This book was a huge disappointment. I had a hard time getting into the book and I just never connected with any of the characters. Finally, at 30%, I gave up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book for my honest review.

A mystery novel where the missing person is not found and rescued in a happy ending. As macabre as that may sound, I was glad we weren't given a perfectly tied bow to wrap up the novel.

Annie, the small town's belle, is missing a few days before her wedding to a catch of a man. Many are suspect, including the man who was in prison on accusations of having killed her mother twenty years prior. I was sure we will never learn the exact circumstance of how Lydia, Annie's mother, died, and I did not see that coming! I loved that revealing part!

I read an advanced e-book copy, and maybe this had to do with it, but there wasn't a clear transition from one scene to another. At times I had to figure it out by reading between lines [see: Clary and Travis' history]. It doesn't mean you can't understand the story, but you have to pay closer attention to details thrown in.

I didn't like the mocking tone used towards the religious and Christian life. I felt like we were encouraged to root for Clary, Annie's cousin, and give Travis the side eye. I'm not claiming that his decisions and life are where they should be, but he moved on instead on wallowing in the past.

Speaking of moving on, none of these characters (I'm referring to those from whose perspective the story was told) seem to have done that. They still linger on the past. It's typical of a novel set in a smalltown. Another thing that didn't convince me was how a whole case was based on the babbling of a three year old. No matter how precocious Annie was at that age, you investigate further, especially when there are other leads. It's unfortunate that there is another, albeit fictional, example of the incompetence of the justice system. And it throws a bad light on the police force, again. Not to mention, in a novel it just seemed the easy way to make the reader believe a three year old's word could be considered as the basis for a murder trial.

As for the main character, I for one didn't like her, and I didn't care for her Southern sweetheart status. She was spoilt by the whole town and look what good did that do to her!

Despite all this, I enjoyed the novel a lot. I finished it in two days because I didn't want to do anything else but read more of it. It kept me interested and intrigued, wanting to read one more chapter. As far as mystery and suspense are concerned, it delivers. I sure do recommend it for fans of this genre.

Boring and predictable. The characters lacked depth, though the author attempted to create depth by providing lots of background and unnecessary details. This resulted in me skimming. There were too many main characters and I never felt connected with any of them.

I liked how the author ended some chapters with a cliffhanger, but otherwise her writing style wasn’t especially noteworthy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and the author. Not my style, and that’s ok.

This is a character based mystery. I enjoyed it, but it was a little confusing and I really didn't care very much about Annie, who is suppose to be the main character. You could feel a genuine closeness between most of the characters in this southern town, which I found the most interesting aspect of the book. Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book..

I was fortunate enough to be gifted an Advance Readers Copy of Only Ever Her by Mary Mayhew Whalen and Net Galley. 🙏
Here’s the plot…
It’s days before Annie’s 👰🏼 🎩 💒 and it’s the talk of the town...the wedding of the year 🗓 ! The entire town has grown to love ❤️ and follow Annie throughout her life. Back when she was three years old 🧒, her mother 👩🏼was murdered 🔪 during a camping trip 🏕. Now...twenty-three years later 🕐, the killer 💀 is being released from prison 🚔 🚨...wrongfully accused of the murder 🙈🙉🙊. Who really did it❓...and why, mere days before her wedding, does Annie go missing❓Where is she❓Did something terrible happen to her or is this just a case of cold feet❓Is the accused killer behind all of this❓
The chapters alternate telling the point of view of each character including:
✅ Annie, the main character
✅ her aunt, who has raised her
✅ her cousin, whom she is closest to
✅ her secret male friend
✅ the news reporter
I do with it had focused more on the innocent man, accused of the murder.
Overall, It was a good read 📖 and I enjoyed it. I would be interested in reading some of her other novels. 📚 📚
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I struggled to get into this book and didn’t finish it. Although the synopsis sounded good it didn’t grip me.

#only ever her#Netgalley
When Anne the bride disappears a few days before the wedding, As time goes on, it makes the family think of there own secrets giving the food for thought, if they ever really knew Anne. This is a really interesting book, with a real twist. I don’t want to spoil the book, but what I like. It does make you sit and think about how much you actually do really know about anyone at all. It takes a book like this to genuinely make you think. It’s a good book and worth reading I don’t think you would regret it, In some parts it feel a little slow not too often, it was just certain characters. It’s still worth reading

I really enjoyed this one. It tugged at the heart a little bit and was a bit more emotionally involved than I expected, but that made it even more endearing. Annie is a confusing, but wonderful character and I felt as if I was just getting to know her when she disappeared. The feeling of wanting to know her more combined with my interest in the personalities and interpersonal relationships of the other characters propelled me through the narrative in a hurry. I couldn't put this one down and stayed up quite late to finish it. I had to have answers.

The presentation of the narrative through the eyes of several protagonists works wonderfully. It created tension in multiple places and added depth to the plot. Being able to see the major characters in individual chunks made the book more interesting while still weaving the story together well. The use of intermittent foreshadowing and the sprinkling in of random bits of important information through individual monologues was fantastic. It almost felt as if there was a first person description while the reader was still able to gain information from an omniscient narrator.

Only Ever Her surprised me. I wasn't expecting such a good read. This one is well worth the time and is likely a great one to shelve as a reread. Knowing all the bits and pieces from the first read could lead to an interesting change of view during a second glance.

If you are looking for a mystery with rotating perspective, this is a great one for you! If you are a fan of "Mother-In-Law" by Sally Hepworth, "Only Ever Her" by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is sure to be another that tops your list of enjoyed reads.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This bound-to-be-a-bestseller will be published on May 7th, 2019.

Annie Taft is the apple of her small South Carolinian town’s eye. Her wedding is the most talked about event of the season. But her upcoming nuptials aren’t the first time Annie’s name has been prevalent in the rumor mill that is the town of Ludlow. That all started with the murder of her mother, Lydia, when she was a child. And the event still holds sway over the entire community, making Annie the focus of much attention for all of her life.
Annie is looking forward to moving away with her soon-to-be hubster Scott Hanson and escaping from her both the nightmares of her childhood and the frivolities of adulthood. She just sees one thing standing in her way...

The man who was convicted for her mother’s murder might not be guilty at all. While Annie’s first concern is the truth surrounding Cordell Lewis, she’s well aware that the memory of the town may in fact be longer than her own—and there are some who are not as concerned with discovering the truth. A solved crime reflects a safe town; unsolved, it casts the unwelcome shadow of the past.

Laurel Haines, a reporter at the town’s local newspaper, the Ludlow Ledger, is a Gilmore Girl of her own right. Raised by a prominent family, grasping at the dream of a journalist’s Pulitzer-winning lifestyle, she’s desperate to prove herself and to rise up to the story that the suspect circumstances surrounding the Taft family is revealing. But the story she’s given isn’t the one she’s expecting.

Because Annie Taft has mysteriously disappeared four days before her wedding.

Faye, Annie’s legal guardian and aunt and beloved sister of her deceased mother, is sick and tired of Annie’s sporadic and unexplained disappearances over the years. But when the disappearance stretches uncomfortably with no word from the bride, Faye begins to fear that this is no longer a young woman’s foolish and inconsiderate desire to be alone. What has happened to the niece she promised to care for?

The town begins its search for Annie, every soul seeking to find her. Some seek to find her for their own sense of safety. Some seek her out of love. Some seek her to prove their love. Secrets will be unearthed...and not all of them Annie's.

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen has an incredible ability to create characters that yearn to tell their own stories. Each character is so different. I appreciate that each chapter is dedicated to only one's viewpoint. Some are likable...some aren't. Faye and a few of the townsfolk that frequent her hair salon remind me very much of Truvy Jones and her friends from Steel Magnolias. I've already mentioned that Laurel Haines has a very Rory Gilmore kind of feel (without all the poor decisions—sorry, Rory, it's true). But I will say that Kenny, Annie's best friend, was a frustrating character for me.

The ending was succinct (if not a little anticlimactic), and I find myself placing this novel on the "to recommend" shelf with a 4 out of 5 rating. Look for it on yours May 7th!

Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and releases May 7, 2019. In a small town a woman goes missing a few days before her wedding. Mysteries are uncovered from the past when her mother was killed and the wrong person was sentenced to prison. This book is listed as a mystery and thriller and I would not consider it a thriller since it was not fast paced. Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book.

Annie, the three-year-old who sent her mother's killer to prison, has grown up and is getting married. But as the day draws closer, she is asked to help secure the release of her mother's killer. And Annie is no longer sure of her memories, so she gives what help she can. But just after the release of the alleged killer, Annie disappears. Told through the eyes Annie, her cousin Clary, her aunt Faye and her best friend Kenny, we learn the story of why Annie disappeared and what happened to her. Good story line, excellent characters.

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. 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 or 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.

I knew right away that I was going to love this book! I was hooked from the cover art instantly and the characters. This was one of those stories that felt real for me. I automatically got lost in trying to find out what happened to Annie. Really great book!!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #OnlyEverHer
Pub Date: 07 May 2019

I first heard about this book from Anne Bogel's blog post about her most anticipated books of 2019. Naturally, I immediately added it to my TBR and requested the title on NetGalley. I was delighted to receive an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my review.
The book is part General Fiction, part Mystery/Thriller which was a winning genre combo for this reader. The novel begins with two major events that are set to unfold in Annie Taft's life; she is days away from her wedding and happily ever after that just happens to coincide with the release of the man who was convicted and imprisoned for murdering her mother when she was three years old. With new evidence indicating that the wrong man was accused of this crime and the upcoming nuptials of Annie, the small town of Ludlow, SC is abuzz with more than the usual Southern charm. Adding yet another layer of mystery to the plot, Annie disappears just days before her wedding, leaving her family and friends to wonder if she has cold feet or if something sinister has happened to the bride.
The characters in this novel are richly developed and I enjoyed seeing the story unfold from the differing perspectives of the characters with each new chapter. They each have complicated emotions and situations with which they are grappling themselves and must also come to terms with the circumstances of Annie's disappearance in their own ways. As the two main mysteries are solved, the secrets of the other characters are examined, as well. I highly recommend this one! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nothing about this book is particularly bad or particularly great. It kind of just is. The prose itself is pleasant to read and the main characters are decently fleshed out. However, my biggest issue is that it is not what is advertised.

In reading the description I thought I was in for a thrilling mystery with maybe even a murder to figure out. As it turns out, that really isn't the focus of the story at all. There is zero sense of urgency throughout the whole thing, and the bulk of the novel is long exposition regarding characters thinking about their pasts (with, might I add, a lot of repetition). Then when it comes time for them to be brought back to the present, it's like they forgot where they were and what they were doing and reacted in very detached manners.

Disappointing because the beginning had a decent set up. I think if maybe this were advertised as a story of seeing how a small town with secrets reacts to tragedy, then I would have come out of it feeling a lot more satisfied.

I really had to struggle to get through this book. The entire plot did not ring true to me. Far too many characters, most of who I could not get a real feel for.. I have read other books by this author, and have enjoyed them, This book was gust too all over the place for my liking.

Thank you Net Galley for the ebook Arc in exchange for an honest review. Annie is going to be married in four days. The whole town is excited. When she was little her mother was murdered and she was found wandering around alone. The town immediately became caught up in her story and she became the town sweetheart. When she goes missing right before the wedding everyone is desperate to find her and the list of suspects keeps changing. At times I felt it was a bit slow but it keep me wanting to come back to see how Annie’s story will end. The ending was not exactly as I thought it would turn out. Second book I’ve read by this author and look forward to more!!

Annie disappears a few days before her wedding and her friends and family are left wondering if this is one of her "spells" where she needs time to herself, but fear that this is something more. While there was opportunity to build suspense in this storyline, I didn't feel that sense of urgency that I expected. Each chapter was from the different view of one of the characters. I felt that there were nearly too many characters to keep straight and they weren't as developed.

Just finished the @netgalley ARC “Only Ever Her” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars. This book tells the story of Annie, a woman who’s mother died many years ago. And now, the man who was convicted of killing her is getting released. Throughout all this, Annie is also about to get married.

The reason I went 3 stars is because I really liked Whalen’s writing and the character development for all the main characters was really good. I also found myself wanting to keep reading and thinking about it while I wasn’t reading.

However, the ending is where it lost me a little. I felt like there was a decent amount of stuff not really wrapped up or revisited. There were also a few too many elements of the story that felt necessary upon finishing.

OHHHH what a thriller this one was! This was my first novel from Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and I am beyond excited that I was able to read it! This is a must read for people who love thrillers and suspense. She writes incredibly well and this is one that is a keeper!

Only Ever Her is not about a wedding. Granted, the bride disappears. The falsely accused killer of her mother is being released from prison. Coincidentally, do these events have anything to do with one another? Who killed the mother years ago? Will there be a wedding? The plot unfolds to answer questions and keep you guessing until the end. It's a good read overall. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.