Ahh small town Southern life never fails to fascinate me and Worthy, Georgia is the type of town you envision when you hear small town USA. Football is life for the residents and cheerleading is a close second, so when three cheerleaders are killed in a tragic car accident after a Friday night game the town is shaken to it’s core. The accident is just the beginning of the scandal, this tiny town has secrets and the gossips don’t even know the half of it.

This is told through the eyes of four different people directly affected by the accident; Ava, Marglyn, Leah and Darcy. Ava is the substitute teacher at the high school and is married to one of the towns prominent residents. Marglyn’s daughter, Mary Claire is one of the cheerleaders who dies, Darcy is the mother of the teenaged boy who was driving the other car involved in the accident and Leah was best friends with the girls who passed. Each woman is grieving in their own way and each has secrets they would rather not be revealed to the scrutinizing, critical eye of Worthy’s busybodies. I love when books have an ensemble cast, the birdseye view it provides is always enlightening and appealing to me. It showed how devastating the event was in so many ways for so many people and I was able to empathize with all of them.

I can see why this is being compared to Liane Moriarty, while this isn’t a traditional mystery there were mysterious elements that reminded me of her books. I found myself most invested in Leah and Marglyn, they both broke my heart. Leah really should’ve been in the car with her girlfriends and you’re left wondering where she really was that fateful night right up until the end. I identified with Marglyn as a mother, the unimaginable happened when her daughter was taken away and that type of pain is something I pray I’ll never experience. How do you move on from the loss of a child?

While this is a heavy subject, there is so much heart as it’s about these women being able to find hope in the face of tragedy. They find a way to keep going, Worthy is nothing if not a town that’s strong and resilient. This was a gripping, emotional read from an extremely talented author who captivated me from the start. I just realized I still have another one of the authors books, The Things We Wish Were True to read so look for that as a TBT pick from me very soon!

This was a thoroughly entertaining book, just not the kind of story I was in the mood for. I read MMW previous novel and I had similar feelings about it. It was good, just not unforgettable. I've read plenty of similar books in the last few years and some have impacted more than others. Unfortunately, When We Were Worthy wasn't one of them.

The premise was intriguing and I loved the first chapter's voice (and the last one, including that last sentence, so poetic), but the storylines in the middle didn't hold my interest as much as I hoped. I didn't warm up to Ava or any of the other characters. I know for sure that this is a good book and will be loved by many others, It just wasn't for me.

The south. Small town. Football. Tragedy. Yes!! This book brings a small town in love w their football stars in to the light in this novel. I loved the premise and my gosh, even the ending had a tear in my eye and my mind wondering, wait...what did she just say in that last chapter? Did I read that right? A multi layered drama that will stay with you for a while asking, if second chances are possible and what would you have done? Bravo! Loved the book.

I did not really know what I was getting myself in it. I picked this book up on a whim after a Youtuber I have been watching mentioned it, then I sat down to read it and I could not put this book down.

If you are looking for a contemporary book with raw, vivid characters, a heartbreaking chain of events set in small-town that triggers self perseverance in a midst of a tragedy look no further.

Worthy is a town of about 5,000 people in Georgia who basically see all and known all. It’s a small town so someone will always know someone. Worthy has one thing that they are really proud of and that is their football team who seem to be one of the best. It’s a huge thing anytime the high school football happens and the town to be involved in. Well, one night, after a big win, three teenage cheerleaders end up in a big car accident with one of the teenage boys from their school. The three girls die, the boy survives, and the event shakes the whole town.

This story was heartbreaking and it felt so real. Like the reactions, the actions, the emotions. You as a reader can just picture this happening and it doesn’t feel far from the truth in a likely event. As someone who now lives in a small town for a couple of years, I can definitely see how something like this can shake the community.

The book falls Ava, a high school teacher who is struggling in her marriage and ends up being reckless with another person that leads to some legal troubles. Leah, another cheerleader that was part of the group of girls who died, who somehow avoided the accident by not being in the car with them at the time. Darcy, the mother of the son who the town is holding responsible for the accident that took the lives of the three girls. And Marglyn , mother of one of the cheerleaders that died.

The story was well done. I did take one star off because I felt like the end did wrap up kind of quickly, but I can see in retrospect how it works anyway. The characters felt real and as a mother, I couldn’t help but feel for Marglyn and her pain. I cannot imagine losing a son or a daughter on such a note. Her story was even more heart breaking because the last time she saw her daughter, they fought and it feels like one of the worse things that can occur to anyone if that is the last time they see this person.

The writing was great. The storytelling was wonderful and emotional. The characters just stick with you. It was a really quick read for me and I found that I did not want to put the book down until I knew how it was all going to come together.

I do have to say. The mystery male in the book that Ava had a flirtation with through me off, I was not really expecting that and it only kind of makes me wonder even more about the real innocence of her character.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone that loves to sit down and enjoy a contemporary fiction set in a small town. It was well done.

The author did a good job of establishing the small town ideals and the setting of the book in just a few pages. I felt like I had lived in Worthy and experienced what it was like to live in a town with only a few restaurants and nonstop gossip. It seemed as if the town itself was a point of view because of how the small town mentality affected the main characters. They couldn't do or say anything without someone knowing and talking about it.

I thought that the different points of view were interesting in that they added various views of the crash and how it affected each of them in different ways. I was riveted by what each of the women had to say. It was interesting that the author put every character's flaws on display so that no person was seen as perfect. As a reader, this helped me to not takes sides on any of the issues that each of the characters were dealing with in their personal lives or with the crash itself. She presented the book in such a way that as readers we understand that there are two sides to every single story. It felt like the author was allowing me to decide for myself what was right and wrong rather than telling me what to think.

The author presents many issues in the book that are dealt with on a daily basis in real life and asks to the reader to look at them in a different light. When there is a car crash and the other driver lives, is it murder? Was he aware of what would happen? I appreciated what the author did by posing these types of questions. I also appreciated how she showed the differences in how people approach grief whether they are young or middle aged. This book was written in such a way that it felt very realistic, almost like I was reading someone's biography. I admired the realism of it all and was able to immerse myself in the story.

This book was solid and the only reason that I didn't give it a higher rating is that it didn't punch me in the gut with emotions. I wanted to feel what the characters were going through along with them but found that I couldn't connect with them as much as I wanted to. I think that if there was more depth to each character that would have helped. I feel that a lot of what I knew about the Marglyn, Darcy, Ava, and Leah dwelled on the surface. I was able to see who they reacted to things but it was at times difficult to understand the emotions that led them to it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This would be a great book club read because they are so many different viewpoints to discuss - fans of Jodi Picoult will like this book as it allows you to put yourself in others' shoes.

Worthy is a typical small town that lives and breathes for its football team and the players become God-like. The book opens with an accident that will change everything - one teenager hits a carful of cheerleaders. The story is told in the voices of 4 women: Marglyn (the other of one of the cheerleaders); Darcy (the mother of the driver that hit the girls); Ava (a substitute teacher at the high school); and Leah (a cheerleader who normally would have been in the car with the other girls).

Lots of current issues to discuss - teenage peer pressure, wanting to belong and be wanted no matter how old we are, the different viewpoints of the mothers. Great writing - quick read!

Four women of varying age each suffer, endure, and, perhaps, survive the effects of a car accident that kills three teenage girls.

Worthy, Georgia, may not have much in the way of markets and pubs, but it does have a winning football team. After a big victory, teammates, cheerleaders, and assorted fans plan to gather for a party, the three victims amongst them. They never make it, though; they die when their car is hit by one driven by Graham, a classmate who wasn't "worthy" enough to make the team. To assuage his loss of confidence, his father buys him a new car. A car that becomes a murder weapon.

Leah was on the cheer squad with the three girls and should have been in the car with them. But she wasn't, and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen builds a mystery of sorts around why Leah wasn't there. Leah suffers from layers of guilt, but survivor's guilt isn't one of them. Marglyn, the mother of one of the slain girls, also struggles with guilt. She thinks of things said and unsaid between her and her daughter, blaming herself more than anyone else. A substitute teacher at the school, Ava, too, feels guilty, but more out of a strange sense of relief than anything else. She and her husband recently moved to Worthy, where he grew up and where his parents own a restaurant. Ava has not adjusted well to this move, and she soon finds herself facing some accusations of her own. Lastly, there is Darcy, Graham's mother. soon becomes an object of scorn and derision in her hometown. Her husband, Graham's father, left her a year earlier, running off with another woman, so Darcy has to face this agony largely on her own. Graham's father helps his son, but no one wants to help Darcy, until she bumps into a former friend from high school.

Whalen weaves together the perspectives of these four women, keeping you wondering what will happen to them as well as to Graham. Despite not getting their POV, men do play a prominent, important role. Whalen depicts them as destructive forces, whether blowing apart their marriages, wrecking the self-esteem of loved ones, emotionally and physically assaulting others, and, in the case of Graham, literally delivering their children the keys to death. Fortunately, there is one man who shows you how a husband and father should behave when faced with a tragedy. And there is one boy who shows you how a guy should behave when the girl he loves is in trouble.

I was riveted by this book. Whalen nails the atmosphere of a small town, and she draws memorable characters. The only weakness is Ava. I never felt like I "knew" her the way I knew Darcy, Leah, and Marglyn. She fell flat, and that flatness stands out when juxtaposed next to the other three.

But don't let that stop you from reading this. Set aside a few hours and immerse yourself in this book. Whalen weaves a tale that will keep you turning the pages and maybe, perhaps, shedding a tear.

There are usually more stories than people in small towns, and this book proves it! This is a good and fast read as the author grabs your attention right away and keeps you invested in the story to see what happens. Anyone who has ever been a teen-ager, a parent, or lived in a small town will be able to relate to this book!

Worthy, Georgia is a small town where football plays a prominent role in the life of the town. Football players are heroes and cheerleaders the chosen. Hours after celebrating a winning game, the town is plunged into shock, confusion, and mourning when a horrific accident leaves three cheerleaders dead. The boy driving the other car, the only survivor, is believed to have caused the crash.

The story is told from the viewpoints of four women; Marglyn, the mother of Mary Catherine, one of the cheerleaders killed in the crash; Darcy, the mother of Graham, the boy believed to have caused the crash; Ava, a substitute teacher at the high school; and Leah who was supposed to be with the girls, but was left behind. Many townspeople play significant parts as well, and as the story advances, more and more secrets and conflicts are revealed.

Ms. Whalen does an excellent job of putting the reader in the place of each of the characters, and skillfully asking important questions. Was it an accident, or something more? In the face of such tragedy, does placing blame help anyone? Is it possible to forgive and move on from such a searing loss? How do Leah and Graham get past the fact that they are alive and their friends are dead?

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen has captured so perfectly the small town atmosphere and what it is like when that town has a winning football team. Here in Worthy, a town of about 4,000 people, the football players are so popular that some of them begin to think they are gods.

After the football game one night, some of the cheerleaders are on their way to a party when they get involved in a tragic accident with another student. What should have been a car of 4 cheerleaders, is a car of only three and people are left wondering why the fourth cheerleader, Leah, wasn’t with her friends that night.

The story is told from four viewpoints: Ava, a young teacher; Leah, the friend who wasn’t in the accident; Marglyn, mother of one of the victims and Darcy, the mother of Graham, a teenager who was driving the other vehicle.

This story is not so much about football as it is about the accident and what the tragedy reveals about the townspeople, the football team and the students. It was like a domino effect in the lives of many and through the four narrators, the whole story is revealed.

It’s a book that is hard to put down because readers will want to know the mystery about what happened with Leah and what she knew about the football players. Also, why did the accident happen? Was Graham racing, was there alcohol involved, or was the young driver at fault? It’s also very difficult to read about because the subject matter is one that so many communities have experienced.

Whalen delivers a big twist at the end. I liked the ending, but some aspects of it did not ring true for me, maybe because I grew up in an atmosphere much like Worthy. Even so, I look forward to reading more of Whalen’s work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

This is the sort of sadly believable story we read about in the papers every year. Three cheerleaders are dead in a car accident but there's something of a mystery of how it happened and who was responsible. Whalen weaves together the voices not only of parents but others as well to slowly tease out the story. These are nicely drawn characters and there's excellent dialogue. This is the sort of sadly believable story we read about in the papers every year. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Small towns and tragedies go hand in hand. I grew up in a small town and still vividly remember key moments when our entire town would come together. "When We Were Worthy" follows the town of Worthy Georgia, following a football game victory and the tragedy that came afterwards.

Following four lives, this story shows how tragedy can affect people in different ways. This is a story full of sorrow, pain and forgiveness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS!!



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Title: When We Were Worthy

Author: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Pages: 276

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: September 12, 2017

My Rating: 3/5

A win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.

When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.

At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

Goodreads

This book has one of the most misleading synopsis and covers that I have ever read. The cover and the synopsis lead the reader to believe that this is about the lives and deaths of three cheerleaders and how people in their town are dealing with it. When in actuality, their deaths are just a catalyst for the secrets and the pressures of living in a small town to come to the surface. Just go into this book knowing that the three cheerleaders who died are not that important and there isn’t a whole lot of the story that pertains to the boy who was in the other car. He is an element of the story but he is not even close to being the main focus. The best way I can describe this book is an analysis of what life in a small American football town could be like. I am confident that there are small towns like this but I don’t feel comfortable stating that as an absolute fact. With all that being said , I did really enjoy the story and I think it is important book to read in regards to rape culture.

The story revolves around four women, Ava, Leah, Marglyn and Darcy. I really enjoyed reading from all four perspectives and formatting the story that way really helped to tell a well rounded story. Each of these women has been damaged in some way by events leading up to the car crash or by the actual car crash. They are able to give such impactful accounts of what each of them are going through. The women felt believable and I really felt for each of them and what they were going through. The male characters were really well done as well and each of them really added to the story. The strength of the characters is what really kept the story moving and one of the main reasons I liked it so much.

This is an adult story about loss and forgiveness but I think the themes and messages in this book are great for all women 16 and up. The women are all written so well and it is easy to relate to all of them. I do think that the book tried to make things more mysterious then they really needed to be but at the same time I don’t know what different choices the author could have made to make it less mysterious. The ending was good and really tied things up nicely which I wasn’t really expecting but I love how it brought everything together.

There were a few different romances in this book but my favorite was Leah’s romance. It was so sweet and really built up nicely throughout the whole story. Plus the two characters already had a history so it was believable and no insta love! The adult romances were understandably messier which also helped to keep them believable which as you can tell, is a big deal for me when it comes to book romances.

Like I’ve mentioned before, I think this is an important book that really pushes us to think of what our society is prioritizing. Football is more important than how then players treat women and as long as players are winning, they can pretty much get away with anything. I hate the saying “boys will be boys” because it allows society (and parents) to demand less of boys. As a mom of three boys I am raising them to respect everyone, to treat everyone with kindness and to be gentleman. Just because they are boys they don’t get a free pass to just act however they want and do whatever they please.

Let me know your thoughts on some of the topics I talked about in this review. Whether you agree or disagree with me, my blog will always be a safe place to share your opinions 🙂

~Cassie

This is another winner from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. Told in alternating voices, we hear from Marglyn, Darcy, Ava, and Leah, four distinctly different women with ties to a tragic car crash. Whalen's character development is outstanding and the plot is suspenseful -- a definite page turner. I especially liked how each character has a secret that impacts how they deal with the tragedy. It's supremely satisfying to experience how the cast of characters finds their way through the aftermath of a shocking event.

Coming from a small town I could really relate to a lot of the characters in this book. This was a perfect labor day weekend easy read. I found myself picking it up constantly all weekend. I normally am not a fan of books that skip from one person's perspective to another, which is why I lowered my rating to a 4 instead of a 5. I find that it affects the flow of the story when I have to regroup at the start of each chapter and get back into that particular character's story. However, I did think it was interesting to hear the different perspectives, how they each dealt with the aftermath of tragedy, and how they all intertwined by the end of the story. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book when it is released this month!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2114626765

Wow! I am blown away. When We Were Worthy is an emotional roller coaster of a read. It is basically every parent's nightmare in book form and will stick with me for a long time. My first thoughts when I finished it were who do I share this with and I need to read this one again. I think When We were Worthy would make a good book discussion selection. It would also be interesting to use in a high school or college literature class. It would definitely spark interesting classroom discussions.

win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.

When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.

At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

My thoughts:
Unfortunately I'm DNF it , there's something about this book that making it impossible for me to like, or even want to read it.With that said I want to think NetGalley for at least giving me a chance at check it out.

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of WHEN WE WERE WORTHY in exchange for my honest review**


In Worthy, Georgia, the high school football team and cheerleaders are royalty. A tragic car accident kills three cheerleaders, leading the town to pick up the pieces.

Told from the third person points of view of Leah, the cheerleader who should have been in the car with the others, Ava, the teacher with questionable boundaries, Darcy, the mother of the boy who crashed into the girls and Marglyn, whose daughter died in the accident readers get a glimpse in lives behind the cleats and pompoms in WHEN WE WERE WORTHY.

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen help my interest from start to finish with compelling plot and characters with interesting backstories. At times I had difficulty remembering which POV I was reading, because Whalen didn't differentiate voice between characters. I felt like I was reading, rather than living the story and didn't connect with the characters enough to feel their pain. I also thought the revelation Leah's subplot should have had a bigger emotional impact.

WHEN WE WERE WORTH is an enjoyable read and at the low price of $4.99 on Kindle will surely be a popular read.

Got about half way through and was going to just not finish it. I did eventually pick it back up and continue however, not a book I would read again. It drags, forever. Parts of the story are terrific and then it seems to just drift. Not a fan.

Loved it! I love how the author intertwined all of the characters' stories together. At times I started to feel like there wasn't a plot. Like it was just a description of how the characters were coping with the death of the three girls, which isn't a bad thing, I just like more of a plot driven story. But then something would happen that would set up the next section of the story and made me want to keep reading! I absolutely loved the ending too!

I love the honesty, the realness and the message in all of Mary Beth Whalen's novels. This particular one captured all three elements...I have shared this novel w/ all of my 'football' friends...as well as my reading circle. It is also on order for my local library, Thank you for the privilege of reading...and sharing...this message.