You Are My Only by Beth Kephart

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart


Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
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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.





Beth Kephart's You Are My Only is a short read– but packed with emotion from start to finish. As we delve into the two worlds of Emmy and Sophie, set 14 years apart, we see heartbreak and loss, and newfound happiness and friendship. It's quite easy to see what's happening in this book, but the way it presents itself is indescribably amazing, and the truth unfolds and secrets are revealed.


I have to say, out of the two perspectives, I liked Sophie's best. The beginning of Emmy's was good, but as things went on, I couldn't quite grasp what exactly was going on, and had to kinda skim through it, because I didn't figure out what was happening. Another reason I guess I was more attracted to Sophie's was probably because I could understand her more, being closer to her age, although the difference between the ages of Emmy and Sophie, surprisingly in the two narratives is not that far apart. Six years. That's it.


Emmy's character totally made me want to curl up and cry. Her life is so sad! I felt like screaming at her to leave and go somewhere else, that it wasn't her fault. I'm glad she finds comfort, but then only to break down once again. Now, Sophie's character was more inquisitive, and I could see this would only be natural, as she's always been closed in by her mother...until they move to this neighborhood. As she gets to know her neighbors she finds happiness, a sense of family (instead of always writing essays on really random topics), and even some love.
I love how as the story progresses, the characters find more of themselves, and grow into someone different. 


Overall, this book is definitely not the book you'd want to read for cheering up– it'll definitely bring some sort of heartbreak. For a short novel, it's very profound and beautiful. Beth Kephart's book completely amazes me, it's only rarely when a book can make me feel sad. Definitely need to look through some of her other books– if they're anything like this, they're bound to be as fantastic.





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