When We Were Worthy
Fiction
Lake Union Publishing
September 12, 2017
Paperback
278
Free from publisher via SheReads
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 review:
What an enjoyable read! I felt like I was lifted into this small town, where football is king of the fall season. Of course along with the football, comes the privileges of not only the football players, but the cheerleaders. It's this kind of adulation that forms the crux of this story. Just how much can you get away with if you are one of "the chosen"? In this case.......quite a lot. However, this novel is much more than that, it also delves into the grief of two mothers, who find themselves on opposite sides of a tragedy. It's about a young girl with a secret that can bring down the entire football program, but at what cost? It's about a small town where everyone knows everyone and everything that goes on, and has an opinion about it. And it's about a teacher who has been accused of a crime that she may not have committed. The novel is told through the perspective of four people, and the writer does a great job of weaving in and out of chapters to complete the picture of what really happens one fateful night following a home game. The story flowed well, the characters were all interesting and the suspense of what happened kept me turning pages as fast as I could! I even shed a tear or two over the letter near the end (you'll know what I mean if you read it).
A great book for anyone whose been privy to the happenings within a high school, particularly in regard to the social hierarchy. A great expose of small town life, and the courage to rectify a wrongdoing.
This was a SheReads pick for fall. Click the link to be directed to their website, and look for other reviews on social media under #SheReads.
This sounds like a great book for the season, especially with the small town setting!