I loved this book! Melody has been in the witness protection program since she was 6 years old. She has lost her mother and father to the mob and has much guilt about their death since she had leeked the fact as to who they were when she didn't want to leave one of their lives set up by the witness protedtion service. She is now 26 and boared. She becomes involved and falls in love with the son of the mobster who wiped out her family. Tired of running she hopes to be accepted by the mob family. When the book was over, I wasn't finished I didn't want the story to end even though the author had closed it.

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This was an excellent first effort from a brand new author. I was riveted from page one and looked forward to each little chunk of free time I'd have to pick up where I left off. The content was fresh and exciting. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the dialouge was too corny for me. The main characters always had the perfect response at the perfect time without missing a beat, and they called each other by their first names in each sentence, which is unrealistic to me. Otherwise - awesome book, can't wait for his next one.

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Imagine yourself at 26 having been in The Witness Protection program (WITSEC) for 20 years. You've moved more often than you can count and had as many names as residences.

Now imagine that the son of the man who's been hunting you shows up and has been following you for all those years. He knows everything about you. What would you do?

That's the story in this book. It was fascinating and well done, especially as it is a debut novel! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing!

Loved it!

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Riveting story of a young woman who has been in the Witness Protection program for 20 years, and who has reached a point in her life when breaking away from it becomes a possibility. Held my attention to the end.

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I really enjoyed this book ALOT! An author to watch.

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I would give this book 4 and a half stars if the narrator was not so annoying. When someone told her to stop feeling sorry for herself, I thought "Yeeessssss!" The story is interesting and this book is a fast read. Too bad the main character does so much whining and navel gazing.

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I wanted to like this more than I did. It was an interesting and original concept, I just found the main character to be so very unlikable that it was very hard to feel bad for her. It was well-written and it had an ending I didn't expect, I just wish I like the main character more, because then I would have given it four or five stars.

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What a great story! This book is an easy yet riveting read. I's told in the voice of a young woman and, despite being written by a man, it rings completely true. Bravo Mr. Cristofano; I can't wait for your next one!

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Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-girl-she-used-to-be.html

Melody Grace McCartney has many different names - Michelle, May, Karen, Ann and so many more. She has been part of the Federal Witness Protection Program for over 20 years. She and her family witnessed a horrible crime when Melody was six. Since that time, Melody has had so many different identities - so many except for the one she really wants - her own.

As the book begins, Melody is about to be relocated yet again. This time, it is because she has become bored with the life she has and manufactures a situation that precipitates the relocation. This is not the first time she has tried this as she longs for her true identity and a place where she feels she belongs.

In the midst of this, she meets a man who calls her by her real name. Jonathon Bovaro is part of the crime family from which Melody has been hiding all her life. Yet, the chance to be Melody McCartney proves irresistible.

This story too proves irresistible. I want to reach in and protect the child Melody used to be and to return to her the safety and security she craves. Even though I have a hard time understanding her attraction to a man whose family is responsible for her losses and her sorrow, it does not prevent me from feeling for her and with her.

David Cristofano has also written the same story from Jonathon Bovaro's perspective because as he says to Melody, "In fact, we are identical except for one thing: You would give anything to be who you were meant to be, and I would give anything to be anyone but who I was meant to be." That book is titled The Exceptions, and I can't wait to read it!

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