You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

You are My Only by Beth Kephart

"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 gives Sophie 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."- summary from Amazon

This is my first Kephart book and after reading it, I'm a bit on the fence about reading more by her. I was expecting something different from this book than what I got and it made the reading a bit of a chore at times. It's more of a character-focused book than plot-focused and, for me, it just didn't make sense when you have an exciting plot like this that it would be so slow, you know? I mean, the writing is beautiful and Kephart can clearly write very well but it just didn't work for me.

I did like how the story was told from both the mother and the daughter. It made sense and just worked really well. I liked the friendship that Joey and Sophie had once she ventured out into the world. Joey's aunts were good characters too.

Overall, while it's not a bad book by any means, it was a bit of a letdown for me. I'd probably give it an average grade of C if I did that sort of thing.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.