This is a lame, trite, and predictable story of life, love, and family grievances, secrets, and lies, neatly resolved so that the wicked are punished and the worthy live happily ever after.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When there is a choice between love and money, which one do you choose? In Only One Life, Julia chose love. Dropping out of college and running off with the man of her dreams, Julia has no regrets. They are so happy together living in a small cottage on Edisto Island. They are finally about to have a baby! Life is nearly perfect. Except when it isn’t. Julia’s life changes dramatically one stormy night on Edisto Island. Now she has some major choices to make in her life. Can she go crawling back to the money?

This is a beautifully written story about love and perseverance. Set in the south on Edisto Island and Beaufort, SC, it has all the makings of a southern drama. Julia grew up in a wealthy southern family that was always somewhat dysfunctional. She fought constantly with her sister Alex, their father is distant, and their mother works far too hard to keep the peace and the family together. It’s no wonder that Julia sought out happiness elsewhere. Ashley Farley puts Julia in a quandary of making that horrible choice between family, money & love, and then puts her right back into it. So many secrets and lies bind this family and break them apart.

I really enjoyed the journey of getting to know Julia. The history of her mother, Iris, and how she managed to stay in a clearly unhappy marriage. This is a strong story about women and what they will endure for the sake of their children. Well crafted characters make the read enjoyable, if not a tad formulaic. Still I whizzed through this one in just a couple of nights, because I wanted to see what was in store for Julia.


This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.

Ashley Farley's Only One Life: A Novel was a bittersweet read. It is a tale of love, dysfunctional families, narcissistic personality disorder, depression, trust, and forgiveness. Two young wives strike up a friendship that will last decades. Mistakes are made along the way but their friendship, love and forgiveness will surpass the secrets they have kept from each other for many years. Ashley Farley's Only One Life is definitely a must read.

I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d like this. It’s not my usual pick but it was very enjoyable and intriguing. I liked the inclusion of some of the struggles of our world and bringing to light some of the things that adults and kids go through in real life. It made the characters relatable and deeper. Having the story set in the South adds such a charming depiction.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book! I read it so fast, I couldn’t put it down!! I loved it!!
Definitely will be recommending this book!!

Only One Life by Ashley Farley. The story wasn't quite what I was expecting from the blurb, it was so much more. Love, loss and family. Loved most of the characters but for two and those two were quite vile and nasty.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Emotions run deep in this story of family discord and turmoil. Secrets from the past are brought to the surface. How each character deals with those secrets kept me reading and experiencing a variety of feelings. Great read. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

This book really makes you wonder about family. It’s tertibke the things we can do to each other. I love Ashley Farley’s books

What a great read filled with love wealth and secrets. I couldn't out it down. Loved the ending. I loved the mother daughter relationship. It was truly an exciting read.

Last year I read Nell and Lady by this author and loved it, so I was expecting good things about her current effort. I wasn’t disappointed, as this ARC was definitely a “page turner”.
Iris is a product of a sad childhood, losing her parents at an early age and living with her sickly aunt, that reminded Iris every day how lucky she was to be there, in their shabby, cinderblock shack. She meets Max, the product of a wealthy, society family and soon learns she doesn’t measure up to their social standards. Max shows his distain for her and she quickly learns she will live in a loveless marriage.
This is a story of southern society and discrimination. A loveless, cruel union, a daughter’s struggle when abandoned by her family, tragedy, loss, a dysfunctional fractured family and the struggle to find love and success. This novel has it all.
Ashley Farley is a wonderful storyteller and really develops her interesting characters, some you love and others you really dislike. There was a nice pace to the story and wanting to finish it, I read too late, on the night we “sprung forward”! I received this ARC for my honest review and I thank Lake Union and Net Galley for the opportunity.

I would recommend Only One Life very highly, Ms. Farley weaves a wonderful southern family saga. You feel you are right there through several generations of the story. The characters are so real and the family dynamics are engaging. It was a very quick read, I couldn’t put it down. This was my first Ashley Farley novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. I can’t wait to read her other books.

I found this book to be very well thought out and well written. I feel most people can relate to the character and their issues at hand. Would recommend for a beach read or wanting a light fun book.

Such a moving story of a mother and daughter and how their lives were very much the same but as any good family of southern “society” it was not discussed.

I cried, I laughed and I absolutely loved this story! Julia was easy to like and relate to as the main character. The intrigue of her mother and father kept me wondering and hooked until the story ended. I will definitely read this book again and will be finding more written by Ashley Farley.

Being from the South, I am a big fan of contemporary Southern literature. This is my first book by Ashley Farley, and I really enjoyed it. While she plays around with the typical themes of the girl from “the wrong side of the tracks,” she adds nuance through the depth of her characters. I’ll look forward to reading more by this author.

Another wonderful story of love, loss, and life in the south! Characters that are brought to life by this incredibly talented author.

COMPELLING DRAMA!

Ashley Farley is one of the greats when it comes to writing Southern Fiction! She delves into family situations and deep friendships as though she’s dissecting them to reveal all their deepest secrets, both old and new. Her latest novel, ONLY ONE LIFE, proves she is a master at her craft.

Farley has chosen to place her novel in the small town of Beaufort, SC, not too far from Charleston. The characters she’s described are so real you’ll feel as though you’re in the room with them watching the drama unfold before your eyes. Oh! What drama there is! Old family money that is guarded until death and beyond. Marriage brought on by “love” or was it our rebellion? Two children - one conceived in love & one conceived in rage. Best friends and best couple friends. Debilitating depression and temptation. Rage, rage and more rage. Lovelessness and going through the motions. Life and death. Best friends through the thick and then. Pure Evil. Death & Dying. Old friends are new again. Hope Springs Eternal. ONLY ONE LIFE Can you live with the choices you make for the rest of your life?

I was provided an ARC of this book by Lake Union Publishers and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

How do you live with such secrets for so long without it eating at your soul. This story takes place in the south with a wealthy family. If you're not from a respected family then you're not good enough. Sometimes love has a different path. There is heart break, joy, love and hope throughout this story. I couldn't put the book down once I started. I really enjoy this author's work as she has a talent of bringing a story to life so you feel you are immersed from the beginning.

I started this book last night and was up late reading as I could not find a place to stop. I was pulled into this story.
This is an amazingly, heart tugging, moving story about family secrets that have been hidden and wealth. Can the family heal? Can a mother and daughter reconcile?
A story of family life, how those on the outside looking in see this family, and the reality of what is really happening behind closed doors.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

A heart tugging story of a family of secrets and wealth and what lengths one will go to to protect those secrets even it it means not having joy and happiness. Friendships with secretsp pasts with so many hurts; it will take a strong bond and love to heal them. Loss, heartbreak, murder, wealth, society unacceptance, forgiveness and more will keep you turning the pages with hope for the characters in this book. I cheered for Iris and Julia. Two strong women who you will truly admire for their perserverance. Thanks to the author and publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Received a copy of this book through netgalley.
A novel about family drama and hidden secrets and keeping up pretences in sicuety.
Loved all the characters,but most of all Julia,who was the main thread throughout the book.
This would be a good read for a book club disscusing various topics that the book raises.