Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

It was to be the perfect wedding—until the bride disappeared.

Annie Taft’s wedding is four days away, and it will be one of the grandest anyone can remember in her small South Carolina town. Preparations are in order. Friends and family are gathering in anticipation. Everything is going according to plan. Except that Annie herself has vanished. Did she have second thoughts?

Or has something much worse happened to the bride-to-be?

As the days pass, the list of suspects in her disappearance grows. Could it be the recently released man a young Annie misidentified as her mother’s killer? Could it be someone even closer to her?

While her loved ones frantically try to track her down, they’re forced to grapple with their own secrets—secrets with the power to reframe entire relationships, leaving each to wonder how well they really knew Annie and how well they know themselves.

my thoughts:

I've read a few of MMW, 's books and have LOVED them.  So, I was thrilled to read her latest, Only Ever Her - especially as it was being touted as a mystery-thriller (which is my new favorite genre to dive into on any day).  A bride-to-be gone missing? C'mon, you know that sounds intriguing. How could I resist, right?

Well, I kind of wish I had resisted. Turns out that Only Ever Her was not my cup of tea. Yep, I was disappointed.  I was expecting a suspenseful drama full of twists and turns and instead got an extremely slow-paced story chock full of a variety of characters giving their perspectives and not much else (and only two were even interesting). And, there was no bride - meaning, where was her perspective? I did enjoy the small town vibes, but that was about it. I feel like the idea was a good one, but it just wasn't as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. It felt rather rushed and just cobbled together in the end. Overall, I do wish I had missed this one.

Oh well, different strokes, right?

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Only Ever Her

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

GIVEAWAY & REVIEW of The Things We Wish Were True: A Novel by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

In an idyllic small-town neighborhood, a near tragedy triggers a series of dark revelations.

From the outside, Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, might look like the perfect all-American neighborhood. But behind the white picket fences lies a web of secrets that reach from house to house.

Up and down the streets, neighbors quietly bear the weight of their own pasts—until an accident at the community pool upsets the delicate equilibrium. And when tragic circumstances compel a woman to return to Sycamore Glen after years of self-imposed banishment, the tangle of the neighbors’ intertwined lives begins to unravel.

During the course of a sweltering summer, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the neighbors learn that it’s impossible to really know those closest to us. But is it impossible to love and forgive them?

my thoughts:

A soap opera in book form.  The Things We Wish We Were True is family drama at its best!

Its summer time and that means the local pool is open for business.  It also means that if you want to find out what's happening around town, you have got to be poolside.  Yep, the pool is where its at! Family drama becomes neighborhood drama as people's lives intersect in various ways, making for quite the addictive read. I could not put this book down! The multiple perspectives provide insight into everyone's personal affairs and also allow us to see what is really happening behind the scenes in Sycamore Glen.  Its gossip at its best!  Plus, the twists and turns kept me wondering who's truth is really fact.  Oh, and the slow reveal of secrets was just tantalizing - I absolutely loved it! 

I would happily recommend The Things We Wish Were True to fans of women's fiction - you are going to LOVE this book! 

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Things We Wish Were True

GIVEAWAY:  Thanks to the publisher I am able to give away one (1) copy of this book! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave me a comment. Don't forget to include your email address - that way I can contact you, if you win the book.  Last date to enter is September 30th.  US/Canada residents only.  Good luck!!

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!