2.5 stars.
I really wanted to like it, i do. But it was just a little... idk, some place were boring and did not keep me interested.

really loved this book. It’s a story of forgiveness, moving forward and second chances. The characters were great and I really liked the writing style. Abby returns home to a small town in Washington state after a career setback. She is a marine biologist and has to reassess her career plans upon her return home. I was fascinated learning so much about the Pacific Ocean and the many sea animals that inhabit it. Overall a really great book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Jennifer Gold for free e-ARC in return of my honest review of Keep Me Afloat.

Wow, I am impressed. I finished it within two day because I couldn't keep in down and had to see what did happen those five years ago and how Abby would struggle through the mess she created back then in her marriage and in her life.

A strong female character that come alive in the pages of Keep Me Afloat. She wants a career in marine biology to make use of all her studies and she is also passionate about her chosen path. However, the small town she lives in with her husband Dennis doesn't offer many opportunities and she had to settle into a job and life she never wanted to. She is lost and miserable, and has no will to talk to her husband as she feels he wouldn't understand. Only after a horrible tragedy, Abby realizes how wrong she was.

The issue of career vs family is one of the most important part of women's life. Would she compromise and settle to something she despises or would she chases her dreams and giving up her family life? Many women, if not all, face this question at one point of their lives. Jennifer Gold explores the struggle that Abby lives through every day, She bring Eli to her life and shows that mean are better equipped with societal expectation and are free to choose their dreams instead of a mandate reality at the job that one might hate. Jennifer Gold plays on the reader's emotions and made me sweep a few tears (and I am definitely a fan of any romance). Gold makes her characters real and alive. There are many Abbys out there living the live they are lost in and despise their circumstances, at the same time unable to change them due to fear of not being accepted and understood. I wish Jennifer Gold could have written a list of steps what to do for all these Abby, however, I doubt as it is even possible. Each one should decide for herself what her life should be.

I tremendously enjoyed Keep Me Afloat and would definitely recommend it.

DNF - Did not finish. I tried to read Jennifer Gold's other novel and it was not for me. I will not be finishing this one either. Thank you, publisher and NetGalley for the early title!

Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold is a heartwarming story following Abby through love, mixed emotions, loss, heartache, and learning to love and trust oneself. My emotions were all over the place and as I read the last few chapters I had tears pouring down my face. Truly an amazing and wonderful read that kept me intrigued the whole way through.

Wonderful novel! I enjoyed the whole story. This was an emotional story about Abby and her husband Dennis. It explores the intricacies of their relationship. They have a safe and secure relationship but things begin to change for Abby over the years. I enjoyed the way that Abby’s life was depicted, including her relationships with her parents and her closest friends. I was engrossed by this whole story and surprised at times along the way.

As a native from the Pacific Northwest, this book grabbed me from the beginning, Abby a marine biologist has created her dream career, but things change. Emotional, twisty and full of heart even when the emotions hit personally. I stayed totally invested to see where the MC Abby goes as she returns home to find its not like it once was. Gold is a brilliant author and I will read everything she writes. 5 stars.

I really loved this book. It’s a story of forgiveness, moving forward and second chances. The characters were great and I really liked the writing style. Abby returns home to a small town in Washington state after a career setback. She is a marine biologist and has to reassess her career plans upon her return home. I was fascinated learning so much about the Pacific Ocean and the many sea animals that inhabit it. Overall a really great book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Abby met Dennis during a car accident almost twenty years ago. Two months ago she was studying hump back whales in California. Bad news about the grants for work and pictures of Dennis bring her back home. Abby is haunted by the ghosts and husband she left behind . Abby met Dennis in high school but it wasn't love at first sight. The pace was good and I liked the characters. I liked Abby's journey to find herself in the world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review 💙
I don't really like reading books which revolve around grief and loss, but Abby's story connected with me in an unexpected way. Her journey to cope up with the stuggles in life made Keep Me Afloat such an impactful read.
One of the best things about the book was the author's writing style. She made me empathize with Abby perfectly through her words. The marine biology facts were really interesting to read about too!
4/5 🌟 Definitely recommend!

In many ways, this title is a second chance romance. However, the primary target of Abby's love is not another person but herself.

Ms. Gold does a wonderful job weaving in some marine biology facts and lovely descriptions of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington with a little bit about Alaska and salmon as well.

Overall, a delightful story of finding oneself after hiding from the pain of the past.

I feel like I can’t say enough about how much I loved this book, it’s definitely a contender for one of my most favourite reads ever. It was exactly what I needed to read during these crazy times. I’ve never not wanted a book to end so badly while also not wanting to put it down. This story is so beautiful, raw, heart wrenching & so well written✨

Keep me afloat tells the story of Abby, a marine biologist by trade who finds herself in her mid thirties, broke, not working in the field she loves and moving back to her hometown. The book flashes back and forth between 2011, where we learn about how her marriage first came to be and it’s subsequent downfall and 2018 where we witness Abby in present day.
I almost found this book to be therapeutic. I felt as though I was transported to the west coast in Washington state, where it’s set and could really visualize this story. I absolutely loved the wildlife aspect of this book, the whales were almost like an additional character and provided so much depth to the novel. Abby is a super relatable character, I could feel her pain and really sympathized with her. I’m truly so sad that this book is over😢 I 1000% recommend this book, 5/5⭐️ Also how beautiful is this cover 😍

I have to disclose that I read Keep Me Afloat, by Jennifer Gold, several weeks into the COVID-19 quarantine, and my impressions are probably impacted by that circumstance. I found myself impatient the protagonist’s inability to move past the same old issues with three different men. It seemed so lacking in perspective when so much death and disease is swirling around us. Of course, the author did not write the novel under the same circumstances under which I read it. On the other hand, I loved the author’s commitment to marine conservation and learned so much about whales and marine life. Her writing vividly captured the sensations of being on a boat, feeling the sprays of saltwater in your face, and the sight of those beautiful whales emerging from the water.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Gold breathes life into her characters. This was a very good read and had me captivated from the beginning.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Jennifer Gold did it again with her second novel!! There are so many things I love about her books -- here are some -- her timelines -- one of the best writers as far as timelines go!! Her quotes -- I wrote down so many quotes. Her first line -- I'd love to ask her how long it takes her to write her first line. Her endings!! Always beautifully shocking!!

I wasn't sure what to expect with Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold, but I am glad I gave it a shot. It was a well-thought out novel with a heart. I know our patrons will really like it, so we will order a couple copies for our library. Thank you!

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union publishers for the free ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

It has been 5 years since Abby Fisher left her home town along the coast of Washington state, running away from painful memories.
But when her research work as a marine biologist in California comes to an abrupt halt, she feels herself drawn back home. And although she is happy and thankful to be reunited with her beloved parents and friends, she soon finds herself fighting demons from the past.
In order to move forward she will have to look back, confront herself and heal.

I first heard about this book after reading a rave review on Instagram.
When finding out "Keep Me Afloat" was offered as a read now on Netgalley, I grabbed my chance.
After reading the first few pages I knew I made the right decision because the writing style sucked me right in.
I was a bit apprehensive when I learned that the story shifts between past and present. Thinking it might be confusing however, it wasn't at all! In fact, it worked really well.
Slowly but surely a true love story unfoldes with some serious challenges along the way.

What made this book such an amazing read was that I got a real good sense of the setting.
I would love to visit the Pacific North West of America myself one day and this book only confirmed that it is a place of outstanding natural beauty and magnificent wildlife.
As to the characters they were all so engaging, it was wonderfull to read about the special bond Abby having with her friends. They all had each other's back no matter what. Same goes for Abby's parents, such loving people.

The struggles Abby faced in terms of her love life and ambition were well described and I could really understand her dilemma.
Another wonderful aspect of this book was Abby's passion for wildlife.
I particularly share her love of Orca's and I would love to go on a boat tour to see them in their natural environment. I kind of got a sense of that experience through the book which was great.

All in all this was an absolute 5 star read for me and I can't wait for the author's next book.
I'm sure it will have me hooked again!

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review

The book revolves between the past and present day. Abby became interested in marine biology when she first looked at a drop of water under a microscope. She meets Dennis one night when she is in an accident and he comes to her aid.

Fast forward to the time Abby fears she may lose Dennis to heart problems. They eventually marry but Abby is torn between love for Dennis working a full job at a bank and the pull of the ocean.

Time passes and Abby returns home to pick up pieces of her broken life. She finds things are not as they seem

The author includes depth to the character of Abby and the indecision she goes through and beautiful descriptions of whales, and their ocean life

This book has all elements in it - love, heartbreak, mistakes forgiveness and second chances. Abby is trying the "Keep her heart afloat" as everything she once had, has left her and she is broken beyond repair. She finds courage and gains the confidence to fight through her way. Very much heartfelt and I could feel Abby through every step in the novel. You will feel a lot of emotions when you read this book, but disappointment is not one of them.
Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Gold and Lake Union Publishing for the reader's copy of this book. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

Jennifer Gold, author of The Ingredient of Us has written another winner. Keep Me Afloat. This title fits so well.
This is my second book by this author and I enjoyed it very much. There was parts that the synopsis talked about that I never truly saw.. Like friends and family not being the same toward her. To me her parents, while having problems of their own, were great to her. Her best friends were right there for her too. The only one that was indifferent toward her was a guy friend she fled from and in my opinion he had no right to be judging considering he was married as was Abby. Abby is the main character in this book and I did like her a lot. Her best friends, Chrissy and Nick, who were married to each other, opened their home to her when she needed them. Not that she lived with them mind you, but when she needed their moral support they were right there. I liked them both also.
Abby married the love of her life, Dennis, but to me it seemed he became somewhat of a jerk about her career. Though there too if she would have sit him down and really opened up to him about her feelings I believe he would have understood and be way more supportive. He was in the beginning and possibly would have been later after they married. But she didn’t and thus things happened.
Eli was a friend who Abby had many lunches with and even lied to Dennis about one night. They didn’t have a sexual affair but she sure did have a mental one and he would have if she would have. Eli was married with a child so I didn’t like him at all for wanting something besides what he already had. I do not believe in affairs so that made me dislike him because of his actions. He already had a very adventurous life so in my mind I kept wondering how many other women was he actually seeing in other countries. He was a professional photographer and did extensive travel whether his wife liked it or not. She was way more understanding than I would have been... Just saying.
This book had great characters. Great plot. Great emotions. Scenery descriptions. The job Abby had game much insight to the life of whales and in some places got very emotional. I learned some things that I had no idea about. There was one totally unexpected shock that made me have some very ugly tears. That and the part about the mother whale. No one abused them by the way, it was just a sad part of life. The descriptions in this book were done so well. It makes you feel like you are on the water, in the coffee shop or on the farm. It was just a very good book from start to finish.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #Lake Union and #Jennifer Gold for the ARC of this book. This is my own true review.
I gave it 4 stars and a high recommendation.