The first thing that caught my interest when I was reading the synopsis of the book was that part of the setting is in New Mexico, where I live. It is always refreshing to view my state through another's eyes and perspective.

I thought I knew the direction that What's Worth Keeping by Kara McLaren would go, but I am happy to report that I was wrong. This book is powerful and very emotional as we get to hear from three different narratives: Amy who is just recovering from cancer and multiple surgeries... who has wounds that her husband is not able to heal. We also get the husband's perspective as Paul starts on his own self journey. Then there is their daughter, Carly who is hurting and scared...acting out so much that Paul takes her to a ranch in New Mexico to work for the summer.

As their lives intersect and separate for a time, Paul, Amy and Carly embark on powerful journeys that resonate with this reader. I highly recommend author Kaya McLaren as an author- she has the magic spark which is what it takes to tell three separate and connected stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Kaya McLaren, and St. Martin's Press for this temporary, digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

What’s Worth Keeping by Kaya McLaren is an emotional journey following Amy, a breast cancer survivor, her husband, Paul, an Oklahoma City police officer who is still haunted by the Oklahoma City Bombing and their teenage daughter, Carly, a recent high school graduate who has lost her way. On the day she hears the word no one wants to hear, Amy discovers a secret that Paul has been keeping from her. As summer begins and the months of chemo treatments are over and her recovery from surgeries is complete, she escapes her claustrophobic life. She seeks to find healing, peace and clarity in the one place which she felt whole: the ancient forests in Washington State. After dropping Carly off at Amy’s Aunt Rae’s horse ranch in the mountains of New Mexico, Paul visits the house he bought many years ago with the hopes to fix it up and retire. What he finds mirrors his life and marriage, everything looks fine on the outside, but inside is a disaster. When he finds himself with more time off than he expected, he begins the painstaking but loving repairs to the house and maybe even his future. After witnessing her mother’s treatments and recoveries, Carly is terrified when she learns that the cause was genetic, leaving her with a sense of impending doom and all her hopes and dreams seem like a waste of time. With the help of Aunt Rae and a Clydesdale horse named T Rex, can Carly discover she can have hope for the future again? Will Amy find the healing and peace she seeks? Can Paul repair his marriage and find the love they used to share?
Right off the bat, the story of Amy, Paul and Carly hits you in the face. It pulls you in and tells you to put yourself in the shoes of these characters. Like life, What’s Worth Keeping has its ups and downs. At times it was sweet and these people obviously loved each other at one time and others, the heartbreaking moments when their world has been rocked to its core. At times I wanted to shake some sense into the characters and tell them not to be such an idiot! At other times, I wanted to hug each one and cry with them. I have not had the experiences that Amy has but her reactions and fight to gain her life back felt very real and very raw. I don’t know how I would react if I were in Amy’s shoes but her fears are very real. Paul is definitely a first responder who was just going through the motions as he is constantly reminded of the horrible events after the bombing and how it shaped his life since. He must battle the demons of survivor’s guilt if he wants to regain the life he once again and to love and be loved as he did before. Carly’s reaction to her mother’s illness was the most heartbreaking as she became angry in general as she saw her future in her mother’s pain and suffering. What’s Worth Keeping is a book that will break your heart, shed tears as Amy, Paul and Carly come to terms with the events of their lives and decide whether to fight or give up their futures. I highly recommend What’s Worth Keeping.

What’s Worth Keeping is available in paperback and eBook

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This was such a great read. A families journey through forgiveness and life and finding oneself. I truly loved how this story went back and forth from Amy’s, Paul’s and Carlys point of view. It was a quick moving story

The Bergstrom family is extremely broken and in need of healing. Amy is a breast cancer survivor, recovering from the physical and mental aspects of her disease, along with the secret she discovered her husband, Paul has been keeping from her. Paul, an Oklahoma City police officer, is still suffering survivor’s guilt from the Federal building bombing years ago, when he spent many days and nights digging out victims, both alive and dead. Carly, a new high school graduate, scared to face her unknown future with the possibility of carrying a gene responsible for breast and other cancers, acts out behaving horribly by drinking, staying out all night and insulting her mother. Paul takes Carly to spend the summer working tours with Amy’s Aunt Rae, her chuck wagon and Clydesdales. Carly, angry to be separated from her friends for the summer, slowly begins to understand and regret her previous bad behaviors. While they are gone, Amy takes off on a road trip to Mt Rainer, stopping to visit as many National Parks along the way. Paul, left alone and lonely, begins his healing by remodeling an old house he and Amy purchased for their retirement.

Beautifully written, with amazing scenery descriptions, I felt like I visited each park along with Amy. With the all three deeply developed characters, I felt involved and engaged in the outcomes of their stories, hoping for happy endings to such sad stories. The book lost me a bit in the middle with a little too much detail and repetition of Amy’s hikes in the parks, but it redeemed itself by the end and was truly a remarkable journey.

After Amy's recent battle with breast cancer, her family of three is left dealing with his/her own set of demons. Amy is grappling with life after cancer ("Something along the lines of whether she had enough courage to live the rest of her life with the new set of fears she had, knowing how fragile and temporary life was.") and from discovering that her husband, Paul, has been harboring a secret. Paul is struggling to overcome the PTSD triggered by his work as a police officer. And Carly, their 18 year old daughter, is confused after nearly losing her mom and wonders if cancer is in her future.

As a way of coping and since she loves nature, Amy decides to tour many of the western National Parks by herself. Since my family also has the National Park passports mentioned in the book and have visited some of the parks, it was fun revisiting them with her... and it makes me want to visit the rest! Amy's journey was an emotional one, and my heart both ached and rejoiced for her along the way. If you love nature and/or have endured a health crisis (or know someone who has), then I'd highly recommend this sweet and hopeful family drama.

Location: Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), New Mexico (Chama), and Washington (Mt Rainier)

While visiting the tide pools: "All these things just waiting for the tide to come back in. They've mastered the art of holding on... At the moment, she was still surviving in her tide pool, but anytime now the tide would be back in. The clouds were gone. The sun was back. Hope was all around them."

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of What's Worth Keeping.

What's Worth Keeping is a look at 3 family members and the toll hereditary breast cancer can have on their lives.

Amy is diagnosed with breast cancer and discovers at the same time that her husband, Paul, of 25 years was planning on leaving her. His plans change once she's been given her diagnosis...and he doesn't know she's aware of his plans. Their teenage daughter, Carly, is struggling with the diagnosis. She's obsessed with the fact that this diagnosis may one day be hers - and isn't quite sure how to grapple with that.

The three family members travel on 3 very different journeys of healing. Amy leaves on a solo trip "to visit the trees", where she faces her past, confronts her thoughts about her marriage, and works on healing her future. Paul, a police officer, is put on administrative leave and decides to work on gutting and refurbishing their dream retirement house, all while facing his own thoughts and demons. Carly is sent to spend the summer with her great Aunt in New Mexico, where she also begins to let her guard down and learns how to heal.

This is such a sad book and a quick read. If you are ready for an emotional journey through the life of a devastated family dealing with a cancer diagnosis, definitely pick this one up. But make sure your heart is ready!

I FINALLY had some reading time to finish this contemporary women's fiction. Quite the intense emotional experience dealing with a family that is broken and struggling to each find themselves again. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah.

On the day that Amy found out she had cancer, she also found the papers that signified her husband was preparing for divorce. Although Paul stayed by her side through her surgeries, all these months later, Amy is determined she'll be the first one out the door. Paul knows that he has let his family down, as a police officer he has done his best to serve and protect but a long ago day in Oklahoma City has haunted him for years. For their daughter Carly, this should be her summer to celebrate high school graduation and prepare for college. Yet when Amy makes a startling confession to Carly that will impact her own future, the young teen feels frustration towards both her parents. Can an older relative help all three find their way to forgiveness?



Publication Date 19/01/21
Goodreads review published 20/01/21
Published review on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Kaya McLaren has written a book that is rich is emotion, thought & heart.

This is a story of Amy, her husband Paul and their daughter, Carly. Amy has recently undergone cancer treatment and surgery and is struggling to make sense of life. Paul is an Oklahoma City homicide detective. Carly has just graduated from high school and isn't sure what is her next step in life.

This is not a happy book with happy characters. It is a heavy story with characters that are struggling with everything in their life. It is very deep and and thoughtful and the author's own personal experience with cancer is evident by the attention to detail and emotions of the main character.

Amy does a lot of traveling to various National Parks and there is quite a lot of detail given to these settings. Her mental healing comes to fruition there.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was my first read of the year and I’m so glad it was. I picked this book up after I DNF’d 2 other books (which I never do) and it hooked me right away.
This is a story about a family and their individual needs to heal. When Amy finds out she has cancer and also finds divorce papers her husband filled out years ago, she begins to question the meaning of her life. Her husband Paul is still healing from trauma he experienced in his job years ago and their daughter is acting out while trying to deal with everything her parents are going through. They each embark on their own journey to find peace and healing.
I loved reading about each family member’s different journey. I felt like I was healing right along with them. The descriptions of place were amazing. I loved these characters and I loved their stories. I hope you love it as much as I did.
Thank you #netgalley and #stmartins for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. Amy Bergstrom, a wife, and mother, finds out she has cancer Kaya McLaren, tells us her story, not only about how it affects her but also the effect it has on her husband and daughter. I think this book gave an accurate description of what someone would go through, the emotions, the dealing with it, and the decisions.
It wasn't just about Amy having cancer, it was also her husband being a police officer and the effects of what he sees every day does to him. Two things the world hears too much about but now we have a story that shows us how it impacts them. After reading the book, I think I would pretty much do what Amy did, although I hadn't given it any thought until reading the book, I also have a better understanding of what someone might be going through. I know many police officers, and I never really stopped to think about what they see every day and what seeing the things they do, does to them. I don't think people talk about it, so I am glad this book was written. For me, it was a wake-up call, with all that is going on today, think about others and what they might be going through.
I definitely would recommend this book. It is a journey, and with any journey to get beyond what is going on now, we have to keep moving forward. I am going to print this off because no matter what, it is we are going through, this is what has to happen. Thank you for writing this story, Kaya McLaren, you did an amazing job.

Amidst all the light fluffy love stories I adore devouring, contemporary and historical, I love a book that will break my heart from page one. There's nowhere to go but up!
Amy hits major obstacles within a short time frame. She's diagnosed with cancer, undergoes surgeries and chemotherapy, and her husband secretly wants a divorce. Her quiet method of dealing with the pressure is to walk away and return to her roots. Meanwhile, her husband and daughter are sorting out their own paths of dealing with and supporting Amy.
If you need a book to spark empathy and hope, I recommend picking up a copy. I was immediately moved by Kaya's expressive voice.
Thank you St. Martin's and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Whats worth keeping is a story from 3 perspectives of a family learning to heal. Paul who has never been the same from the aftermath of the Oklahoma bombing, Amy the wife who is now cancer free but learning to deal with the aftermath of what had to be done to help her become that way and their daughter Carly who has witnessed her mother's struggle and pain only to face a possible future with the same cancer through genetics.

I wanted to love this story. The idea of it was what I was looking for in a healing and deep journey but there was way too much filler to keep you enthralled. I felt like it dragged too much and this happened to take away from the intense deep beginning that pulled me in.
The idea behind the story is a good one and I think without all the extra description added it could have been more enjoyable and harder for me to fall out of love with.

The Big C-Cancer is a terrifying word for not only those who have to endure the endless surgeries and rounds of treatments, but the people around them are just as affected.
Amy Bergstrom is a survivor of Breast Cancer, but is holding her breath to make sure that all turns out still in the clear. Her husband is suffering from PTSD from a years ago encounter and he still has not gotten helped or talked with his wife about his nightmares. Amy has no clue what all transpired that day or his mental state.
Her daughter is having her own mental crisis as a result of her mother’s cancer because what if she has the cancer gene?
Amy withdraws within herself as her husband did and decides to leave the family for a traveling trip to make a decision concerning her marriage and life. Her daughter, Carly is ferried out to the Great-Aunt Raes ranch to keep her from a undeseriable group of new friends.
Amy, Paul, and Carly are all on the path to reevaluating life choices and deciding what is truly Worth Keeping!

The author does have a great plot, however the book for me seemed to drag and it took Amy forever to come to a resolution and communicate that I felt that part was not quite believable. I felt the characters of Rae, Carly and Paul were more centered and with a little more development it would have definitely kept my interest.

I received an advanced copy free from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

As I started this book and discovered it was about breast cancer, I feared it would be a depressing read. However, I soon came to care about each of the characters as they presented their individual stories, fears and struggles. The author incorporated a lot of information about our national parks and reinforced my belief in the healing properties of connecting with nature. I will definitely be reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's for an advance copy to read and review.

What's Worth Keeping is a thought-provoking, powerful tale by Kayla McLaren.

The overall tone is sadness and more sadness. But ultimately, it's a tale of survival, acceptance, and healing.

Amy, her husband Paul, and their daughter Carly are all suffering, with each of them trying to survive the aftermath of Amy's cancer diagnosis and treatment. We all know that cancer effects all those around the one physically suffering, and this story tackles just that.

It's been a long road for Amy, with having just beaten cancer. But knowing she's done with her treatments leaves her unsure of her life now. Of course, it doesn't help that she expects her husband to leave her now. She's left depressed, lonely, unsure, and grieving for her old self. She can't bare to look at her new body. Her perspective is well handled, with care, knowledge, and compassion.

Meanwhile Paul is suffering from an issue with his job. The aftermath of seeing terror and not being able to help anyone, has left him feeling less than. He was there, at the Oklahoma City bombing, and he still has flashbacks to all he saw that day. It's truly heart-wrenching to read his journey.

And Carly. Not only is she dealing with everything her family's gone through, she is dealing with how to tackle things. Should she be reckless and not care about anything? Should she do things to get her parents attention? And should she be tested to see if her odds of getting cancer like her mother are high? She's only a teen and she has no clue how to process everything she's facing or how to deal with her future.

Then there's Aunt Rae, who is one of those special characters who you'll remember for a long time. She's supportive, she's honest, she's helpful, and most of all she's caring. She loves hard and she loves fully. I love her role in this storyline.

The writing is good, written in three povs, fully developing each character. Amy, Paul, and Carly are complex characters with an extremely complex tale. Each character's emotions are front and center, well explored, and driving the story throughout. My only complaint is that is it definitely slow.

What's Worth Keeping is a long, detailed family tale. Kaya McLaren tackles some heavy topics and does so in a wonderful manner. I definitely recommend this book when you have time to tackle a long and serious read.

Healing is the theme of this novel. A family needs vast healing. Paul,needs to heal from past trauma, Amy need to heal from cancer, physically mentally, and Carly needs to heal from her family’s fracture. Each chapter rotates in three voices as the characters step toward that healing. It was interesting to read the development and growth each family member makes, alone, so perhaps they can reunite. I think this book can connect with readers since we’ve all had to heal from something.

What's Worth Keeping by Kaya McLaren is a very enjoyable novel. The story is very thought provoking. It made my think about what emotions people that encounter trauma or life threatening illness, not only the person but their families too. It definitely me made me think about what I'd keep and what's important to me.

What’s Worth Keeping by Kaya McLaren is an emotional story about family, love, hope, grief and second chances. It’s about a family’s journey after they are hit with some hard issues and how they move forward. Amy, the mom, was diagnosed with cancer and is dealing with the trauma of that and secrets from her husband. Paul, the father, is dealing with trauma from his job, his wife’s diagnoses and fallout in his marriage. Carly, their daughter, is struggling with everything that is going on in her family’s life. It is a lot for a teenage daughter. Will the family survive together or separately?

Each character embarks on their separate journey to find their way to move forward. Can they find what they need? What’s Worth Keeping by Kaya McLaren was touching, heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Happy reading!

This is a story that shows just how important communication is – and that you have to communicate with yourself first of all. Amy, Paul, and Carly – mother, father, daughter – are in crisis. It’s not certain they’ll come through it, and if by some miracle they do it’s even less certain they’ll still be a family. At the beginning it seems like it’s all about Amy. She’s a cancer survivor and she’s suffocating. She needs to find out if she can live again. And learn how to live without her husband Paul, because on the day she got her cancer diagnosis she found a file with divorce papers. Paul never gave her the papers, never left, never mentioned it, stood by and took care of her through the cancer treatments, but she knows he doesn’t want her. So Amy leaves to visit national parks, because that’s where she went with her parents and sisters growing up. She doesn’t know if or when she’ll return.

Before the cancer Paul was going to leave Amy not because he didn’t love her, but because he couldn’t love anybody or anything anymore. He’s a cop in Oklahoma City, and saved some and lost many more people during the bombing. He’s tried to pretend things are okay but he can’t pretend anymore.

Carly tried to take care of her mom, but the realization that this cancer was genetic shattered her. What was the point of being a good girl, getting good grades, planning to go to college when she’d probably just get cancer and die anyway? And she doesn’t know what to say to her mother so she lashes out in anger and then just doesn’t speak to her.

The star of the show is Amy’s Great-Aunt Rae. Her life has been a lot more complicated and full than her family realizes, and her memories are bittersweet. She’s got a lot to say and they need to listen.

On the day school is out, Paul drives Carly to spend the summer working at Aunt Rae’s horse ranch and Amy leaves for her park journey. The story follows Amy as she remembers those early trips and confronts her future, Paul as he experiences trouble at work and turns to “fixing things” – mainly the old house near Aunt Rae they were planning to restore and retire in, and Carly as she learns Aunt Rae’s story and works and watches on the camping trips and starts to think about what matters.

What’s Worth Keeping is an intense story, at times frustrating because you just want the characters to stop and talk to each other. They all seem foolish or selfish at times, but they are going through extraordinary trials and the way out is hard. Will they learn to communicate?

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It was a thoughtful, satisfying read and all opinions are my own.

A heart-breaking story of a middle-aged woman battling breast cancer, told from three perspectives: hers, her husband's and their teenaged daughter's. The family is torn apart at first and the story depicts their individual journeys back. I found this to be a worthwhile but difficult read, written by cancer survivor. It is honest and hopefully inspiring for those looking for a way through the darkness.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks.