I rated this book higher than I think the writing style deserves, solely because I truly had a fun time while listening to this book and chose to ignore some of the juvenile text which normally would make me rate a book FAR lower than 4 stars. The story is a lot of fun, about a woman in her 50's who has just lost her husband and job, and her only son has moved out for college. So what better to do when going through perimenopause than go on a grand adventure where no one you know has any clue where you are!

Ammalie was a very fun character to read about, and I really enjoyed her tenacity. It was refreshing to see someone overthink things and talk to themselves as much as I do being represented in a normal way. I aspire to be as bold as her in my older age. It WAS anxiety-inducing though, as she does a number of things that while not necessarily ~bad~ are in fact illegal, so I was worried the whole time that she was going to get arrested. The story felt like a good book club novel... except for some of the writing choices.

This book talked about Ammalie wetting herself probably 4 or 5 times, how often she liked to masturbate, and just how much she missed getting off with her dead husband. Those things mentioned once or twice is fine, but it just felt like it was constant as a way to be a bit funny and edgy.
I also was kind of annoyed with how often the characters spoke thoughts out loud to each other that in real life, if I had a stranger tell me something like that, I'd think they were coming down off some form of drug. As a very progressive woman, hearing them all talk about needing to do better for the earth and be nicer to people was almost too much just because the way it was written seemed very inauthentic. YES LETS PLEASE SAVE THE EARTH AND BE KIND TO OTHERS AND APPRECIATE THE STRUGGLES OTHERS GO THROUGH, but your characters randomly bringing it up in conversation just felt weird.

Overall though, I still liked this book and the characters! A good, quick read!

Three Keys by Laura Pritchett struck a chord with me in a way I didn’t expect. Ammalie Brinks, the main character, is dealing with a profound loss—her husband’s sudden death—and finds herself at a crossroads in her fifties. The way Pritchett brings her to life, navigating grief and the fear of becoming invisible, made me reflect on my own experiences of reinvention.

I loved Ammalie’s vulnerability and humor. Her journey of self-discovery, through literally traveling to new places with keys from her past, felt like a personal invitation to embrace change and seek new adventures at any stage of life. The book didn’t just touch on aging but celebrated the richness of it, reminding me that it’s never too late to start over.

There were moments when the dialogue seemed a little too explanatory, but it didn’t take away from how deeply I connected with Ammalie’s journey. Her story resonated with me, and I walked away feeling inspired by the idea that personal reinvention is always possible, no matter where you are in life. If you’re into heartfelt stories about second chances and finding your way after loss, I highly recommend this one.

Ammalie just became a widow. She is now on a journey to past places. She knows her identity through the years made it so she was hidden in the background. THis is what makes her journey even better.


THis book is like real life. As a parent, spouse, or whatever you are you can become invisible. It was a read that I felt deep in my soul.

Ammalie’s journey takes many twists and turns as she deals with grief and finding herself. I can appreciate the pieces of her life where she feels she has lost herself and the challenges that growing older brings.

Note: I do feel that this book has a niche audience in that were I not dealing with some of the effects of aging myself, pieces of the story would not be as relatable, and therefore recommend it for readers who have entered perimenopause and older.

This book is about loss, forgiveness, and finding your way in life. The main character goes through big changes.
The story is emotional and touching, with beautiful descriptions of nature. Some parts felt a little unbelievable, but it was still a great read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Three Keys by Laura Pritchett!

Thank you for the opportunity to read a review copy. Despite being of a similar age to the MC, I just couldn't connect to her. It might have been the near stream-of-consciousness writing. I'm sure this will be a good read for a different reader.

THREE KEYS - Laura Pritchett

Questionable Ethics - 2 stars

Plot - 3 stars - I was intrigued by the synopsis. Ammalie Brinks has just lost the three keys of her life’s purpose—her husband, her job, and her role as a mom after her son went off to college. She's afraid of becoming irrelevant and invisible. So, she goes on a road trip with three literal keys, saved in a drawer for years. Keys to homes from her and her husband's past. Throughout, she works on becoming the bold self she wants to be.

Writing - 3.5 stars - I'll admit that this book started out slowly because I simply couldn't understand what Ammalie was doing or why. Once I did get the gist, however, it was easier to read, but I had a harder time relating to the main character.

Characters - 2 stars - Ammalie is a confusing character. She has awkward relationships with her loved ones, so it's apparently not strange to them that she heads off on "an adventure" by herself. I mean, the adventure is just taking a road trip on her own--no big deal--but she feels the need to make it as uncomfortable as possible. In addition, she felt a little young because she's so anxious and nervous, but then she goes ahead and just keeps breaking the law. She justifies it by thinking that she's only hurting/taking things "a little."

Title - 2.5 stars - The plot revolves around three keys that she found in her late husband's belongings and seemed to find significant. Pretty self-explanatory.

Cover - 3.5 stars - The colors are bright and eye-catching.

Overall - 2 stars - I had a hard time with this book because of the main plot. Ammalie is an interesting character who gives a lot of thought to life and where she's going and where she wants to be. But she acts continues to act illegally, for some reason, breaking into these homes for no real reason that I could ever determine. She has this need to complete a journey she's devised. She seems to have plenty of money, but she relishes the fact that she's being self-reliant, in her mind. She always has her belongings "ready to leave," I suppose because she knows she's doing wrong but just doesn't seem to care. Her "finding herself" seems to be more important than other people's privacy and their belongings.
This is a new-to-me author who writes clearly, but I found it slowed down in many places, especially when Ammalie started philosophizing.

This book felt like the fiction love child of Eat, Pray, Love and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. The book tells the story of grief and trying to figure out who you are and what you want from life once hitting middle age. It’s a love song to nature and the Earth’s beauty and treasures. It was a really good book. However, I cannot remember a book filling me with as much anxiety as this one did. I was constantly scared she would get caught, get busted, get hauled off to jail. And while she left all of the houses cleaner than she left them, but did she clean the pee from the closet?! That is the type of thing that will keep me up at night!! I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to all middle aged women.

Actual rating 2.5, rounded up for the beautiful cover.

When I came across this title, I was so excited to read about how someone my age handled this sort of transitional time in life, We aren't in the same circumstances, but I felt a sort of kinship based on the description and the sense of being invisible. That ended so very quickly. Ammalie is whiny and rather unrelatable as it turns out. Her actions involved a lot of illegal activity that basically came around because she just wanted things. I found her selfish and not a sympathetic character at all. Not a hard story to read, but I kept having to force myself back into it because I resented having to spend time with her. This probably would have been a better fit for someone not of a similar age.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Dell, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book completely stole my heart. It’s one of those stories that sneaks up on you—quiet and unassuming at first, but by the end, you’re completely wrapped up in it. Laura Pritchett’s writing is so beautiful and full of heart, but it also feels incredibly real and relatable, like she’s talking straight to you.

The characters are messy and human in the best way. They’re dealing with big things—loss, forgiveness, figuring out where they belong—and it all just feels so authentic. I found myself rooting for them, tearing up at their struggles, and smiling at their little wins. And the setting? Ugh, it’s stunning. You can almost feel the fresh air and hear the leaves rustling—it’s like being transported to this quiet, healing space.

The storyline seemed intriguing – a 50+ women setting out to find herself on a road trip with her son, a sister with terminal cancer, and her best friend who is contemplating a divorce. Unfortunately for me the story seemed to ramble and be a bit unbelievable.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my ARC.

I struggled getting into this book and as a result, did not finish. But am thankful for the chance to early read it.

I always love finding a good story with an older female main character. Three Keyes is a book about a journey undertaken by mid-fifties Ammalie, to help her make sense of who she is and what she wants in the wake of the sudden death of her husband. I was so taken by this new-to-me author, that I later sought out her previous books.

Fantastic writing and an amazing journey, as Ammalie seeks the truth about her life and life in general, reflects on aging as a woman who finds herself alone - son off to college; husband gone - and tries to figure out her life story as it's been and understand what she wants it to be.

Many thanks to NetGalley; Random House/Ballantine, and the author for allowing me to read this eARC before publication. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Three Keys is a unique book in some ways. Ammalie is our protagonist, as we read we learn more about her life so I won't give anything away, but we learn from the start that she is 55 and her husband has just died. She is on a road trip, and seems to have very little money. She is sleeping in her car and planning to stay in an AirBNB where she and her husband had stayed once before. As the book goes on, we learn more about what the three keys are, there are really more than three, both literally and symbolically. Ammalie attracts an interesting cast of characters, friends, love interests, pets, and danger.

If you find yourself currently in middle age I think this book will resonate with you more than if you are on the younger side. I liked that the book was broken up into three sections. While I enjoyed the first section the most, and I found some parts to drag on a bit, I enjoyed the overall message and the overall plot. It really makes you think about your life, especially if you are in your mid 40s or older. I loved the journey the main character took, although I don't think I would have made the same choices or lied to people the way that she did. In fact, I know I would not do that.

Thank you Dell for the Net Galley Reads copy of the book!

Newly widowed and unemployed, Ammalie, in her mid-fifties, sets off on a journey of adventure throughout the American West and beyond.

The Three Keys were both symbolic and real, but the concept of the real keys seemed a little far fetched. She stated several times that she was about to divorce her husband, so why then go to all the places he had once adventured without her?? I think she was having a mid-life crisis and was trying to reclaim her life back after being a waitress, wife and mother for her whole adult life.

I also found a lot of this book to be contradictive. One minute she didn't have 2 pennies to rub together and then she had enough to buy an international plane ticket. It was also a little too long. I was enjoying it at the beginning, but then it just became repetitive and she became more insufferable. I give it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House for the free e-galley.

Ammalie Brinks feels lost and adrift. She is recently widowed, currently unemployed and her young adult son will not talk to her. She embarks on a journey to find more purpose in her life using three actual keys to three different houses. She packs up her car which she has dubbed the Grey Goose and heads out of Chicago. She has no idea if the three homes are occupied, but she moves forward with her plan. In order to keep some order in her life, she does periodically check in with her best friend, her sister, and her son. Along the way she does meet many interesting people, breaks what many would consider the law, and her perception of herself and the world does shift. I found Three Keys fascinating as I read of Ammalie's struggles and achievements as she traveled to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and New Zealand. I had to keep reading to see what Ammalie would encounter next on her adventures.

I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Three Keys by Laura Pritchett.

I listened to this one, and while I really enjoyed it, I feel like it would be perfect for a woman in their next stage of life. It’s about a woman who just lost her husband and takes 3 keys to vacation homes from their past, going on a journey of self reflection and discovery.

I really enjoyed the way the author took us along on Amalie’s journey of self-discovery. A thoughtful and well written women’s fiction that would appeal to all readers.