Review: You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

Goodreads Summary: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.

*** I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley ***

It takes a few pages to get used to the writing but once you do, you’ll be flying through this gem! It is a short book so I can’t say too much without giving the plot away. Emmy, who is stuck in a loveless marriage, is blamed for the disappearance of her child. From there she is admitted into a mental hospital where she can do nothing but hope her Baby is OK.  Meanwhile, Sophie who has moved house more times then she can keep track of and who always does what her mother tells her, breaks the rules in order to speak to the boy next door. An action that will change her life forever.

The story is written from both Sophie and Emmy’s perspective. I definitely preferred Emmy’s narrative and would have loved if the book was entirely from her perspective but at the same time I did enjoy the interaction between Sophie and Joey and all the secrecy of going behind her mother’s back. The background characters such as Joey and his two aunts are all loveable in their own way.

There were times when I found the book to be very slow and had to force myself to read on but it was worth it in the end. If this sounds like a story you would enjoy then don’t hesitate in picking it up. I for one am looking forward to reading more from Beth Kephart. It is an unforgettable and heartbreaking story. 4/5 Stars