own experiences and the ones she observes from the outside. It was a very validating read.

[Sharada Mohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tender and introspective portrayal of what it means to be a woman caught between love, motherhood, and selfhood.

Thanks Zibby Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley.

#IWantedToBeWonderful is a uniquely written short novel by Lihi Lapid and is partly inspired by the author’s own life experience. We follow a young woman on the brink of becoming a wife and another “princess” finding her “prince” - imagining a happily ever after kind of life. As newly-weds, they revel in the haze of romance before being drawn into the demanding rhythm of parenthood and everyday life.

Seeking joy amidst chaos, losing themselves slowly, will these women learn to smile again?

This is a novel without named characters. Though I initially struggled with that, I gradually warmed up to both women’s stories. As someone who married early and is now a mother myself, this book spoke to me in ways I never expected.

There’s nothing earth-shattering about this novel — yet Lapid’s lyrical writing captures the quiet truths of early motherhood: the postpartum blues, exhaustion, identity crises, the loss of balance, fading careers, and the relentless pursuit of perfection despite it all.

The narrative shifts between the two women, whose lives are very different, yet bound by the same yearning — to be the most wonderful mother to their children, even at great cost to themselves, while they navigate the world’s unattainable expectations.

The author emphasises upon the unrealistic benchmarks modern women are subjected to, the harsh judgements and the gravity of what is at stake when juggling the mundane banalities of the daily grind. The novel also gently explores raising children with special needs, portraying the heartbreak and resilience that come with it.

Lapid’s prose brims with poignancy, packing a universe of emotions into just 200 pages. By the end, I was stunned by how deeply it resonated — and how much of it felt like my own story.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Wanted to Be Wonderful (thank you #gifted @zibbypublishing ) is part memoir(ish), part novel about what it means to be a wife and mother amidst all of society's expectations. And sometimes more importantly, your own.

With keen insight, Lapid intertwines two different stories. One inspired by her own life, a young wife struggling to find her happiness among the sleepless nights and monotony of young children. The other is about the prince and princess, who had a fairytale wedding and now expect the fairytale life.

Most of it made me feel so seen. The love for a child, but also the exhaustion and confusion. The sacrifices expected of mothers.

I bookmarked so many quotes: "I didn't want to be good enough at anything...That wasn't why I had left the professional path...I had a baby because I wanted to be wonderful. To fly high on the wings of the purest and truest love of them all."

There was a part where I felt judged as a stay at home mom. One who's not currently trying to find a job other than raising my children. But it ends acknowledging how detrimental it is to compare your own life to anyone else's. How our vision of perfection gets in the way of our happiness and the support we can offer each other. Which is a message we all need to hear sometimes.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly relatable story about the myth of the happily ever after story of modern motherhood wherein the 'princess' is the one who ends up trading in her career for staying home and looking after the children and no one actually ends up happy.

Creatively told, this fictional anti-fairy tale reads like a memoir and will be extremely relatable for all the wives and mothers raging against the inequity of the work-life balance in so many homes. The story also has an added layer with the challenges of having a mostly nonverbal autistic child and the extra responsibilities that come with that.

Good on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like Libby Ward's Honest Motherhood. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and finished physical copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @zibbypublishing for my #gifted copy of I Wanted to Be Wonderful! #IWantedToBeWonderful #ZibbyPublishing #ZibbyBooks #ZibbyBooksAmbassador #LihiLapid

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐢𝐡𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰

What a wonderful (no pun intended) that follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is fictional and trying to live a happily ever after life that so many of us imagine having (think prince/princess). The other woman was inspired by the author, looking to find happiness as the day to day stress begins to impact married life. It’s a story about self-discovery and going from being an independent woman to then being a mother who is relied upon by so many.

It felt like part novel part memoir and I loved the way it read. I really connected with this book. I found the two perspectives to really make me reflect on my own previous and current thoughts on motherhood. It’s the type of book that will really make you think. While not a long read, it’s one that will stick with you long after you finish the last page!

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Wanted to Be Wonderful by Lihi Lapid. Thanks to @zibbybooks for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The lives of two women starting marriage and motherhood are followed.

This is the absolutely perfect title for this book; and really for motherhood in general. This book is short but sit with it and take your time. The writing is beautiful and poetic, but it tells two genuine and meaningful stories of regular life as well.

“I was the mother of a newborn baby girl and a thirteen-month boy. And I thought that if only I had tried hard enough, I’d succeed. Because I’d been told my entire life, that it depended only on me.”

I Wanted to Be Wonderful comes out 11/4.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Zibby Publishing for the #gifted finished copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

CW: miscarriage, birth, depression, child with special needs

Quick intro:
Told in alternating POVs, this book is a raw and real peek into the complexities, difficulties, and deep joys of the first few years of marriage and motherhood.

Quick thoughts:
Listen, motherhood is hard and it is a trip. I felt so seen in this book. There are so many complicated feelings that accompany becoming a mother, forfeiting a career, and being the one person your baby physically relies on to live. And this book gave voice to my feelings. At times it was difficult to read, because it felt so close to home and reflective of my reality, yet other times it was a delight. The pressures. The expectations - real and felt. The frustrations. The struggles. The judgment. The happiness. It is all a wild wild trip. And Lihi captured it all beautifully and honestly and I felt so incredibly seen and held. At only 214 pages, this is a quick read with an emotional punch - one which I would recommend.

[reese b · Rating 3 out of 5]

THANK YOU @ Zibby for letting me sneak a peak at this early!!

This book was a lot different than i expected. It was full of motherhood experience and the joys of having children but also the difficulties of being a whole human and wife. It was a difficult read because her experience was difficult. And yet there is joy and love and life!

Will reread one day when I am also a mother!

[Laura Bleill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read yet sincerely realistic view of modern motherhood seen through the lens of parallel lives - one very transparent, the other a fairy tale that goes awry.

Written by an Israeli author, there is not much that really gives the setting away unless you are really paying attention. This could be any modern woman anywhere who loses herself in the trap that is motherhood perfection.

In some ways it was all too real and I felt like I was reading a sociological study - hence it has an understated value that is lurking under the surface. Lots to discuss and this would make for a solid (albeit kind of depressing) book club selection.

3.75/5 listened on audio.

[Heather Zeaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every mother and wife needs to read this book. Loved it, loved her writing and honesty!!! 5 star read for sure!!

[Pearl Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! Highly recommend.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Wanted to be Wonderful took me back to the hazy newborn days. The sleepless nights, the demands I put on myself and the pressure I felt to be the perfect mother/human in general while I became an empty shell, pouring from a cup that was bone dry.

Lihi Lapid is brutally honest in her novel, which is told from two different perspectives. One ‘fairytale’ point of view of motherhood, and another based on her own personal experiences. I think this would be a great book for new mums who feel the heavy weight of expectation.

[nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and Zibby Publishing for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review! I wanted to Be Wonderful by Lihi Lapid is a deeply reflective novel that explores motherhood, marriage, identity, and the societal pressures women often place on themselves in trying to live up to being an ideal woman living an ideal life.

The book weaves together two narratives, each centered on a woman navigating the emotional and practical realities of family life. I found the original narrative structure and choice to not use any actual names intriguing. And I thought it was clever to have the two stories visually distinguished with different fonts. One narrative is told in a more traditional first-person voice, where the narrator simply refers to herself as "I" and her partner as "my man". The other is framed like a fairy tale, where the woman is called "princess" and her husband "prince". Interestingly, in both narratives, the children are referred to as "heirs" and "heiresses".

I think that the fairy-tale framing is the novel's most compelling device. From the outside looking in, the "princess" appears to have everything: a loving husband, beautiful children, a clean home, impressive career accomplishments, a perfect life. But beneath the surface, she is quietly struggling with the impossible pressure to be the perfect mother, wife, and person. The internal struggle of always putting everyone else first to your own detriment, never asking for help, keeping any sign of struggle hidden, always striving to do everything "right", but always feeling like you're failing. The fairy-tale device highlights to the extreme how the pursuit of perfection can eat away at self-worth and happiness rather than protect it.

Lapid uses this structure to expose a powerful contrast between the stories we tell publicly and the thoughts we only admit privately. Much of the novel reads like a journal, revealing the kinds of doubt, guilt, jealousy, exhaustion, and resentment that never surface in everyday conversation when people are asked how things are going and they simply say, "Oh, everything is great!".

Traditional fairy tales end when the prince and the princess fall in love and ride off into the sunset to "live happily ever after". One of the ideas Lapid explores that really struck me is what "ever after" might truly look like. Both women start off their stories with the same milestones of marrying their true love, becoming pregnant, joyful and excited for the future. What's unique is we get to see the small and large changes that follow and how the realities of marriage, motherhood, and family life can be mundane, messy, complicated, and demanding.

The honesty within this book really moved me. It speaks openly about the difficulty of balancing work, parenting, partnership, and sense of self. Different themes such as gender roles, labor division, and parenting children with disabilities are also explored. One of the main threads throughout the novel reflects upon how easily comparison creeps into everything- it impacts what we do, when we do it, and how we feel about and view ourselves. I feel it's inevitable and almost inherent to measure our lives against others', but allowing the mentality of constant comparison to take over can exhaust our souls, drain our self-esteem, and erode the joy in our own lives.

At it's heart, I Wanted to Be Wonderful is a quiet yet heartbreaking meditation on expectations, identity, and womanhood. It unearths and analyzes the gap between the lives we imagine and the lives we actually live. Readers drawn to introspective, emotionally honest fiction may find this novel particularly resonant, especially those interested in literary explorations of motherhood and experimental narrative structures.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Wanted to Be Wonderful by Lihi Lapid
Thank you to Zibby Publishing for my gifted copy of this heartbreakingly honest and sneakily funny novel.

Let’s just get this out of the way: this is not a light read about perfect marriages and cute babies who sleep eight hours a night while their flawless mothers glow and sip organic tea. This book is about what happens when all the Pinterest boards crash into real life. I Wanted to Be Wonderful is not just a title, it’s a haunting, self-inflicted mantra—like the internal voice of every woman who thought she could have it all, then realized “all” comes with laundry, loneliness, and a husband who somehow never hears the baby crying at 2 a.m.

Lihi Lapid splits the narrative between two women—one fictional and one modeled after herself—and somehow both feel more real than half the people I know. One lives in a fairytale-turned-grim-reality, the other is in the trenches of special needs parenting and the slow disintegration of her former self. Spoiler alert: this book isn’t here to make you feel better. It’s here to make you feel seen. And wow, does it succeed.

The prose is lyrical without being self-indulgent, intimate without being invasive. At times it reads like a confession. At others, like a battle report. And occasionally, it’s so deadpan you’ll laugh out loud and then feel guilty about it, because—surprise!—that’s motherhood too.

“I was the mother of a newborn baby girl and a thirteen-month boy. And I thought that if only I had tried hard enough, I’d succeed. Because I’d been told my entire life, that it depended only on me.”
Yep. That line? Ripped straight from the secret handbook all mothers pretend doesn’t exist but silently internalize anyway.

This novel is short, but it lingers. Like spit-up on a black shirt or that feeling when you realize it’s 4:00 p.m. and you haven’t eaten or peed. You won’t breeze through this book, and you shouldn’t. You’ll want to sit with it, cry a little, nod along, maybe text a mom friend and say, “Read this. You’ll get it.”

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. Will it cheer you up? Probably not. But it will remind you that “wonderful” is a moving target, and sometimes just making it through the day is enough of a win.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)

#IWantedToBeWonderful #LihiLapid #ZibbyPublishing #WomensFiction #MotherhoodBooks #MarriageAfterKids #RealLifeReads #MomLit #BooksThatHitHard #HonestFiction #ParentingTruths #BookReview #NewBooks2025

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in Hebrew in 2008, Eshet Chayil by Lihi Lapid was translated into English in 2013 as Woman of Valor, published by Gefen. After the success of her 2024 novel in translation, On Her Own, Zibby Media has now re-released Eshet Chayil as I Wanted to Be Wonderful. Part memoir, part fairytale/allegory and part fiction, the narrative alternates between the story of an Israeli mother (based on Lapid herself) and the fairytale of a "Princess" and "Prince" and their two "Heirs." According to the Jewish Book Council, "I Want­ed to be Won­der­ful joins a grow­ing body of lit­er­a­ture explor­ing the messy con­tours of mater­nal discontent." There isn't much of a plot, nor is there a strong sense of time and place. It all seemed very detached to me and I had a hard time discerning between the two narratives. However, the character's manifesto at the end of the book stopped me in my tracks: "To stop deliberating so much. To know that sometimes I can make mistakes and that there's nothing wrong with that . . . to know that there will be days when I won't be sure that I'm doing the right thing, and to understand that there's always tomorrow . . . To make certain that my son is happy, and that he receives all the support he needs, and to understand that I won't always be able to help him . . . To dedicate time to my wonderful parents, yet not to overly involve them in all that I'm going through . . . To learn how to manage my time correctly . . . To drink more water. To dance at least once a month . . . To remember that I'm allowed to say no. Nothing will happen. The worst that will happen is that someone won't like me. There will always be people who won't like me. To set boundaries on the amount of advice and criticism that I'm willing to listen to. To stop thinking that I'm the only one who can do things like they should be done. To stop saying to myself that it's simpler to do things myself than to ask someone else . . . To learn how to accept help gracefully. To let anyone who wants to help me, help me. To learn how to ask for help . . . And to buy only comfortable shoes. To seize opportunities. To try things and to realize that it's okay to fail. And it's okay to fail. And to stop complaining, already."

[Heidi Shertok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorry for this long book review, but I felt so seen reading I Wanted to Be Wonderful by Lihi Lapid that I had to give it the attention it deserves.

In honest, raw prose, Lapid delivers a multifaceted story about love, sacrifice, and the everyday pressures we women face as wives and mothers. Revealed through the lens of two married women—one fictional, one real—are society’s gender imbalances, the burden of being everything for everyone, and the judgment that follows when our houses or children don’t measure up to community standards.

Having a child who eats clay at a birthday party, who runs away the moment you turn your back, who doesn’t respond to her name, who stares at nothing for hours at a time—there is no fairytale when you’re the mother of a child with special needs.

Lapid writes that as young women, we were promised everything would be wonderful as long as we did everything right and tried our hardest.

We wanted to be wonderful.

I’m tearing up as I write this because I, too, am the mother of a child with special needs. I know the fear that grips you when your baby misses every milestone and is diagnosed with “failure to thrive.” The envy that comes from seeing other people’s babies crawl while yours can’t even hold up his own head. The endless appointments with doctors and specialists and therapists. The constant guilt you carry because you know your other children aren’t getting the attention they deserve. The endless wondering about what you did wrong and whose fault it was that your child ended up this way. The shame of people seeing the piles of dirty dishes in the sink and the laundry that has yet to be put away. The strain it takes on your marriage. Fantasizing about running away, if only for a little while.

And yet, my journey as a writer began because of this child. Because he was unable to eat and wouldn’t accept bottles, I had little else to do while stuck in bed nursing him for two and a half years. I wrote and self-published a rom-com called AND ALONG CAME LAYLA—long before I knew about story structure or character development or even what a query letter was. But it gave me the confidence to believe I could be a writer. And ten years later, I was dual represented by two literary agents, one film agent, and had secured three international publishing deals.

Although life isn’t a fairytale, there are silver linings. This child of mine is the sweetest, kindest, and most positive human I’ve ever met. And without him, I might never have had the platform I have today. I might never have met Zibby Owens or Alison Hammer and had the honor of being a founding member of The Artists Against Antisemitism.

I might never have had the opportunity to contribute to the USA Today bestseller ON BEING JEWISH NOW. I might never have met my soulmate friend and Queen of Jewish Romance, Jean Meltzer, or been hired as the Community Engagement and Partnership Head of Jewish Joy.

I might never have had the pleasure of helping build a community where Jewish book lovers feel safe, or organizing Jewish Joy Con—an event that celebrates Jewish creatives and businesses facing antisemitism.

In summary—if you’re still reading this 🤪—life is often not what we expect it to be. It’s never-ending challenges and uphill battles that throw us off our original path. But that’s what makes it wonderful, too. Don’t you think?

https://zibbymedia.com/products/i-wan...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nothing I expected and everything I didn't know I needed.

I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL is an honest and heartfelt examination of marriage and motherhood through the eyes of two woman; one real and one fictional. In the third decade of marriage and with two grown children, the early days of motherhood still resonate with me. The pressure to pretend you have it all figured out. The terrifying recognition that you don't. The second guessing every single choice you make, every option you choose, every thought that circulates through your sleep deprived brain. The fear that you are doing everything wrong and losing yourself in the process. The questions you are afraid to ask to avoid judgement because somehow you are supposed to know this stuff simply because you are a woman. The help you need but will not ask for because this motherhood gig is your job. The frustrations with your partner who is also trying his/her best to function within the societal and cultural expectations of their new role. The fear of upsetting the fragile equilibrium that gets you through the day.

All of that is juxtaposed with the complete and utter devotion to the life now entirely relying on you for everything. You are exhausted and running on fumes fueled by love. You are a mother. You are a wife. You are never alone, yet you are lonely.

Lihi Lapid captures it all. She speaks with the voice of generations of women. She hears us. I have never felt so seen.

This is a short, yet powerful book. Poignant and real. Raw and honest. It spoke to me. Lapid is on my radar as a must read author now and I will be looking for whatever she publishes next.

Thank you to Zibby Publishing for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Traci (the_real_bookkeeper) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Talia Carner · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I've read the novel in its Hebrew version)

With a sure-penned and lyrical prose, Lihi Lapid paints a kaleidoscopic canvas of the push and pull experienced by a young mother striving to have it all. The tension between the idealistic, well-meaning expectations against the reality of motherhood and marriage is palpable in every paragraph.

The protagonist, featuring herself and her husband as a prince and a princess, and their babies as the heirs to the kingdom, learn very soon that motherhood means constant fatigue, unfulfilled dreams, and alienation from the husband who struggles in the outside world. Not only he fails to understand the difficulties of her daily life--and help--but he expects the understanding, supportive wife he needs at the end of the day.

Recalling their wedding day and their marriage vows, they are set up for disappointment.

In the Hebrew version, woven throughout the novel are letters the author received from women sharing their own struggles, failures, heartbreaks, all demonstrating to her than she is not alone in the reality of life. In the English version they are wisely consolidated into one specific woman, whose story echos the first with its different set of challenges, all describe with intimate details that never lose their flavor even in the drudgery of child-rearing.

This book is perfect for continuing the conversation in book club settings. Highly recommended.

[Helya · Rating 4 out of 5]

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This short book of just over 200 pages packed a huge punch. I went into it pretty blind, only knowing that it explored the journey of motherhood. Little did I know how deeply it would speak to both my past self and the mother and wife I am today. This story is powerful, relatable, and an absolute must read for new mothers and fathers. It beautifully captures the shift from early marriage to a life transformed by children. It gives voice to what so many women feel but are too afraid to say out loud, the pressure to be perfect, the identity crisis of motherhood, and the constant comparison we face. I truly connected with this heartfelt story, which ends with a simple yet powerful message. It would make a fantastic book club pick. One unique touch I loved is that no names are mentioned, making it easy for every reader to see themselves reflected in these characters.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
🤰🏻Motherhood
💍Marriage
🗣️Dual narrative
🔀Parallel lives
💡Self discovery
🌎Reality vs. Expectations
🥺Raw and vulnerable
💭Quotes that speak to you

🤰🏻𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🤰🏻
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝓈𝑒𝓅𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈𝓃'𝓉. 𝒯𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝑔𝑜. 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓌𝒶𝓎.”

🙏 Thank you Zibby Books for this gifted book in exchange for my honest thoughts.💕

[Sarah Obsesses over Books & Cookies · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Okay so I read Her Only Regret a couple weeks ago which just craps all over motherhood. Like two of the three female characters hated being moms and complained about everything and there was no room for any other opinion. And all men are evil.

This book takes a similar theme... that of struggling with motherhood and being a woman and wife and adds NUANCE to it. Which makes it so achingly relatable.

We never know the names of the two women written about. One is called the Princess and told in the third person and one is the first person pov and their lives run parallel with meeting their husbands and the idyllic view of marriage and having children and most importantly what happens after happily every ever. I suspect one of the women's stories is autobiographical which added the realness of the struggles. Being a wife is hard especially after children when your role is ripped in two; wife/mother. The women strive to be the best moms (especially to a special needs child), they each 'wanted to be wonderful' and they wanted the romance and for their men to step up and into their roles as fathers.

The books is very short and can be very quickly read and I appreciated the author's take on real hardship in raising a family when you feel like you're losing yourself.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Wanted to Be Wonderful follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character, a princess, trying to live the happily-ever-after that culture promises. The second woman is inspired by the author herself, but could be inspired by many of us.

Each story presents real, flawed, and distinct women, trying to live up to her notions of what makes a good wife and good mother. The reader is brought into their intimate thoughts, their hopes, dreams, disappointments and failures. The thoughts of these women are relatable because so many of us have struggled with similar self-doubts, frustrations and worries. My children are now adults, but I well remember the emotional toll of those early years. I remember the fatigue that made my thinking all the more difficult. I remember thinking that all the other mothers were better than me. That somehow they had cracked the code and I was alone. Very, very alone.

This is a deeply nuanced book, that will resonate with most women. And, it made me think that perhaps we should talk more openly about the realities of life.

Thank you @ZibbyPublishing for the #gifted copy!

[Sylvia Abrams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in an afternoon and evening. Lapid grabs the reader with her two narratives: the princess and her family and the narrator and her family. Only at the end do the two narratives join. The overarching theme of this short novel, translated from the Hebrew, is that modern young women are falsely promised that they can have it all: a successful career, a loving husband and brilliant children. The reader squirms with the narrator as she suffers miscarriages, finally two births of a boy and a girl, the loss of her first career, the reality of dealing with an autistic child and the trials of holding on to a loving husband in such a difficult reality. Her narrative is contrasted with that of the “Princess” whose life looks so successful to the outsider. This short novel will leave the reader with much to mull over about whether modern feminism has promised more than reality can deliver.