Marybeth Mayhew Whalen’s Only Ever Her is a compelling blend of small-town drama and psychological suspense, revolving around the disappearance of a bride-to-be just days before her wedding. Annie Taft is the golden girl of her small Southern town, but when she vanishes, the tightly knit community is forced to confront buried secrets, lies, and the weight of past tragedies.

Whalen’s narrative weaves together multiple perspectives, from Annie’s family and friends to townspeople who all hold pieces of the puzzle. This multi-voice storytelling deepens the intrigue, as each character reveals their own motivations and secrets, keeping you guessing who might know more than they let on.

At its heart, Only Ever Her is as much about human connection and redemption as it is about solving the mystery of Annie’s disappearance. The novel explores themes of forgiveness, trauma, and the ripple effects of choices made long ago. Whalen balances the suspense with deeply emotional moments, creating a story that is both gripping and heartfelt.

If you’re a fan of character-driven mysteries with richly drawn settings and layered narratives, Only Ever Her is a thought-provoking and satisfying read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.

Honestly i don't know why this was hyped out when it came out, i thought it will contain a great plot with several layers of suspense and a thrilling ending but it was normal... the plot was flat to my taste, it was more about the side characters and their thoughts more than the main character, the mystery was plain, not much to it.... the only twist was actually what happened to her.
also the title was a bit misleading in regarding to what the mystery is about.

What I liked about this book :
Beautiful cover
character driven story
Different POV, that makes you set back and read
And the story line .

Book Spotlight Posted on September 9, 2023: https://travelingwitht.com/2023/09/09/book-spotlight-womens-fiction/

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

My first read by Whalen and I wouldn't quite categorize this in the thriller category - but more as a contemporary mystery. This is a very character driven story. We get several different POVs that was a lot to take in at first. Once I got myself under control, I definitely became quite involved with the story. This book does move a bit at a slow to moderate pace. Normally this would cause my attention to wane, but in this case I was pretty well into needing to know what was going on. Where did Annie go?

My favorite character was Clary and her doves. There's a lot of symbolism I got from her chapters and that final scene really did get to my heart. Ba-dum-sigh. Honestly, it was compelling to read all the narrators voices. This really gave a full look at how small towns work. I always find this fascinating since while my Dad is from a small town and it's strange to visit there at times, I've always grown up and lived in large cities. I don't know if it's better to have someone always know everyone's business or to have more anonymity.

Honestly, the mystery itself isn't what makes this book. If I based it solely on this part, I probably would have ranked this a little bit lower as I felt this was more background. It's the characters and their interactions and what they bring to the story and the mystery that makes this book worth reading. If you love character driven books, then this will definitely be a story for you. Understand that it does start a bit slow but picks up in the second half.

Thanks so Lake Union Publishing and TLC Book Tours for this copy.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.

Annie's upcoming wedding is the talk of the town, and supposed to be a gorgeous event in her small hometown. Which makes it even harder to understand why Annie has run away. But with everyday that goes by, it looks more like she might be actually missing. Could Annie have gotten cold feet, or is there a whole host of suspects that could have something to do with her disappearance.

This is told from multiple perspectives. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to given it's overall 3.5 star rating on Goodreads. I thought the premise was fresh and they kept it moving, kept it tense. I don't know that I'd knock anyone over to get to it, but I definitely enjoyed it.

The summary made me feel like I was going to read a straightforward thriller. However, I would categorize Only Ever Her as more character-driven suspense. The book is told in multiple points of view as everyone tries to figure out what happened to Annie. All the characters had baggage and secrets of their own. There was a couple twists I didn't see coming but for the most part I wasn't shocked by the conclusion.

I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well-written characters. This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I would recommend this story to all thriller and who-done-it lovers.

Vey enjoyable read. Just like her previous books, her storytelling was well paced and her characters were very well developed.

Great thriller, could no put it down through all the twists and turns. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre.

This is the kind of novel that grabs you from the very beginning and does not let go until the end.

Only Ever Her is about Annie Taft’s wedding. It's four days away and it will be one of the grandest anyone can remember in her small South Carolina town. However, not everything is as it seems.

Even though preparations are in order. Annie herself has vanished. Now the question is did she have second thoughts? Or has something much worse happened to the bride-to-be?

Annie, a young bride, has disappeared. Her small town is torn up over where she has gone. Did she leave on her own will or was there foul play involved? The story is told from several viewpoints. This may be why I didn't feel like the characters were very well developed. I would classify this book as a mystery, but not a thriller. While I was engaged in the story during the first half, the second half really fizzled for me and I didn't care much if Annie was found or about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance. Thank you to #netgalley for the chance to read this book and provide an honest review.

This started off well but fizzled out around the half way point, I lost interest and did not finish.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, for the opportunity to read Only Ever Her in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Overall, I thought the book was a good read, though it was slow in parts. You find yourself invested in trying to work out what happened to Annie only 4 days before her wedding.
Worth a read.

Thank you Net Galley for the ebook Arc in exchange for an honest review. Annie is going to be married in four days. The whole town is excited. When she was little her mother was murdered and she was found wandering around alone. The town immediately became caught up in her story and she became the town sweetheart. When she goes missing right before the wedding everyone is desperate to find her and the list of suspects keeps changing. At times I felt it was a bit slow but it keep me wanting to come back to see how Annie’s story will end. The ending was not exactly as I thought it would turn out. Second book I’ve read by this author and look forward to more!!

This is my first book by the author. In a small town in South Carolina, a young woman is missing days before her wedding. It is a mystery told from different POVs of her family and friends. It was a character driven slow read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This was an interesting mystery. There are lots of secrets buried in the pages, though most are pretty easy to figure out on your own. The beginning of the book seemed to flow quickly, but the end seemed to slow until I could not wait for the book to end.

There was a great twist at the end that I did not anticipate. I love books that make you gasp in shock. However, that was not enough to make me love the book! It was okay but not one of the best books I’ve read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.