When I pick up an Ashley Farley book I know I am in for a wonderful and emotionally moving story. Only One Life is a beautiful and heartfelt story about family and frienships that is sure to keep you thinking long after you have finished it.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I most certainly would. I found it captivated my attention from the start and left me sad that had to end. 

I was given an advanced readers copy and this is my honest opinion. I loved Only One Life so much, I have since pre-ordered a copy.

"One can harbor secrets for only so long. One way or another, they eventually catch up with you."

Special thanks to author Ashley Farley for writing this "page turning novel" and thanks to Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC of ONLY ONE LIFE. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

This novel of family, friendship, love, sorrow and secrets is set in the small town Beaufort, South Carolina. Julia, Iris, Lily, Wiley, Gus and Jackson are my favourite characters, while Max and daughter Alex quickly lost my respect and favour.

Ashley's talented writing style has once again captivated me and I read ONLY ONE LIFE in one afternoon. Although I did not want the book to end, I could not stop reading until I found out what would happen to Julia and her mother.

5 flowery stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️

Posted Goodreads April 23, 2019
Savvy Reader April 23. 2019

This was an amazing southern fiction novel. Dark secrets and the love of a mother with hopes of a relationship with her daughter. Farley's novels are always so well written and draws you in and you feel the raw emotions of the characters. Absolutely could not put this book down. A must read.

I loved this book it has family drama, grief, loss and second chances. This is the first book I have read by this author but will not be my last I love her style of writing and could not put it down

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

I have loved every Ashley Farley book I’ve read so far. This one did not disappoint. What a story. Unfortunately, the circumstances of some of the characters and their situations are all too common. What a great relationship Iris and Lily had. Everyone should be so blessed to have the love Julia and Jack had. This story has some very strong women, who may have surprised themselves at times. You may feel a lot of different emotions while reading this story. I did. I felt like I was right there with them, through the good and the bad. I hope you have an opportunity to read this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Ashley Farley writes emotionally compelling novels set in the South. Her characters are complex, full of angst and passion but she always resolves their issues in an emotionally satisfying manner. I received an ARC of Only One Life from NetGalley and I had to force myself to put it down to go to bed.

Julia married for love, not money and prestige like her father demanded of her. Her parents’ marriage was miserable and she wanted better for herself, which she found with Jack Martin. When he died rushing her to the hospital for the birth of their child, my heart broke and I almost put the book away. But I know the author would extract good out of the tragedy and I’m glad I perservered because the story was wonderful. Women who discover their strength and resiliency are my favorite characters and three out of the four primary women in Only One Life successfully navigate their crises. Great read.

I loved Only One Life! Ashley has written another amazing story full of emotion, secrets, turmoil, relationships, growth, forgiveness, and love. I was immediately swept away with the story-line and the range of characters that went from lovable to bullheaded and deplorable. It is a story full of interesting relationships—so many different dynamics within this dysfunctional family and their circle of friends.

This was a story that captured my heart from the start and one that I quickly devoured. Ashley writes southern fiction like no other and I was instantly transported to Beaufort, South Carolina as soon as I settled in.

I have read and loved all of Ashley's books but with Only One Life, she has really taken her story-telling to a new level. The complexity of the relationships she created and the emotions she was able to make me feel, might make this one my new favorite of all of her books.

I highly recommend Only One Life if you need to get away and escape from your own life for awhile. That's exactly what I did!

"......what you make of your life that determines whether you're happy or not."

I didn’t want this book to end. As soon as I started it, it grabbed me and I read every chance I got. Farley has such a wonderful way of telling fantastic stories of strong females. This didn’t disappoint. I loved getting to read not only Julia’s story, but also getting to go back and read how her mother, Iris, came to be the woman she is. This book has some heartbreaking moments and some really happy ones. I just adore it.

Phenomenal!!

Only One Life had me holding my breath and hanging on tight for this wild ride of emotions!

Soul shattering goodness!!

Once I started this book, there was no stopping. I was completely and absolutely hooked. This book owned me! I think this is Ashely Farley’s best work yet! This book had so much depth, turmoil and emotion. With characters that flew off the pages and became real.

An ABSOLUTE MUST READ!!

I don’t say this often.... but if I could give this book 6 stars... I absolutely would! It was that good!

I enjoyed this book. The book is told in three parts. Part One is the present with Julia and Jack. They have been married happily for 15 years, and after several miscarriages Julia is about to give birth to their first child. They are both ecstatic. They  have a happy life, even though they have very little money. Then tragedy strikes, and Julia has to face the reality of leaving their home forever. Part Two focuses on Iris, from her childhood, meeting Max and their courtship, her friendship with Lily, and catching up to the present. Part Three is after Julia comes home. 

There is so much going on in this book. Julia feels betrayed by her mother's inaction when her father kicked her out when she was pregnant and wanted to marry Jack. She has no relationship with her father and sister Alex at all. Going home is hard, but she has no other choice. Her return is the catalyst for Iris to examine her life closely and make some difficult decisions.  An event in Iris's past is still affecting her to this day. Julia and Gus, Lily's son, grow closer but questions must be answered before anyone can move on with their lives.

This isn't a romance novel. If anything, it's a love story between mother and daughter, and also between best friends. Lily and Iris have a lifelong friendship that remains through some huge upsets, requiring forgiveness from both parties. Their bond is unshakable. I liked how Julia finally found her place in the world. Even though she and Jack were incredibly happy together, I had the impression something was still missing for Julia even before he died. Now she seems complete.

Ashley Farley writes a brilliant novel! This is a very character driven story with the beautiful backdrop of South Carolina. I am learning that I am a huge fan of Southern Fiction.

I was captivated from the very beginning by the character Julia. She gave everything up to be with the man she loves, even if it means he is all she has. For 15 years it was just the two of them living a modest life in Edisto Beach, SC and she was happy because she loved Jack.

She finally gets pregnant and the day the baby is to be born, tragedy strikes, and Jack loses his life and Julia must figure life out all over again without him.

This story is about her giving her family a second chance.

The relationship between her and her Mom, Iris was my favorite part. That is what led the story for me. Sure, there is her father, Max and her Moms business partner, Lily…but, ultimately it comes down to their relationship for me. The secrets and lies are so intense, but so is the love.

This was the first I’ve read, and it will not be the last.

WOW! What a journey you'll go on when you read Ashley Farley's new book "Only One Life"! There is relationship drama between parents & children, spouses, siblings and friends that include secrets, heartbreak, love, indifference and healing that span over many decades. I love this cast of characters with their strong personalities and especially love the friendship between Iris & Lily and the mother/daughter relationship between Iris & Julia.

Thank you NetGalley and Ashley Farley for this advance readers copy of Only One Life in exchange for my review.

Written in the true southern charm that I love about any book by Ashley Farley, this is another wonderful story. Told in both the present and the past we learn about a dysfunctional family, how they came to be that way and finally their way of trying to heal. There were many twists and turns along with plenty of emotions along the way which made this a very interesting read.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me an arc at my request. All thoughts on this review are my own and are voluntary.

After reading Nell and Last last year, I was excited to read Only One Life. I was a bit disappointed. I love all of the characters and the author’s writing style, but the story just didn’t grab me like I expected it to. Don’t misunderstand - this is a good book, and if you like women’s fiction or books about family drama, you will definitely like this one! This story is told from different time periods and different perspectives, which made it more interesting. I do look forward to reading the author’s next book.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book.

Julia was from a wealthy household. But she had snobbish parents or rather an over bearing father and a mother who just went along with him. She also had an overbearingly bullying sister who never gave up.
When Julia met Jack she married him and whilst pregnant with his baby, Jack met with an accident and died. At the time Julia had been estranged from her family and although her mother appeared out of the blue in Julia's neighbourhood, she never met her. Just watched from afar and disappeared.

Julia became destitute and realized that the only way out for her was to seek help from her family. It was not easy and there was the father and sister together sniping away. When her father died and left his entire wealth to his eldest daughter, questions had to be asked as to why he would leave his wife and younger daughter bereft of any of his wealth.

Her mother's past and questions about her birth are the answer to Julia's questions and though buried in a decades old story it unearths the reason why her father disliked her. The questions of maintaining a facade in their lives and marriage, led to so much heartache and pain all for the lack of communication - forthright communication on a touchy topic.

A family story with more than its fair share of heartache.

Julia had it all-until on what should have been the best night of her life, she lost it all. She lost her husband, her baby, her home, sending her back to her family's house. What she finds is not what she expected. There are secrets and lies that have been hidden from her. Told by Julia and by her mother Iris, this is about finding your truth, overcoming tragedy, and dealing with mental illness. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I LOVED this book! I can’t say that enough. I started it in the morning and read straight through until the end. It has a little bit of everything in it. Drama, mystery, romance, sadness and love between a family that you gather not necessarily a blood family. I am buying this book for my friends as I know they will love it as much as I do. This is a book that will stay with me as these people have become friends. I won’t be able to start a new book right away because I will be thinking of these characters, but that is fine it is more than worth it!

Julia Martin is living a peaceful and simple life with her husband. In the shadows of her wealthy upbringing and hearing gossip of her estranged family, she tries to grasp her life changes with ease while coming to terms with being seperated from her family. One night, tragedy strikes and Julia is forced to reunite with her family with unexpected results. Only One Life by Ashley Farley explores the damage that past secrets can cause and the ways we bury things to survive while revealing the beauty in personal strength and family bonds.

Farley weaves the past and present in this story easily and stays completely in touch with the Southern roots that bind people together. All of her characters are well-rounded and unique with a touch of familiarity that all readers can recognize in their own families. The quiet touches of South Carolinian culture add to the credibility that any of these characters could be our neighbors. The plot flowed slowly at first but quickly picked up with the introduction of her mother’s past and the connections it creates later on for Julia and her sister, Alex. A twist in the story transforms the events of the story to lead into a satisfying conclusion.

This novel earns 4/5 stars for the lovely characters, in-depth plot points, and regional details that make this genre so sweet for fans.

Only One Life was an emotional look at a family’s relationships. I enjoyed the way the women’s relationships were portrayed. Shortly after Iris gets married, she meets Lily who becomes her best friend and business partner. Iris and Lily experience a lot together and separately throughout the years. Iris has two daughters, one who is difficult and distant, and one who has become estranged from her life. One day, Iris’s estranged daughter Julia reappears in her life. Iris and Julia try to work through what has happened before to try to move forward. The story is a look at the inner secrets and dynamics of their family from the past.

Ashley has done it again! She had taken us in to very strong emotional rollercoster of emotions with this book! Crying, anger, hoping,and wonder of what is happening with this two families and how the overcome these heartaches and tragedies and heart heartache to be able to look for the future!