Kerry Lonsdale has done it again I have been waiting for this story to come back to me. The saga between Carlos (or is it James?) and Aimee continues in this absolutely fantastic work of fiction. The heartache and intrigue is palpable and you cannot tear yourself away from the pages. Just do yourself a favor and read this follow up to Everything We Keep. You family can fend for themselves for a day (that's all the time you'll need for this one).

I was given a copy of Everything We Left Behind for my honest review.

Before I start my review, I would highly recommend reading Everything We Keep so you truly understand what happen for James to become Carlos and understand James relationship with Aimee and his family. I was so excited to get a copy because after I finished Everything We Keep, I was dying to know what happens to Carlos when he realizes he is James.

The chapters switch off from Carlos point of view and James point of view. I truly felt Carlos pain of fear that when he became James that he would forget his kids and his love of Natalya. I kept thinking how scared I would feel. I also felt James anger and confusion about losing the last 7 years of his life. How scary to wake up and realize that you life is not the one that you remembered.

Kerry did such an amazing job to make you feel for both Carlos and James. I loved learning about what happen in those years. I wish we got to see a little glimpse of how Aimee dealt with James coming back home.

I am so excited for the next book! It will be hard to wait another year. Thank you Kerry for another great novel!
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Kerry Lonsdale has done it again - another fabulous book. After reading Everything We Keep when it came out, I waited impatiently to find out what happened with James and Aimee. This book was everything I wanted and more. Drama, suspense, family issues...if there had been a dog, it would have been perfection.

Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. I really liked the first book in this series, so had high hopes. Unfortunately, it fell flat. I felt there was too much extraneous information, when the meat of the story could have been condensed to half of what it was. I actually enjoyed reading Carlos/James perspective. The plot was good, I just wish it had been a bit more cohesive. I was happy with the ending. I will probably read this author again given how much I enjoyed the first book.

3.5 stars - I adored Everything We Keep and couldn't want to hear more of the story. While I did like the basic plot of this book, I didn't feel it was enough of a plot for a second book so this novel had what I felt to be a ton of filler. I found myself loving and being very engaged...then quickly being bored and wanting to skim. I feel like Lonsdale could have added a little more excitement to this book but I did like how the plot with the main characters played out. That being said, as a whole I enjoyed the book and was happy to read more in this story. I'll also continue to read Lonsdale, especially because I loved Everything We Keep so much.

Well, I did not realize that this was a sequel until I just sat down to review it. Oops. In that regard, this book can definitely stand alone.

Ironically, my biggest issue with this book was that I felt thrown in. I wanted more backstory. I didn't understand what had happened and I wanted it in laymen's terms. I wanted more on Raquel. I wanted to know the family dynamics. I guess I should have read the first book before reading this and maybe I wouldn't have had these issues!

Having said that, I thought this was a quite solid book despite the strange premise. It was challenging for me to really comprehend the strange dissociative fugue state that James-Carlos had, and to relate to how it might be to wake up one day in this state, but I enjoyed reading about how this often happened after trauma. It did feel too convenient as a trope, but I got over that since this is a book. I would have recommended it alone, which says a lot.

I also wasn't terribly enthralled with the Natalya/James-Carlos relationship. Natalya was Carlos's deceased wife's half-sister, and I thought it just could have been much tidier if she had been a best friend, or a next door neighbour, or something that would just keep family out. There were too many "true loves" in this book for me to feel passionately about any--it's hard to believe that Aimee was James's true love his whole life when he then has no problems going to the sisters.

I did really admire the way that James-Carlos both cared immensely for their children and worked to do everything in their power to keep them happy and safe. This was really admirable, and made me care so much more about all of the characters.

If you enjoyed the first book, then this one will probably satisfy you. But you should probably read the first one before diving into this one simply so that the premise will be more clear and so that you care more about these characters than I did.

I couldn't wait to read this sequel! And Kerry did not disappoint. I personally hope that this story will continue and there will be a third story sometime soon down the road!
The Donato family is nothing but trouble. Or so we think. James was trying to track Phil down after he harmed his fiance Aimee.
What he didn't bargain for was being lost at sea and losing six years of his life as James and instead becomes Carlos. This all took place when he suffered from a dissociatic fugue and couldn't remember any of his life pre-Carlos.
He creates a new life as an artist, gets married and has a child. To then talk to Aimee when she locates him as Carlos and have no idea who she is. How is that possible?
He goes through a roller coaster of emotions from fear to love to questioning everyone and anyone around him. Who and what can he believe?
Will Carlos ever become James again and if so will he remember his life in Mexico or fall back into his previous life?
He returns to California and he tries to piece together the life he once had and has to figure out if that's the life he wants again or if he wants to live in Mexico and remain Carlos for as long as possible?
This book will have you questioning what is going to happen till the very end and then you may still not believe it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for this review.

First of all, I loved Everything We Keep. I was super excited to learn that there was going to be a second book because I felt there were some unanswered questions from the first one.

This is James' story after his memory returns. He does not remember being Carlos, and he has to rebuild not only his life, but also learn how to be a father to two children he doesn't know.

I did like this story, and it is primarily James' story. It is filled with forgiveness and resiliency. While it is a good story, I felt something was missing. I can't really describe it, but it lacked a little bit of the magic from EWK. It might have been because there was so much mystery and suspense, and this is about James learning about his life as Carlos and figuring out who he is now. I think it is a perfect companion to EWK.

Everything We Left Behind was a book I was definitely waiting for after finishing Everything We Keep. I got hooked from the beginning on Everything We Keep, especially the sadness of having a funeral for your fiancée on the day your wedding was supposed to be held. I mean what could be worse than that, right?

I would rate this 4.5 stars if I could as I didn't think it was quite as good as EWK, but it was very good. One huge plus is that the stories all wrapped up nicely, came together well and made a lot of sense. Even characters that I'd previously seen only as horrible people were shown to have other, softer sides to them, which I really liked.

Kerry Lonsdale does a wonderful job with character development and she keeps the plot moving. If you read EWK you definitely need to read this book and if you are considering this book, please do yourself a favor and read EWK first. I really don't think this book would make a lot of sense unless you had read EWK. Yes, the author does include information so you'd know what happened previously, but to really "get it" I think EWK is necessary.

Thank you to Ms. Lonsdale, her publisher and Netgalley for the early read of this eagerly awaited novel.

I would give this book 3.5 stars, but am rounding up. I read this entire book not realizing it was a sequel. I am not sure if that is my fault and I just missed it, or if that was ever made clear. I wonder if my rating would have been higher if I was previously invested in the characters. There were a couple of story lines in the book that seemed very important but glossed over. I think now maybe they were better explained in the first book. Didn't inhibit my enjoyment or understanding of the book, but seemed a bit random when they were woven in. I also had a hard time differentiating between Carlos and James, who are the same person (not a spoiler) but James refers to himself in the 3rd person. Once I could keep those characters straight, I really enjoyed the book. Storyline was definitely one I haven't read before and that was refreshing when books are starting to sound redundant. I became fond of both Carlos and James and by the end of the book, I was invested. I'd recommend the book but think it would make sense to read Everything We Keep first.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced e-copy of this book and boy am I glad I did.
I couldn't wait to read more about what had happened to the characters from Everything We Keep.
In this sequel Kerry told the story of James/Carlos and what had happened to him since the fugue and his 'reawakening'
If you're hoping to find out more about Aimee and Ian then you may feel a little disappointed as this has little about them but I personally feel that isn't a problem as I was so absorbed in James/Carlos that it didn't matter.
Once again well done Kerry and I can't wait for the next one

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. First, I recommend everyone to read Everything We Keep before beginning this one. It will help you to fully understand the emotion and heartbreak in this story. In this book, we see James grappling with the unknown. From his identity to his family is new to him. I'm the first book, his identity was wiped out by an accident. Now, he has to put the pieces back together and learn to be a father to two sons who are just as confused as he is. I think with each chapter I went from crying to frustration. His story was even more compelling than Aimee's. The ending sent me for a loop. Job well done Kerry Lonsdale!

I have been anxious to read this book since I finished the last page of Everything we Keep last summer. Thanks to the author for an early copy to read and review. Everything we Left Behind was all I hoped for and more. Once I started it and I was back in the lives of these characters I didn't want to put it down until the end. Warning: you really need to read Everything We Keep BEFORE you read Everything we Left Behind.

This book was mainly about James/Carlos life and how he coped after waking up from a fugue state and found out that he had basically lost over 6 years of his life. After 6 years living in Mexico as Carlos, an artist with 2 young sons, he had no idea that he was really James a rich young American who had been engaged to be married. When he woke up from his fugue state, he had no memory of his life as Carlos and didn't even remember his sons. As he struggles to connect his lives, James has to learn who he can trust and who it is safe to love.

This novel is told in alternating chapters with one chapter being present day James and the next chapter bring 6 years earlier with him being Carlos. The author handles this very well and it fills in all of the information in the story line.

I definitely enjoyed this book and will read anything that Kerry Lonsdale writes in the future.

After a traumatic event in Mexico, James Donato has been living in a fugue state as Carlos Dominguez with his two sons. One day he wakes up as James Donato again and doesn't know where he is or what has happened over the past several years. He oldest son, Julian, gives him a lock box that contains all of the information regarding his life as Carlos Dominguez.

James must then decide what to do about the children he didn't know he had, where he is going to live, and what happened to his former fiance, Aimee. Told from the past perspective as Carlos and the present as James, Everything We Left Behind is a worthwhile read.

The characters were a little cliche for my liking but were well developed. The pace was nice and the dialogue was clever.

I was so enthralled by Aimee's story in the first book that I hardly reaized how this was truly James's story. The Carlos and James storylines connected a lot of the thoughts I formed when initially reading EWK. I was content to feel some loose ends tied up while being easily pulled into new character development and more potential stories. This book hooked me from the first page. I will definitely be gifting EWLB to friends, and I cnnot wait for more from Kerry Lonsdale!

Everything We Left Behind is compelling suspense, but mostly a story about a man trying to find his true family. James has been in a fugue state after being traumatized at the hands of his brother; living in Mexico as Carlos, father of two young sons and in love with Natalya. When James emerges from the fugue, he is confused and heartbroken, and the family he'd loved were now strangers to him. How does James move on with his life...can he overcome his past and build a loving relationship with his sons again? And where will he find his true home? It was fascinating to watch James deal with both the past and the future; his struggle, his emotions, his angst are so clear. The story is told partly in flashbacks as we follow Carlos' journey for the previous 6 years, and partly in the present as James finds love and peace in his life. This book is the sequel, to Everything We Keep, another fascinating book, and I encourage readers to read EWK first; you will get so much more out of the story.

I have wanted to read Everything We Left Behind since the last page of Everything We Keep. To say I was impatiently waiting for this book is an understatement! This book is everything I hoped for and more. In Everything We Keep, James Donato was presumed dead right before his wedding to Aimee. Aimee had to learn to live her life without James. In Everything We Left Behind, James has to learn to live after being in a fugue state for over 6 years. It tells the story from alternating chapters of James's life after waking from the fugue and during his fugue state living his life as Carlos. It is a beautiful story of love,loss, and family. It is a story of acceptance and learning what is truly important. I loved every single word, paragraph, and chapter. Thank you so very much to Kerry Lonsdale, NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC of EWLB in exchange for an honest opinion. Here goes.

I can't remember how I first discovered Kerry Longsdale last year, with her debut novel Everything We Keep, but I was beyond thankful I did. I absolutely devoured EWK, and it left me wanting so much more! I had to find out more - would Aimee stay with Ian, would she find her way back to James, what would James remember, how awful was James' family, really... and so much more. Well, rest assured friends.... Questions are answered - Not all, but most. I will not give away any spoilers here, I'll just go on to say, once again Kerry delivers - on point!
This time around the book goes back and forth between present time and the years James was living as Carlos. We get more of James/Carlos' backstory - we get to know Nat, Carlos' sister-in-law, and we even get some great interaction between James/Aimee/Ian.
I absolutely LOVED EWLB, and have another Kerry Book Hangover. I will read anything Kerry writes, so I am hoping her next book is coming out soon!!
I highly suggest Everything We Left Behind, but strongly encourage readers to read Everything We Keep first for a better understanding of all the players in the book.