I was very disappointed in this rather trite and confusing novel. I simply could not find anything believable in the absurd mishmash of dead, living and mixed up characters. I really wanted to like this, but it is simply too much of a fantasy, and on some levels too dark, for my taste.

Thanks to netgalley & the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. For a debut, it’s really good. The story is intense. Aimee’s determination to find out what has happened to her fiancé really comes through. I love the turn the story takes – you literally have no idea what to expect as while Aimee is sure James is still alive, there really is no proof.

The story takes place over quite a long time as well, so although the romance feels a little forced to start with, it doesn’t seem rushed in the long run. I’m certainly interested to see what new mysteries the sequel throws up.

Aimee is about to marry her childhood sweetheart - she and James have been soul mates since they were children - when tragedy strikes - he is involved in a boating accident in Mexico while on a business trip and is found dead a couple of months later. His brother Thomas brings the body home but due to the length of time keeps a closed casket and Aimee never sees the body. As the church is booked for the wedding James's mother insists on using that day for the funeral so poor Aimee goes dressed in black instead of white!

After the wedding Aimee is approached by a psychic who tells her that James is not really dead and is still in Mexico - thinking that the woman is a crank she ignores her but then odd things happen, like all of the paintings done by James disappear from her garage with no signs of a break in, and then the same woman leaves her a card for an art exhibition in Mexico.....could he possibly still be alive.

Meanwhile Aimee has met Ian, a lovely man who obviously wants more than just friendship but willing to wait....can Aimee finally move on and see what is right under her nose or will she find herself unable to let go from her first love.

A great book with plenty of intrigue and romance and I am definitely looking forward to the follow up book

This book seemed really interesting from the summary but as I read it I just didn't like it that much. Aimee's fiance (her best friend of 20 years!) dies in a mysterious boating accident in Mexico and eventually she decided to investigate his death but it takes her like a year and a half to do it....I think that if I was faced with this problem, I would probably check a little sooner especially if there was any chance he was still alive, even a 1% chance! I would go look right away straight from the airport in a car, and not after I checked into my hotel on a leisurely stroll... It was easy to read but the whole story seemed a little cliche to many other books out right now. Lots of twists and turns and decent writing which made it more interesting, but in general, I was not crazy about the story or any of the characters. Thanks for the free copy! Much appreciated! Now onto the sequel...

what did I get into!!!
the first sentence in this book is
<spoiler> On our wedding day, my fiancé, James, arrived at the church in a casket </spoiler>

So it took me a few hours after reading the (spoiler line) to actually read the book. and from there it took less than 4 hours to read the entire thing. This book is a sad one until the 50% part and then you start going thru every emotion in your body.. you have rage, your upset, your sad and you are confused.. and most of all you stop believing everything you have read up till this point. the epilogue will change your life ... and make you pick up book 2. This was a book I enjoyed way more than I anticipated I would and I am sad I put it off for so long after rercieving this ARC. ...

well I am off ... gotta finish book 2 !!! I don't even know what team I am on...

#teamIam or #teamCarlos or #TeamJames

ahhhhh

This novel has a really unique story line and was pretty fast paced. I liked the mix of romance and mystery. I’m actually quite surprised to find out that this is a debut novel. The characters in this novel is really where it excels. I really came to care about the people in the book. I think it does a really good job of demonstrating how grief can impact someone. There was a good mystery at the center of the story that really pulled me along and kept me interested. This novel isn’t what I’d call a fluffy beach read but it’s got that feel about it while also being quite a good thriller/mystery. All in all, this is an interesting read. I definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of thrillers and/or mysteries – it ultimately felt like a good mix of women’s fiction, thriller/mystery and romance!

Aimee’s fiancé, James, goes missing in a boating accident in Mexico two months before their wedding. In a cruel twist of fate, Aimee finds herself attending James’ funeral on the same day that she should have been walking down the aisle. But when Aimee receives a message suggesting that James isn’t really dead, she begins to uncover a web of secrets that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her life with James. Is he alive? What happened to make him disappear, and why hasn’t he come back? Aimee tries her best to move on with her life, until she eventually heads to Mexico to find out the truth.

Everything We Keep is an interesting mix of mystery and romance. The story behind James’ disappearance is really intriguing and difficult to work out, while the blossoming romance between Aimee and photographer Ian is rather sweet. There were times when I couldn’t tell what direction the story was going in, but it recovered from these weak point successfully. I did find the characters quite bland. Aimee and Ian were both a bit wet and wimpy (although, given the circumstances, that was understandable) and the side characters were a load of nothing, just included to move the story along. The plot was very good though.

Overall, it’s pretty good but never quite gripped me fully.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Everything We Keep is the story of Aimee as she mourns the death of her fiancee, only to be told at his funeral by a psychic that he actually isn't dead. What follows is a crazy tale of Aimee's recovery from losing him, and well as her doubts about herself and what she was told by the psychic. Even though the initial premise seemed a bit strange, I am so glad I read this book. I honestly couldn't put it down. And, even though the ending was a bit predictable, every page was still fantastic due to Lonsdale's writing.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This is another book that I really don’t know how to write the review for it. While I didn’t love Everything We Keep, I didn’t hate it either. I hate it when I really have no feelings for books that I review. It makes writing the review so hard but I will give it my best shot here.

I did enjoy reading Everything We Keep. I thought that while the plot line was unoriginal, it did keep your attention to the story with James death/disappearance. Also, Aimee’s storyline did keep my attention but not in a good way. Aimee was a mess the first couple of chapters in the book, which is understandable. The love of her life was gone and he was buried on what was going to be her wedding day. It had of been horrible. But, as other people slowly accepted that James was gone, Aimee didn’t. Instead, with the prodding of a psychic investigator who showed up at the weirdest times, she became obsessed with finding James.

I just couldn’t like Aimee or feel bad for her after a certain point in the book. I get that a very bad thing happened to her but that is life (and yes, I sound harsh but I have been there, done that). But, I did admire her tenacity in finding James and guess what, I really thought the same way her friends did. She needed to get over him. I mean, she caught the eye of Ian, who was a saint in my eyes, and she kept on insisting to him and everyone else that James was alive. If I was Ian, I would have dropped her like a hot potato. But, he stuck around. Love does funny things.

Now, I kinda figured out Mexico before it was revealed in the book. Didn’t take away anything from me and it did give Aimee closure. I just wish that it was done sooner, way sooner. Because the book was kind of drawn out.

The end of the book was pretty typical and I loved that there was a chapter from Everything We Left Behind included. I can’t wait to read James’s story!!

How many stars will I give Everything We Keep: 3

Why: Good, but unoriginal story with a main female character that really got on my nerves

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and some mild violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

A poignant piece of women's fiction that will capture readers of such authors as Jodi Piccoult.

This is a very intriguing and riveting novel with great insight into relationships. Very well crafted with layers to the story that struck so many emotions and thoughts about the situation as well Couldn't put it down.

I just finished my second reread of EVERYTHING WE KEEP by Kerry Lonsdale and I just have to say this is a Must Read! I started it last night and finished it this morning (Reread it in a day) The first page of the book gets me every time --- it's hook, line and sinker!!!! This captivating story is filled with love, lost, longing, mystery and suspense!!!! And it also has over 10K reviews 😳 on Amazon! This book is FREE in Kindle Unlimited and the next book in the series EVERYTHING WE LEFT BEHIND debuts July 4th! I am starting it STAT Thank You Amazon Publishing!

Recently I received an invitation from Lake Union Publishing to review Everything We Left Behind-the sequel to Everything We Keep. I looked at several reviews of Everything We Left Behind and they all said the book would not make sense without first reading Everything We Keep, so here I am. Unfortunately, most of the adjectives I use to describe Everything We Keep begin with "S"-silly, superficial, stupid. It's not that the writing is horrible or the pace tedious-it's that the plot is simply preposterous. I do give Ms. Lonsdale points for originality-instead of saddling her character with plain old amnesia (a staple of daytime television!) he develops "Dissociative Fugue State"-an extremely rare form of reversible amnesia usually caused by trauma. My other problem with Everything We Keep also has to do with believability-if the man I was going to marry disappeared and his body was found two months later, but I was told at the funeral he might still be alive (even if the news came from a "Psychic Counselor, Consultant & Profiler") I would be on the next plane to find him. Of course, if Aimee had done that there would be no story. A condensed version of Everything We Keep used as a prologue to Everything We Left Behind probably would have worked better, and we could get to the good parts sooner.

Aimee Tierney is at the funeral of her fiance, James Donato on the day that was to be their wedding day, at the church they were to be married in. A lady walks up to her after the service to tell her that James is still alive. She is just more upset wondering who could be so cruel. James's brother, Thomas assures her he is dead. Thomas gives her a check to help her get on with her life. It was suppose to be from James account. Eventually she gets herself together enough to open the coffee place she had dreamed about with James. Some how she feels she does not know the truth. She receives a painting from a place in Mexico and it is the same style James uses. Could he be alive. She has to have answers to move forward.

What an intriguing mystery full of twists and turns! Everything We Keep also has a very original story line, at least to me, but I do not read many mysteries, so there is that. I was immediately drawn into the lives of Aimee, James, and Carlos. The author did a great job of setting up their lives by giving a lot of back story, I felt like I knew them quite well. Although, as the story progressed, I realized I did not know them quite as well as I thought I did, little things would pop up here and there to keep things intriguing. I am really glad there is a second book and that I got them both at the same time so I do not have to wait to read what happens next!

This was an interesting book. It was a unique storyline.

It should have been a happy day for Aimee. But instead of celebrating her wedding with her childhood sweetheart James, she is attending his funeral. He had been lost at sea and presumed dead. With her whole world shattered, Aimee has to learn to live without the love of her life. She is determined to solve the mystery of his death. This fascinating novel had me reading it straight through. With so many twists and turns I had to keep reading until the end. Once you think you have everything figured out, there is another twist and then you have to keep going. I highly recommend this book!

This wasn't a great book, but it was entertaining and paced well. It was just the palate cleanser for my latest reading patterns.

In the first half of the book, I was distracted by a couple of turns of phrase. The author is fond of her characters ducking their heads to hide their blushing and repeatedly describes eyes as rounding. It gave me enough pause to mention it, so I believe it happens too frequently.

As for the story, what started as a "no guilty parties" mystery love triangle ended up with a few twists and flashbacks that revealed just how many shades of grey there can be between people.

I received this book and its sequel from NetGalley. I would read the next book even if I didn't have an ARC. While I didn't love the story, I liked it enough to want to find out what happens next.

Thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. Great read - loved the characters especially Aimee and Ian. On the day that should have been Aimee's wedding day she is burying her fiancé James, her childhood sweetheart. He went to Mexico on business and never returned. Missing for weeks and then assumed dead. Aimee is heartbroken and then devastated to learn that her parents, due to financial difficulties, have sold the restaurant she had hoped to one day make her own.
After James funeral service Aimee is approached by a woman who says she is a psychic and claims that James is alive. The seed is planted in Aimee's heart and as time moves forward she finds it hard to let go of James. She opens her own restaurant 'Aimee's', meets a very talented photographer Ian who is smitten with her but she is determined to travel to Mexico and find out what happened to James.
The story tells of Aimee & James childhood friendship which then grew and the complicated family James grew up in.
Turn the pages of this lovely book to find out what Aimee discovers in Mexico.

This book had me hooked from that very first line. What? The guys comes to his wedding in a casket? I just had to keep reading to find out more. And then, as I kept reading, I became emotionally involved in these character's lives. This was the perfect book to binge read over the weekend.

Aimee tries to get on with her life, tries to carry on after the devastating news of her fiancé's death. Somethings just don't feel right to her and she has a hard time letting go and moving on. And then the secrets start surfacing, lots of secrets.

I loved Everything We Keep and I'm jumping right into the sequel, Everything We Left Behind. Kerry Lonsdale is going on my list of must-read authors after this series—I love them!