Skip to main content

📚Book Review: The Things We Wish Were True

🌟 Typewriter Tales Book Review Rodeo: The Things We Wish Were True 🌟

Written by: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
 Publisher: Amazon Publishing
 Publication Date: 2016
 Pages: 216

Well Howdy, Y’all! 🌵✨

Ooo-wee, darlin’, this book had me sittin’ on my porch swing feelin’ like I was right back in a Southern neighborhood where the sweet tea’s cold, the gossip’s hot, and everybody knows your business—or at least thinks they do. Marybeth Whalen whips up a tale of community, secrets, and the messy, beautiful business of bein’ human.

If you’ve ever had that one neighbor who looks picture-perfect but you know there’s somethin’ wild hidin’ behind their curtains—honey, this story’s gonna feel like déjà vu with a splash of drama.

Story at a Glance 📚

We’re parked in a North Carolina neighborhood that looks as shiny and perfect as fresh paint on a picket fence. But ohhh sugar, that paint’s peelin’ fast. Behind the smiles and pool parties, everybody’s hidin’ somethin’—secrets hotter than a skillet on a July afternoon.

From tragedy to temptation, heartbreak to healing, this story peels back the layers on a community that ain’t nearly as flawless as it looks. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, and it just might make you peek twice at your own neighbors next time you’re takin’ the trash out.

Sparkle Quotes That Stuck Like Burrs on Blue Jeans 💎

This book’s got lines that’ll stick to ya:

  • “We all have things we wish were true. But wishing don’t change reality.”
     (Honey, that’s as true as a chicken don’t sing opera.)

  • “Sometimes the people you think you know best are the ones with the darkest corners.”
     (Bless their hearts, right?)

  • “Forgiveness doesn’t erase the past—it just makes way for a future.”
     (Shinier than rhinestones on a rodeo queen’s belt.)

Themes: What’s This Book Really Sayin’? 🌻

  • Community ain’t just potlucks and pool parties—it’s bein’ there when life hits hard.

  • Everybody’s carryin’ a secret—some small, some big enough to knock the wind outta ya.

  • Forgiveness don’t mean forgettin’, but it does mean movin’ forward without draggin’ the baggage behind ya like a busted wagon.

Fun Facts: About Marybeth Whalen 🧐

  • Marybeth lives in North Carolina herself, so honey, she’s writin’ what she knows.

  • She co-founded She Reads, an online community for book-lovin’ gals everywhere.

  • Mama to six kiddos (yes, SIX!)—so if anyone knows about community drama, it’s her.

  • Her website, www.marybethwhalen.com, is cozy, creative, and full of Southern charm.

Boots or Bust? 🤠👢

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ outta 5 bedazzled boots!

This book hits the sweet spot—just enough drama to keep ya turnin’ pages faster than a prairie wind, but grounded in real, heart-tuggin’ truth. It’s perfect for the beach, the porch, or the bathtub (with a lil’ bubbly, of course).

Final Say

Darlin’, The Things We Wish Were True is a heartfelt ride through the messy, tangled web of community life. It’s about facades, forgiveness, and the way tragedy can knit folks together tighter than quilt squares.

If you’re lookin’ for a book that feels like sittin’ in a lawn chair at a neighborhood cookout—where secrets are simmerin’ right alongside the baked beans—this one’s for you.


 💋✨ Until next time... keep loving & living your best life!💋✨

Wishing you Love, Light & Sparkles!

🌸 Carrie

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🌸 Mom's Journals, entry #6

🌸 Thoughts on Light, Wisdom, and Flying Higher Reflections from My Mom’s Journals , post #6 "Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?" — Rumi "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." — Rumi   "You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?" — Rumi  "Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder."   — Rumi "The lamps are different, but the light is the same." — Rumi "There is a fountain inside you. Don’t walk around with an empty bucket." — Rumi "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." — Lao Tzu "Never discuss winning with losers. It's not their language." — (Widely attributed to Megan McCabe )                      ________________________________________________ “The lamps are different, but the light is the same.” I absolutely love that quote from Rumi. He le...
2 comments
Read more

🌸Mom's Journals, entry # 19

   🌸 Reflections from Mom’s Journals — Entry #19 🌸 Abundance flows when we love what we are doing. 🌸  Examine what I believe to be impossible… then change my beliefs. 🌸  Let my loving soul guide my behavior.  🌸  Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.  —Mark Twain 🌸  If your not doing what you love, you are wasting your time. ( widely attributed to Billy Joel ) 🌸  Forever is composed of NOWS! —Emily Dickenson 💭 Examine the Impossible  Examine what I believe to be impossible… then change my beliefs. Here’s a little trick I’ve learned: whenever something feels impossible , it’s usually just my brain doing its best dramatic performance, like it is auditioning for a soap opera. You know the type—“ Cue the violins, this project is clearly the end of me! ” But let’s be honest, most “impossible” things are just… big. Too big to swallow whole. So instead of brushing it off ( or chasing the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

🌸Mom's Journals, entry #1

My dad recently found two journals that belonged to my mother and gifted them to me—what a treasure!  S he often wrote positive messages and quotes on index cards and placed them strategically throughout the house. I never knew, until today, that she also kept journals filled with these quotes and messages. I've decided to share the wonderful and inspiring entries from her journals with you. I hope you enjoy reading them and that they bring you inspiration or teach you something new. I'll be posting one page at a time, so I hope you'll keep checking back for more. Wishing you Love, Light & Sparkles, 🌸 Carrie “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough…”  - Albert Einstein “ The difference between genius and stupidity is - genius has limits ” “Don’t cry because it’s over - Smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss “ Don't waste your time on explanations - people only hear what they want to ” “ T T F N - Ta ta for now ”  - Tigger “The tyrant wi...
2 comments
Read more