Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Girl She Used to Be
    Unavailable
    The Girl She Used to Be
    Unavailable
    The Girl She Used to Be
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Girl She Used to Be

    Written by David Cristofano

    Narrated by Emily Beresford

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In this "[i]ntense, romantic debut," a woman who has lost her identity to the Witness Protection Program flirts with trusting her life to the Mafioso hired to kill her (Publisher's Weekly).
    When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others—everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateAug 21, 2012
    ISBN9781469220192
    Unavailable
    The Girl She Used to Be
    Author

    David Cristofano

    David Cristofano has earned degrees in government and politics, and computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park and has worked for different branches of the federal government for over a decade. His short works have been published by Like Water Burning and McSweeney’s. He currently works in the Washington, D.C., area, where he lives with his wife, son, and daughter. The Girls She Used to Be is his first novel.

    Related to The Girl She Used to Be

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Family Still Waiting For Justice

      Nov 7, 2020

      Family Still Waiting For Justice
      3 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Books

      Jun 16, 2023

      Top 10 Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Shame Is Ever-Present When You’re Sitting in a Cell

      Oct 23, 2020

      Between a strained relationship with my family and the death of a good friend, I’ve struggled to feel like I’m worth something.

      5 min read

    • Article

      TOWN & COUNTRY

      Jun 1, 2022

      TOWN & COUNTRY
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Son.

      Jun 3, 2021

      A Letter To My Son.
      7 min read

    • Article

      Here’s What I Don’t Say

      Jun 1, 2019

      Here’s What I Don’t Say
      13 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Oct 20, 2023

      WOULD you keep you kid out of school simply to let them play and have fun if they’re over the age of six? A mental health day, is how one mom in the US puts it – and, unsurprisingly, others have plenty to say about it. I’d love to know what you think

      5 min read

    • Article

      Winning Letter

      Jan 26, 2024

      I CLEARLY remember the day I was dropped off at university as a young and nervous first-year student. My mom, aunt and uncle helped me unpack and settle into my res room before giving me a tight hug and wishing me well on my new chapter. I watched th

      6 min read

    • Article

      Mind the Gap

      Feb 13, 2018

      Mind the Gap
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mr. Rogers Changed My Life

      Aug 27, 2021

      Mr. Rogers Changed My Life
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Few Words to the Graduates

      Jun 11, 2018

      A Few Words to the Graduates
      7 min read

    • Article

      Henry Winkler

      Jan 8, 2024

      Henry Winkler
      6 min read

    • Article

      Adulting in Motion: The Millions Interviews Emma Straub

      May 1, 2020

      I was working to better understand women in my mother's generation—maybe mothers in all generations—mothers who are further down the road than I am. The post Adulting in Motion: The Millions Interviews Emma Straub appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      A Chip Off The Old Block

      Jun 5, 2022

      A Chip Off The Old Block
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Letter To My Son

      Mar 5, 2020

      A Letter To My Son
      7 min read

    • Article

      Ask A Silly Question

      Aug 5, 2022

      I SIT IN THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE. He asks: “So, when did you know?” I say: “Always.” Because I’ve heard that simplicity gets results. It is one phrase that has spanned my lifetime. No matter what setting, country or occasion, it remains un defeatable. Li

      12 min read

    • Article

      Alan Cumming

      Nov 1, 2021

      Alan Cumming
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mark Strong

      Oct 25, 2021

      Mark Strong
      5 min read

    • Article

      She Wants You To Know

      Jul 20, 2022

      It was the late 1990s and I was in sixth grade, when I first fell in love. Or whatever you want to call it at that age. His name was Peter T and he was everything I’d ever envisioned falling for. That is, after seeing the back of his head five-hundre

      4 min read

    Reviews for The Girl She Used to Be

    3.5/5

    201 ratings39 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I knew little about the Witness Protection Program before I picked up this book and most of that had been gleaned from too many episodes of Law and Order. One thinks of the people safely away living quiet lives but are they ever truly safe? And I never gave a thought to a child growing up with multiple names and identities. That made this a very intriguing premise for a book. I'm sure most people would find it interesting. It is well written and quite hard to put down. Mr. Cristofano writes very well in the voice of a woman.I felt a variety of emotions through the book which to me tells me the author did a very good job. Melody Grace caused me grief, annoyance,anger, happiness and more. She made me curious. She, at times made me want to slap her and tell her to grow up! This made her a very well developed character.I did not see the ending coming. Also a very good thing in a book. I can't say I was happy with the ending but life does not always play out as we would like, now does it? Others may find it totally satisfying.
    • 5/5
      There was just something about this book. I really loved it and couldn't put it down. At first I wasn't thrilled with the Melody character. She didn't have the life she dreamed she would have. When she first meets Jonathan I wasn't sure how it would end since he's the son of the mafia boss. I think I may have even cried at the end. Jonathan and Melody found in each other what they were both missing. There was only ever one Mr. Emerson.
    • 3/5
      Interesting insight into witness protection. Well written but would have preferred less sappiness in the love story angle.
    • 2/5
      From the book jacket: When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, but the program took Melody’s name, her home, her family, and ultimately her innocence. Now twenty years later … when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in yet another new town, she’s stunned by a man who accosts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to find her, knows her, the real her, and it’s a thrill Melody can’t resist.My reactionThat last half-sentence from the book jacket should have warned me (that is, if I’d read the jacket in advance). But I’ll get to that later.On the positive side, Cristofano writes a fast-paced suspense filled story full of twists and turns. Like Melody herself, the reader doesn’t know whom to trust, which story is factual, which person truly has her best interests at heart. I was quickly hooked and turning pages far into the night. But then …That “thrill” that Melody feels coming from the Don’s son, Jonathan... Sure he buys her nice clothes, corrects himself when tempted to swear in front of her, comes to her defense when a college boy bothers her in a bar, and buys her wonderful meals with fine wine. But he’s hardly a candidate for “best boyfriend.” WHAT is she thinking?! What is HE thinking?! The situation just stretches credulity too far in my opinion. At the end I’m left just shaking my head and muttering “Huh?”
    • 5/5
      Wow!

      First novel, fantastic book! Melody Grace and her parents witnessed a brutal murder and were torn from their lives and put into the witness protection program. 20 years later, Melody (aka Sandra, Michelle, May, Shelly, etc.) is found by the son of the Mafia boss her parents testified against. Instead of killing her, as instructed by his father, Jonathan hopes to save her.

      Wonderfully written, this book really gives a sense of the complete disconnection felt by someone whose life is uprooted and reshaped every time a whiff of fear is in the air. And the ending was perfect! :)
    • 4/5
      Similar to Nicholas Sparks' writing style, this is a gentle, entertaining holiday read which will appeal to all the romantics out there.
    • 3/5
      When a young six year old girl and her parents witness a murder in a restaurant it leads to years of being in a witness protection program. She is 26 years old when the story begins and still on the run and moved to different locations often and she is tired of never being the person she wants to be. A witty and sometimes funny book and a good read.
    • 3/5
      A fun, but insubstantial, read.
    • 4/5
      This book by David Cristofano was a cute, quick read. Being the naughty type of reader I am, I judged the book by it's cover too quickly. I figured it would be another chick lit/feel good type of book. Don't get me wrong, there was definitely that feel to it, but it ended up being a little more. Melody and her family witnessed a horrific act of violence as a child and has been in the Witness Protection Program ever since. It was meant to keep her safe, but safe is the last thing she's felt since she was forced into the program. She comes face to face with her past and everything she thought she knew changes. Honestly, what I enjoyed most about this book is that the voice and mannerisms of the female character were pretty dead on and the author is a male. I can usually tell if a female character is written by a male, but he did a great job with Melody. I give this book a B.
    • 3/5
      I *wanted* to like this book: it's well-written; the premise is intriguing; parts of it are set in Baltimore. But the male author writes his female protagonist as if he's never actually talked to a woman about anything *important* before. Women do not talk this way. Women do not act this way, esp not with creeps hitting on them. Women who are being terrorized and traumatized are not inordinately concerned about their boyfriends' feelings right then. He writes women like (I would guess) he wants to think women are. And his male protagonist wasn't particularly believable either. And the whole 'virginity' thing, and wanting only your true love to be inside you, forever, was just oogy. Dude, she's 26, not 13. Grow up. However, I'd be interested to read other fiction the author writes. Because I was interested enough to finish the whole thing, despite its problems.
    • 4/5
      Imagine chaning your name and your town at the drop of the hat. That is the way Melody has been living since she was six years old and was placed in Witness Protection with her parents. Melody has spent her life on the run, not even really living just existing. Now she is getting a chance at a "normal" life from the most unexpected person. I really enjoyed this book, a great summer read!!
    • 1/5
      I agree completely with another reviewer, Ridgeway girl. This is chick lit written by a man. If you are satisfied with a lot of fluff and having your intelligence insulted in exchange for an afternoon's entertainment, this is your read. I don't care how starved I am for human affection, I would never "fall in love" with a mobster whose father put out a successful hit on my parents. DUMB, DUMB, DUMB "Melody Grace" is not the role model I want for my daughter.
    • 5/5
      The lead character's conversational voice made for a very easy read and an interesting flow. I enjoyed the believable frustration with the governmental attempts at protection and intervention. And I was pleasantly surprised at the morality of the ending.
    • 2/5
      This book is about a young woman who has spent her life from the age of six living in the Federal Witness Protection Program because of a mob murder witnessed by her family twenty years earlier. Her parents having been found and murdered, she lives her live both bored and afraid. She longs for relationships, but how can she connect with another person when she can't tell them the truth? Then she meets the son of the mob boss who had her parents killed and she is drawn to him, mainly because he knows who she is. I was intrigued, but in this case the whole adds up to much less than that idea.Melody, who has also been known as Michelle, May and Anne, has a good sense of how unfair life is. She's hard to get to know, beyond her constantly renewed sense of grievance. In the course of being relocated, once again, by seriously the most incompetent federal agent not played by Chevy Chase, she encounters Jonathan and thus begins a trite, chick-lit style story that takes over anything interesting that had been developing. It's full of new clothes, which are miraculously a size smaller than she previously wore, and a carefully detailed day at a spa. Oh, and she falls in love with the violent man who nabbed her. Oh, and despite her desperate need to connect with anyone and her habit of parading naked in front of whoever's in charge of her, she's still a virgin. This is chick-lit written by a man and, boy, did it bring out my inner feminist. Jonathan is violent, but he has good reasons and he (and every other guy in the book) thinks she's really beautiful. She also needs a lot of rescuing. The emphasis on her "purity" really bothered me, especially when the sexual lives of the men around her are never an issue. And while I know that this is fiction and willing suspense of disbelief and all that, but every government agent as well as the entire government in general, is so incompetent as to boggle the mind. My cat could do a better job. There was a sub-text here that I really felt uncomfortable with. At the end Spoiler Alert she is still safely a virgin, and now she's wearing a purity ring, which is much more important in the world of this book, than believable plot, original sentences or a strong woman leading her own life. Blech.
    • 5/5
      The publicists at Author Exposure provided me with a complimentary copy of The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano after I chose it from a selection of over fifty other titles to review. When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?The short synopsis sounded appealing enough and the title struck a chord with my own morphing sense of female identity, but the real grabber for me was that the author is male. Written in the first person from the viewpoint of the main female character, the story presented an intrinsic challenge and I was curious to see how well the author could rise to it. The story starts with a twenty-six-year-old woman who has lived a series of identities after having been witness to a murder at the age of six. At that time she was Melody Grace McCartney, but through the Witness Protection Program, she has lived her life revolving in and out of eight other identities, complete with new names, social security numbers, geographical locations and occupations. Along the way, she has lost her family, her childhood and the roots that nurture a human being, and now as an adult it would appear that she will have to forgo the joys of human bonds, relationship, motherhood, all the simple pleasures of everyday life with family and love—she is alone in the deepest sense of the word. Her true original sense of identity lays buried beneath the impossibility of living a normal life while constantly on the run. And yet, she is pleasantly surprised to find it alive and kicking when she comes up against Jonathan Bovaro, the son of the mafioso responsible for the murder she and her family had witnessed. He knows the real her, even calls her by her real name, so long forbidden and yet somehow now mesmerizing. He represents the ultimate danger to her but he presents to her an interesting proposition, the opportunity to clear the way for a chance to live her own life. His intentions toward her are slightly askew from the job he has been appointed to do—to kill her—and in this we are privy to the morality and inner psychology that can temper writing, the type of crafting that shifts the reader’s attention into the higher gears of true excellent literary entertainment.But what makes the story so incredibly compelling is the true chords the author achieves with the female character’s inner conflicts. The fact that he is a male writer immediately evaporates from page one with the opening: “Name me. Gaze into my eyes, study my smile and my dimples and tell me who you see. I look like an Emma. I look like an Amy. I look like a Katherine. I look like a Kathryn. I look like your best friend’s sister, your sister’s best friend.” From then on it is Melody’s story, told so tightly and compactly that one can’t help but turn page after page as we become truly invested in her outcome. The author masterfully crafts a twisting, turning tale of romance, intrique and human drama and does so without falling into any trite stereotypical or tired themes. The nuances he provides to the reader in both the narrative main female character and Jonathan Bovaro are refreshing. Picture a youthful mafia man wearing glasses, or one who corrects himself when he’s about to swear in front of the woman he loves and you begin to get the picture. The characters are so viable you can almost touch them. Indeed, the author has developed an extremely palpable love scenario, but even more the sense of danger and impending confrontation with “the girls” nemesis, the Bavaro Crime family, provide enervating anticipation for the final conclusion. Anyone who enjoys the combination of mystery and romance, or intrigue and thriller or even chick lit with a deeper literary bent will love The Girl She Used To Be. I give it five out of a possible five stars!
    • 4/5
      Melody Grace McCartney is tired of being everybody, but herself. She is a member of the Federal Witness Protection Program due to her parents' testimony against a mob family, resulting in several aliases. After relocating for the umpteenth time, Melody's current place of residence is boring her; so under the guise of a lie - Melody is whisked away again. En route to a remote destination, a son in the mob family has found her and has found her alone.Well, well, well. I read this book in two sittings, which is a great indication of my unexpected delight! I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, so the book was simply not put down. Okay, it's a short, quick read, but I was really snared by the suspense.Melody is a little quirky, as are some of the other characters, but the quirky that makes a person unique, not odd, and the plot flirted with a variety of emotions making it an unpredictable book. I did feel flutters of "chick-lit" floating by, but it did not interfere with my enjoyment. I was certainly left satisfied and can't wait to see what Cristofano comes up with next. (4.25/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 5/5
      A beautiful and sad tale of a young woman's unfulfilled, aimless life of exhile within the WITSEC program. The style is sharp and clear. The characters so fully drawn that it is easy to believe the choices we are presented in life are really not choices at all.
    • 3/5
      Loved the premise. Couldn't put it down. The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano is about a woman who has been in the Witness Protection Program since she was a child. She and her parents witnessed a mob murder and testified against the Bovaro family. Every few years, she gets bored of her job, the town, her house, or her life, and she conjures up some false threat in order to get WITSEC to move her again. Each time, she takes on a new identity and a new job, never making any meaningful friendships or romances. Then one day, a man approaches her and calls her by her real name, the name that no one has called her since she was a child. Who is this man? Is she still safe? Was she ever safe? How did he find her?My book club read The Girl She Used to Be and it got mixed reviews from the seven of us. The majority loved it - for the pace, the intrigue, and the love interest - but for some, it fell short. I am somewhere in between. Melody Grace McCartney, the main character, has issues. Who wouldn't after living as a stranger her whole life, always afraid, forever wondering if this day will be her last? Imagine living this way as a teenager - we get a glimpse of just how awful that time period was for her and her family. There were moments when I sympathized with Melody, but other times I wanted to smack her for feeling so sorry for herself. But then I would come across a passage like this one, and I would once again feel for her:One of the worst parts of being in the Federal Witness Protection Program...is that you will never be any of those things you dreamed about as a child, unless your dream was of cold anonymity. You will never be a famous ballet dancer or an all-star shortstop. You will never be an Oscar-winning actor or a world-class journalist. You will never be a congressman, a judge, a CEO, a rock star.You will never be. My heart broke for Melody when I read that. The man who knows her by her real name is obviously the turning point for the whole book, but she finds herself kidnapped, and her reaction is not what any normal person would feel if she were in a car taking us to an unknown fate:For the first time in twenty years I am not running. Because I am captured.I have never felt freer than I do right now. Melody is a complex character, to say the least, but I am blown away that a man created this character so fully and honestly. I don't know how David Cristofano did it - he must have grown up with a lot of sisters or has an amazing relationship with his wife. Whatever it is, he got Melody right. Her character never felt forced or contrived. I couldn't help but reflect on Melody's parents in this book. They chose this life for her, she was too young to have an opinion, yet she would never be able to escape and be her true self. Who would do that to their child? Maybe this is one of the reasons people don't snitch on the mafia.Despite one scene which made me cringe a bit, I highly recommend The Girl She Used to Be. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I really enjoyed it. I think it's a great summer read, the pages will fly by, and you'll enjoy the possibly love story.
    • 5/5
      I knew little about the Witness Protection Program before I picked up this book and most of that had been gleaned from too many episodes of Law and Order. One thinks of the people safely away living quiet lives but are they ever truly safe? And I never gave a thought to a child growing up with multiple names and identities. That made this a very intriguing premise for a book. I'm sure most people would find it interesting. It is well written and quite hard to put down. Mr. Cristofano writes very well in the voice of a woman.I felt a variety of emotions through the book which to me tells me the author did a very good job. Melody Grace caused me grief, annoyance,anger, happiness and more. She made me curious. She, at times made me want to slap her and tell her to grow up! This made her a very well developed character.I did not see the ending coming. Also a very good thing in a book. I can't say I was happy with the ending but life does not always play out as we would like, now does it? Others may find it totally satisfying.
    • 4/5
      After twenty years in the Witness Protection program--first it was she and her parents when she was six but they've since been murdered-Melody Grace McCartney barely knows herself. It's to the point where she gets new identities almost just because she's bored and feels like it. Of course the marshalls don't know that, though, they believe her when she calls and says she's been threatened.It's because of such a call that they're relocating her again. Covert SUVs, remote hotel rooms, it's all a part of the gig.The kidnapping isn't.Jonathon, the son of the man she's been running from her whole life has tracked her down. Only it might not be what she thinks. Instead of her worst nightmare, it might just be the answer to all her prayers.I'm posting both covers of this novel (I don't actually know what the first one's for-if it's for an international version or arc or what) because the top cover is the one I saw several months before the book came out when I only had the vagues idea what the book was about. As it's so different from the second cover, that was on the book I read, I'm including it because it might have been a fair part of why I feel how I do about the book.I didn't read much (at all) of the summary of this book when I actually got it so I knew the gist of the woman who'd been in Witness Protection her whole life and got kidnapped but I think that might have been it. In some ways I'm glad because I think my abbreviated summary reading was more interesting than the actual summary. This book is presented as general fiction/lit....or maybe even a mystery sometimes but....well it was almost fluffy at times.I'm sure you think I'm crazy because of the WITSEC stuff and the mob and everything, but it was. I don't know if it's because it's written by a man-I'm serious-but I'm kind of curious about whether or not this would almost have been marketed as a slight romance if it had been written by a woman. Not a romance section romance but one of the general fiction section of the bookstore books that features a good bit of romance.There's not sex or anything explicit-that I remember-but this book really reminds me of a mix of a little bit of the Sopranos or something Mob-y and Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter (the whole premise of two characters on the run, one a sort of agent and one the normal girl).I guess this is back again to why I'm posting the two covers, The Girl She Used to Be was quite a bit lighter than I expected it to be, possibly given the subject matter but definitely given the cover I'd had in my mind for so long so I really don't know if someone going in expecting it ot be a bit of a lighter read would enjoy it more than I did? (I'm still not sure the cover that it has fits....it looks more like Melody's on some sort of quest for personal discovery with the long, open road in front of her and that's not what I got from this book--maybe that she was looking for it in general but not that this book was about her really finding it).I'd still recommend the book, I just wouldn't put it at the tippy top of your to read list...but it would be fun for summer and if the author writes more, I'll check it out.
    • 4/5
      Melody Grace McCartney has been in the Witness Protection Program since the age of six, along with her parents who have since been murdered by the mob they testified against. Moved by the federal government dozens of times to small towns across America, Melody wishes for only one thing: to have a normal life and her own name. So when one night she meets Jonathon Bovaro, the son of the man who was responsible for killing her parents, she is especially vulnerable to his charms…and his promise to protect her.David Cristofano’s debut novel is a fast-paced, compelling look at identity, and our ability to trust and love after tragedy. The Girl She Used To Be is a well-constructed novel with a complex protagonist. Melody’s journey from child victim to rebellious adolescent to independent young adult is painful. The core of the story revolves around the question of how we form our identities, and how early experiences impact our development.I have to admit that I was not sure how I would like this novel. At times, the story felt a bit contrived – but ultimately I found myself unable to stop turning the pages. I wanted to know how Melody’s life would turn out; I wished for something better for her; I ached for those things missing in her life – a family, a person who loved her for her, a normal life. Melody is not always likable – at times she is whiny and petulant – but as the story unfolds, her behavior becomes understandable.Cristofano has crafted an unusual novel – one of imagination and depth – which kept me interested from start to finish. Readers who like their literary fiction with a touch of mystery will greatly enjoy The Girl She Used To Be. I will look forward to reading more from this talented new author.Recommended.
    • 2/5
      Melody hasn't been Melody since she was six, when her parents and her saw mob boss Bovaro murder a guy in a restuarant. They are put in the witness protection program after testifying for the goverment. The book is about Melody really trying to find out who she is after years of being whoever and whatever the government said she was.The story was really bizarre. It wasn't anything at all what I expected it to be. The author really did give a good description of what Melody was feeling. I got why she was so frustrated and angry with the way her life turned out, but the way the story unfolds, I found myself saying 'what'. I couldn't understand why she was doing the things she was doing. Parts were ridiculous and unbelievable. This could have been a really great book, but in my opinion, the author went out of the lines with it, and the story lost it's credibility.The Girl She Used to Be isn't a must read, I can't say 'go and buy it'. It was just to farfetched to be considered a good read
    • 5/5
      This book is a true gem and one of my favorite novels of this year. I read it almost in a single night, totally caught up in Melody's world. Like others said, the ending is almost devastating, yet beautiful and right. I was haunted after finishing, and the book stayed with me for a long time.
    • 5/5
      Melody McCartney has been a victim in the witness protection program since she was six years old. After a life of new identities, she finds herself unsure of who she really is. When she runs into a man that calls her by her born name; she finds herself in a very unique situation and possibly a chance at freedom.I am so conflicted about this book. I have to say that this book is by far a favorite. Even though, I find myself so frustrated at the end. Two destined lovers that will never have a chance at forever. I can not believe that the story ended as it did.
    • 4/5
      Great book. Successfully delves into the fact that nothing in life is black and white. To get where she really needed to be Melody had to ignore the advice of those around her and follow her own instincts. The characters are well written and the story well thought out.
    • 3/5
      Did not care for the self-centered main character. The book dragged in the middle
    • 5/5
      A fun, fast read about a woman who's been in the witness protection program since she and her parents witnessed a mafia murder when seh was 6. Now she's 26 and tired of never really benig able to be herself.
    • 5/5
      The Girl She Used to Be is a story about a 26 year old women who has been a part of the witness protection program her whole life. When she was younger she witnessed a mob murder and has been on the run since then. Now she’s alone with nothing but thoughts of love and a normal life. Melody, the main character, is transferring to another location because she has grown bored with her location of residence yet again. While moving to the new location she encounters a new head of chief who is mysteriously nice and caring to her, while he is morning his dead wife. Then one night during her transfer she is caught by the Tony (the head of the mob)’s son Jonathan who has been following her, her whole life. From there she willing goes with him, and he admits to his love for her and promises to protect her. Many crazy twists accrue in the story keeping you on the edge. Their love is strong and passionate keeping you warm and excited. The ending is a shocker that leaves you sad and torn but you know that is how things had to be.
    • 4/5
      When Melody was young, she and her parents stumbled unawares onto a heinous mob killing and were put in the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). Being in the program, though, was not enough to save Melody’s parents, who were killed for agreeing to testify against Tony Bovaro. Melody is quite unhappy with her life in WITSEC. As a child she had a hard time getting the hang of not sharing too much information about herself and got her family moved frequently. As an adult, she has a tendency to report false threats against her life to get moved and relieve the boredom of her annonymous life.It is during just one of these boredom-induced moves that something not at all boring happens to Melody: she is contacted by Tony Bovaro’s son Johnathan, who breaks into her hotel room before inviting her to leave WITSEC and come with him. Enticed by the idea of freedom, Melody agrees and even begins to fall in love with the handsome young mobster.“The Girl She Used To Be” was an incredibly engaging, incredibly fast read. Melody’s character was drawn perfectly, her thoughts, motivations, and conflicted emotions were incredibly realistic. One thing that was a bit odd was that all of the chapter headings were math equations. Melody does talk about her love for math, since it is the one thing - the only thing in her life - that doesn’t lie, but it doesn’t seem important enough throughout the novel to include this reference in all of the chapter headings. Plus, my math major/teacher husband SWEARS that the equation for the last chapter doesn’t actually mean anything, but even if he’s right I don’t think that’s an error that would bother that many people. Other than the chapter headings, fantastic book!
    • 4/5
      This unusual glimpse into the Witness Protection Program was interesting and engagingly written, though I had some problems with its fundamental plot devices. The story grabbed me from the very beginning, with clever dialogue and quick surprises that kept me turning the pages. Melody was a well-written and quite loveable narrator -- Cristofano is to be highly commended for his ability truly to capture a woman's voice in such emotional and intelligent detail.And yet, for all the highlights this novel held, I was ultimately disappointed. Other reviews seem to view the ending as realistic and honest - I, on the other hand, felt it was wildly unrealistic and also unsatisfying. Not that I expect a book to end with every character's problems solved and the story wrapped up - on the contrary, I much prefer novels whose characters suffer real problems with real, not-so-sexy solutions. But Melody and Jonathan were tortured yet false - I just didn't buy it, at the end of the day I guess I just didn't buy it. I was rooting for Melody, I thought Cristofano perfectly captured her uncertainty, the confused psyche that might allow her to have romantic feelings for her would-be assassin -- the romantic elements of the story was not my problem. But I finished reading and felt let-down, felt almost angry at the cop-out ending.I give this book 3.5 stars -- it was thoroughly enjoyable and Cristofano is definitely an author to watch - I just wanted more from this particular book!