One day you are a happily married woman with three young boys on holiday at a Vermont resort and the next day you come back from a hike to find that one of your sons has drowned, what do you do? Olivia’s answer is: run away, change your life and never know which of your three children died so that they are all forever alive in your mind.

To be honest, when I received the email that my request for this eARC had been accepted, I didn’t remember doing it, so I went into it almost blind. I think my first reaction was confusion. I don’t have children myself, but I found it hard to get my head around the idea that a mother would rather give up two of her three children than know which of them had been in a terrible accident that caused their death. I can understand the shock and initial flight, but I can’t understand the finality of this decision. If this book hadn’t been an ARC, I probably would have DNFed it after that part and it would have been a mistake.

I liked that this book was divided into parts in which we got the point of view of Olivia and one of her sons, how each was evolving on their own and the consequences of the tragedy and the resulting decision on both of them. I think I preferred the son’s point of view. I was able to connect with his character more than with his mother’s. Olivia’s point of view did not help me understand her decision. This is perhaps one of the criticisms I have against the story, but at the same time it may have been intentional.

This book marks a promising debut for Bobbie Jean Huff whose writing style I liked.

I give it a 4/5.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Bobbie Jean Huff for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having requested this book ages ago, I had no recollection of the story so I was completely blank going into it. But when the story picks up I found myself hooked to it and thinking about it so much.

This story is the perfect example of how everyone deals with grief differently even though it may not always be right. Had we got only the son’s perspective then we might have considered Olivia a bad mother for leaving her family, but having dual perspective really gave that extra dimension and depth to the story and emotions.

In hindsight, this book has a very simple plotline but the author ended up executing it so well that it turned into quite a masterpiece. I really liked how we got to see the sons’ lives being worlds apart because of the age difference when their mother left. It goes to show that parent’s can really end up screwing up their kids’ lives without intending to. It hampers their ability to find stability or love in life and sometimes pushes them to resort to extreme measures like alcohol.

Also the ending. It was quite the abrupt ending which was perfectly done, but the build up was sooo good that I started sobbing. This might also be because I was listening to “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran in the background so the timing was impeccable and the whole combo of the words from the lyrics and the story really moved me.

While this book was amazing, I feel like it just didn’t reach that mark of 5 ⭐ because of the time jumps. Very less time was spent in each year and we were only given short glimpses of the characters. I know that the author specializes in short stories which makes perfect sense but I wish I could have learnt more about them.

Also I would have loved for the book to extend a bit more after the ending because I really wanted to read about their reactions, their emotions and everything.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for this early copy of The Ones We Keep.

This was such a hard hitting topic to read about. TW: death of a child.

The Ones We Keep is a dual POV story; mother and son. It’s 1971, and Olivia and her husband Harry, along with their three sons, Brian, Andrew, and Rory, are visiting Vermont for the summer before a big move to New York from New Jersey. One day, Olivia decides to take a solo hike through the forest while Harry plays a tennis game and the kids are babysat at the resort.

On her way back, after taking longer than anticipated, she discovers from two strangers that a boy from New Jersey drowned. Devastated and knowing it must be one of her sons as other families hadn’t started arriving yet, she decides to get on a bus and disappear, rather than face the loss head on.

As the years go by, we see Olivia grow and change, as well as her two remaining sons. The timeline flies from 1971 to 2002, stopping here and there, and as the years pass, we as the reader can only hope that the bridge between mother and sons heals.

I really loved everything about this story. As a mother myself, I can’t say for sure that I wouldn’t do exactly what Olivia does and run away so that she never has to know which one of her children died. Since it’s only 1971, there are no cell phones and therefore it was harder to track someone’s whereabouts, so I think this really helps Olivia to completely flee her former life. This novel is definitely on the sadder side, so be sure to read something cheery afterwards.

The Ones We Keep is available now wherever books are sold.

I congratulate the author for being brave enough to take on this difficult subject in her debut novel and do it so well. A planned family getaway turns into a nightmare after leaving the children with a babysitter so mom and dad can have some time to enjoy their hobbies. Upon returning from an unexpectedly long hike Olivia (the mom) finds that one of her three sons has drowned. Seemingly frozen in disbelief and unable to cope with the reality of the situation and not wanting to know which son she has lost she leaves-without a word to her husband or her two boys with the exception of a brief note saying not to look for her.She sells a very expensive painting to give herself money to live on and disappears-not wanting to be found and succeeding for roughly 30 years.
They say there are 5 stages of grief-starting with denial and ending with acceptance. I suggest people grieve in many ways-there is no one formula.
I think this is a great book for book clubs and I intend to bring it to mine. I felt so many emotions from pity to anger to being unable to understand her mindset with regards to the rest of her family-especially her two remaining children. This book left me in tears-especially at the end. I highly recommend it.

Grab the tissues for this one because you will cry as much as Olivia does. You become so engrossed in the story and the characters that it makes it hard to put down. A very strong start for a debut author. Bring it on Bobbie Jean Huff because you are an author to be watched. Absolutely do not pass go on this book. Happy reading!

Definitely a very good read, it hook me up from chapter one. The main character was very well developed. How ever it was a little bit slow in the middle

Olivia and Harry Somerville plan a quiet lakeside getaway in Vermont before making their big move from New Jersey to New York City. The unthinkable happens…. While Olivia is off on a solo hike she returns to find police cars and talk that one of her three sons drowned while she was away. In an attempt to not face the fact that one of her boys has died and not wanting to know which one, Olivia leaves.

She sells a valuable painting, changes her name, and leaves a note for Harry that she won’t return and not to look for her. Told from the perspective of Olivia and her son Brian (then aged 9), this story spans decades and shows the ripple effect someone’s decisions can ultimately affect those around them.

This books explores grief in a different way, and helps us to understand that we may not know how we’d react if we were put in a similar situation. I feel like the story was so heartbreaking, but the author did a wonderful job at describing the traumatic events in a thoughtful and compassionate way. I found it insightful to see how I’m Olivia a decisions affected Brain, Rory and Harry’s decisions in their lives.

I would say this is a great book for a book club read, lots of discussions could be opened up with this story.
⚠️ Trigger Warning: death of a child, grief, alcoholism, abandonment ⚠️

Though never stated, it seems obvious that Olivia is suffering from post partum depression when, while on a hike, she overhears two people discussing a child that has just drowned. Unable to face the loss, Olivia disappears. The reader then follows the disconnected lives of Olivia and the family she abandoned. Really, the event was the foundation for what was a character study of a woman who found herself untethered and the two sons who lost both a brother and a mother the same day. I enjoyed reading how the drowning impacted everyone around it differently and how years later it was still the defining event in their lives. The writing was masterful and the story well laid out. An enjoyable read!

I really liked this book. It kept me interested all the way through. Didn’t take me long to read. It is fiction. And It was a very interesting story of a mother who does something shocking. Something you would think a mother could never do, but this one does. I kept thinking all the way through “How could she do that?” But if the same thing happened to us, as a mother, could we handle it any better? I would hope we could, because there was much, much hurt caused to those she loved. I want to thank #NatGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read #TheOnesWeKeep and review with my honest thoughts.

The book is difficult to rate for many reasons. Unfortunately, the opportunity is not given to the reader to emotionally invest in the characters at any time. This book entirely consist of characters physically moving through choppy scenes and time jumps with little dialogue or growth.

Given the emotional vacuum, readers will fill the void with their own shock and dismay at Olivia‘s odd behaviors as a mother. It takes a long time for Olivia to even scream. Panic and shock could easily explain her behavior, but she’s rational, making the choice to believe she still has three living sons after one has drowned in a tragic accident. Olivia‘s behavior is not explored at all, just how she gets from physical point A to B over and over, which frankly, readers don’t care about. We just want to know what she’s thinking and how she’s feeling. Olivia repeating the same things in her head doesn’t work after the first few scenes.

The inciting incident—the drowning of the child—happens far too early and way before the reader is given enough time to emotionally invest in any of the characters. Remember, there’s a tragic drowning and readers want to root for the grieving family members to pull through the trauma while finding peace.

The characters names are given on the first page, and then the second page jumps to backstory about an important investment paining Olivia‘s mother gives her, hoping her marriage fails. The drowning and then Olivia leaving unfold so quickly, the story reads like a speeding freight train. The drowning child receives the only character development at the beginning with a whopping two paragraphs before he dies.

Therefore, the lack of character development leaves the reader with no impression at all when the child dies and Olivia deserts her family. The characters just exist in odd short scenes throughout the book. The time leaps only offer glimpses into their lives, which lacks even more character growth. Then the book jumps to annoying half-page scenes, magnifying the already snowballing whiplash, leaving the reader only with characters physically moving through the scenes with few emotions, thoughts, or growth. Only
on the last page does the mother and one of her sons lock eyes. There’s nothing even for the reader to emotionally explore because the book ends just when it gets to the meaty part. I’m not sure what this book was supposed to convey.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An emotional rollercoaster that delves into motherhood, grief, guilt, loss and mental health. Life is all about choices. How can you be sure you made the right ones?

This book was a hard to swallow, and while everyone processes trauma in different ways, I just could not relate to Olivia and the choices she made. I was not connected or drawn to anyone, and I struggled to finish the book. While the characters were well written, I could not relate to their choices.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

My heart hurts and wants to explode at the same time. A family survival story after tragedy strikes told masterfully over decades. I could not put it down. Definitely earns a 5-star recommendation and I strongly suggest keeping a box of tissues nearby.

I loved being immersed in the story of this family who faced an unthinkable tragedy one summer day. I found it hard to understand Olivia's actions ,but admired her resiliency. I felt a lot of sympathy for her children. I loved that this story took place over several decades because it allowed me to gain a better understanding of the characters' motivations. I found myself longing to find out what happened after the end of this excellent book.

One late summer in the early 1970's, Olivia and Harry Somerville head to a quaint resort in the Vermont hills with their three young sons in hopes of a relaxing and memorable vacation ahead of a move to NYC. But after a solo hike that kept her away from the resort longer than expected, Olvia is informed by a stranger on the trail that one of her sons has died - but doesn't know which one. In a heart-wrenching split second decision, Olivia decides to flee. This way, she will never have to know which of her boys had drowned and they will all be alive if she doesn't know the truth otherwise.

Wow. Okay. What a premise. I had read some pretty scathing reviews based solely on the reader's reaction to Olivia's decision. While I absolutely agree that her choice was horrific and baffling, I still found this to be a profound and riveting read. Alternating between the viewpoints of Olivia and her two surving sons, I was captivated by how differently each family member dealt with grief and loss over the course of the three decades that followed the tragic event. My heart broke so many times and by the end I was literally sobbing. It was such an emotional read, but the author handled everything in such a subtle but compassionate way. I never felt like I was being hit over the head with it, but instead like I moved through each character's mourning and grief like I was on a float on a lazy river. It was just so well done and compelling. I was surprised and thrilled to see the author made this spectacular debut at the age of 76!

My overall thoughts are that yes, this is INCREDIBLY difficult to read, especially as a parent or mother. It's so well written that you can't help but be pulled into this phenomenal story, even if your moral compass is screaming the entire way. I'd say fans of Kristin Hannah or Susan Meissner would love and appreciate this heart-wrenching read.

Thank you immensely to Netgalley, the publisher, and of course the author Bobbie Jean Huff for putting this story to paper. It will stick with me for a very very long time.

I was super intrigued by the synopsis. However once I got into it I couldn’t deal with Olivia. I found her to be very unlikable and not just because she takes off after hearing one of her kids dies.

This one just wasn't for me.

This is a heartbreaking and emotional debut novel. I was initially drawn to this book because the premise is hard to wrap one’s head around. A young wife and mother of three boys named Olivia travels with her family to vacation in Vermont. When she overhears from a stranger that one of her sons has drowned, she makes the most selfish decision possible. She decides she would rather abandon her husband, children, and entire life than to find out which of her sons has been lost. The story follows her journey of reinvention and the broken family she leaves behind. It’s heart wrenching. 4 stars instead of 5 because of the abrupt ending.

I'm sure others will feel differently but I frankly could not get beyond Olivia's incredibly appalling decision to leave her family without any information after she learns one of her sons has died. I get that everyone has a different reaction to grief but to abandon your husband and two remaining boys on the day the third drowned does not make for a sympathetic character. This is really all about how everyone in the family coped with the twin losses over the ensuing years. Big kudos to Harry, in particular, who was left to pick up the pieces for Brian, Rory, and himself. Until...no spoilers for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's well written and thoughtful- sure to generate lots of discussion,

Unfortunately I put this one down halfway through. I liked the storyline, but I felt like anytime a problem came up between characters, nothing ever came of it and it was over and done with after the mere mention.
Maybe the questions I had would be answered later in the story, but it was moving a bit too slow for me to want to continue reading.

As a mom, I couldn’t stomach this. How can you as a mother just up and leave your husband and your others kids at a time they need you the most? I tried to be sympathetic for her situation but I can’t get past her selfishness and self centered personality. There are a few choice words that I would call her that aren’t appropriate.