I enjoyed this book about a strong willed teen who grows up feeling abandoned, but searching for meaning. Casual but fun prose and compulsively readable, like a beach read with a tiny bit more depth. I wanted to shake April for some of her relationship choices and grew a little weary of her lack of willingness to face her lies. But overall, like that the themes of the book tied together nicely, especially as it came to a close.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I could barely put this book down. A beautiful story that has so many relatable themes. Very raw book, extremely emotional. Her journey demonstrates that sometimes in life you choose your family. Her journey is familiar to many people, and her struggle to come to terms with the fact that she is not the problem is beautifully written. The author really allows you to get to know April intimately. Wonderful writing, I can’t wait to read more by Allison Larkin.

Wow this is my favorite book by Allie Larkin!
This book was raw, gritty, real and emotional!
So heartbreaking, my heart literally broke for April. Her journey has such tenacity and strength. I loved the people she met along the way and really had no idea where the book was going to take me. Each character had such strong roles and left such an impression.
Even though the book was definitely depressing it had such a soulful meaning that pulled me in and I couldn’t put the book down. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone. It’s really such an amazing story and I want everyone to know April and read about her.

Put this on your tbr for August 2021.
Thanks to NetGalley and Edelweiss for my gifted ebook copy.

The April Sawicki that we meet in the opening pages of Allison Larkin's "The People We Keep" isn't a particularly likable young woman.

Sometimes, that's what life does to you.

She's a teenager living in a broken down motorhome set apart from a similarly broken down, absent father who's affections seem constantly turned elsewhere. She has a boyfriend who's vision of their future is unappealing at best. She lives in a small town where there's no escaping this is her reality.

Until she decides she's had enough. She steals a car and heads out of town determined to live something, anything different.

Allison Larkin doesn't spend a whole lot of time trying to make April more appealing, though she spends enough time giving us glimpses of the goodness inside her that's looking for a safe place to come out. A songwriter who pours her life into her original tunes, April is broken and bruised but never completely shattered in this emotionally resonant, frequently raw story of a young woman's search for a place to belong and for people to call family.

Along the way, April scrapes together something resembling a life with all of its imperfections. She discovers intimacy and heartbreak, meaningful friendships and unhealthy cycles that get perpetuated time and time again.

She discovers the people that we let go of and, yes, the people that we keep.

Truthfully, April never becomes a completely likable character. She's far too raw and vulnerable and uncertain for that. Larkin doesn't paint easy answers and she doesn't ever promise April a Hallmark Channel type of ending. She makes choices that ticked me off and even at the end there's a richness of humanity amidst what is likely the closest April has ever come to that experience of happiness.

Truthfully, I think the whole reason April becomes kind of likable is that she somehow manages to draw into her world the likes of Margo and Carly and Ethan. These characters are so beautifully drawn that you can't help but fall in love with them even when their paths are uncertain. Larkin seems to understand that people can't be painted with broad strokes - they're not all bad or all good. They're simply people.

I struggled at times with "The People We Keep," tonal shifts occasionally felt a bit too abrupt and some of April's inner monologues went on a bit too long for my liking. But, the more I worked my way through "The People We Keep" the more I felt immersed in these stories and I could visualize these people and their worlds. There's an abruptness of sorts as "The People We Keep" starts to wind down, a sort of kaleidoscopic journey through April's heart and mind as she learns to process this life that she didn't even realize she'd created.

"The People We Keep" is often heartbreakingly honest and can be incredibly raw with the experiences of just trying to survive a world you don't completely understand. It can, at times, be simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating as we're so used to writers giving us the ending we want instead of something that feels imperfect yet honest and infused with light.

Was anyone else reminded of Jodi Picoult's book [book:The Book of Two Ways|50265329] when they saw the cover?

This is one of those books that's beautifully written but also hurts a little bit. We follow April's journey of friendship, love, and regret. I particularly enjoyed Margo and Ethan's characters and felt that they added richness to the story.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow...this book! This was only my second book of the year, and I can already tell it will be one of my favorites. I haven't read anything else by this author, but will certainly keep an eye out for her other novels. I finished it in a day, and keep catching myself thinking back on it, and how it was equally heartbreaking and uplifting.

I loved the tenacity of the main character, April, and the myriad of interesting people she met on her journey. Without revealing too much, I was devastated each time we parted ways with a character, and kept hoping we'd see them again as her story unwound. But then, we'd meet someone new who I loved even more than the ones we left behind! The author's ability to really make you feel a connection with every single character was impressive, and I think what really drove the story. The plot was also very good- depressing but hopeful throughout.

I highly recommend this novel, and hope the fact that I read this so early in January is a sign that I will have a year full of amazing books!

*I should note that even though the author and I share a last name, we have no relation or connection to one another.*