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. 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 pressures: a story about shattered dreams, and about finding the strength to gather up the pieces and to learn to smile again.