The story of James/Carlos was painful and heartbreaking at times as they tried to fumble through the world that they live in. It was neat to see things through Carlos's eyes. What he did for James was incredible and smart. He loved his sons, but he also loved himself enough to prepare for the worst. At times, I didn't care for James, though I couldn't imagine being in his position. Missing years of your life only to find that you have children and the woman you love is married to someone else would be beyond difficult. There were so many components to this book that added to the complexity. The element of his family kept me wondering the whole time who should be trusted. I'm not sure I really know. Overall, a great book.

I am going to give a comment that can sound terrible, or great, depending on how you make it. I could not wait for this book to be over. Why? I could not wait to find out what happened in the end. I wanted it to end, because I wanted to know the ending! Highest compliment!

This book is full of suspense, but is really a book about a man with a desire to find his family. James, living as Carlos, due to his brother, is the father of two young boys and the love of his life, Natalya. James comes to from an incident where he does not recognize those around him. What next? How does he regain the relationship he once had with those he loved most? This book deals with flashbacks, and pieces from the past and future, something that can be done well, or not, but this was carried out well. I did not realize this was a sequel, and I wish I had read it first, that is one recommendation I will make to others.

How would it feel to be "out of place in (your) own life"? James feels exactly that as he tries to navigate his way through a new life he has no recollection of living. Lonsdale takes us through both Carlos and James' stories, intertwining the two as we see they share the same body, heart and soul, but also a bit of a messed up mind. The love stories are alive, as well as the relationships he has with his sons and family, as mending takes place amidst lurking danger.
Lonsdale answers questions and reattaches torn fibers as a healing descends on the characters she's made us fall in love with. Excellent sequel that has you on the edge of your seat right up to the end.

This book was every bit as good as the first. I felt like I was right there with James and Nat. I can't imagine experiencig something like that much less having to make a new life again. I can't wait for the next book!

What a wonderful follow-up to the equally beautiful EVERYTHING WE KEEP! Emotionally engaging with twists and turns that keep you guessing, it's a perfect cocktail of family drama, romance, and suspense. James is a complex protagonist, and since Lonsdale's format shines light onto his experiences both during and after his memory loss, we, the readers, get a unique view of his psychological state. There were times when my heart was wrenching for his post-fugue self--even though that was the person I instinctively wanted him to be. The cast of characters is sharply painted and full of surprises. It's easy to see how a man could lose himself in their midst.

Everything we Left Behind picks up right where Everything We Keep left off, as Carlos wakes up as James. The story is told from two perspectives- James' and Carlos'. A total page-turner that I couldn't read fast enough to find out how James ended up as Carlos. Looking forward to the third one in the series.

As the story continues in this book, answers are slowly given to questions left at the end of Everything We Keep. I found the jumping back and forth between past and present a little confusing. I thought the first part of the book dragged a bit but then the second half hard to put down. What a tangled web!!! And now it looks as if there's more to the story! I recommend reading the first book in the series before reading this one. It will help with the understanding.

Wow!!! What a book!! Can this story get any better? It sure did! This picks up right where Everything We Keep left off, and once again Kerry Lonsdale's writing kept me captivated from the very beginning. I loved James'/Carlos' story. I felt the torment, rage, confusion that he was going through. This page-turner is a must read this summer!! Now I must be patient for the next one coming July 2018. Cannot wait!

A big thank you to Kerry Lonsdale and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. So very grateful.

Ready for some 4th of July Fireworks? Then this sequel to "Everything We Keep" by Kerry Lonsdale will give you the explosions you are looking for!

I was immediately captivated by the story about James Donato who has a gap in memory when he wakes from a fugue state 6 years later. He can only remember his life as James and his fiancé Aimee whom he loves with all his heart and he has to get back to her in California. He has no memory of being Carlos for 6 years who lives in Mexico and fell in love with his deceased wife Raquel's sister Natalya. He has no memory of being a loving father to his children Julian and Marc.

Carlos was an excellent artist but mostly a worried father and wrote detailed journals daily after finding out about his true identity. He wrote about everything, his confusion, his fears and especially how much he loved his children and Natalya. He wrote about why he didn't trust the Donato family or James when it came down to it. He begged Natalya to adopt his sons. She refused unless as a last resort. He wrote about his neighbor Senora Carla, another friend he trusted and spent a lot of time with. She was also an excellent artist and his children loved spending time with her.

Unravel the history of the last 6 years and feel the uncertainty, fierce love, passion and protection for family through the eyes of Carlos. Then travel through the past and future with James as he pieces together his life and and faces his past and learns what it takes to be a family. Find out about the treachery of brothers and suspense of how far people will go to protect family because this story will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book and have a love/hate relationship with a few. This book is about forgiveness, love, acceptance, strength, family and redemption. "The Everything Series" in this day of digital editions is what I call a hard copy keeper! The Author really knows how to keep the reader guessing and engaged all the way to the epilogue! Looks like Kerry Lonsdale has another best seller! Well Done!!

Absolutely loved this book!!! Can not wait to read more from this author

You can't finish Everything We Keep without turning the last page and immediately searching for the rest of the story. Everything We Left Behind finally gives us the answers we were looking for.

(Spoilers ahead if you haven't read Everything We Keep)

In Everything We Keep, Aimee Tierney's fiance James disappeared and was presumed dead. Eventually she learned that he is alive but he is in a fugue state and has no memory his life as James. Instead, he has been living as Carlos in Mexico with the career and children(!) to show for it. At the end of Everything We Keep, Carlos falls asleep one night only to wake up the next morning as James again. Everything We Left Behind tells the story of Carlos/James as he navigates his new/old life.

Everything We Left Behind is a wonderfully told story that uses dueling perspectives and narratives that allow us, as readers, to feel the confusion Carlos/James is experiencing. I found myself thinking of one man as two people, which is precisely the point. This is a love story, a mystery, and a family drama all in one well-told novel.

I feel that I cannot give an accurate review on this book. Not knowing that it was a sequel I had a hard time following the story and felt lost at many times. If I had read the first book, I would have been more in tune with the story. I would say that this is not a stand alone title, but should be read in sequential order.

Everything We Left Behind picks up right where Everything We Keep ends.  The first book is about Aimee and her search for her one true love, James.  When she learns the truth (that he is living a life with a new identity as a man named Carlos), she returns home and moves on from that world.  She marries and has a daughter.  Fast forward six years later, and Carlos wakes up only to no longer exist.  He has returned as James.

This is about James' struggle to get a grip on his life.  All he remembers is his love, Aimee.  He has no idea where he is, who he has been the last six years, and what kind of life he was living.  Luckily as Carlos he was aware of his condition, and kept a very detailed journal for when James does come back.

There is so much emotion in this book.  My heart was with James as he struggled to learn how to live in the present, yet not know anything about the past.  Not remembering he has two sons, yet still loving them as though he never skipped a moment, was truly phenomenal.  The bond a parent has with their children is undeniable, and the author did a wonderful job of describing just how strong his love is.  

We also meet Natalya, who was the love of Carlos.  When James realizes his brother, Phil, is being released from prison he escapes to where Natalya resides: Hawaii.  I loved the moments James and Natalya shared, falling in love all over again.  He is struggling so much with the love he still feels for Aimee, yet the attraction and pull he feels with Natalya is undeniable.  I sympathized with Nat as she tries to put her feelings aside, yet struggling with just how strong her love is, even with James.

This is a beautiful and heart wrenching story.  The truth James discovers is overwhelming and emotional, but in a very good way.  I loved the author's writing style which made me feel as though I was right there besides James as he learns the truth about his life.  This story is told part in the past and present, which also helps to put the pieces together.

My only complaint is I now have to wait until July 2018 to read the next book!!  

***My sincerest thanks to the author for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Everything We Left Behind" by Kerry Lonsdale

Author Kerry Lonsdale has outdone herself with "Everything We Left Behind." I could leave this review right there, as it pretty much sums up my feelings toward this novel, but she, and potential readers, deserve more.

**I want to note that I re-read "Everything We Know," prior to reading this novel. I wanted to remember each nuance and each little detail that might be important when reading this novel.**

This novel begins where "Everything We Know," left off. James has just awoken, not recognizing the children around him, not recognizing where he is, not understanding what his children are saying, believing he is getting married very soon, finding he has lost six years of his life, and bombarded with a lock box of information left for him by Carlos. The reader learns more of Carlos' path interchangeably with James'. Carlos' story begins shortly after he learns the truth about who he really is, what he suffers from, how he prepares himself if he reverts from the fugue, attempts at wanting to remain in the fugue and his life, to the time he wakes as James.

Ms. Lonsdale writes from these interchanging perspectives seamlessly and easily. The reader falls into the rhythm of the past moving forward to the change from Carlos to James to the present where James slowly moves forward step by step until he finds peace within himself and with his family.

The author's writing is eloquent and moving. The novel is heartwarming, mysterious, and life changing at its core. The characters are individuals that the reader can relate to bone deep. The reader is drawn in from the first sentence and will not be able to put this novel down. It is filled with twists and turns and surprises. You will savor every word, sentence, page, and chapter and feel a loss, a gain, and have a question or two when you come to the end.

It is a novel of heartache, change, growth, despair, strength, warmth, friendship, family, fear, hope, self-preservation, loss, gain, deceit, peace, and ultimately, love. It is a novel that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Kerry Longsdale has written another masterpiece. One no reader will want to miss or put off reading, and so many have been anxiously awaiting. The downside? Once you read it, the next one won't be out for a year...be prepared to re-read all of her novels several times. I know I will be (im)patiently awaiting the next one...after I savor this one for awhile.

Five star read
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Buy Link for "Everything We Left Behind": http://amzn.to/2sCz2Vi

Buy Link for "Everything We Know": http://amzn.to/2rrQQ1M

Buy Link for "All the Breaking Waves": http://amzn.to/2sL64mD

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(I chose to read and review an advanced copy of this novel on 6/16/17; book purchased 7/04/17)

Another exciting installment in the series, now from James' point of view. Picking up where the last book levy off- half in present time, half in the past catching up to present. We see a lot more of Carlos and his motivations, and of course James. Lots of twists and turns on the way.

I very much enjoyed this book. It answered many questions I had about Carlos and his family. It also raised many! With some new locations and situations, the narrative remains fresh. I still have some questions from Aimee's version- specifically what did Ian want to hunt down Lacy/Lucy for? This wasn't mentioned, so I am hoping it will be addressed in the next book. Perhaps the book after that will address the questions raised in this one!

Exciting quick read, a great follow-up, hopefully with more to come.

Wow! This is a fantastic page turning sequel to "Everything we Keep." My heart was in my throat as I read each page.
It is written alternating from a chapter in the past to the next chapter in the present.
I loved the descriptions of Carlos and James as thoughts and feelings surfaced.
Amazing book!

This Author can do no wrong! Such a great book. Highly readable.

Well crafted and intriguing! Everything We Left Behind kept me guessing all the way to the end which left with me with even more questions I want answered. Can'the wait to read more about Carlos/James.

I loved the journey through this book to discovery what happened to James and what led to him becoming Carlos. I like that the book is told in different parts (going back and forth between James and Carlos). It was an emotional visit with Amiee and it was hard for me to see that she had moved on. Their childhood romance was a fairytale. I am glad we did see that Aimee is happy with Ian and their child and that she was able to move past her first love. Carlos loved Nat and his sons and I enjoyed the journey through his journals that he left to himself. James finding himself in Carlos was the biggest discovery and him learning to forgive, love and most past his past was such a triumph. He's a better man and father all around. I am looking forward to Ian's story next July!

This is the second part in what I understand will be a trilogy. I had read Everything We Left Behind awhile ago, but I very easily settled back into the story continuation of James/Carlos. The story alternates between then and now. Then, being when James was Carlos having suffered a fugue state and living in Oaxaca as a widowed painter raising 2 sons. Now, being California and Hawaii where Carlos is once again James, struggling to understand his identity. Most importantly, who can James trust? It seems his family has all betrayed him. James continues his relationship with Natalya and that might just be the grounding that he needs.