Amazon.com: Customer reviews: When We Were Worthy

MMS

Captivating

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 1, 2023

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A good read!
Easy to read, keeps you engaged and reading more and more. I will try another from this author.

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SECRETS, LIES, & LOSS

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 10, 2017

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A win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.

When the sound of sirens cuts through a cool fall night, the small town of Worthy, Georgia, hurtles from triumph to tragedy. Just hours before, they’d watched the Wildcats score a winning touchdown. Now, they’re faced with the deaths of three cheerleaders—their promising lives cut short in a fatal crash. And the boy in the other car—the only one to survive—is believed to be at fault. As rumors begin to fly and accusations spin, allegiances form and long-kept secrets emerge.

At the center of the whirlwind are four women, each grappling with loss, regret, shame, and lies: Marglyn, a grieving mother; Darcy, whose son had been behind the wheel; Ava, a substitute teacher with a scandalous secret; and Leah, a cheerleader who should have been in the car with her friends, but wasn’t. If the truth comes out, will it bring redemption—or will it be their downfall?

My Thoughts: In alternating perspectives, the characters in When We Were Worthy reveal their own truths in bits and pieces, including their secrets and fears.

Marglyn is the grieving mother of Mary Claire, and her biggest regret is that she let her daughter leave that night with harsh words between them. Afterwards, she has dreams and visions in which she and her daughter try to communicate.

Ava, the wife and substitute teacher of one of the girls, feels neglected and alone in this small town where she does not belong. That’s how she feels, anyway. And when something scandalous is brought to light, I empathized with how alone she felt when her husband, in-laws, and townspeople did not believe her; did not give her the benefit of the doubt.

Darcy, as the mother of the boy who probably caused the accident, is also lost and alone. Who does she turn to? Someone who has also gone through something…but could she be making a dreadful mistake?

The only cheerleader who did not go that night, and who is therefore alive, is Leah. Her secret about why she didn’t go was held close to her heart. But she struggled with what she needed to reveal; something that could help Ava.

How would the secrets and lies emerge? Who would be left standing, and who might sink further into the depths of despair? While I figured out a part of Leah’s dark secret, and the one that would make all the difference to Ava, I kept expecting something more shocking. So, in fact, the secret was a bit underwhelming. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story. 4.5 stars.

2 people found this helpful

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emsolrich

Some Glaring Problems

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 26, 2021

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I had recently finished "This Secret Thing" by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen and was eager to check out her other books, so I was glad to see that she has written at least 3 others. I was a bit curious when I saw that this Kindle book was so inexpensive, but I bought this one anyway. For the first 90% of the book I was pretty pleased with the story, but the last 10% leaves much to be desired. Overall the story of Worthy and its inhabitants is engaging, even if there are a few small details that were overlooked, and the characters weren't very developed. Where I take exception with the story is in regards to Leah...

SPOILERS

Leah was raped. PERIOD. Consent is given enthusiastically, and continuously. In no way is it ok for the boys to have gotten off with an apology. The fact that they are "another town's problem now " is simply not acceptable. If the last several years have taught us anything it is that people like these boys will go on to repeat their offenses, and that the pervasive "boys will be boys" attitude that has ruled our world is no longer an excuse for rape. Shame on the character of Nancy for enabling the boys' parents in their quest to "make it all go away," and shame on Marybeth Mayhew Whalen for enabling rape culture, even if it's just in a book.

3 people found this helpful

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Olga Gamer

"One thing everyone agreed on - it was the perfect night for football

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 29, 2017

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"One thing everyone agreed on - it was the perfect night for football," is the opening line to When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.

Worthy is a small town, the kind of small town where everyone knows each other and their business, where names all have a Y in them. Darcy, Margyln, Brynne, Keary, Mary Claire. Where cheerleaders and football players are treated like gods, which allows them the opportunity to mistreat others without any repercussions. If you're not at church on Sundays, you're talked about, and there's only a handful of establishments to enjoy a meal out.

One evening after a football game, three cheerleaders will end up dead. Graham, out racing for the first time, ends up hitting their car. Keary, a new driver with a learner's permit, was at the wheel. When Darcy and Thomas, his parents, meet with him, they advise him to lie and say he wasn't racing. A fourth girl, Leah, was supposed to be in the car. At first, readers think it's because she was left behind. Later we'll come to learn what really happened.

The story was told through alternating points-of-views. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. For a character that was so integral to the accident, we didn't read much about Graham. Additionally, I didn't care for the love subplot between Leah and her friend. I don't think it added anything to the story for me. We didn't know too much about these girls, other than Mary Claire, who was a spoiled brat because her mother invited a homeless girl for dinner. What happened with MC at the end didn't redeem her at all for me.

There were too many subplots for me to follow along. Toward the middle, the book began to feel like a soap opera rather than a story about three young, dead girls and its aftermath. The novel was building toward something bigger than just the accident but by the end, when we got to the revelation, I wasn't as interested in anymore. It took too long to get there in my opinion. It seemed like a way to tie up all the plot lines.

7 people found this helpful

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BC

Very Special Novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 9, 2017

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This is a very special novel. The story is special, the author's writing is special. I have little to add to the incredible Editorial Reviews-each and everyone one of them 'nailed' whatever I felt and would think to say. Don't miss reading all of them. The novel is a heartbreaking saga-H.S. girls' lives snuffed out in a heartbeat as the result of a car accident-a H.S. boy's trauma as a result of being in the other car. You are driven through it all to find out exactly what occurred with the fateful collision. But along the way you are drawn into each and every parent's nightmare as they deal with their loss. Yes, each chapter is from the eyes of one of the mothers-but stay with it if you initially struggle with 'who's who'-it will all 'come to you'. The ending of the novel is pitch-perfect-done absolutely beautifully thanks to the author's deftness. I highly recommend this read. Some passages I highlighted to whet your appetite:

"You didn't put a gun in a child's hand, then blame the child when he pulled the trigger."

"When Tommy left she'd never been scared to be alone in the house, just lonely. Worthy, after all, was a safe place-or it had been before. Something had shifted the night of the accident. Something unknowable yet permanent, as if they'd opened the door of the town and invited the devil right on in."

"Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul/And sings the tune without the words/And never stops-at all." (famous quote from Emily Dickinson)

"They can't see us there, among them. And that's OK too. We stopped expecting to be seen a long time ago. Instead we are in the breeze that has just a high of fall crispness to it. We are in the music the band plays, the voices raised in elation or despair, the thud of bodies colliding on the field. We are all around, still as much a part of the town as we were before."

"Her divorce is final, but she's not dating anyone. We agree that maybe that's for the best, at least for a while. Mrs. Chessman is getting to know someone new, someone she didn't know so well before: herself."

4 people found this helpful

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BookLuvinBlond

Stop and READ this book! Great read in just a few days! :)

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 20, 2017

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EXCELLENT BOOK!!!! I read this in just a few days & it is NOT EASY to keep MY attention these days! I used to be an avid reader but I was recently diagnosed with ADD (in my 40's!) & I have an incredibly difficult time finding books that can get & hold my attention. I've LOVED to read since I was 4 years old, so it's frustrating. :( This book grabs you from the beginning & you want to stay until you know everyone is going to be okay. I try not to read anything anymore that may give me anxiety but that's hardly living, is it? (I went through an 8 week Fibromyalgia PT program over the summer & the therapist said not to read/watch anything that would raise my anxiety. Blah. I've had FM since 2004.) This book (kind of) took me back to high school, being a cheerleader & all that went with it. I didn't grow up in the south but I grew up in a small town where everyone knows what everyone is doing AS they do it! I was blessed, like Leah, to know what it feels like to love & be loved in that rare, special 1st love. Unlike her, I was hurt by my love so I moved 800 miles away to another state. As a woman, a mother (a mother of sons), a wife & once upon a time, a cheerleader in small town USA; I could almost relate to each character... EVEN Ginny. Thank you, MMW for writing this & showing me I am able to (still) be still & read, when the story is really GREAT!!

7 people found this helpful

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Sandra

Loved It

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 12, 2017

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Very good stuff. I found the characters very real and very believable. I could relate to all of them, and did feel their situations were compelling. It's unusual for me to find any "easy read" that is truly compelling or truly satisfying. This book was very satisfying. In the end, it's about redemption, forgiveness, setting things as right as you can...as it's never really possible in the real world to get them back to the way they were before. It's about hidden strength behind perceived weakness. And weakness behind perceived strength. It's about making mistakes, and even just making uncertain choices that may or may not be mistakes, and where life takes us afterwards, and whether and how much control we have over that. Leah's secret was sort of predictable, but how she handled things was surely not. As I usually read books slowly (a chapter before bed--takes forever), I would just warn the reader to plan to read this one through quickly. It is better that way. And well worth it.

6 people found this helpful

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Emily Parsons

Wonderful read, multiple perspectives

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 2, 2022

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This book had extensive character development. It’s certainly a book that you have to stay with to get the full plot.

What I liked most about the book was the illustration of the characters and their lives. Their flaws and merits were highlighted throughout the story.

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Alice Chirevas

In a small town where high school football is king . . .

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 27, 2018

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The small town of Worthy, Georgia, is rocked by a car crash that kills three of its young women. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that one of its young men seems to have been the cause of the crash. How does a town this small handle this event? People will take sides. Who will rush to judgement about the young man? Who will be willing to look at the possibility that the young girl driving the other car might be culpable? How will the mothers of these young people deal with their grief? Three have lost a child. One will do all it takes to protect her son. How will any of them recover? Miss Mayhew gives us both sides to consider, leaving us to wonder how we would survive such a tragic event..

One person found this helpful

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Susan

A Mother’s Worst Fears—The Aftermath

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2020

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A typical small town, Worthy, GA, is the setting for this skillfully-crafted novel about peer pressure, relationships and high school football carried to extreme.

The deaths of three cheerleaders on the way to a post-game celebration is the tragic action that initially grabs the reader. Driver of the car was a student who was severely injured. He incurs the wrath of nearly everyone in town. The subsequent actions and reactions of friends, parents and educators compel the reader to continue. The story of how each deals with the loss and begins the healing process reveals layers of guilt, anger and finally forgiveness.

(As a mother, the wife of a high school coach and a resident of a similar football-crazed community, the plot strikes chillingly close to home. I have seen scenarios much like this unfold.)

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5 star		42%
4 star		36%
3 star		16%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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