At middle age, Ammalie finds herself a widow, jobless, and an empty nester. But who is Ammalie REALLY? In Three Keys by Laura Pritchet, she sets off on three different solo adventures to discover her true self and become freer.

Inspired by three keys that she had in her possession, Ammalie finds shelter in Colorado, Arizona, and New Zealand, using her keys to unlock her new living quarters - even if she doesn't really have permission to be in any of those places. But each place reminds her of something, usually having to do with her late husband, and each place helps her discover something about herself and the land around her.

Discussion questions at the end help guide book clubs, but I'm sure there will be enough to talk about organically. This book is for anyone who feels stuck, not seen, and who really wants the courage to do something outrageously courageous.

Three Keys is published by Dell and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC in exchange for this review.

“Once you find yourself, it’s your obligation to lose yourself.”

✨ Genre: Literary fiction
💙 Steamy rating: Mild
⚡️ Profanity: High

Ammalie is in her fifties, recently widowed, and unemployed, so she takes off on a cross-country & international adventure. The catch is that she has three keys from Airbnb type properties she and/or her husband once stayed at. She decides to trespass and “squat” in these places. She meets a slew of interesting characters on her adventure. This was a lovely mix between Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Though parts were slow, the book was engaging overall and much different than books I usually read. I loved the variety of the places she traveled to and her “minimalist/outdoorsy” experiences. The main character was obviously grieving and going through a lot, which made her self discovery so interesting. Sometimes I’m not even sure I liked her, but I was still rooting for her.

Triggers: Animal cruelty, drug addiction, death of a partner, stroke, illegal immigration, and Cancer

Than you @randomhouse and @netgalley for arc of Three Keys. It was special!

In her mid-fifties, Ammalie is adrift, having lost the "three keys" to her life's purpose: her role as wife, her work as a mother, and her job as a waitress. She sets off on a road trip with three literal keys - to other people's rental properties - hoping to find a spiritual rebirth.

The story moves at a leisurely, descriptive, occasionally aimless pace. While the narrative voice is realistic and compelling it is sometimes confusing (Ammalie's emotions run high, and she doesn't always think clearly, which the narration reflects) and frequently unsympathetic (her journey is characterized by poor planning and self-righteous theft).

But the story deepens and becomes more interesting as it progresses. Despite Ammalie's rather nebulous goal, the author did a wonderful job of bringing her story to a satisfying conclusion. Ammalie comes out of her journey with a better sense of herself and a refreshed zeal for life; several new friends and renewed relationships with the friends and family she left behind.

Even though I was sometimes frustrated with the journey Three Keys took me on, its destination was well worth the trip.

Ammalie, a unique middle-aged woman, navigates a complex relationship with her late husband Vincent, oscillating between moments of love and disrespect. Despite being the perfect wife, she often feels isolated, frustrated, and resentful. With Vincent's sudden death from a heart attack, and with her son away at college, she seeks to prove her strength and independence. Discovering three keys from her husband's past travels, she embarks on a journey to unlock new adventures that might bring closure to their life together.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to remote mountains, deserts, and ocean vistas, Ammalie uses these keys to explore and gain a fresh perspective on her life. Along the way, she encounters friendly strangers and engages in mischievous acts like minor thefts, break-ins, and fabrications.

Despite finding Ammalie's character both fascinating and frustrating, my feelings about her fluctuated constantly. While I was sympathetic at times, she was a frustrating character. That being said, the book is a good read, delving into the fictional journey of a woman coping with loss and seeking self-discovery.

Ammalie Brooks, recently widowed, is in search of herself. She recently lost three “keys” in her life- her husband, her son going off to college and her job. Middle-aged, she is at a loss as to what to do with the rest of her life. Impulsively, she packs up her car with first aid kits, a sleeping bag, some food and some clothing- not much else. She takes off on the highway, hoping to relieve some of her husband’s trips that he took without her. He left her with three keys, which he inadvertently didn’t turn in at places he stayed. Ammalie takes this as a message to locate the three places that the keys belong to. She travels out west to the deserts of Arizona, to the mountains of Colorado and even to the shore of New Zealand.
Ammalie is heartbroken because she has no direction in her life. She feels that she is invisible. She takes risks and is adventurous. She is humorous and makes you laugh. She is thought provoking and makes you cry. Along the way, she meets a variety of characters that add much to the novel. She also is responsible for saving people and animals that she encounters. She encounters death and injuries.
This is a very character driven novel. Ammalie makes some real friends along the way, who provide much needed support when she needs it. This novel is one that requires much soul searching as Ammalie tries to discover who she is without her “three keys” to identify her.
This novel had a lot to consider- including climate change, survival and saving the planet. Looking inside yourself to discover your true self.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on July 16, 2024.

Not for me. The writing here just didn’t work. The pacing and lack of fluidity didn’t feel right. On top of that the main character was just not working for me. I appreciate the idea of the plot itself but I just don’t think the execution worked.

Within a short time span, Ammalie loses her job, is widowed, and her son is moving out for college after telling her that she doesn't need to be so involved with his life and that he doesn't need her mothering. Ammalie feels as if she's lost the keys to her identity.

So, she sets off on a solo adventure to find herself, hoping to discover who she is now as a person without the ties that previously defined her, who she wants to become, and what will be the new keys in her life as she moves forward.

This is an interesting, charming, and thought provoking read. What gives us our value, our worth? How would you choose to redefine yourself? What would you want your life to look like? What's stopping you from making it happen?

My thanks to Ballantine for permitting me to read a DRC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Ammalie is on an adventure to find herself after the sudden death of her husband and her son wanting space to deal with it. She starts out by sleeping in her car on the way to her first destination. The story starts out strange, but give it a chance and it will quickly draw you in.

Ammalie goes on a literal journey of self discovery in Laura Pritchett's Three Keys. Her husband has died recently, she's estranged from her son, and she's getting to that age where she's feeling invisible.

Told in three parts, Ammalie travels from the Midwest to a cabin in Colorado, a trailer in Arizona and an artists' shack in New Zealand. She's grieving her husband (whom she was planning to divorce ( !?! ) ) and these places were important to them as a couple, or just to him.

So she decides to squat in them. Why? She has money. Why places that were important to her husband when towards the end she didn't like him that much? Why not adventures of her own making? So many questions.

There were parts that I could relate to (hello, ladies of a certain age) but some that didn't resonate. I was annoyed with the squatting (just rude) and the navel gazing (we're in Ammalie's brain swirls a lot). By the third squat (and the lying that accompanied it) I just wanted her to buck up and own her behavior, and maybe pay for something.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital ARC.

What a beautiful story of self-discovery. This book gives me hope for love after loss. It shows there is no age at which happiness can't be attained. I loved it so much!

How do you mourn a man you were planning on divorcing? How do you appear sympathetic as a widow knowing that you were more than done with your relationship? Ammalie doesn’t know how to reconcile her feelings about her husband, feeling unnecessary to her son’s existence, and feeling invisible as a midlife-woman. So she quits work and goes on a road trip.

While I can empathize with much of Ammalie’s situation and conflicts, her decision to use three unreturned Airbnb/rental keys to basically squat her way across the country was distasteful. Yes, I know it was meant to be meaningful to her reconciling her feelings and getting her act together, but I think that could have been done without violating laws and the property owners rights.

The best part of Ammalie’s journey and the book were the interesting people she met along the way who seemed more rational and who made her reflect upon her situation and her hypocritical opinions. The author’s political, et al views are terribly obvious. The story would have felt more meaningful and sophisticated if the author had more subtlety delivered her message under the assumption that her readers were intelligent and could pick up on her opinions/messages and make up their own minds.

The author wants the reader’s takeaway to be:

“I met someone recovering from a drug addiction. Someone else with MS. An un-homed man. But mainly, I’ve met myself, and the limits of what I can do."

Essentially that is what happens in the book, however, even some of the author’s other characters call the main character out on her squishy morals.

“It simply wasn’t right to go around breaking into a private home, pretending to be someone else—who does that?”

Three Keys could have been a good "heroine's journey" read, but it fell flat for me.

A bravely funny book, honest and relatable... a perfect read for fans of Catherine Newman's Sandwich.
Thank you Ballantine for sharing a story that resonates with how it feels to be a women in early midlife, feeling like the world is swirling and everything is a little bonkers... and yet also wanting to take on the world, all that it still has to offer, and the desire to still feel relevant, connected, and even brave and filled with purpose. I felt all of these things when I read Three Keys by Laura Pritchett and really felt like I understood Ammalie and her thoughts, her somewhat random stream of consciousness vibe, and her willingness to just embrace who she is and take on an adventure to see the country and to figure out what is next.

Keys has created a beautiful portrait of a flawed and deeply relatable women in mid-life. Ammalie is a well-drawn, fully flushed out character that the reader wants to root for. Some of Ammalie's choices make rooting for her challenging but that's also what make her feel human. In addition to the expert character work, Keyes writes wonderfully of nature and the environment.

I found this story very inspiring, life changing and amazing. I liked that Ammalie pursued a different path than what you expected and when she found herself all alone for the first time, (her husband dead, she loses her job and her son needs to be alone). She didn't wallow in sorrow like I thought she would but instead she wanted to explore the world and see what it would feel like to be on her own. The story was such an adventure to watch her be in a different place then what she was use too and to see how capable she was when survival for her and others mattered. I like she put herself out there when all she wanted to do was hide and I loved how she kept trying to make it better not only for herself but others also.
Ammalie, did so many wonderful things for other in this story that it was truly inspiring. She helps an abandon dog, put survival kits in the desert after having a problem herself and helping people survive in a snow storm. She was brilliant and yet scared at the same time. the last leg of her journey she travels to New Zealand to experience what her husband felt when he lived there and not only did she find what she really want to do, but she truly found her family and when she had a medical emergency she found out that strangers helped her because she had help others and isn't that what life's about. .
I found Ammalie travel technique unique and would have never done what she did but it was intriguing and made for a more exciting tale. I found all the characters she meets in her travel amazing and special and Ammalie made them feel special too. She never judged them or pushed them away but was always thinking what she could do to make their lives better.
Fantastic story.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for an advance copy of this amazing journey.

This was a different type of book for me. Pritchett takes her main character, Ammalie, on a voyage of discovery. She has recently lost her "three keys," her husband, her job, and her time of mothering. She is totally lost (she bemoans the middle age woman invisibility that happens) and decides to go some different places that her husband had gone without her.

Her trip by herself and in some pretty awful conditions seems to be a lesson in everything that human's have done to the earth in their ignorance or unwillingness to do better. Her aim is to leave everyone and everyplace she encounters better off than when she arrived.

I'll have to admit I could have done with fewer lessons in the book (I'm a fast learner--I got it the first five times). The writing style was unusual and appealing. I couldn't wait to see what new disaster would befall her and how she would get out of it. The epilogue wrapped everything up in a fluid manner that was very satisfying.

Thanks to Random House Group--Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are my own.

Ammalie had just lost her job and unfortunately her husband had died unexpectedly and all this threw her into a tailspin. She was on a journey to discover herself and figure out how to move on. This took her to three different places to figure out her new journey. There were a lot of surprises in this book and it was really fast paced. This is the first book I have read from this author.

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When she found herself an invisible woman without job, children, husband, Ammalie Brinks does the most subversive, delicious, fascinating thing she possibly could: she uses her invisibility as an undefined, unseen, and misfitting person to her advantage. In so doing, she finds herself in traveling to places familiar and no longer the same, using three keys she found -- and used to open up an entirely new and self-defined life. Her frank, open, and at times hilarious story is the encouraging and inspiring support so many of us need when we age out or are thrown out of cozy, sanctioned roles to figure out who we are, have been, and want to be for the rest of our lives. I cheered for her, enjoyed the ride through the West and perspective on traffic, the reality of living on the road, and the peculiar joys of going feral and real. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

Hmmm.

I think this story was supposed to be about a 50+ year-old woman finding herself after the recent death of her husband (who she was planning to divorce)? She takes off on a road trip after his death, during an estrangement with her aimless son, a sister fighting terminal cancer and a best friend also contemplating divorce (Hey, let’s do it together! 🎉 And no, I’m NOT kidding 😳).

She visits three different places (a CO AirBNB from a past happy vacation, a battered vintage travel trailer in AZ that her husband previously stayed in with friends and an artist-in-residence abode in New Zealand where her future husband stayed with his lover on a break from their dating). Thus the adventures begin.

To be honest, I almost gave up on this at least twice for nothing more than my dislike of the main character. I found her whiny, extremely obsessed with sex (just too much) and selfish and I actually had no sympathy/empathy for her at all. Along her “three key” destinations she illegally squatted at all three locations, replaced her car tag, and various other minor illegalities.

It felt to me like the author was using this odd mishmash of a tale as an excuse to politically preach to the reader about various issues. And I was sorely disappointed with the epilogue, which was out of left field and not at all satisfying.

Just not for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for providing the free early arc of Three Keys for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

55-yr old Ammalie's husband Vincent has just died, their son Powell has left the nest, and the restaurant she's always waitressed at has closed down; as a result she has come unglued, and is off on an adventure and in search of answers and herself. I really liked the first 2 parts of this book, as Ammalie ventured out west, gained confidence in her abilities, made a difference in people's lives, and came to terms with so much of the losses she'd suffered.

But then in part 3, Ammalie ventures further afield to New Zealand! And seems to have come even further unhinged, as her lies get larger, and her audacity goes unchecked. But the ending is warm and fuzzy and does bring everything and everyone together.

The prose is easy to read and quite enjoyable in THREE KEYS. The plot, though, kept me, bamboozled almost entirely. I have no idea why the protagonist chose these tasks to challenge herself or why she ended up where she did. Yes, good things happened along the way. That hardly seems surprising since she was a good person if a bit…off. She goes on a vision quest, of sorts, and attempts to find answers. Whether she does or not is the plot. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.