I really, really wanted to like this one; books and TV shows "based on a true story" are one of my favorite things ever. However this was just really dull, and it took a lot for me to not DNF. Overall would not recommend this one.

How far would you go to protect your family??? A fantastic, well written story that answers just this. One of my favorites reads in a while!

I think the hype for this book did it a disservice. Forty percent into it and the pacing was so slow that I actually nodded off. The characters were unsympathetic and unlikeable. I heard it was loosely based on a true story so I will look it up to see if the facts are a bit more engrossing.

We Would Never is loosely based on a true stroy. I followed the actual court case as it went to trial, but have had a hard time finishing this book. I think I would have liked it better if it had been a true story with real names. I really felt like the chapters drug on in places and sometimes the story felt choppy. This book is full of family drama and dysfunction. Hard to belive people would go to such awful extremes to get what they want. If I didn't know about the true story, I may have enjoyed this book more.

Why aren’t more people talking about this book?! 🤨

“We Would Never” by Tova Mirvis BLEW ME AWAY. Thanks to Avid Reader Press for a gifted galley — it’s available now as it came out Feb. 11.

“We Would Never” sounded like my jam — a family drama wrapped around a contentious divorce with shades of domestic suspense — but wow did it deliver. There isn’t some monster twist; the story is just that good and the characters are fantastic, from the means-well busybody mom to the funny brother. Tom Perotta said Tova Mirvis “brings a novelist’s eye to a tabloid story” and that is the best summation I can find as to why this book was so good. It had me in its grips and I finished it in less than 24 hours.

Synopsis: Before Hailey Gelman’s ex husband is found dead, the two of them had been engaged in a “bitter separation and a messy custody battle over their young daughter, Maya. When Hailey files a motion to relocate to Florida so she can be near her family, Jonah retaliates and the divorce begins to spiral dangerously out of control.

“Sherry, Hailey’s mother, will stop at almost nothing to keep Jonah from getting what he wants. Nate, Hailey’s impetuous and protective older brother, has tried to keep his distance, but he can’t stand to see his little sister suffer. And then there’s Solomon, the patriarch, who is keeping a secret that threatens the stability and security Sherry has worked so hard to maintain. Soon, they are forced to reckon with who they are as individuals and as a family, and just how far they will go for each other.”

We read this for book club at my suggestion because a few members tend to love domestic suspense and infighting among rich families. The blurbs really sold this high and I think it simply couldn’t keep those promises. We all agreed as a book club that we wanted more. More wealth, more relationship development along side characters to really flesh them out, and more depravity/conflict/craziness. The bones are there, everything just needed to be turned up in volume.

Hailey and Jonah are married with a daughter, Maya. Jonah decides to take a job away from Hailey's home state of Florida. Jonah tells Hailey her family, especially her mother, are overbearing and controlling. During a contentious divorce, Hailey's family tries to help Hailey get back to Florida and away from Jonah, without telling Hailey of their plans.
When Jonah is found shot and killed, Hailey wonders about her family's involvement.
I didn't really like the characters in this book, which hurt my enjoyment of the book. The family is completely dysfunctional.

Oh my goodness, the mother in this one is quite a piece of work. She is very selfish and seems very immature - kind of like, the cool kids won't let me sit at their table at lunch and I must make that happen. She frustrated the heck out of me. And, if she was my mother, I'd put myself up for adoption. That being said, they ALL were pretty unlikeable. The storyline itself was kind of fun, because who hasn't wished the demise of the person who is bringing so much turmoil in their life? And the husband is definitely worthy of that action. I think those who enjoy mystery/thrillers will enjoy this one.

A slow-burn mystery wrapped in a rich, emotional family drama. We Would Never explores the dark undercurrents beneath loyalty, love, and the masks we wear to survive. Tova Mirvis masterfully unravels a chilling tale of a seemingly perfect daughter caught in a storm of secrets, suspicion, and generational protection. Inspired by true events, this is as much about family as it is about murder — and neither comes out clean.
4/5 — layered, tense, and quietly devastating.

This one really wasn't for me but it was written okay. I really couldn't get into how the family treated the fmc. I just couldn't get into this story mostly because of this. I tried reminding myself of the time frame but I just couldn't get around it.

When Hailey's soon to be ex-husband is murdered she is naturally under suspicion. As we learn more about their relationship, Hailey's family and upbringing it's a toss up as to who did it and why? An intricate look at family, love, hate and the extremes one will go to for love.

**A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

This book is based on a true crime, and I am unfamiliar with that crime.
The formatting on my version of the e-book was all scrunched together so it was a bit hard to read at times. Plus, every chapter was titled Maine, 2019, even though we were going back and forth in time. I’m hoping those get fixed.
Hailey is in the midst of a contentious divorce from Jonah with custody of their daughter Maya being one of the biggest issues. The other big issue is that Hailey wants to move to Florida with Maya to be closer to her family, which Jonah will not allow. But when Jonah is found dead, Hailey becomes the prime suspect.
Hailey’s mom is overbearing, and her dad is a physician who runs his own dermatology practice. During the course of the story, Hailey’s brother, Nate, joins the practice but their brother Adam remains estranged from the family.
As mentioned earlier, the story goes back and forth between past and present but also locations – Binghamton (NY), Maine and Florida….which is why each chapter being labeled Maine 2019 was confusing.

Thank you Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the DRC of We Would Never. All opinions in this review are my own.

DNF at 14%

This book sounded intriguing but took too long to get started. I found that if I'm skimming this early on, I should just stop. I was expecting it to be more of a thriller but it's more of a family drama.

If you're like me and prefer thrillers as beach reads, then you will want to make sure to pack We Would Never by Tova Mirvis in your beach bag this summer!

Part gripping mystery, part compassionate family drama, We Would Never explores what people are capable of when they feel cornered, and how, in the absence of forgiveness, love and hate can intertwine and turn deadly.

Click here to check out the book today.

Nothing is more important to Sherry than her family, so when her only daughter finds herself in the middle of a messy divorce, Sherry can't help but get herself, and the rest of the family, right up in the middle of it. Despite her best intentions, she only manages to make a bad situation worse.
The Gelman family serves as an example of being too tight knit. I didn't realize until I finished the book that the author was inspired to write this based on a true crime story she'd been following. It was already a good story, but I think knowing it was based on an actual event would have made it more intriguing. It never ceases to amaze me what "normal" people are capable of.
Thanks to #netgalley and #avidreaderpress #simonandschuster for this #arc of #wewouldnever in exchange for an honest review.

While the plot seemed compelling and the mystery had me intrigued, this ended up being too drawn out for me to enjoy. I knew it was a literary story going in, but all the same felt it dragging to the point where I just wanted to be done with it and know what happened. The past and present timelines is always a nice touch, as the reader tries to connect how they meet together and all the missing pieces in between. I think some will like this, but it just wasn't for me.

Courtesy of Netgalley and Goodreads, I received the ARC of We Would Never by Tova Mirvis. This family drama/mystery was very compelling to read, to learn the backstory of this seemingly normal family and then the underlying dysfunction was thought provoking. Pondering exactly who was the victim kept me turning pages!

I was expecting more of a whodunnit crime novel than an intergenerational trauma dump. Though I think I would have liked it more as a tv show, where it could be more entertaining and the drama edited more. The novel is well written, although the ending is pretty obvious. Willing to read more of the author’s works.

This novel is a whodunit heavily laced with a tumultuous family dynamic if that’s speaking to your mood right now. I found the premise compelling and the characters interesting most of the time, but Shelly (the mom) did almost drive me to drink a few times. Her actions and behavior were justified through her own thoughts and the perspectives of others around her, but I still found her to be insufferable. Some characters were underdeveloped (mainly Adam), but I’d still recommend the novel as a whole.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback