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    The Things We Wish Were True
    The Things We Wish Were True
    The Things We Wish Were True
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Things We Wish Were True

    Written by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

    Narrated by Taylor Ann Krahn

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In an idyllic small-town neighborhood, a near tragedy triggers a series of dark revelations.

    From the outside, Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, might look like the perfect all-American neighborhood. But behind the white picket fences lies a web of secrets that reach from house to house.

    Up and down the streets, neighbors quietly bear the weight of their own pasts—until an accident at the community pool upsets the delicate equilibrium. And when tragic circumstances compel a woman to return to Sycamore Glen after years of self-imposed banishment, the tangle of the neighbors’ intertwined lives begins to unravel.

    During the course of a sweltering summer, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the neighbors learn that it’s impossible to really know those closest to us. But is it impossible to love and forgive them?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2016
    ISBN9781522635468
    The Things We Wish Were True
    Author

    Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

    Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is the author of the forthcoming novel Every Moment Since (out fall of 2024) and nine previous novels. Marybeth received a BA degree in English with a concentration in Writing and Editing from NC State University a long time ago and has been writing ever since. She is the co-founder of The Book Tide, an online community of readers where "a rising tide raises all books." Marybeth and her husband Curt are the parents of six children, with only one left at home. A native of Charlotte, NC, Marybeth now calls Sunset Beach, NC home. Visit her online at: https://linktr.ee/Marybethwhalen  

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    Reviews for The Things We Wish Were True

    3.5/5

    158 ratings20 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      Kept me entertained for a while but the story was incredibly predictable and very shallow. The author tried to cram way to much into one book.
    • 3/5
      The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen was one of those books "on sale" on Kindle.....well you do get what you pay for. I need to stop doing that! This was a very disjointed "romance" (???) billed as contemporary fiction. There were so many characters that were not well developed that it was difficult to follow. The action takes place during the summer and the locale is the community swimming pool. 290 pages
    • 3/5
      The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen was one of those books "on sale" on Kindle.....well you do get what you pay for. I need to stop doing that! This was a very disjointed "romance" (???) billed as contemporary fiction. There were so many characters that were not well developed that it was difficult to follow. The action takes place during the summer and the locale is the community swimming pool. 290 pages
    • 3/5
      To be perfectly honest, for the first half of this book (or more, I am not really sure) I thought this book was terrible. In the end, I ended up reading about 100 pages in one night and I enjoyed how the author decided to close out the story. What I did enjoy was that there was an undeniable sense of closure for all the characters at the end of the novel. However, I felt like the ending was more than 100% predictable, in fact I feel like the final turning point was obvious from the first 30 or so pages in. I'm rating this as 3 stars, because it definitely was not horrible enough to deserve a 2 star rating, but I also just did not find it as enjoyable/shocking/stunning as I was lead to believe it would be.
    • 3/5
      In small town suburbia everyone has their secrets and sometimes it takes pulling together in a time of tragedy for those secrets to finally come out into the open. The book is told from the point of view of about half a dozen characters, ranging from a retired lady who’s a bit of a busybody to a stay at home mom debating whether to have another child to a man whose wife has recently left him and is struggling to keep his kids happy without their mom around to a young girl who tries to keep the family together and watch after her little brother while her mom is at work. It took me a little while to get into this book. While all of the characters grew on me over the course of the story, a few of them just rubbed me the wrong way at the start making me less likely to pick up the book rather than the TV remote. Once I gave them a chance, though, I was sucked in. I admit I was a little impatient to learn some of the secrets, but it’s worth the wait. While I enjoyed the book, the characters mostly fell flat and some of their decisions toward the end were highly questionable and unrealistic, which gave my book club plenty of fodder for discussion. In that sense, it was a success. ;)
    • 2/5
      It was a bit slow for my tastes. There were a lot of characters and POVs and I feel like I never really got to know any of them on more than a superficial level.

      Not a book I'd recommend.
    • 4/5
      This follows the lives of several people in the same town. It's told from all of their points of view, all different ages. There are secrets and self-discoveries, sweet parts, sad scenes. Mysteries and relationships play the biggest parts. It kept me interested.
    • 4/5
      A sweet story that held my attention while doing my make up.
    • 3/5
      To be perfectly honest, for the first half of this book (or more, I am not really sure) I thought this book was terrible. In the end, I ended up reading about 100 pages in one night and I enjoyed how the author decided to close out the story. What I did enjoy was that there was an undeniable sense of closure for all the characters at the end of the novel. However, I felt like the ending was more than 100% predictable, in fact I feel like the final turning point was obvious from the first 30 or so pages in. I'm rating this as 3 stars, because it definitely was not horrible enough to deserve a 2 star rating, but I also just did not find it as enjoyable/shocking/stunning as I was lead to believe it would be.
    • 2/5
      A Desperate Housewives-type neighborhood. Characters that are hard to like, predictable and also a bit ridiculous that so many people in one neighborhood would have so much cray shit going on.
    • 5/5
      The fact that I read this book so quickly should be an indication of how entertaining I found it to be! I couldn't put it down, and, when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it up and start reading again. I'm not sure how the author thought of connecting all of these characters and their individual plots together, as she did, but she did a marvelous job of it! To me, this book was like the old TV show, Desperate Housewives, .....only without the humor and with a heck of a lot more meaty drama. I loved it.
    • 5/5
      Each chapter is told from a different person. It follows the pattern of Jodi Picoult in that respect but not where the chapter focuses on the same aspect of the plot but rather that each chapter sort of moves the plot on. It was an enjoyable book to read but it lost pace between a third and a half way through and I felt it was just trudging along but picked up well again towards two thirds of the way through. All the characters were well written and my feelings for each of them went through peaks and troughs depending on where we were in the plot. I checked out her website and was surprised to see she had written 5 previous novels but they were written as Marybeth Whalen which was why she hadn't come up when I searched Amazon for her. I love the sound of her 2012 book 'The Guest Book'. Would happily read more.
    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. I received it as a monthly free Kindle book available to Amazon Prime members. It’s a quick read. A nice book to read while waiting for a cashier or in the doctor’s office.The title seems a bit strange. I’m not sure if the “we” referred to the readers, or the many primary characters - each with their own Point of View chapters. The book about small town life and the community of mothers and children who spend their summers at the public pool. I remember those days: the heat, the glare, the screaming children, and the smell of sunscreen and cocoa butter. But that’s not what this book is about.This is a book about secrets and appearances. About people trying to keep their lives together while presenting themselves as at least loosely competent. Zell wants to be useful and nurturing. Bryte doesn’t want a second child, because…well, I won’t spoil that secret. Cailey, an observant child who needs love and security. And so it goes. Every one needs something or someone to make themselves whole. Some characters succeed, though I’m not sure they achieve happiness.Whalen writes smoothly. Her characters are plausible. The book is a best seller. I’m not sure why.
    • 3/5
      This novel was a nice light entertaining read. I didn't love this book but I did enjoy it. The story takes place in a small town in North Carolina where the people in the town know everything about each other. An event takes place at the community pool that almost ends in a tragedy and brings the people of this small town together. Each of the characters in this book have their own secrets and are all intertwined. This book has some mystery and Romance that keeps you reading to discover their secrets. I would definitely recommend this book if one is looking for an enjoyable light read. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I love how this story is told from so many points of view. There are twists along the way. It is a fantastic book!
    • 4/5
      Sycamore Glen, NC is an ideal, suburban neighborhood and the pool is the center of the community during the summer. But, when tragedy strikes at the pool, the reality of the neighbors' interwoven lives of the neighbors is revealed, secrets come to light and the neighbors realize that it is how they react to circumstances that makes them "neighborly". A delightful cast of flawed characters who show us how to reach out.
    • 3/5
      The Things We Wish Were True follows the events within a small community in North Carolina over the summer of 2014.Told from multiple perspectives, one in first-person the rest in third-person, the diverse characters include Lance, a father trying to cope with his two children after his wife left, Jencey, a mother forced to return to her childhood home after her husband has been imprisoned, Zell, an older and somewhat lonely woman who loves to help out, Cailey, a young girl from a single-parent family in charge of her little brother, and Bryte and Everett, a couple with secrets and relationship dilemmas.Some of these characters meet for the first time at the neighborhood pool, others grew up together and have plenty of history.It was slightly confusing at first as many characters were introduced and the names really tested my memory of who was who. I was switching between listening and reading with this one, so that might have made it more difficult. This reminded me a lot of books by Liane Moriarty, except that instead of the Australian settings, there was the typical Southern charm. A bit like following a soap opera, but not in a negative way. It was actually quite compelling. A lot of drama, some of it was predictable, but I nevertheless was fully engaged throughout and cared about these really likable characters with all their secrets and struggles. My favorites were Zell, the inquisitive neighbor, and Cailey, the young but pretty astute girl. I think I'm generally used to more dark and suspenseful, but this was just a nice, cozy read and light entertainment for a few hours. 3.5 stars.The narrator of the audiobook did quite a good job of getting the Southern feel across and having the names read out prior to the perspective changing helped a lot to keep me straight about who is who.I received a copy of the eBook from Lake Union Publisher granting me my wish on NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      Thanks to Kindle First I as able to read this book.This is a classic example of how the publishing world "doesn't get it" this book should have been released in the beginning of summer. It is a perfect beach read, meaning it has a little mystery, a bit of a love story, and is a wonderful escape. To me these are some of the qualities of a great summer book. The story is similar to a Liane Moriarty book, with chapters told from various viewpoints, and periodic hints of significant events from the past that will later be exposed.The story is well thought out and is an easy book to get into, and Finnish.
    • 4/5
      Title: The Things We Wish Were TrueAuthor: Marybeth Mayhew WhalenPublisher: Lake Union PublishingReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: FourReview:"The Things We Wish Were True" by Marybeth Mayhew WhalenMy Thoughts....The small town of Sycamore Glen, North Carolina was interesting in how this author gives the readers a alternated told stories that were narrated by a group of characters [with each one with a story of their own to tell] that told a little bit of it all as the reader reads from chapter to chapter and even being told from multiple viewpoints. Was this like a little bit of 'where everyone knows everyone's business?' What was most interesting was as the reader read through the chapters there would be many 'small town twisted secrets and even some lies' that would seemed to be hidden. Did it seemed like everyone had some kind of secret? Will these long buried secrets come out? What about the saying 'The truth will set you free.' The main meeting place during this summer in Sycamore and where one would find the locals daily at the pool that was being greatly used. What will happen after there is a tragedy almost occurs? How will this affect this small community? To find out the answers to many questions the reader will have to pick up this read to see how this author will bring it all out to the reader. Be ready for a read with a good plot even though somewhat predictable with lots of drama, little mystery and even with a few flawed characters. Some of the most memorable characters were Cailey, Zell and Lance. Jency, Bryte and Everett with each being well developed, portrayed and even believable. One of my favorite parts of of the read was when the 'Miracle tree' and the reason it was given. I liked how this author brought out the story and by the end of this read it showed some positive changes, with joys along with 'redemption,' Also, I liked some of the book club discussions questions at the back of the novel.This was a Kindle First Pick read for August, 2016.
    • 4/5
      3.5 Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, the small town Jancy left after high school, threatened by a stalker that none could identify. Now her husband in prison, she and her two young daughters have returned home to her mother, the boy she left behind now married to the woman who had been her best friend. Over the course of the summer, a summer spent at the local pool, a near tragedy will occur and long held secrets will be revealed.This book is incredibly readable, it flows so well, alternately told in chapters narrated by all the main characters. Cailey, the young girl whose mother must work leaving her in charge of HER younger brother was one of my favorites. She is so incredibly wise beyond her years and will be lauded as a heroine before novel's end. Zell, the towns busy body or the one who seems to take care of everything or everyone depending how you look at it, she sees much but misses what is under her own nose. All these stories are wrapped around a missing girl, a girl who has been missing for three months, her parents frantic. A bit melodramatic, especially the end, but it fits this book well. Small town secrets, characters terribly flawed, actually had me looking down my block and wondering what secrets my well known neighbors were keeping. And I know there has to be some. Just a good easy to read book, with a little suspense thrown in, perfect for enjoying by the pool.ARC from Netgalley.