She starts to dream and then she stops herself: WHEN WE WERE WORTHY.

When We Were Worthy by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Mary Claire ("MC") and Brynne are beautiful head cheerleaders and together they rule the local high school of small Worthy, Georgia along with a pack of popular football boys. MC and Brynne have basically adopted two other JV cheerleaders, Keary and Leah, whom they promoted up to varsity. But one evening, everything changes in Worthy when, after another winning football game, one of the high school students, Graham, crashes his car into another, which is carrying a group of three cheerleaders. The girls are killed and suddenly nothing in the small town will ever be the same.

This is a story of heartbreak, secrets, and small towns, told from the perspective of four women. Marglyn, Mary Claire's mother; Darcy, Graham's mother; Ava, a Worthy outsider who has recently moved to town with her husband and who is a substitute teacher at the high school; and Leah, one of the four beloved cheerleaders. All four women have secrets and are struggling to find their place within Worthy.

This novel pulls you in immediately, starting with the crash, which is startling and heartbreaking. From there, everything truly changes in this tiny town, as they grapple with losing "their girls" and with finding someone to blame. Further, the crash starts to uncover some buried secrets. Why wasn't Leah in the car with her other cheerleader friends? Basically, a chain of events is unleashed that no one sees coming. As such, we are witness to a variety of people who are hurting, hiding, and struggling in their own ways--though Whalen does an excellent job of capturing some glimmers of hope as well.

She portrays small town living well: the way football is life, for instance. The four voices are extremely well-done, and you can easily picture the characters and the townspeople. This is a story of interconnected people in a town; it's a slow burning novel but compelling, with the majority of the suspense coming from the secrecy in what Leah was doing that night. Seriously, why wasn't she with her friends in that car? For the most part, I found myself caught up in the drama, with the exception of some of the portions involving Ava and her issues--that was the one area that dragged a bit for me.

Mostly this is a fairly poignant novel. Be prepared--there are lot of feelings. Each women takes plenty of time in their chapters to describe how they feel. But Whalen is an excellent writer, and you'll find yourself caught up in the tale of this town and its messed up happenings, which are certainly better depicted than in many small town novels. There's a twist at the end that makes up for so many plot pieces wrapping up a little too neatly. Overall, a sad one, but compelling, hopeful, and lovely too. Certainly worth a read.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 09/12/2017.

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