5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 5 January 2021.

Amy finds out she has breast cancer and must undergo a double mastectomy and chemo. Her husband, a cop who was a first responder at the Oklahoma City bombing, is still trying to cope with his own trauma, and now must be Amy’s primary caregiver. Carly, their daughter, is going to also be a caregiver, and at 16, that’s a lot for a teenager to take.

When Amy discovers a secret her husband Paul has been keeping, it turns her already upside down world inside out. She has to find herself and determine if she’s willing to keep the life she had or start over. Escaping is the only way she can think to try to make peace with what’s happened and how to move forward.

Post-graduation, Paul takes Carly out to her great-aunt’s ranch to work for the summer. Paul and Amy are hoping that Rae’s influence and being with the horses and nature for a few months might help Carly heal. Rae has plenty of wisdom and life experience and love to put Carly’s life in perspective.

Paul has his own issues to cope with, so while at the ranch, he stops by the retirement home that the family had purchased. It’s in disrepair. While given an unexpected leave from work, Paul decides to start repairing the house and hopes that will give him the time to repair his own life.

Perhaps I’m biased as a breast cancer survivor, but I really enjoyed reading this telling of another woman’s experience as a survivor. This book touched on so much survival and trauma - breast cancer, first responder experience, child caretaker of a survivor. Everyone in this family had some form of PTSD from what they’d been through. I loved how each person needed to heal and reflect and move forward in the best way possible for each of them. Sometimes what we think destroys us, allows us to start over in new ways. This novel absolutely showed how change can be good in more ways than we could imagine.

I loved this tender touching book. It was a good family and characters study I enjoyed and I loved the setting which is in the pnw .
Thanks for letting me review this book

This story broke my heart on so many levels, on so many pages, in so many ways.

A family in crisis - a father who is broken by what he has seen, a mother who is acknowledging her loneliness and isolation from her fight with breast cancer, their daughter who is trying to find the value and worth in life with all that is falling down around her. Each has a voice and a part which we hear it in alternating chapters throughout the book. Each is lost and floundering. Each has to find their own path to heal their wounds and spirit. Constantly repeating “I am alive now. I am alive now. I am alive now” - it becomes so basic to understand that this is everything, this is time and here and now and are we ever promised anything else?

Ms. McLaren has fought an heroic battle and has emerged a warrior and a hell of a good writer. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy.

Surviving breast cancer and follow on surgeries, Amy is at a point of trying to find herself again. Believing she needs to be with the big trees, she goes on an adventure to discover her inner strength and come to terms with her life. Meanwhile, husband Paul and daughter Carly need to figure out who they are beyond Amy’s husband and daughter and work through their own internal demons.

A book about coming to grips with reality, finding the positive side of an unknown future, and what family really means. The book does meander a bit at points but overall a good story.

A title both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I loved the concept of this story and the strength of character shown. My readers will enjoy it.

Having survived breast cancer and a double mastectomy upon discovering the BRCA2 genetic mutation, Amy is ready to heal. But with her husband prepping for divorce, and her daughter going off to college and frustrated that her senior year has been consumed by her mother’s cancer, Amy feels the only way to heal is to leave her family and go on a road trip of her childhood dreams. Told from the perspectives of all 3 family members, the story unfolds beautifully and tragically as each member deals with their personal healing, all while remembering what each contributes to the family as a whole. A story of self discovery, re-discovery, and self-reflection, you’ll find yourself rooting for them all to do what’s best for themselves, even if that means going their separate ways.

The Bergstrom family members must deal separately, and together, with the emotionally charged issues they face, both together, and alone. Be fore-warned, this tear-jerker will require tender-hearted readers to have a box of tissues nearby. Read my full book review of What’s Worth Keeping coming soon on my website.

This is a nice story about rethinking what is really important in life. The story is told from the perspective of three characters, Amy, Paul, and Carly. Each chapter represents one of the perspectives. Amy is married to Paul and they have one daughter, Carly. Amy has had breast cancer and realized she has a gene that predisposes her to have other types of cancer as well. So she ends up removing breasts, ovaries, and uterus as well, to avoid any possible new cancer. But by removing "what makes her a woman" makes her question her own life from then on.
Meanwhile, her husband is a cop that worked during the Oklahoma City bombing and he has a hard time dealing with it even decades later. And their daughter gets frightened with the idea that she might have inherited the same gene as her mother's while at the same time having to face decisions on what she will do with her life after her senior year is over at high school. Everyone has their own personal struggles, and it is nice to see how they overcome their situations and find a way to keep going.

I am a 29 year breast cancer survivor. I was 35 years old when I was diagnosed. There was no breast cancer history in our family. I was the youngest of 3 children. I had a 13 year old girl and a 10 year old boy. I went through a mastectomy and 6 months of chemo. I had just been married to my 2nd husband and we were both working 2 jobs. I did not lose my hair, so there is that.

I thought, by reading this book, it would be something that I could relate with and find comfort and healing. I thought that after 29 years, the feelings would not still be this raw. This was not the case.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in January 2021.

I went into this book blind. Not knowing what the book held inside. But I felt the sadness and weight of the story within the first few chapters. I put set aside multiple times not sure if I was ready for the journey McLaren had set for me. I’ve fought my own battles like the main character but have never been diagnosed with cancer. I’ve been receiving mammograms every six months since 2009. Needless to say, by putting aside my own fears every six months for 11 years makes me an emotional rollercoaster but emotions I hide. When I finally decided to take the plunge and commit what I found is a story that starts out as a slow burn and just smolders. A main character who is dealing with the loss off her mastectomy and hysterectomy plus the burden of being a survivor. Then there’s the husband who is still suffering PTSD from the Oklahoma bombings. Next is their daughter and how she handles two parents who have major issues, in addition to being a teenager. While I read this book I could feel the personal voice shine through of the author. It is one that’s heartfelt and garners understanding from her reader. Special thanks to Netgalley for giving me a ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read the ARC of What's Worth Keeping, by Kaya McLaren, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press. This is a powerful book that everyone should read: everyone who is, or knows a cancer survivor; everyone who is married; everyone whose has self-doubts; everyone who has been through a trauma, and those who love them; every parent. Those who love our national parks will love the beautiful description of them.

The characters are amazingly lifelike as they attempt to navigate the struggles life has thrown at them. Ms. McLauren examines the effect having a mom with breast cancer has on a teenage girl, particularly a mom with the BRCA-2 gene: the fear, the self-doubt, the perceived hopelessness. The book is a commentary the effect traumatic events can have on first responders, and how it affects every aspect of their lives and their families’ lives. It also says a lot about couples who assume too much and do not communicate well.

I learned so very much about so many things while reading this book. Many different issues are examined in this book, but they are woven so very smoothly into the story. Even though What's Worth Keeping needed a better proofreader, I give the story five stars.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

Recognizing this is an uncorrected ARC, I am overlooking a few probable typos and a few missing commas. The thing that stuck out most was referring to an SUV as a station wagon more than once. Other things that, if corrected, would make the writing smoother are:
• Mixing singular and plural within a sentence;
• Confusing “further” with “farther”;
• Verb tense disagreement;
• Incorrect verb usage;
• A few missing commas;
• Multiple split infinitives – a personal pet peeve.

A dark but hopeful story about a vulnerable, suffering and disintegrating family coping with loss and lacking much needed communication and support. Can their damaged relationships be mended?

This was a beautiful story about finding love again, coping with loss/tragedy/heartbreak, and about family. I knew going into this one that it would be sad, but it had such uplifting and positive moments as well. To know the author drew the inspiration for this story from personal experience really made me feel so much more while reading and made me have a better understanding for the characters. I cannot wait to read more by her in the future. Absolutely beautiful!

What's Worth Keeping is a heart-wrenching, emotional, raw, honest, beautiful, and hopeful story. There are so many angles, each character's journey was uniquely their own. I'll be completely honest and say that around the 4th chapter I wasn't sure I could or would finish this book, it was devastating in a very real way, but I am so so glad I decided to finish. There are so many nuggets of wisdom buried in here, so many things that made me stop take a breath, and have new gratitude and perspective for all that life has thrown me. I highly recommend reading this but be aware it's not a light read at all, there will be heartbreak and tears, but it's so worth it.

What a beautiful, life-affirming novel on perseverance and strength throughout challenging seasons. Amazing depth of compassion during traumatic situations along with admirable introspection and growth. I would highly recommend!

Beautiful. A moving tribute to inner strength.

What’s Worth Keeping is the story of three lives torn apart by Cancer. The disease infiltrates not only the person afflicted but everyone they know, in one way or another.

When Amy Bergstrom receives the shocking news from her doctor, she mistakenly assumes nothing could be worse. Until she arrives home to find her husband of twenty-five years had plans to leave her. Angry and hurt, she shuts down and succumbs to the necessary treatments needed to rid her body of the disease. Needing escape from everything that’s gone wrong in her life, Amy heads into the sweeping forests of Washington to heal.

Amy’s husband, Paul, is also battling demons. As a police officer, he’s been forced to witness the worst of humanity and it’s taken a painful toll. Now he’s hit with another traumatic event, that of his wife’s double mastectomy. The pressure he’s under is intense but instead of sharing his grief with his wife, Paul closes t up inside.

Instead of enjoying her senior year of high school, Carly is her mother’s night nurse while she goes through her cancer treatments. She knows she shouldn’t be so selfish but anxiety mixes with fear and resentment to create a stew of hostility in her breast.

The journey taken by each member of the Bergstrom family is heartfelt and realistically portrayed. Thank goodness for Aunt Rae!

What's Worth Keeping is the story of a family rocked from trauma from 9/11 and cancer. Amy Bergstrom has just survived cancer and the surgeries that removed parts of her that she feels made her a woman. She is shaken to the core and is unsure of the future of her marriage. She takes off for a healing journey through national parks leaving her husband and daughter behind.
Carly, Amy's daughter, has been rocked by her mom's cancer, and the knowledge that she could carry a gene that would possibly seal her fate of having a future rocked by cancer, as well. Her father Paul, drops her off at her Great Aunt Rae's horse ranch right after picking her up from her senior trip. The hope is that this will help her heal, especially as she has a great love of horses.
Paul Bergstrom, a police officer who responded to the 9/11 crisis, has never been the same. He feels hollowed out from his time trying to rescue survivors and his job in general has beaten him down. Now he has gone through the terror of having a wife with cancer and he is aware that their marriage hangs in the balance but is not aware that things are more complicated by actions he took before his wife became ill, that she has discovered. He goes to the home that they bought by Rae's horse farm to work on it, when he finds himself having to take a leave from work.
Each member of the family has a journey to take in order to heal from the pain they have experienced. Even separately their journeys may bring them closer together. What's Worth Keeping looks at how individuals discover what is truly important in a person's life.

This book was a tough read, due to how realistically it portrays the topic at hand. It is well written and certainly pulls for empathy for all the characters involved. Highly recommended for individuals who enjoy memoirs and story of pain and ultimately hope.

WHAT’S WORTH KEEPING by Kaya McLaren is an emotional and heartfelt story of love, family and survival when facing traumatic events. Inspired by the author’s own battle with breast cancer and its aftermath, the story is told with raw honesty and understanding of the terrible toll a life-threatening illness can have not only on the person with the disease but those around them. Amy, Paul and Carly Bergstrom are struggling to keep their family together after Amy’s diagnosis, treatment and recovery from breast cancer. As if it isn’t enough to hear you have advanced cancer, on the day of her diagnosis, Amy learns a devastating secret about Paul that leaves her questioning everything about their marriage and life together. Oklahoma City police officer Paul is still dealing with deep-rooted trauma of his own after witnessing the Oklahoma City bombing years prior. Knowing that her mother’s disease is genetic, Carly decides that planning for the future is worthless. Her behavior becomes increasingly angry and reckless. Told in the voices of all three characters, the story reflects their individual journeys to healing and hope for the future. The settings are described beautifully. I could clearly see the stunning scenery of the National Parks that Amy visits and the horse ranch in the mountains of New Mexico where Carly is staying for the summer with her Great-aunt Rae. Despite the difficult and heart-wrenching topics, I enjoyed this moving and hopeful story and look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

A beautiful, honest, gut wrenching story about a woman, Amy, which is re-evaluating everything in her life after surviving breast cancer. At times, the book was very difficult to read, filled with such sadness and pain. At times, it was such an uplifting experience to be a part of this character’s journey into her future.

The story is written in three voices, which is a great way to have the tale unfold. The reader gets to understand the perspective of each.

This book is an experience I will not forget very soon. I think that maybe everyone should read this book to be grateful for his or her healthy life, and those that have went through this experience, I am sure will understand every emotion that Amy is walking through.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I think she wrote an amazing book.

What's Worth Keeping
A Novel
by Kaya McLaren
St. Martin's Press
You Like Them
St. Martin's Griffin
Women's Fiction
Pub Date 19 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 02 Feb 2021

This is the heartwarming story of a family going through cancer together. It was almost so emotional that I didn't read it. Great book! Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the aRC.
Loved the book. Solid 5 star