I received a copy from NetGalley and I loved this story! Even with it being the second in the series, I found it quite enjoyable and plan to go back and read the first book. Great writing and I couldn't put it down.

Everything We Keep hurt me so much. When James wakes from his fugue state and doesn't recognize his life or children, I was wrecked. He's lost almost 7 years to a life that he cannot remember but the life he does remember moved on without him. His soon to be bride is married to someone else with a child. He has children of his own to someone he can't remember. Plus that dirtbag Phil just will not go away. I liked that the book was told from both of his perspectives: as the James he was before the accident and the Carlos he was before everything snapped back into place. I just don't know that I ever truly clicked with Natalya. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have been looking forward to reading this book within the series for a while. I really enjoyed book one but thought this was just average. I do not think I will come back to finish the third book. This one felt like the plot moved a lot slower. I do not like in series when the same events or experiences are told just from another character's point of view. That seems to be a waste of time. When I read a series I want a totally new story line. This book did not do that.

Unusual storyline, fairly good read. I would say you need to have read the first book otherwise this may not make too much sense.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. I did not realize this was the second book in a series. This book depends on you reading the previous novel. I tried to work my way though it but kept feeling like I was missing something. So it was a Did not finish. No bad feelings just needed to read the previous novel. Thanks.

Everything we left behind was the second book in the series "Everything" the first book ended with a cliffhanger so of course I jump right in to read this on. You do have to read in order so as to not spoil the other books
I highly recommend if you want something fascinating and will keep you reading late into the night
Now to read book 3

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So sorry for this late review

I was eager to read Everything We Left Behind because I loved Everything We Keep and, of course, that book ended with a cliffhanger. I was happy to see the story picked up where it left off and focused this time on James/Carlos since the first volume was an examination of Aimee and her search for her fiancee. I was already invested in the characters but found new interest in James/Carlos as the narrative alternated between the two personalities as well as the past/present. The story dragged just a bit in the middle and the ending was predictable, but those minor points are forgiven because the story is otherwise satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

James has lost seven years of his life to a form of amnesia and he is angry. Who wouldn't be? Seven years ago he was about to marry the love of his life, literally, when his brother attempted to murder him and he escaped with his life but not his memory. For the last seven years, he has been living as Carlos. He got married, had a child with his new wife, adopted her son from a previous relationship, lost his wife during childbirth, and found out that he is not Carlos - he is James and has a whole different life in California. But Carlos doesn't want James' life, he wants his life with his sons and Natalie. But he has no say, no choice, in when his memory as James will return to him and leave Carlos behind as if he never existed. Carlos is scared to death to become James. And then he does. James is bewildered. Who are these two young boys calling him Papa? Where is he? Where is Aimee? The oldest boy hands him a flash drive and tells him to open it and read a letter from someone named Carlos to James. Who is this Carlos and how does James know him? Life just became very complicated for both James and Carlos.

The story of James from Everything We Keep is continued, or rather the main focus, in this title. Emerging from dissociative amnesia, James/Carlos must fight for the people they love and the life they want. In the process, everyone involved is going to experience a whole lot of confusion and hurt. This book made me curious about dissociative amnesia and now I've got an itch to study it a bit more. And now I'm ready to move on to the final book of this trilogy which focuses on the man Aimee, from book 1, ends up with.

Really been a long time since I read this book, but I remember liking it a lot. Interesting plot twists, good descriptions. I believe this was the book that started me reading this author and I ve read much if not most of what she’s written since. This is still an enjoyable, relevant novel.

Lonsdale has a nice storytelling style. She also creates characters you will root for and these are no exceptions. A good read.

I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't have the time to read this book anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Everything We Left Behind. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

James Donato went to Mexico to confront his brother and ended up becoming someone else entirely. Living in a fugue state for years as a widower and father of two sons, Carlos (James) emerges to find that the life he once knew is gone. Returning home does not go as planned, especially considering the fact that the love he left behind has moved on without James. When an imminent threat forces James on the run, will he remember the mysteries of his past?

I was disappointed because Everything We Keep was so much better than Everything We Left Behind. I found too much of the novel to be unrealistic, especially the parts with the sister-in-law Natalya. In James' mind, the time that passed was not actually what truly transpired. His thoughts of Aimee would have been fresh in his mind, leaving him to pursue other actions. The novel goes back and forth, taking away from the compelling nature of the story. Everything We Left Behind feels like a bridge book, a way for the author to propel the story forward. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend this novel to other readers.

This was a really good sequel to Everything We Keep. I like that it was told from James’/Carlos’ point of view. However, the back and forth of time periods was a little bit confusing.

My review and feelings of this second instalment are basically the same as the first. Was really hoping it would be better, but the going around in repetitive circles drove me absolutely crazy.

A simple, convenient and predictable storyline with barely fleshed out characters and cheesy dialogue which somewhat redeemed itself with its ending. I read the first book in this series directly before this second book which slightly increased the enjoyment. Now that I think of it, maybe it would have made for a more solid story if the contents of the two books had been combined. But then again, maybe not. Thankfully, it was a fairly short, fast read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Everything We Left Behind is the highly anticipated novel that follows Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale. Loved every word of it.

I reviewed the first in this series and I was keen for the sequel. However, I have been a little disappointed with it.

It was good to find out the story from the other side. In the first book we follow Aimee as she eventually tracks down James who is living as Carlos. In this book we get to find out the story from the perspective of Carlos.

The first half of the book I thought was very protracted, I understand there has to be some overlap with the first book but I felt like it laboured the point. I did wonder if this would have been better just added onto the end of the first book. I kept with it and then the twists and turns began and I was glad I had stuck with it.

It certainly raised a lot of questions in my mind, especially around the children who know James as Carlos and now have a completely new Daddy!

You do need to read the first book before reading this one. For me this one was a little more romantic than the first, far too much for my taste. It also flipped back and forth so much that if I put it down and picked it up again I got confused as to which timeline I was in.

If you read the first book then for completeness you probably want to read this and find the full story. However, the end is left with another glimpse of more to come and there is a third book........

A second in the series and I highly recommend reading the first to understand the backstory. I really enjoyed the first book and this second one did not disappoint either. We really find out what happened to Aimee's husband and what and where and more specifically WHO he as been these past years. I really felt the emotional connection to how this plays out for Aimee and James/Carlos and thought that was written very well. Still a suspenseful thriller and a can't put down book. Great follow up to the previous book.

I fell in love with Everything We Keep, so reading its sequel was a no-brainer. The first book left off with a cliff-hanger that had me needing to know what happened once Carlos regained his memories of life as James. This book absolutely gave me those answers, but also more questions. I loved getting a closer look at what really happened to James and how he found his way back to his life in America. More than in the first book, I enjoyed getting to know these characters, especially Natalya and Carlos/James complicated relationship and the truth behind the Donato family secrets. And despite having read the first book, I was still shocked by the plot twists and character turns in Everything We Left Behind. I absolutely recommend this book!

This book was a little too heavy on the romance and back and forth between lovers for my personal taste, a little too heavy-handed. I did enjoy finding out more details about James and Carlos though and learning more family secrets. I didn't find it very suspenseful, more an outlandish family drama. If you like soap operas, you'll probably love this book!

This is the sequel to Everything We Keep which was an AMAZING book. I reviewed it here. EWLB picks up from James/Carlos’ POV and when he wakes up from his fugue. I loved how the story unfolded and the view inside James’ head of how he deals with everything but also found it a bit confusing. The chapters switched back and forth between James in present tense and Carlos in past tense and at times it was hard to keep things straight. The ending was great and unexpected but I felt left some ends untied.