I love stories that have a deep meaning buried under a facade. This was totally that. You never know what goes on behind closed doors, but this book gave you a peek into some of that action. I devoured it quickly, totally enraptured and needing to find out the next piece of the puzzle. The author did such a great job leading the reader to the ending, I never felt bored or lost. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.

Only One Life by Ashley Farley is a book whose story has many layers. Iris Forney enters a marriage fraught with problems from the very beginning. As she grows and learns her place in society, she finds herself more and more discontented with her husband, who is not a good man. A friendship with another woman with whom she becomes a business partner in a flower shop opens her world and gives her certain freedoms. But the strong friendship between the two and a horrible secret force Iris to continue to live her with her abusive husband and their two daughters. As with all secrets, this one changes the lives of all involved. Only One Life is another wonderful book about women for women by Ashley Farley, one you’re sure to love.

This book came along at just the right time for me. I had read several deep, dark, uninspired books and needed something lighter and a good storyline. Julia is the heroine of the story. She’s from a wealthy, dysfunctional family. Her father disowned her when she got pregnant and left college to marry her baby’s father. The characters are believable and very well developed. The story line was easy to follow. Julia could be my best friend or next door neighbor. I will read other books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Only One Life is another charming story of southern life from novelist Ashley Farley. It follows Julie after the death of her beloved husband and flashes back to the life of her mother Iris and her best friend Lily and their friendship and the flower shop which they ran together. Their stories are intertwined intimately and it makes for a compelling read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

Very much enjoyed this book. Ashley Farley wrote this story so that you would feel like you were there, and knew the characters personally. Was laughing and crying throughout this book. I highly recommend this book and Ashley Farley as an author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
As always, Ashley Farley has succeeded in giving readers another good book!
This book is about families and the choices one makes. Iris came from a poor background and married into a wealthy family but not a happy family. Max and she have 2 daughters, one like him and one like her. Although Iris's choices didn't seem right at the time, she wanted only the best for her 2 daughters and chose to stay in a very unhappy marriage. As she and her daughters reunite, the story has some very happy memories and outcomes but also some that are not very happy when the book ends.
Overall, a realistic story of family that was a good read for me.

Family drama, secrets, lies, tragedy, friendship and finally reconciliation. Ashley Farley has done it again - written a book that had my emotions so involved that I didn’t want the book to end. Thank you Ashley Farley and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Thanks Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author (who I think is a fantastic storyteller). This powerful story had me so moved about the love of a mother for her daughter. 5 stars

This book surpassed all my expectations and is Southern fiction at its best. The family dysfunctional, the drama a page turner, this book is one I would highly recommend. While it is a work of fiction, the realism is unbelievable as I am sure there are many families, Southern or not, that could relate to this novel. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Farley does an amazing job with the story line and characters in this book. I had so many different feelings as I read this book - joy, sadness, disgust, and pity were only a few of these. I was especially moved by Iris's story - her whole life has been filled with challenges and heartache and yet she still persevered as best as she could (until she couldn't...). Once I started, I did not want to put this book down.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

I received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest opinion.
To be honest I was sure how I would like this novel. But I enjoyed the simple writing and yet it held me enough to attach to the characters. I think I enjoyed Iris's store more then Julia's even. I love how the two characters come together. Their own stories melding together even tho the stories are from slightly different era's.
This would be a nice easy beach read. It's got friendship, love and disloyalty as well. Great combination!

Ashley Farley has done it again -- brought her readers a riveting tale of family and love and heartache set in the beautiful low country of South Carolina. The characters are well written and the story will have you turning the pages to see how it ends. This dual time line novel gives us the mother's story as well as her daughters. Both stories are equally interesting and show the heartache and love that can come from family.

When Julia met Jack, she knew she wanted to marry him despite her rich parent's threat to kick her out of their home. She marries Jack and lives in a tiny house, estranged from her family but in love with her husband and her soon to be born son. When Jack is killed in a car accident, she tries to make it on her own but with only one salary, she is about to lose everything until she decides to go back to her parents and ask for help. Her father refuses to help Julia and her infant son but her mother, Iris insists that Julia will be allowed to live with them - much to the dismay of her sister who has spent her entire life bullying Julia. We also get Iris's story. She was brought up poor and she ended up marrying the rich man who pursued her. He treated her and Julia terribly and only bonded with their daughter Alex who is as hateful and manipulative as he is. As Julia tries to navigate her new life in a home where she is not accepted, Iris is also forced to look at her past to see if she can change the future for herself and her daughter, Julia.

This is wonderfully well written Southern fiction. The characters are so well written that they feel like people that you know. It's a story of family and love and forgiveness not only of others but also of yourself. I've enjoyed all of this authors books and this one is my new favorite.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Wow!! Ashley Farley has done it again! Amazing read! You feel all of the emotions of these main characters. This book is about several tragedies that mold the characters future. With no other choice Julia had to go home little did she know at the time that this was her new beginning. This book shares the struggles to overcome the last and move forward. How family is everything and to never give up fighting for a better life! Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. A must read! I hope to see more of these characters!!

ONLY ONE LIFE by Ashley Farley is a touching story of love, family, friendship, loss and forgiveness. It is set in Beaufort, South Carolina with all the drama of wealthy Southern families and the dark secrets they harbor. The characters and the scenes come to life with the author’s vivid and detailed descriptions. ONLY ONE LIFE has the perfect blend of family drama and romance as well as a few twist and turns that kept me turning the pages from beginning to end. I really enjoyed this engaging story of the strong bond between a mother and daughter and between friends and I highly recommend it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I received a digital advance copy of this book and loved it! Ashley Farley is a wonderful author and fabulous storyteller and is quickly becoming a new favorite author of mine :) I've read 8 (of Ashley's 12 (I think) books) and am now on a quest to read the other 4! Ashley tells a wonderful story about family and friendships through several generations. There is drama, romance, and a big dose of "can do" attitude to overcome difficult situations, all told with southern charm :) Wonderful book!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Right from the start, I could not put this book down. In the southern setting of Beaufort, SC, Ms. Farley weaves a riveting tale of loss, secrets, and pain, while taking a close look inside a dysfunctional family. A well-written read. I highly recommend it.

Another great story by Ashley Farley. Received this ARC From Net Galley. Old south values, family money and estranged daughter. Her father disowned her when she married "beneath "
her station. After her husband dies, Julia and her baby son come home. The majority of this story covers the family disfunctions and reconciliation.

Live It. In this tale of love, loss, and recovery, we see a mother, a daughter, and a mother's undying love for her children. This story was executed very well, if a bit unorthodox in style- in a very good way. Having lived in the Columbia SC region and having friends who lived in Charleston and Beaufort, I can tell you that Farley - a native of the region herself, per her bio -brought the region to life very well, for both better and worse. Overall a truly excellent work, and I look forward to reading more from this author - *maybe* even a sequel here? Very much recommended.

Description
A reunion between an estranged mother and daughter opens a world of secrets in a poignant novel by the bestselling author of Magnolia Nights.

Julia Martin grew up wealthy, but it wasn’t until she met her husband, Jack, that she knew true happiness. He made her feel worthy and loved. Their marriage was also an escape from her sister’s bullying, her father’s scrutiny, and her chilly and enigmatic mother. But when tragedy strikes on the night she gives birth, Julia’s happiness is shattered. She has no choice but to return home to her family’s South Carolina mansion, where the grief and guilt buried in her mother’s past await her.

As a young woman trapped in a bitter marriage, Julia’s mother, Iris, once needed her own means of escape. In Lily, she found a best friend. In the flower shop they opened, she discovered independence. Then came a transgression—unforgivable, unforgettable, and unresolved—that changed Iris’s life forever.

Now, in Iris’s most desperate hour, her only hope is to regain the trust of the daughter she loves—and to share the secrets of the heart that could rebuild a family’s broken bond.

A heart-tugging story of a family of secrets and wealth and what lengths one will go to to protect those secrets even means not having love.
Beautiful read. I enjoyed. Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for the advance read.

Only one life is the story of family secrets and family drama. This book stayed with me, the characters, the plot, the heartbreak, all of it. Funny thing about secrets, they usually come out.