“All That We Carried” by Erin Bartel is a story about two sisters coming to terms with their parents’ death. They both carried their grief in different ways. This grief distanced their relationship, and now, through a hiking trip, they are reconnecting.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were parts I enjoyed, and then parts that just dragged on for me. I have read the author’s other books, and I enjoyed them very much. This just wasn’t my favorite book by this author.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

After a decade of bitterness, Olivia has agreed to go on a hike on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with her younger sister, Melanie. The two have had very little contact in the past ten years after they suffered a tragic loss. Each went in a different direction with their lives. Melanie is longing for some type of reconciliation on this trip, but she has news that might strain their relationship even further. As they embark on their journey, there are many things standing in the way of any type of reconciliation, the journey is arduous and not exactly what they had expected, but when they meet up with a helpful stranger, they start to question their life choices. Choices that have left them searching for more. What turned out to be a tortuous trip soon turned into a blessing in disguise. This is a journey of grief, forgiveness, reconciliation and most of all a search for faith to fill the God sized hole in their hearts.

Erin Bartels is a new to me author. All That We Carried is a book about two sisters who have been estranged since the death of their parents ten years before. The younger sister invites the older sister on a hiking trip so they can reconnect. I could relate to this story so much. I, too, have only one sister and we are often at odds with each other. I am like Melanie and Olivia in wondering how two people who were raised by the same parents be so completely different. I could not put this book down. Melanie and Olivia drew me into the story so much that I felt like I was there with them. Even though there were misadventures on this trip, some things did go right for them. I liked how they both started questioning things they had previously believed and these reflections made them grow. Forgiveness is the central theme to this story. While this is the first Erin Bartels’ book that I have read, it won’t be the last. If you like stories about sisters and/or hiking, you will love this story. Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

All That We Carried is about sisters who have been estranged since an accident that caused their parents death ten years ago. They decided to go on a backpacking trip to reconnect but it isn't until the end after a forest fire and accident that they are finally able to resolve their differences. One of the sisters believes in nothing, the other believes in everything but in the end they are able to see the ways God has led them throughout their lives. It was a quick read and reminded me that even in the bad God is there.
Thanks to NetGalley and Revell for my advanced review copy of this book.

This is a character driven story that, at times, is intriguing. The protagonist leads us into a path that makes us wonder what will happen next. Although it is an Interesting read, it becomes slow,’and we want it to conclude sooner rather than later. Try this one.

This book only took me two days to read, Erin Bartels is quite the storyteller, and the plot is compelling. But at the end of the day, the ending of the tale left me unsatisfied.

Melanie and Olivia lost their parents a decade earlier in a tragic accident that Olivia's friend, Justin, caused. While Olivia buried herself in finishing school and becoming a prosecuting attorney, Melanie took her time to sort through the life that had been theirs and dispose of their parents' estate. Olivia rarely connected to her remaining family, including her sister, in all the years since her parents' deaths. Melanie was able to forgive Justin and move on in her grief, while Olivia wasn't able to forgive and just stuffed her grief into a forgotten corner and never dealt with it.

It was a fluke that Olivia answered her phone call on that really nice day in March when her sister proposed getting together for a backwoods hike. Melanie allowed Olivia to do the planning for the trip because Olivia left nothing to chance as much as was in her power.

In spite of all of Olivia's planning, there was no way to plan for the unexpected events along the way. Without realizing it, both women are searching for answers. Melanie subscribes to an "all-inclusive" cafeteria style belief system that cherry-picks from all of the various belief systems. Olivia believes that there is One Truth, but she doesn't know that that One Truth is.

In their seeking, neither woman comes to a final conclusion in the book and that hanging feeling left me totally unsatisfied with the whole book. The quality of writing is amazing, but that one thing spoiled the book for me. Three stars.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Two sisters seeking to reconnect while doing a back country many years after their parents die in an accident. I loved the premise but found the addition of an ancient love triangle and the stilted dialogue made it difficult to complete.

Having never read any books by Erin Bartels or even heard of her (shame on me) I had a hugely good surprise having just finished All That We Carried.

This books followed sisters Olivia and Melanie through a camping trip designed to try and heal a ten year split in their relationship. This split was caused by their parents death and really the opposite ways the sisters dealt with that situation and their grief.

This was a good story, set in a beautiful national park and was just the book I needed to cheer me through lockdown day number 762
I’d throughly recommend this lovely, kind to your heart book

Big thanks to netgalley and Revell for the review copy!

...it was clear that if God was real, he was after her.~from All That We Carried by Erin Bartels

Is life a series of random accidents, or is there a plan? If there is a god, why does God permit evil? Or does this god punish us? Or, lead us to be better? Are people basically self-centered, and therefor evil, and if so, can they change--be saved? And if people can change, can we forgive them?

Sisters Olivia and Melanie have been estranged since the deaths of their parents in a car accident. They were never similar, and their response to the tragedy sent them reeling in different directions. Melanie dropped out of school to settle the estate while Olivia returned to the University of Michigan. When Melanie forgave the man who caused the accident, Olivia was furious and cut her off.
As a lawyer in Lansing, MI, Olivia knows the evil side of humanity. She is controlled, repressed, and a perfectionist. Failure isn't in her vocabulary. When she isn't good at something, she gave it up.

Melanie's blog and YouTube videos turned into a career as a listener and life coach, helping people. Now its time to help herself and bridge the chasm between her sister and herself. She proposes an October hike in the Porcupine Mountains, a natural park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where bear and cougar still roam, home to the remaining stand of hardwood and hemlock forest between the Rockies and the Appalachians.

Olivia plans the trip in detail; Melanie ignores the advice and is ill prepared. For anything can, and will, happen on the rugged, lonely trails.

Bartels not only references the Michigan landmarks that are the background to the action--she makes them come to life.

In 2019, my brother and his girlfriend hiked in the Porcupines. They spent a year to prepare, every week hiking longer, harder, with backpacks and food. I knew these sisters were in for trouble from the start! Even Olivia, for all her preparedness, since she already was suffering from hip pain.

Melanie has something she need to tell Olivia, but she needs to tear down the wall between them. The hike doesn't bring them closer. Olivia has shouldered responsibility for them both, her bossy big-sister side dominating.

One thing that surprised my brother and his companion was the elevations they had to climb, the rocks and roots. Luckily, they did not suffer any accidents. Unlike Bartel's sisters who end up fleeing a forest fire, resulting in an accident.

All That We Carried has so many wonderful aspects. It's almost a travel guide. It is an adventure story and a family drama. It is a psychological study of the burdens people take upon themselves.

At its heart is the struggle with spiritual matters, the nature of God, the question of evil in the world, the randomness or providential nature of life, universal questions we ask as communities and individuals. It is the rare person who can embrace the mystery of life, avoiding anger, despair, or fear.

I loved the Michigan references throughout the book! On the first page, I recognized "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod", the towers from the old Lansing electric plant whose blinking lights always told me I was almost home during our nine years in Lansing.

There is overt God-talk, and a mysterious character who shows up providentially. Melanie is challenged over her incorporation of all faiths into her belief system. But the changes in the characters arise out of their shared experience and conversations, their journey not over, but they have set foot on the right trail.

I agree that this is Bartel's most mature work so far.

I received an ARC from the publisher through LibraryThing and a galley from NetGalley. (I also pre-purchased a copy of the book.) My review is fair and unbiased.

This was my first nook by this author and I really enjoyed this story! I love to read about sisters and the barriers they endured in their relationship! Highly recommend

"But there is one thing I do know: life is about more than just being happy or being liked or being self-actualized. It's about more than just me. It's about more than just you."

This is the first book I have read by Erin Bartels (though I do own her two previous books). She has earned much accolade, and rightly so, given her lovely writing, deeply layered characters with raw and intense emotions that roll off the pages, well-constructed plot that brings the reader into the heart of the characters, and poignant and thought-provoking themes. This book allows the reader to follow along two estranged sisters, Olivia and Melanie, through a week-long hike in the Porcupine Mountains in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The scenery is absolutely breath-taking and I felt like I was actually hiking the trails with them, suffering and triumphing alongside their losses and victories. Their reunion is stilted at best, having been estranged for a decade. Their completely different personalities and outlooks on life adds fuel to the fire that has been growing since their parents' tragic death ten years ago.

Olivia, the older sister, is an atheist control-freak, extremely structured but also self-centered. Melanie, the younger sister, is more of a free spirit and tender-hearted but quite unstructured and somewhat lost in her new age thinking. Unfortunately I couldn't fully connect with either sister and their argumentative dialogue, though probably very realistic between sisters, made me feel at edge, especially because Olivia mostly argued for the sake and love of argument. The sisters' convoluted history and relationship is made more clear with flashbacks, as new and old friends enter into the plot to nudge them along. The epilogue and Olivia and Melanie's spiritual stance are left open without any firm resolution, which disappointed me but also made me think deeper about the sisters' journey. Even though I didn't empathize with the sisters, their fears and heartache were real and tangible, as was their growth during the hike. If you enjoy well-written women's fiction, I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

I received a copy of the book from Revell via Interviews & Reviews and NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Another absorbing and emotionally astute novel from Michigan resident (yay!) Bartels. This one centers on sisters reconnecting 10 years after the death of their parents by hiking in the Upper Peninsula. Surprise: the hike does not go smoothly.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book tells so much about the story, whether we are talking about grief or the gear we are going to use and take as we do a long hike.
Olivia the older sister, has dealt with her grief by cutting off her remaining family, but for ten years? In that time she has focused her life on her career as a lawyer.
Younger sister Melanie, appears to be an accomplished blogger, and has a big heart, she doesn't want to hurt anyone or anything, to the point of her diet. She is a vegan because, well she may end up eating family or friend, she also believes in reincarnation!
Watch for the twist that happen here, and you will be scratching your head and wonder if it is a God thing or that person is really real.
I loved all of the twist and turns, and even the sister bickering, and surprises abound, and gifts, even if they don't look like a real present they are gifts!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

All That We Carried is a well written story of two estranged sisters. Ms. Barrels did an excellent job with this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

Sister relationships are often strained by issues from the past. Sisters Olivia and Melanie are opposites in many ways, and have been estranged since their parents death years earlier. They embark on a hike in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to see if there might be a way forward and rebuild their relationship.

It’s been ten years since Melanie and Olivia have had any meaningful sisterly interactions. It’s also been ten years since their parents were killed in crash that sent their car over a mountain. These two things are not coincidental. There was just so little to hold them together without their parents. Melanie the super-spiritual life coach/influencer; Olivia the rational, no-nonsense lawyer. But when Melanie suggests that they both go on a hiking trip through the mountains of Michigan to rekindle their relationship, Olivia reluctantly joins in.

All That We Carried is a deeply personal, thoughtful exploration of dealing with pain and grief. Bartels makes this storyline her almost-singular focus. Occasional flashback sequences give insight to the sisters’ childhoods. An enigmatic fisherman named Josh makes an appearance or two, but the vast majority of the book is simply the journey and the conversation along the trail.

It would have been very easy for a book like this to seem formulaic as the characters (and the reader) trudge from plot point to plot point with enough conversational exposition to tie the two together along the way. It’s a tried and true storytelling method and while it’s an easy setup, it’s difficult to make shine. Erin Bartels makes it shine.

At the risk of sharing too much, the novel’s careful imagery is what helps it stand out, (SPOILER WARNING!) from the packs on their back representing the emotional weight of their loss, to the need to abandon those packs in their final, literal, trial by fire. There’s also a Mary and Martha vibe to the two sisters: Melanie as the emotional and intuitive Mary; Olivia as the rational and action-oriented Martha. The enigmatic fisherman Josh is almost instantly telegraphed as the Jesus character. (Why are all the Joshes in fictions always depictions of Jesus and never of me?) And the symbol of journeying toward emotional health and reconciliation looms large throughout the book. (END SPOILERS!)

All That We Carried doesn’t quite have the depth or complexity that I’d seen in Bartels’ other work, but I don’t think it needed to. It was different than what I was expecting, but not necessarily in a bad way. I do wish that some story elements had been expanded and that some reveals would have been a bit stronger for the characters. Just a little more depth—even if that meant fifty more pages—would have really sold this book for me. Still, Bartels’s strength of storytelling carries readers confidently to the end with an enjoyable, poignant, and introspective look on how different people handle grief.

I have never read anything by this author but I definitely need to check out more of her writing

This book made me want to go hiking up in the Porcupine Mountains despite that many dangers that are often present.

The story is about two sisters, Olivia and Melanie, who have become estranged after the death of their parents. The sisters are like oil and water and it names this week long hike extremely difficult.

I enjoyed how the story is written in the present day but also includes flashbacks, which further develops the characters.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The views expressed are my own.

Really loved this book! I loved the description. And as I kept reading I instantly fell in love.
This was a fast read! And a very enjoyable one!
The sisters were so well written and I was quickly invested in their lives and prayed that they would be able to put the past behind them and be real sisters again.
I liked how the characters weren't always likable and not perfect. The story line moved right along with some twist I didn't see coming at the end

Thanks NetGalley publishers and author for this arc

The beautiful cover of this book drew me in, even though the premise seemed familiar, the story was not. Two sisters. Reconnecting. Hiking.
It felt as if the story was a search for themselves, their journey to forgiveness and relationship with one another. I wished for a little more, especially near the end, as I felt the climax slightly dissatisfying, but the build up made it a worthwhile read.

All That We Carried by Erin Bartels is a truly wonderful story about two sisters, Olivia and Melanie, that become distant memories to each other for 10 years after a tragic accident changed everything.

After another life-changing occurrence, Melanie decides to break the isolation and ask Olivia in a several day hiking and camping trip in the fall in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Serious lawyer Olivia says yes to get the plucky, peace-be-with you Instagramer/influencer Melanie off of her back despite her desire to say no. What ensues is their eventful, difficult, and challenging multiple day journey to understanding their past, one another, and their own purposes in life, future, and finding hope, faith, and God once more.

Melanie and Olivia can not be any more different, but on a fundamental level they find they are more alike then ever before. The acceptance, clarity, understanding, love, forgiveness, and hope that they find in one another, as well as in finding their faith, is a beautiful story that touched me deeply. I loved both characters. I loved the way the author was able to create a wonderful, realistic, and hopeful path that each experience during their interactions and eventual understanding. I love that it is so realistic that I can see myself within each one of them. I love the visual landscapes and the natural elements that the author was impressively able to create as a backdrop to this story. Most of all, I love that this has given me the ability to look within myself and my own family and life, just as she was able to do for each of these women.

Truly a blessing and a beautiful story. This is the first book by this author that I have had the privilege to read, and she has most certainly made a fan out of me.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Revell Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/5/21.