ISBN: 978-1503903890
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 5/7/2019
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars It was to be the perfect wedding—until the bride disappeared. 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. Did she have second thoughts? Or has something much worse happened to the bride-to-be?
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.
Praise
Each character’s voice is distinct and lived in as the reader gradually connects the threads tying everyone in this small town together. There’s a lot here. An intriguing mystery filled with hearty characters.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Multilayered characters lift this elegantly plotted crime novel from Whalen (The Things We Wish Were True). Loads of hidden love stories and small-town gossip will keep readers turning the pages.” —Publishers Weekly
“[Only Ever Her] will satisfy those who enjoy watching a community’s underbelly exposed.” —Library Journal
“Marybeth Mayhew Whalen’s character-driven suspense propelled me through the pages with a relentless need to absorb every word. Unputdownable!” —Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author
“A missing bride, a handful of unrequited loves, and unsolved mysteries threaten to bring a small southern town to its knees. Each character Whalen has created is a grace note of longing, pain, or strength, and in the search for the missing woman, each is pushed to face the darkest truths he or she has attempted to hide. The characters felt like real people to me, the plot, a singular, haunting melody holding them together. A gorgeous book.” —Emily Carpenter, author of Every Single Secret
“A seductive and emotional page-turner, Only Ever Her is a moving exploration of love, loss, and regret. Told in multiple points of view, where every character has something to hide, this mysterious tale asks the question: How well do you really know the ones you love? You won’t be able to put it down, but you won’t want it to end either.” —Karen Katchur, bestselling author of River Bodies
“A brilliant portrayal of the dark undercurrents of a small town and the complex shadings of relationships between flawed but lovable people, all of whom are keeping secrets. The plot, deftly interwoven through the voices of four characters, builds into suspense that keeps the pages turning all the way to the end. A book club must read!” —Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Whisper Me This
“The long-buried secrets of a small southern town take center stage in Marybeth Mayhew Whalen’s Only Ever Her, an intricately woven tale about the pitfalls of self-deception and the damage that can ensue when tragedy sends carefully crafted ‘truths’ toppling. Whalen creates a cast of compelling and wonderfully fleshed-out characters, then slowly teases back their layers, exposing their dark places in delicious and sometimes heartbreaking fashion. Engaging, honest, and deeply compassionate, Only Ever Her is one of those wonderful books that teaches us about ourselves and reminds us that in order to live fully and honestly, we must first embrace our truth.” —Barbara Davis, bestselling author of When Never Comes
About the Author
Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of The Things We Wish Were True and five previous novels. She speaks to women's groups around the US. She is the co-founder of the popular women's fiction site, She Reads www.shereads.org. Marybeth and her husband Curt have been married for 25 years and are the parents of six children, ranging from young adult to elementary age. The family lives in North Carolina. Marybeth spends most of her time in the grocery store but occasionally escapes long enough to scribble some words. She is always at work on her next novel. Read More
