Coming from a football town myself this football obsessed town hooked me from page one. The drama was engaging, told in 4 alternating perspectives as the town grieves and recovers from the death of 3 cheerleaders - I could not put this one down!

This novel is an intriguing character study, set in a small town in the wake of a tragic car accident in which three cheerleaders are killed. I expected it to be more twisty than it was, but that might just be because of the importance placed on dark twists in popular literature today. As it was, I found the multiple female narrators to be relatable and insightful, especially as they dealt with the misogynistic forces around them. I would have liked the novel to have a bit of a faster pace, but overall the characters were compelling enough to keep the action moving forward.

This novel was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars.

In the town of Worthy, Football is all that matters - that is until tragedy strikes.

A car crash happens - killing the three most popular High School cheerleaders: MC, Brynne, and Keary, leaving the town in pieces. The worst part? Graham, a teenager from the High School was also involved in the collision and everyone believes he was responsible - and he survived. Leah, another cheerleader, who was besties with MC, Brynne and Keary was supposed to be in the car with them that night. Yet for some reason, she wasn’t and everyone would like to know why and she refuses to say.

Marglyn, MC’s mom is devastated by her daughters’ death, even though she and her daughter had their differences and MC never seemed to want to be around her. Margyln isn’t like the other moms who lost their daughters. All they want is revenge..

Ava is a substitute teacher at the school and she taught one of the girls who died. Ava she has a secret of her own and it was about to come out .. before. And after the crash, she thought her secret was safe. Talk about being naive! And now, her life is in shambles. And her husband Clay? Well, he wants nothing to do with her..

Darcy, Graham’s mother feels awful about the crash, she really does. That said, she is just grateful that her son is alive and she doesn’t want him talking about that night or what actually happened. Oddly enough, the only person who she feels she can talk to is Clay. Can you say complicated?

Leah, on the other hand can’t stop thinking about that night. Yet she can’t talk about it. Her secret isn’t safe with anyone. The only person she wants to be around is her old friend Talmadge. He makes her feel safe. Worthy. Yet she can’t talk to him either.

Worthy is the kind of small town where everyone has secrets. Secrets that can implode or secrets that, if exposed, can be freeing. The difference is in how they are handled. “When We Were Worthy” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is a character driven novel about choices, grief, secrets, scandal, tragedy, family and friendship. It is a story about survival. Ava, Marglyn, Darcy and Leah all have choices to make, choices that will determine whether or not they are Worthy.

This book enraptured me from the very first word. I love strong women (I like to think that I am one..) and this novel featured several. I like how all of them were portrayed. Damaged, heartbroken, obviously scared at times, yet each character had something about their spirit that persevered. Marybeth Mayhew Whalen drew me in like cotton candy, I was glued to the story and was invested in the characters and this novel like you wouldn’t believe. It got me, what can I say? I hope it enraptures you the same way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram on 11.12.17.

3.5 stars. Let me start by saying I am a big fan of Mary Beth Whalen and I have loved many of her books. While this one is a good story, it was difficult for me to embrace it as much as the others. I just found it heavy and depressing. I would still encourage others to read it as it could be that I was just not in the right frame of mind to read it.

Marybeth Mathew Whalen is fast becoming a favorite author.
When We Were Worthy could be almost any Small Town, USA. Especially southern towns. I grew up in such a town and felt as if I had been transported back to my high school years. Everyone knows everyone and makes it their mission to help, or gossip.....sometimes a bit of both. The story revolves around a tragic accident that happened after a Friday night football game. I really enjoyed the story seen through the eyes of 3 women and and a teenage girl. All 4 were affected deeply, but differently. As the story proceeds, each has to figure out there path and how to heal.

Pure greatness. What a delightful book. It was different from what I usually read and that was what I needed. Highly recommend. Just a lovely book

In my opinion, this book definitely did NOT live up to the hype or my expectations.

When We Were Worthy is a small town atmosphere about three popular cheerleaders that are killed in a horrific car accident. The young boy driving in the other vehicle manages to make it out alive.. seriously injured but alive. This story is about the accident and how the town handles this situation including the mothers, cheerleaders, high school students, football players, and the rest of the gossip that unfolds in this small town.

I was not engaged in this gossip at all. WAYYYY too much going on in this story and I was really really bored. I am all for gossip in my novels.. but they have to HAVE substance and an actual punch to the kick. This had ZERO punch. I was struggling to finish this one. I was waiting and waiting for this novel to pick up and wow... definitely not there at all for me.

Overall, 2 stars for this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced arc in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 9/12/17.

A face paced story of scandals and secrets in small town America!

Outstanding novel. Characters, plot, writing = the perfect trifecta. I didn't expect to be so moved, it was a very emotional read that caught me off guard, and put me through an emotional roller coaster.

This book about a small town’s response to a tragedy was so well written! I loved how the book followed four very different characters in relation to the tragedy. It really showed how even when things happen outside our control, we still retain the choice with what to do next and how to treat other people, despite our own grief. Great job! I became so invested in all the characters’ lives and really enjoyed seeing their development throughout the story as they processed their grief and found how to live through it.

“When We Were Worrhy” is not exactly the type of book that I normally read, but it turned out to be really well-written and stunningly crafted. It’s a journey to a small Georgia town where everyone knows each other and knows everyone’s business. Homecoming dances, football games, and cheerleaders are central. And when the three most popular girls - all varsity cheerleaders - are killed after a football game in a car accident with the other car having been driven by another high school student, the Town is torn asunder. The story is not told in the usual expository fashion, but with shifting points of view from that of the fourth girl in the clique who didn’t get into the car on that fateful night, the mothers of two of the deceased girls, and the mother of the boy in the other car. What is revealed is frazzled marriages, shifting loyalties, nasty rumors, and more. The author does a terrific job of bringing all these people to life and showing their worlds torn apart.

Lately I haven't had much luck reading YA contemporary. I tend to find tropes just constantly repeating, or trying so hard to be something that will live up to readers expectations that they fail. There are a few authors whose books I read no matter what, but outside of that I just get aggravated and want to give up on the genre all together. But this book stood out to me. This book really clung to me.

Being from the South, I get the concept of small town life. Even though I don't live in such a town, I am very familiar with this lifestyle, as my big town is surrounded by these small ones. Of course it tends to be exaggerated a bit in movies, book and television. But these tiny southern towns tend to be gossip filled, where everyone seems to know everything about everyone, whether its true or not. The way the town of Worthy, Georgia was portrayed really gave that small town feel, and almost left me feeling a bit smothered by it. I don't mean that in a bad way - I just mean that I could really feel the tense atmosphere, which may have been one of my favorite things about this book.

This story is told from multiple perspectives, which, based on reading books in a similar style, lead me to believe that these seemingly unconnected stories would build up to being connected somehow. But every perspective is so vastly different, with each person all going through separate struggles in life, and each impacted differently by the big event that is kind of the juncture of this story. Each character left you with a different feeling after going through their parts, so much sympathy and sadness, but also hope, love, and forgiveness.

It's easy to experience a range of emotions while reading Worthy, and I haven't experienced something quite like this in a long time. There is death, anger, sadness, love, regret.... its just such a full spectrum, but also a lesson in forgiveness and understanding. There were a few moments that I didn't agree with some decisions made... but those things didn't bother me enough to take away from how much I enjoyed this book.

It was unsettling and tension filled, but also uplifting in a way. The way the end wrapped up, with an unexpected POV, was an interesting touch. It helped provide some closure and explain some things, without being a complete cop-out. It also feels so good to have read a YA contemporary that wasn't completely romance based, and that didn't leave me feeling underwhelmed. I definitely recommend!!

This was a beautiful, powerful read of the aftermath of a car accident that left three high school cheerleaders from a small town dead. It rotates between four characters-one of the girls's moms, the mother of the son also involved in the accident, a cheerleader who should have been in the car, and a teacher. Though the story is heartbreaking, it also focuses on the craziness of the rumor mill in a small town. This is my second Marybeth Mayhew Whalen book, and I'll definitely be reading more!

It's football season in the small town of Worthy, Georgia, and all that is supposed to happen on a Friday night is for the hometown boys to score the touchdowns and the opposing team to go home with their tails between their legs. There is nothing like small-town football to bring out the best (and the worst) of both the teenagers and the adults. 

But this one Friday night, one bad decision changes many lives. A new car. A drag race. And an accident that ends the lives of 3 young cheerleaders. And so many unanswered questions. 

Now the town, and the families directly involved have to figure out how to move forward. There is Darcy, whose son was at the wheel of a brand-new car, a present from her estranged husband, who had recently left her for another woman. She struggles to keep her son out of jail while listening to grieving mothers cry for their daughters down the hall of the hospital.

There is also Marglyn, who opted out of seeing her daughter cheer at yet another Friday night game to take an underprivileged young woman shopping for a new outfit for her upcoming job interview. The words that her daughter yelled at her before she'd left rang in Marglyn's ears all night as she wondered if she'd done the right thing.

Ava is a substitute teacher who didn't want to move to the small town but agreed when her husband took over his parents' restaurant. She'd started sublimating her frustration by flirting with another teacher, and her secret was found out by one of the teenaged girls before the accident. Ava worries if her secret is still safe and blossoms in the attention from the town for knowing one of the girls who died. 

And lastly, Leah was also a cheerleader in the high school. The 3 girls in the car were her best friends. She should have been in the car too, but she was elsewhere. And she wonders how long it is before people start asking her were she was and what she was doing at the time of the accident. How long can she keep her secret, and what will happen when the truth comes out? 

As the women deal with their individual grief, the whole town finds itself dealing with visitations and funerals, sadness and curiosity. Worthy may never be the same, but the residents still have to find a way to go on. 

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen brings the small town to life in When We Were Worthy. All the small-town gossip and politics, the gatherings at the churches and schools and restaurants, the secrets that divide and unite--all these come to life in this novel of choices and consequences. Well written and hearty, perfect for fall evenings, When We Were Worthy reminded me of what's important in life, the lessons of high school choices, and the power of friends and family to help with life's struggles. 



Galleys for When We Were Worthy were provided by Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley,com, with many thanks.

On the very first page of When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen the word "hypocrites" came strongly to mind as a description of the people of Worthy.   This feeling  was reinforced throughout the book although it wasn't the main theme.       Their habitual church going, their sense of community, the way they idolised their football stars and cheerleaders.   On the surface the citizens of Worthy appear to be upstanding but as the story unfolded it became evident this was not necessarily true of everyone in a town where appearances sometimes seemed more important than substance      In the wake of a tragic accident which claimed the lives of three young girls and ruined the life of the boy driving the other car, people were quick to believe the gossip and rumour mill.   They were keen to wipe their hands of any friendship or relationship that may tarnish their own standing in the community.  It was about pain and secrets, judgement and fear.

The story unfolded through the first person accounts of four female residents of Worthy.    Leah, a close friend of the girls who died, has  a secret she's unwilling to share about why she was not with them at the time of the accident and is now wishing she had been.   Ava, a young relief teacher who had taught at the school each of the students attended.    Marglyn and Darcy two of the mothers whose lives were ripped apart by the accident.   Marglyn's daughter Mary-Claire died whilst Darcy's son was driving the other vehicle.    The author did a terrific job of helping the reader feel the tragedy from different perspectives, of seeing various lives unravel as a consequence of certain actions.    As a mother I emphathised with the characters and heard loud and clear the message that we should make the most of the time we have with our children whilst we can.   A message that was echoed in her dedication to her daughters which read "May I never take for granted every day I get with you".   Perhaps others will find the denouement too neat and tidy, but I like a book that ties off all the loose ends and provides answers to all my questions, so this worked perfectly for me. 

Many thanks to the author, to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

I started this book and could not put it down. I have already purchased it for my sister. This book grabs you and will not let you go. The writing is incredible. It combines tragedy, scandal, hard feelings but it also has forgiveness. Story is fast moving but not so much that is confuses. This is a gem of a book. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Mary Claire ("MC") and Brynne are beautiful head cheerleaders and together they rule the local high school of small Worthy, Georgia along with a pack of popular football boys. MC and Brynne have basically adopted two other JV cheerleaders, Keary and Leah, whom they promoted up to varsity. But one evening, everything changes in Worthy when, after another winning football game, one of the high school students, Graham, crashes his car into another, which is carrying a group of three cheerleaders. The girls are killed and suddenly nothing in the small town will ever be the same.

This is a story of heartbreak, secrets, and small towns, told from the perspective of four women. Marglyn, Mary Claire's mother; Darcy, Graham's mother; Ava, a Worthy outsider who has recently moved to town with her husband and who is a substitute teacher at the high school; and Leah, one of the four beloved cheerleaders. All four women have secrets and are struggling to find their place within Worthy.

This novel pulls you in immediately, starting with the crash, which is startling and heartbreaking. From there, everything truly changes in this tiny town, as they grapple with losing "their girls" and with finding someone to blame. Further, the crash starts to uncover some buried secrets. Why wasn't Leah in the car with her other cheerleader friends? Basically, a chain of events is unleashed that no one sees coming. As such, we are witness to a variety of people who are hurting, hiding, and struggling in their own ways--though Whalen does an excellent job of capturing some glimmers of hope as well.

She portrays small town living well: the way football is life, for instance. The four voices are extremely well-done, and you can easily picture the characters and the townspeople. This is a story of interconnected people in a town; it's a slow burning novel but compelling, with the majority of the suspense coming from the secrecy in what Leah was doing that night. Seriously, why wasn't she with her friends in that car? For the most part, I found myself caught up in the drama, with the exception of some of the portions involving Ava and her issues--that was the one area that dragged a bit for me.

Mostly this is a fairly poignant novel. Be prepared--there are lot of feelings. Each women takes plenty of time in their chapters to describe how they feel. But Whalen is an excellent writer, and you'll find yourself caught up in the tale of this town and its messed up happenings, which are certainly better depicted than in many small town novels. There's a twist at the end that makes up for so many plot pieces wrapping up a little too neatly. Overall, a sad one, but compelling, hopeful, and lovely too. Certainly worth a read.

This book was interesting, to say the least! It is an engrossing story of three girls who's lives have been cut short and what happened leading up to their tragic deaths that affects those left behind. I thought it was a unique story, though a bit disturbing. Marybeth does a great job of keeping the reader engaged until the very end.
This book is geared towards high schoolers, with it's language and some of the subject matter.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

When We Were Worthy is centered on the aftermath of a tragic car accident which kills three popular cheerleaders. The author does a very good job of conveying aspects of living in a small town whether being born and raised there or being an outsider. Although some aspects of the characters may be a bit cliche and predictable, there were some very relatable situations and emotions portrayed throughout.

After reading the description for WHEN WE WERE WORTHY , I knew it was another novel that I just had to read.

The events in the novel take place in, WORTHY, GEORGIA. Population 4162

Worthy is the like most small towns, everyone knows each other and their business. On Sundays in Worthy, you'd better show up in one of the towns many different churches or you'd be gossiped about. Not a lot to do in town, a few fast food places and one decent restaurant... Chessman's. Not a lot of places for teens to hang-out. There is one pub but most of the teens know that if they even TRIED to sneak in, SOMEONE in the small town would tell their parents.

Fall in Worthy = Football. This is a town where football is EVERYTHING. Once the season starts, Worthy is more team than town.

"One thing everyone agreed on - it was the perfect night for football"

The book begins with "The Girls" Mary Claire, Brynne, and Keary telling us about that night.

That night, The Worthy Wildcats had just won their game. They were in the midst of another winning season and it looked like they were headed to the state championship.

"Our boys really showed up tonight"

Webb Hart, Ian Stone and Seth Bishop are the team’s heroes. The boys who can do no wrong in Worthy. But if they did do wrong? Most often it was just swept under the rug.

After the game, the teens had a party to get to. Mary Claire, Brynne and Keary got ready at Mary Claire's house. Normally Leah would be with them. Brynne told the other two girls that Leah had something important to do.

Where was Leah?

They think back to the moments that could have changed everything. How many of those moments are in a day? How something so small can change everything. They were all excited about the night ahead, never thinking that it would end so tragically.

Ava Chessman is not from Worthy originally, but her husband Clay is. Ava is a substitute teacher and Clay runs Chessman's his families restaurant. She was at the game with her husband, Clay. Feeling ignored she gets up to buy a drink. That's when she runs into the one she calls "trouble"

Marglyn Miner can't stop beating herself up for the argument she had with her daughter, Mary Claire that night. Marglyn is at the mall later that evening when her phone rings, it's her husband's phone number, but when she hears a strange voice asks if she is Marglyn Miner, she instantly knows something is wrong. Then she hears words nobody ever wants to hear.....

Darcy LaRue is trying to keep it together. She's separated from her husband, Tommy who was one of Worthy's previous football stars. They have one son together, Graham. When Tommy suddenly shows up at her house, she wonders why he's there. But then she suddenly remembers all the sirens she'd been hearing. Tommy tells her they need to get to the hospital.

Leah Bennett is thinking that no matter what the football players do, they get away it. Boys will be boys, they say. Brynne is cheer captain and Leah is just a sophomore who was lucky to be cheering varsity. So when Brynne tells her she needs to " go the extra mile ", she does.

What was Leah doing that was more important? Why did Brynne seem so secretive about it?

I enjoyed this novel and read it in just a couple of sittings. Four women, all with their own secrets. A terrible tragedy that will bring most of these secrets to light. We see the story through the eyes of many characters. How the tragedy affected each of them as well as those they loved. Well defined characters, all with flaws, some bigger than others. What happens when a lapse in judgment leads to such horrible consequences? There are many benefits to living in a small town but at the same time in a small town your mistakes follow you everywhere and are seen by everyone.

Everyone wants answers. Someone needs to pay! Out for blood for some actions yet turning a blind eye to the actions of others? What happens when the answers you are looking for are not what you were expecting?

“In Worthy, truth lived right next door to perception, but they weren’t exactly friendly neighbors”

WHEN WE WERE WORTHY is well written and thought-provoking novel about love, lies, guilt, grief, forgiveness, and so much more. I am really looking forward to reading more from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.