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.

**I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review**

This was my first time reading Marybeth Mayhew Whalen but I can guarantee it won’t be my last! I was captivated by her writing and did not want to put the book down. The beautiful formatting helped with that—a feast for the eyes.

When We Were Worthy is a tale of tragedy but unlike most other stories of this type, it does not focus on the tragic event or what led up to it. Whalen sets her narrative apart from the pack by focusing on the grief experience by her characters and how they recover from the tragedy. Her exploration of grief within these pages represented her best writing in my opinion and carried the day.

The setting was meticulously drawn—a vivid depiction of small town USA. I enjoyed the many nuances of the town of Worthy and by the end of the book was sad to leave the place behind.

With all that said though, this was a 4 star read for me because on more than one occasion I found the character’s similarities confusing. The multiple POVs used left me going back several times to determine who was speaking and what their place in the story was. This was not helped by how similar many of the characters appeared to be.

Overall though, an excellent read that I highly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Being from a small town in West Texas, I easily related to the importance placed on sports & athletes, and how that social structure works. I liked the alternating view points and how we came to learn the secrets kept by many of the characters and how those secrets impacted others.

5* Grieving Stars

This emotional story is a rollercoaster read filled with secrets, lies, tragedy, guilt, sadness, loyalty, and forgiveness. The death of three young girls affected everyone in the small town of Worthy in one way or another. The choices made, whether good or bad certainly had consequences for the people of Worthy.

The story was very well written and told in multiple voices with short chapters.

I thought the title of the book was very apt for the story that was told and the cover was captivating. This was a great page turning read.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this e-book for an honest opinion.

All of life is high school and none more obvious than small town living where everyone knew each other in high school and developmentally stayed in place. WHEN WE WERE WORTHY explores the associated dramas of several cliques in a small southern town when new people arrive and attempt to join and soon after a horrific accident occurs. The accident is tied peripherally to the behavior of the outliers attempting to fit in, but only barely. There are larger social issues at play although fundamentally being ostracized and showing poor judgement are at the heart of the story. And this is one good story, difficult to put down and well-told. The book is fast and characters are memorable. I enjoyed every minute of it. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The whole town were all cheering on their beloved Wildcats just hours before tragedy hits the small town of Worthy, Georgia. Now the town is dealing with the death of three cheerleader and a boy who was the driver of the other car and the sole survivor. He is the one everyone is pointing fault fingers at, but as rumors invade this small town some long hidden secrets makes a presences and WOW!
Marybeth Mayhew Whalen SHOCKED me with this amazing book! This book was truly riveting and had me glued to my kindle! I can not wait to read more from Marybeth! #MustRead

Small town left reeling after three cheerleaders (Mary Claire, Brynne, and Keary) are killed in a car accident. Is the teen (Graham) that hit their car really to blame? Why wasn't their best friend, Leah, with them that night? What other secrets are waiting to be discovered?

I enjoyed The Things We Wish Were True (4 stars) and was very excited when I received an advance copy of this one. Like with Things, I loved the writing style and was sucked in from the very first page. Again, there was a large cast of characters to keep track of, but with so many unique, strong "voices," I wasn't confused for long.

The story was told from the following points of view:

* Marglyn - Mary Claire's grieving mother,
* Darcy - Graham's mother,
* Ava - a substitute teacher accused of sexting with a student, and
* Leah, who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t.

As the story progresses, each character reveals their deepest secrets and much guilt about what happened the night of the accident. The young love story line was very sweet, and made me remember my own high school experiences. Near the end of the book, I was surprised by an immensely emotional scene and found myself trying to cry softly so I wouldn't wake my son who was sleeping next to me while his dad was out of town.

Overall, this story kept me enthralled, and I was happy with the somewhat sad, yet also hopeful and inspirational, ending. This quote, included at the beginning of the book sums it up nicely, without giving away any details from the story:

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become." - Carl Jung

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen was a really good, thought provoking story. It is set in the small town of Worthy, where the local high school football players are kings - and full of themselves. Alongside them are the cheerleaders and it is these girls who form the basis of the book.

The story is told mainly from the alternating points of view of...
Marglyn - mother of Mary Claire one of the cheerleaders. We first meet her when she has just had an argument with her daughter and made a choice that displeases her daughter. Through this relationship the story explores the mother/daughter relationship and what is good parenthood and all the emotions that go with that.
Darcy - mother of Graham, who is about fifteen years of age. She is split from her husband Tommy who went off with someone else. Darcy married young and is now only thirty-six. She is really annoyed when Tommy buys Graham a new car - sure to make him esteemed among his peers.
Leah - a young sophomore cheerleader and friend of Mary Claire, Keary and Byrnne. On the night of a fatal accident she is split from her friends for a reason and so misses a fatal accident. She has a secret and we watch her make a journey of courage, trust and truth as the story reveals itself.
Finally Ava, new to Worthy, with a husband who suddenly seems to have deserted her. She has two young children and is a sub teacher at the high school. As she is trapped into something not of her making I felt for her as those she should have been able to count on for support abandoned her.
This story fully engaged me, I didn't mind going from one character point of view to another. It was realistic and showed the foibles and weaknesses - even evil of human nature, people's blindness - sometimes by choice, to what goes on around them. It also explores parenthood, friendships, the difficulties of fitting in and being accepted. Most of all it shows how trust, hope, truth and love are so important and are what really counts.

This book is the September choice by She Reads.

I live in a small town, though not as small as Worthy, the Georgia town portrayed in this novel. Worthy is a big football town, as is mine, but while the football players and cheerleaders rule the school in Worthy, I don't feel that was the case in my town. Three varsity cheerleaders, the cream of the crop, are killed in a horrific car accident. Theyoung boy driving the other car, seriously injured but still alive, becomes the focus of the towns rage. As the others greive the loss of their daughters, we are treated to an inside view of how this town handles the accident.

So,all well and good up to this point, interesting and I was finding the viewpoints of the four mother's involved realistic and poignant. This is where is started t derail for me, pictures on a cell phone, another town target. Too much going on, the focus shifting before shifting back again. Worthy just had too much going on, and it began to seem like an episode of Knots Landing or any soap opera of your choice. A definite feeling that less instead of more would have been better, at least for this reader. A more focused rendering.

Then we have voices from the beyond, did we really need more? Then the emotions came off as over the top,too dramatic, just too much. I gave this a three because there were a few characters I really liked,among them sixteen years old Leah, who should have been in the car with the other cheerleaders. She has a big secret, though I guessed really early what that was, but through the course of the book she grows up and changes.

These are just my views, never been much for overdramatized speech and emotions, but you may find them perfectly to your liking. This is a good story, but I'm could have been better if the author had just pulled back a little.

ARC from Netgalley.

Riveting! Fantastic character development, the pacing was excellent and I thought the author captured the minutiae of small-town life and the role of football as almost a religion so well. I can't wait for more from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary digital copy of this book.

A gorgeous cover and glowing reviews from friends encouraged me to request this book on Netgalley. thank you to Lake Union Publishing for approving my request and fir a copy of this book to read and review. ehat happens to the people left in a small town when 3 popular girls and cheerleaders are killed in a car accident. this book gives you alot to think about. it made me cry and i read it in a day.

I’ve seen people raving about this book When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. I am so looking forward to reading it. I love secrets and rumors (in books) and emotions on the page.

Just read the synopsis, you’ll want to read it too. Check it out:

When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.

At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

I hate to give a negative review but this story wasn't for me. It was very confusing with all the characters and all the backstories. I felt like the plot needed to move forward a little before so much detail of the character backstories. I felt like this story had everything for me to like the book, the cover was interesting (as a previous cheerleader of course the pom poms got me) but it just didn't work for me.

Worthy... a small southern town where football is everything and everyone knows the lives of everyone. Or so it seems! There are several secrets abound and many of them will come out as the town experiences the devastating deaths of 3 cheerleaders who perished in a car accident, on the way to a party after a victorious football game. The driver of the other car, a boy from the same school, is thought to be at fault.

A tale told from several points of view, one initially feels like they're independent of each other, but they do eventually come together as the details of the accident emerge. Through these points of view we get to meet: Leah, also a cheerleader who was meant to have been in the car on the night of the accident; Marglyn, one of the grieving mothers who lost her daughter in the crash; Ava, a teacher at the school with a big secret; and Darcy, the mother of the boy behind the wheel of the other vehicle.

As a mother of teenagers myself, I could easily relate to the situations presented in this highly emotional, heavy and spine-chillingly real tale. It also drives home the point of how important it is to be there for your teenagers, even though they may push you away!

Although a tragic tale, it is also one of positivity as the town, who will be forever changed, comes to terms with their grief, overcome their judgements and eventually are left with forgiveness and hope in their hearts.

An emotional, dramatic and captivating read, which comes highly recommended by me.

It was my pleasure to review my first read by this author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to her, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity.

This was a very interesting book. It is told by the perspectives of 4 different people. I love this kind of narrative in books, especially in fiction. Here, there is love, anger, sadness, and a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, some hope. The main theme, the death of 4 teens, is not an easy one, but it is well handled here. The storyline is done well. The characters are well-developed and believable. I found it to be a good read. I would read another book by this author. I enjoyed this one.

Loved it, and fell into the story from the first pages!

I am mother to 2 driving, teenage daughters and a teenage son who is almost to that point. With 3 of my 4 kids in high school and living in the Deep South, reading this book was like looking into a parallel of my own life. I could feel and understand all the nuances. (It was written so well, though, that even if you don't connect on that level, you will be entranced!)

As you begin reading about the accident, which is the cornerstone event of the book, it reaches into your psyche to the fears you have for your kids...fears you don't want to think about and pray you never have to. Guilt, fear, truth, secrets, grief...it's all here and set in small town southern USA. How to handle tragedy, and what side will you be on...

I could not and did not want to put this book down until I finished it. I connected or felt sympathy with most all the characters, in spite of things they did I didn't agree with.

Highly recommended, especially those who enjoy southern & family drama stories. As I started reading, I felt it blended style wise 2 of my favorite authors--a sort of Liane Moriarty meets Sarah Addison Allen (minus the magic element)--good stuff indeed!

*Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishers, and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book*

This book was an extremely emotional read for me, my son is still very young, but I already worry about what lies ahead when he becomes a teenager..... fast cars, parties, teenage angst.... I will be completely honest that at times these thoughts terrify me. While this book certainly fanned the flame of those fears, it also is a gorgeous tale of forgiveness, of appreciating those who are around you and a reminder to live every single day to the fullest. Whalen writes the dynamics of small town life perfectly and has given us a heartfelt tale that captures the resiliency of families when faced with unthinkable tragedy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars. Thank you so much to Lake Union for providing an arc in exchange for my review. Full review of this incredible book will be up on my blog at the end of the week. If this is not on your TBR list, add it ASAP.

Can we just take a moment to admire that gorgeous cover? Look at it! Stunning. I was powerless against it and had to give this one a shot.

Small town Worthy, Georgia. Where football is huge, wins make your week and losses devastate. That's a lot of pressure to put on high school boys... and a huge ego rush when they succeed. But this story isn't really about those boys... it's about the girls, the cheerleaders.

Three cheerleaders will remain forever young in Worthy: they died in a car accident on the way to a party after a big game. The other car involved is assumed to be at fault, a boy who attended the same school. He will live on while their lives have been cut tragically short.

We get a lot of perspectives in this one that were a little hard for me to keep track of. Leah is always obvious, but the women all have husbands or exes and children and it was just a whirlwind of names and information. Leah is a cheerleader who was friends with the three girls. Everyone is surprised she wasn't in the car with her best friends. She wasn't, and there's a reason for that she's not willing to share. Marglyn is a grieving mother, having lost her beautiful daughter in the crash. She carries a lot of guilt. Ava is a teacher at the school with a big secret she's trying to keep under wraps. And Darcy, who is the mother of the boy who may have caused the crash. She's grateful to still have her son, but how can she help him deal with the backlash?

A lot of secrets come out in the outpouring of grief after that tragic night. Some lives were lost, some will never be the same.

It was hard for me personally to identify with the characters, they were a bit old-fashioned and frustrated me at times. I also can't imagine what it's like to live in a tiny southern town where everyone talks behind your back if you're spotted at the liquor store. We're just fine with a stiff drink or four where I live! My frustrations with them were mostly explained or resolved, though. All in all, it's a well-written book and a quick read I think many will enjoy, especially those who grew up in small towns. Very dramatic, very emotional, and very absorbing. I was hovering between a 3.5 and a 4 for this one, and in the end the beautiful and vivid writing wins out.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.