An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.A luminous debut with unexpected twists, Everything We Keep explores the devastation of loss, the euphoria of finding love again, and the pulse-racing repercussions of discovering the truth about the ones we hold dear and the lengths they will go to protect us.Sous chef Aimee Tierney has the perfect recipe for the perfect life: marry her … for the perfect life: marry her childhood sweetheart, raise a family, and buy out her parents’ restaurant. But when her fiancé, James Donato, vanishes in a boating accident, her well-baked future is swept out to sea. Instead of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, Aimee is at James’s funeral—a funeral that leaves her more unsettled than at peace.
As Aimee struggles to reconstruct her life, she delves deeper into James’s disappearance. What she uncovers is an ocean of secrets that make her question everything about the life they built together. And just below the surface is a truth that may set Aimee free…or shatter her forever.
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This book moved me, surprised me, and I fell in love. What more can you ask for? EVERYTHING WE KEEP is so cinematic, I just know it’ll be on the big screen someday.
I picked up Everything We Keep as a deal with no idea what it was about. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure which genre it was supposed to be in and the second half just enjoying the unpredictability of the mash-up of genres. It’s part literary fiction, part mystery, part romance, and has some odd mystical elements that don’t really get resolved. Overall, it’s a pretty easy read and had some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
It’s been a long time since I ignored all of my responsibilities and read a book straight through, but it couldn’t be helped with EVERYTHING WE KEEP. I was intrigued from the start with the idea of the funeral happening on the day that the wedding was supposed to happen. But then, to find out that the fiance might still be alive! Is he or isn’t he – if he is, where has he been all this time, and why? What would be in the casket? If he isn’t alive, why is Aimee receiving messages to the contrary? So many questions, and Lonsdale answers them in the most intriguing and captivating way possible.
5 Stars
Aimee and James have been friends since about 8 years old. Their friendship bloomed into romance and nearly 19 years later on what should of been their wedding day Aimee is burying James who died on a business trip. He had been missing at sea for two months prior but she never feels in her heart that he is truly dead.
As she tries to move on with her life, she is still heartbroken and stuck in a rut. She keeps getting signs and in her dreams visions to go to a town in Mexico. After receiving an anonymous postcard she is convinced he is still alive even though it has now been two years since his death. She flies to Mexico to finally get the truth and maybe some finality and clarity. What will she do if she finds him? Why did he never come for her? What will happen is she finds him dead or alive?
There are some weird coincidences that I can see could turn off some readers. I can also how some readers would be like, it’s been two years it is time to move on. That said, I kept thinking, What would I do if I thought there was an inkling my husband was still alive in a situation like this? I personally have been married since I was 18 and 17 years later I know damn well I’d of followed every lead and moved heaven and hell if I had the feeling and intuition my husband was alive out there.
Most reviewers hated the ending, but I however, liked it, other than the fact the epilogue takes place 5 years later and now I have to wait 5 years for the sequel.
An amazing debut novel. Everything We Keep has everything I like about a book. First off it starts will an opening chapter that absolutely assures you that you have to continue reading. Then the pace holds up throughout the book, with unexpected twists and turns, a love story that is interesting without being sappy, well-developed characters – and this holds true even for the secondary characters. Anyone who has ever lost someone they love, will very easily relate to Aimee, the protagonist. One word of caution, there is swearing…sometimes a lot. So if you can look past that, this is a great read. I truly enjoyed it.
A wondrous first in series that presents a mystery/thriller while exploring the range of human emotions with loss and love. Fans of mystery and literary fiction will be very happy when they select this work.
This book was my first from this author. It will definitely not be my last book written by Kerry. I was not disappointed at all. I was unable to put the book down the twists and turns just when you think you’ve got it figured out you’re wrong. This book kept me guessing all the way to the end. I can’t wait to read the second and third books in this series. Kudos to Kerry for an awesome first book. I absolutely loved it. I highly recommend this book if you like a little romance and a little mystery then this book is for you.
From the first page this story will grab you and never let you go. I thought I knew what was happening, and I did…and then I didn’t. The ending is spectacular! Wow,!
Oh My Goodness, how wonderful is this story?! Kerry Lonsdale has me hooked.
From the first sentences until the ending, I was caught up in the Grief, Love, Loss, Disbelief, Questions, Hope, more Love, and a final Acceptance of the twists and turns life can send a person through.
I enjoyed the story plot and mystery of “What if James is still alive”… and the scenes when Aimee is remembering events of their past together.
The visual imagery is so beautiful! I could almost see the shades of blues, and then I could imagine Ian’s photographs with vivid colors!
There is no clear happy ending, but a reasonable acceptance of what needs to be…just let it be.
What about the mysterious Lucy, Laney…???
After reading the epilogue I wondered, Will there be a sequel? I don’t know how I feel about that, unless it is told as James’ story. As a reader, I want Aimee to be happy and enjoy her life with Ian and the success of her café…but that is just me…I have no idea about what wonderful avenues author, Kerry Lonsdale, may have waiting for me to read!
GREAT Job, Kerry!!
This book is one that I will be adding to the “Have to Buy” list. You know those books that grab you after you start reading, because they start you questioning “Huh?” and “What?”? Then, after some more chapters, you go to the “Why?” and “How?” questions. Then, you get to the “What if…?” questions.
Yeah, this book does that. It grabs you, and doesn’t let go. The twists and turns thrown at you make it impossible to do anything else but read. You end up reading straight through; staying up way later than you should, because you want to get to the end just so you can get the answers to all your questions.
And that is when you know you’ve read a really good book. But what made this a Great Book is the “after I was done”, when I went and Googled subjects that came up in the book.
I received an e-copy of this story for my honest review.
#Netgalley #WomensFiction
I couldn’t stop reading Aimee and James story! Kerry Lonsdale weaves their young lives with the present hunt for the “dead” but possibly missing James expertly. Emotional and captivating. Can’t wait to read more of her books!
This story had everything I want in a book–suspense, romance, mystery, memorable characters, and depth of story. It accelerates from chapter to chapter with twists and turns and shocks along the way. This book stuck in my hand until the very end.
Story line had potential but it was very poorly written.
A true page turner that you can get through in just a few sittings (at least I did!).
Grips you from the opening (can you even imaging having to attend your husband’s funeral on your wedding day?) but rapidly takes you from there to wondering what really happened to him… and why did he died.
Lots of good mystery, but also an interesting main character trying to decide the right path for her after grief. Lots of fun twists and turns from here to there.
Book was ok not as good as expecting
This One’s a Keeper. Maybe not the smartest idea I’ve ever had to read this one on a Bahamian cruise, as it is extremely emotionally intense. But an amazing story that I’m glad to have finally read, and presents an interesting twist that I had never seen a story really delve into. Very much looking forward to finishing out this trilogy and seeing where the author takes it.
Aimee had a terrible tragedy on the best day of her life, she already had everything planned, the wedding, the boyfriend, her life seems so beautiful and perfect but something happened that destroy her happiness and hope, life continues until someone makes her doubt that her past is definitely closed.. new love, new characters will try to reach out for her and her heart now is up to her to accept this love and move on.. to start a new life after all these lies and sadness from her past seems hard but not impossible when it comes to love..
I didn’t really know where the story was going, I went in completely blind, and it was a pleasant surprise this is my first book by Kerry Lonsdale, and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
Love that in this novel: a) you think you know where it’s going. (You don’t.) and b) you don’t get plastic people but characters who are as simple and complex as real people, which makes them deliciously interesting.
I also love the message of love and loss, secrets kept to protect that shatter the illusions believed to be truth, revealing a whole new truth–that might or might not be THE truth.
A wonderful debut novel written with a deft hand.
Oh my word! I did not expect this book to go where it did. I fell in love with Lonsdale’s writing style in the first chapter. Her characters feel like real people, and she sets a scene where you can hear the background noise, smell the scents, all the things.
At first I thought I had the plot figured out and was kind of disappointed it was going to be such a predictable story. Thankfully, her writing swept me along in its current. The farther I got into the book, the more I realized things weren’t as they seemed.
I immediately purchased the next book in the series and plan to start it right away, something I NEVER do! Generally, I let a book breathe for a while, read another author, then go back. I have to know what happens to Carlos!
You would not think this was a first novel. It is very well written, the descriptions of what is happening are so well thought out that you feel as if you can see it as it happens. (You can just picture the camel’s on the dune, the sunrises and sunsets in all the photo’s at the gallery. You can almost feel the touch of the grease on the counters of the closed diner.) When Aimee leaves the funeral of her fiancé on their wedding day (how cruel is that), she thinks her life is over. We find out just how strong she is through this book, we feel her pain, then her joy she takes us to Mexico and back and we all agree with the decisions she makes along the way. A must read for anyone who loves a good story that makes you want more! Thank you Kerry Lonsdale for following your dream, I for one is very thankful!