Where do you go when it all becomes too much? For Annie Taft, she returns to the site of her worst memory. She's getting married in a week, has decided to stop seeing her high school best friend and the man who was put away for killing her mother, on her testimony, may have been innocent.

After reading the blurb and the first few chapters I was intrigued. There seemed to be a lot of potential in the storyline. Between the imminent release of the man convicted for her mother's murder and her disappearance, I was convinced that the story would be enthralling. Unfortunately, it was not to be and I soon found myself hurrying to finish the book rather than enjoying what I was reading.

The style of the narrative was an issue almost from the start. I found it to be difficult to read and often had to reread in order to understand what was being said. The multiple main characters that the book included was also off-putting to an extent. as was the number of affairs that the book seemed to include. In most books affairs seem to be the exception but in Only Ever Her, affairs seem to be the norm. There were also a number of continuation issues which made me question my own understanding of previous events and had me jumping back chapters to see if I had missed something.

The book did have some high points despite my disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Clary and learning about her past made her present that much more intriguing. I also enjoyed how the main characters (numerous as they may be) were all actors, whether supporting or extras, in each other's stories. A sentiment that was shared by Clary during the story.

While I am unlikely to recommend this book actively, I do feel that it is a book that can be picked up as a light read if one were to start it with the expectations that were not as high as mine.

Know in advance that this is not a thriller and that it's told from multiple points of view and you'll enjoy this more than you might if you're looking for what the cover seems to promise. Yes, Annie has gone missing right before her wedding and yes, the man who she identified as the murderer of her mother has just been released from jail. However, this is really about the secrets her friends and family have kept from each other, and, in a way themselves, over the years. It can be a bit of a challenge to figure out where this is going but Whalen has it in hand. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you for providing me with an arc of this novel. Unfortunately it was not for me. I was unable to finish as I felt that the storyline did not work well and thought that the characterizations were unrealistic. I therefore do not feel that it would be fair of me to post a review on social media sites.

Guys.

If you love twisty family dramas, this book is for you.

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is amazing at writing multi-perspective novels with great character development. I’ve loved her past work and “Only Ever Her” is no exception.

This isn’t a exactly a thriller in the traditional sense of the genre, but it certainly keeps you guessing. You’ve got the tension of a small town where everyone “knows” everyone, a rumor mill that doesn’t quit, and family and friends trying to keep their own secrets under wraps while gathering together to locate a missing girl.

It took me a minute to get completely sucked into this story, but when I did, I flew through it in a single day on vacation.

Twists, turns, gossip, mystery, some seriously creepy folks... this book has it all and Whalen does NOT disappoint.

Absolutely a great book to kick off your summer reading. This one is out May 7th.

**** Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my unbiased review ****

Annie disappears before her wedding, and everyone in her town is trying to find out what happened. There was a lot going on in this book and at times it was rather confusing. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Annie is about to get married but her mother's killer is also being released from prison.

Initially I didn't think I was going to enjoy Only Ever Her because it took me a while to attune my British reader eye to the American tone of the book. However, once I had done so I thought Only Ever Her was a hugely compelling narrative and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

The plot veered me away from my expectations almost immediately. With doubt over the newly released Cordell Lewis's conviction for killing Lydia, I assumed this would be the main focus of the story but Marybeth Mayhew Whalen had other ideas. I found it very entertaining to be wrong-footed so that there was much more to the story than I had anticipated.

Only Ever Her illustrates the close-knit small town America atmosphere brilliantly. Although everyone knows everyone else's business, the undercurrent of deception and distraction makes the reader feel they are part of the action because they know elements the characters do not. I felt Only Ever Her had quite a Twin Peaks feel to it and it would make an excellent television series.

The characters are distinct and realistic. I don't usually like books where there are several threads with different chapters allocated to individual characters but here it worked very effectively because they are all so well-defined. It fascinated me how Marybeth Mayhew Whalen managed to manipulate me as a reader. For example, I didn't warm to Laurel at all at the start and yet by the end of the story I felt I understood her well and had come to like her. It's also incredibly clever how the entire plot revolves around Annie and yet she is hardly present at all. It was as if I had taken ownership of her without really knowing her in much the same way the townsfolk do.

The themes of Only Ever Her have huge relevance to today's society. There's injustice and prejudice, loyalty and deception, love and longing so that the small town setting of the book could be applied to any location, making it all the more pertinent for any reader.

Having begun reading Only Ever Her feeling quite detached, I ended the book with a lump in my throat and the sensation that I had been fully entertained. I really enjoyed it.

When Annie Taft was just three years old, her mother, Lydia, was murdered during a camping trip the two of them were on in the woods of the local state park.
The town of Ludlow, South Carolina rallied behind young Annie. When she said “Uncle” Cord had taken them camping and was the one who hurt her mother, the town was quick to convict Cordell Lewis for the murder of Lydia Taft.
After the murder, Annie’s Aunt Faye moved to Ludlow with her daughter, Clary, to raise her niece. Faye’s sacrifice to keep Annie in Ludlow would be the talk of the town for many years to come. The town watched Annie grow up and cheered her on; she was their golden girl and everyone wanted her to have a happy ending to her story.
Now Annie is about to get her happy ending. Her wedding is just two weeks away and the citizens of Ludlow could not be more excited. At the same time the final wedding preparations are underway, a local attorney is lobbying for the release of Cordell Lewis based on new evidence in the case.
“But in doing so, he had brought attention to Annie at a particularly unwelcome time. She just wanted to get married, to get on with her future to stop being “that poor murdered woman’s daughter.” She’d spent her life trying to show everyone that she is more than that – and yet it always comes back to it.” (Only Ever Her, p. 48)
Then, just four days before the wedding, Cordell Lewis is released from prison, in part due to a letter written by Annie. But that night Annie doesn’t return home. Is she just pulling one of her disappearing acts? Or did something terrible happen to her?
The town of Ludlow has their secrets, and with Annie missing, those secrets are about to be revealed. As the wedding date draws closer, will they find Annie in time for her to walk down the aisle?
Look for Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen coming soon to GPPL. Place your hold now!

Only Ever Her has many different stories all converging around Annie’s wedding. Although I eventually got the grasp of every story, it took some time. Part of this was because the author chose to withhold information until the last minute. Overall a great story, I just wish it was told in a different style.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The first half of this book is so weighted by Southern women’s fiction tropes, the female relationships, the local color, the hairdresser who pulls everyone together, the town eccentric with a gift for animals, and the heroine who is marrying the “right” man while pushing away the more humble soul that has her heart, that I actually forgot I was reading a mystery. By the time the actual whodunnit plot deepened, it just felt like a distraction from the Cold Sassy dynamics. For women’s doc fans only.

Small Town Secrets. Big Time Heart. This story set in fictional Ludlow, South Carolina tells a multilayered story of the secrets of various people in a small town affecting each of their lives in dramatic ways. It is a story of love, loss, and moving on, and it captures the rural small town South extremely well. The multiple interweaving perspectives could make for some intriguing cinematography, should Hollywood ever come calling for this tale, and I for one would love to see it on the silver screen and look forward to reading more from this new-to-me author. Very much recommended.

I have always loved Marybeth Whalen. Her earlier books are some of my favorites. Part of that is I love the stories and part is she writes about places I love and have grown up near. This is no exception. Only Ever You does have more twists and surprises but for someone that doesn’t like suspense it is great. Go buy this, get a copy somehow, sit down and prepare to be invested in these characters. Thanks to Netgalley and Marybeth for this ARC copy!!!

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in return for my honest review.

I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. Based off the description the book seemed like a thrilling mystery. I couldn't get over how slow paced the story was. Story was very blah, ending was REALLY blah, I really wanted more.

There are a lot of multiple POVs in this book that had me struggling to connect with the characters and really follow the story line. I personally struggle with this in most books, but I just couldn't grasp this one.. It's a really cool premise and I really liked the setting of the story!

I'm not really sure what my opinion on this book is. It's a bit complicated, and I'm somewhere in the middle between liking it and not.
I found the characters intriguing, but at the same time I lost myself between all the POVs and as much as I thought a character was interesting, all the switching between everyone was a bit frustrating as it minimized the tension the previous entry was building. That's something that happened all throughout this book for me, every time I felt as though the tension in the atmosphere rose it was suddenly gone.
I also found that the switching between so many characters didn't give enough time for me to connect to one, but at the same time, I thought the writing style was interesting. I felt as though the mystery was set up well, but the roller coaster of ups and downs when it came to the tension took away from the overall experience, and the ending left me wishing it was all different.
I feel like the idea behind this book wasn't executed to my liking. Maybe I'm just reading it at a completely wrong time, and I'm open to giving it a shot later on, but as it stands now this is a three star for me. I enjoyed reading this book for what it was, but it didn't wow me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Novel about a double tragedy in a family and how the events affect the other members of the family and the citizens in their community.

Anna’s wedding is just a few days away when she goes missing.. Did she runaway or did she meet the same fate as her mother who was murdered when Anna was just 3. Is it a coincidence that her mother’s killer was released.
This book has multiple points of view which I love. It can be a bit confusing going back and forth. The settings in the story were described beautifully, the characters well thought out. A great read for on the plane or at the beach.
3.5 stars
#netgalley #onlyeverher

There was a lot going on in this book, but it wasn't my favorite.
Annie is about to get married. She has one last secret visit with a friend of hers who she has always protected in school. He was bullied since the first day he arrived at school, and Annie has always taken care of him. He worships her and wants to be with her. He tells her so. Then POOF! Annie disappears. It just so happens that Annie has also just written a letter to have the man she accused of murdering her mother (twenty-some years ago) released from prison. Does someone have a grudge against Annie? Has she decided to leave on her own?
The plot is a bit slow-moving and at times confusing. I did like the ending.
It earns a solid three stars.

(Mild spoilers ahead) Have you ever read a book and when finished thought, what was the point of this? That's how I felt reading this book. Let's start with Annie, the central figure of this book. In my opinion, she is completely unlikeable. She has secrets, which aren't all that interesting. She isn't very kind or compassionate to those closest to her, but she's the town sweetheart. I can't see why, aside from being the child who was left motherless. This book is told from multiple perspectives - which seems to be the go-to narrative format these days - but do we really care about any of these people? I don't. The resolution is underwhelming and some plot points are completely abandoned. What about Scott and Tracey?? For the fiance of the missing woman, he is less than a shadow in this book. The secondary plot, who did kill Annie's mother, is resolved, but it feels like almost an afterthought. There's no agency to it. You would think from the above that I hated this book. But I didn't. It was fine. It held my interest, I wanted to find out what happened and now that I've finished it the story is completely forgettable.

I received a free e-copy of Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen from NetGalley for my honest review.

I really feel bad when I don't connect with a book and have to leave an ehhh review. I feel bad as I can only imagine, being an author, and all the love, hope and work they put into their writing. With that said I am sorry to say that I just didn't connect with this book. I do appreciate the opportunity to read it and I do see that several other people really enjoyed it so don't let my review keep you from picking it up and enjoying it.

Annie, was found wandering the town as a little girl. Her mother was murdered. The entire town got caught up in her life and her growing up and she became a very loved person in her community. Anne is grown now and is getting married. The town is so excited for her. Then just days before her wedding, she goes missing. Her disappearance happens at the same time as her mom's killer's prison release date. Coincidence or not? Lots of characters and so many suspects, but who is really responsible?

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I am a very moody reader though, and if I am able to get into it at a later date, I will update my review and let all know. I do 3 stars as neutral, because I don’t think that it was badly written, just a bit slow paced for my preferences.
Will be using in a challenge and letting members of Chapter Chatter Pub know about it’s upcoming release.