Like any other small town, Worthy, Georgia enjoys seeing their high school football team win. The boys on the team could do no wrong, as long as they keep on winning games. One night after winning yet another game, the cheerleaders are getting ready to go to a party. Four of the girls are all set out to go, after having a beer at one of their homes. Leah backs out at the last minute and doesn't get in the car with her fellow cheerleaders. Tragically, all three girls are killed in a car accident, and Graham, a boy from the school, is at the wheel of the other car.

Now, four women close to the victims of the car crash are dealing with their grief and the aftermath of the accident. Marglyn, one of the girl's mother, feels guilty that she wasn't at the football game with her daughter. Darcy, the mother of Graham, is confused and scared of what the town is thinking of her family. Ava, a substitute teacher at the school, has been accused of the unthinkable and has a secret to hide. Then there is Leah, dealing with her own demons because she should have been in the car with her friends.

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen tells a great story of grieving and the process of healing in a small town struck by tragedy in WHEN WE WERE WORTHY. Whalen writes with such emotion that you are sucked right into the lives of these families. Anyone who has lost a family member especially a young one knows what pain they go through.

Whalen's story about the differences between these women is very touching; everyone does grieve in their own way. Whalen also gets to the heart of a small town. People in small towns know everyone and they are always willing to back a winning team. It was interesting how everything plays out in the end. Great book, it will really open up your eyes.

Book Summary

A win brought them together, but loss may tear them apart.

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?

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