Review: You Are My Only

You Are My Only

by Beth Kephart

EdgemontUSA Hardcover

ISBN 9781606842720

256 pages

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Available for Pre-order 

AMAZON          BARNES AND NOBLE

Why did you choose this book? I saw this on Netgalley and the cover is amazing!.

When did you read this book? September 2011

Who should read this book? readers who enjoy descriptive, poetic writing

Here is a synopsis of ‘You Are My Only' from Goodreads, where it rates 3.7 stars.

Emmy Rane is married at nineteen , a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock. Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the “No Good.” One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this loving family that opens Sophie’s eyes, giving her the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her world forever… 

The riveting stories of Emmy and Sophie—alternating narratives of loss, imprisonment, and freedom regained—escalate with breathless suspense toward an unforgettable climax. 

My Review 

This book was a disappointment to me. When I saw this at Netgalley I loved the cover and the premise sounded interesting. A young mom in an unhappy marriage has her only joy in life, her baby, stolen. Fourteen years later a young teen, trapped in a nomadic, lonely life, breaks out to make a friend. We know where this is going from the beginning, don’t we? So the book isn’t about a story as much as the journey to get to the story. Now, if you are a reader who loves descriptive writing, you may well love this book. I am not, though, and this was a painful read for the first two-thirds of the book. I just wanted to shout ‘Get on with it, already!’ 

The book is told in chapters alternating authors and times. Emmy, the heartbroken mom, tells her story from the period in which her ‘Baby’ has just been stolen.  Sophie, the fourteen year old recluse tells her story of present day. I liked this way of telling the story from two divergent points of view. The book is broken into three parts, and the first two move very slowly. Part three starts moving along. Unfortunately, just when it started to get really interesting, the book stopped! There is so much that I want to know that the book does not tell me. What happens next? Had the book started with part three and added a part four and a part five, it could have been a very good book. As it is now though, it is a disappointment.

I was provided an ebook ARC from the publisher through Netgalley

My Rating:  ★★ 2 Stars