Not the usual genre I read, but I kept hearing about this book! I succumb to bookish peer pressure and since the main character and I share a name I couldn't really pass it up. I appreciate the opportunity to have read this and the sequel back to back and am eagerly awaiting the third.

It was supposed to be the best day of Aimee Tierney life, for she was marrying her childhood sweetheart, James Donato. But instead of a wedding, she is standing in the aisle and watching as James' coffin is carried to the front of the church. The life she and James had planned to have together, is now nothing but a distant memory. Aimee now must find the strength to come to terms with his death. Yet, however hard Aimee tries to get on with her life, there is that nagging doubt that maybe it wasn't James in the coffin.

Everything We Keep: A Novel, captivated me from the very first page and held my attention until the last. I was drawn into the heart-wrenching story of Aimee as she battled to come to terms with the loss of the man she loved.

Kerry Lonsdale has created an incredible cast of characters that drove this story forward. I though her portrayal of Aimee was very real in the telling. Aimee's emotional turmoil at the loss of the man she loved, the guilt that comes later when she feels herself falling for another man, and the utter despair she feels when she discovers a terrible truth, gave Aimee's character incredibly depth.

I adored the backstory to this novel, it made Aimee and James' relationship all the more believable and really brought home to me just how much Aimee had lost with James' death.

The plot itself is very fast and there are a few curve balls that take the plot into different directions, which kept me turning those pages. Kudos Ms Lonsdale.

Everything We Keep is beautiful story with a compelling plot that I simply could not put down. This is the kind of book that deserves to be read.

I Highly Recommend

*I received a copy of this book from the Publishers, via NetGalley, for review consideration.*

I struggled with this one a bit. I enjoyed enough to read but overall not for me. A good plot but some hard to believe elements.

Everything We Keep had a Great beginning line. It captured me and drew me in. Then when I got to the big reveal and epilogue, I admit, I was a little letdown. Not because of the ending but because of the events around that major character. There was so many ways it could have been done. Overall, it was a good read. I just didn't fall in love the way I thought I would. I will be reading book 2.
Thank you Netgalley!

3.5 stars for this very interesting debut! It's not perfect, but I have a feeling Kerry Lonsdale will be an author to watch. The premise is most original, and kept me wanting to know what happened next. The story was a bit leisurely in places, and some parts were a tad predictable; but overall, it was a really interesting book. And oh, that twist at the end! I definitely did not see that coming. Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Can't wait to read the sequel!

“On our wedding day, my fiancé, James, arrived at the church in a casket.” What an opening… I was hooked!
Instead of walking down the aisle in her wedding gown, Aimee is sitting in the same church, looking at the same flowers attending her fiancé’s funeral. There would be no wedding or children. They would not open a new art gallery or new restaurant together; all their hopes and dreams as a couple would be buried that afternoon.

Just two months prior, Aimee’s fiancé James disappeared while on a business trip in Mexico. He simply went missing during a fishing trip… simply falling off the boat when other’s backs were turned.
Outside the church, Aimee is approached by a physic who tells her “I have information about James’ accident”... “James is alive.” Aimee ignores her, but she keeps turning up in expected places dropping clues along the way.

Sometimes she hears his voice, “Let’s get out of here” and she feels like James is still with her. She was not allowed to view the body as it had been in the water for weeks. Is she losing it or was James’ death not a mere accident. Is he even dead?

“Everything We Keep” by Kerry Lonsdale is Aimee’s search for the answer to James’ death. Well written and intriguing it kept me interested till the end. A few bits that were not hard to figure out, but a great read nonetheless. Great ending and an excellent debut novel.

The sequel, “Everything We Left Behind”, comes out tomorrow, July 4, 2017! Can’t wait to see how the story ends!

Release/Publication Date: August 1, 2016
Genre: Romance, suspense
Cover: Great.
Source: I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read this great book!
Rating: 4 stars

In Everything We Keep Kerry Lonsdale introduces us to Aimee, who has just been to the funeral of her fiancé, James. Aimee and James were best friends since childhood where Aimee's home was a refuge for James from his dysfunctional family. Aimee has to find a new path for her life while dealing with the grief of loss and a suspicion that James could still be alive. I got this book for a review and I put off reading for a little bit, thinking that it might be overly melancholy, but it turned out to be a great suspenseful read. Well written with crisp dialogue, a little romance and many twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.

This book is awesome! Truly we never know another person. Secrets or unspoken truths can change the relationship landscape. Aimee is caught in a whirlwind of drama in her life. First there is a funeral then a cafe that sounds wonderful. Add in an artist or two. This makes for a fabulous read. I am so glad I took the time to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. You really feel for Aimee when she loses her fiance. It seems like Aimee is losing everything she holds dear in life. Aimee seems to find a way to move on with her life but has a nagging feeling that not all is finished with James. This book takes us through the next year of what happens. I won't spoil the ending but I am happy to say that I can start reading the next book in this series.

I enjoyed the read but I did find it repetitive. there seemed to me to be too much about relationships - which was what I found repetitive and not enough about the crime that lead to the main characters problem. the crime issues reappear occasionally but almost as an afterthought. I would have preferred more information about what had happened.

I loved this book & could not put it down! There was a lot of twists & turns in the book, many that were not expected. I was captivated from beginning to the end. I can't wait to read the sequel to this book!

2.5 stars

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. Overall, it kept me interested until the end, but in a "it's a car wreck" sort of way. The plot was fascinating until it turned weird. The execution and character development was quirky. The characters never fully formed in my mind as it seemed the author did too much telling and not a lot of showing. But, then, there were moments that I fully connected with them, mostly in Aimee's flashbacks to her childhood and early relationship with James. The sense of loss that I should have felt the entire book was only present in those times. More importantly, I never felt a connection between the characters. Beyond the plot and settings, this was the most important aspect of the book that kept it from being great.

I was surprised to receive a copy of this from Lake Union, but also pleased to receive it! I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would have, as this is not the genre I usually read.

Aimee is an interesting character. She's got a lot of flaws, but also a lot of potential. After the devastating loss of her fiance, she finds it hard to move on with her life. His clothes are still in her closet and his ring is still on her finger.

After following her dream of opening her own restaurant it finally seems like she's moving on with her life...and you want to see her move on with Ian, too. Ian's a photographer. He's patient, kind, and trustworthy. You can tell how hard he falls for Aimee right from the start.

Things get complicated, of course, because Aimee receives clues that James, her fiance, is still alive. In truth, Aimee has always felt like James was still alive. She travels to Mexico where he was last seen alive to try to find out the truth about what happened to the love of her life...and Ian goes with her.

This was a well-developed plot and story. The details and focus were on the most important things and I appreciated that. Certain things were skipped over (dinner conversations, travel scenes) and it worked nicely with the story. I enjoyed the mystery of the story and also the reveal. The epilogue didn't really surprise me considering the sequel is coming out in a few days. Definitely check this out if you're into mystery and character growth.

Stay tuned for my review of the sequel Everything We Left Behind. The book comes out on July 4th!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ebook.

Absolutely fabulous book from beginning to end and left me wanting more...always a good sign. Great characters, all with their own particular foibles which made them all the more interesting , and believable too. I shall definitely be looking out for more novels by Kerry Lonsdale. Excellent book and highly recommended.

WoW what a ride! A lot of suspense... and a lot of love... some of the love is the kind comforting comfortable love... and some is the hard controlling kind that doesn't feel much like love. Amiee's story is a real page turner...

3.5 stars. an ok read, I liked.

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale is a fabulous contemporary novel about love and loss and life. I dived into the action and 'lived' through the book.
The plot is comprehensively constructed. I had no idea where it would lead at times, but held on as it twisted this way and that.
Relationships and family can be complicated as shown in the story. All is not always as it seems.
People can be motivated by money and power. "Money speaks louder than words." Money enables secrets to be kept and lies to be spoken.
Loss is a terrible thing. "Loss left an empty cavity in the chest." An air of great sadness shrouds the whole novel. The reader can 'feel' the pain and understands the feelings of being in limbo. Loving deeply means losing deeply.
An air of love also pervades the story. A love that penetrates deeply and will not let go. A love that lives in hope.
The novel has the themes of dreams and creativity. It is important to follow your heart and pursue your dreams. Creativity comes in many guises - painting, photography and recipes. We are all capable of being creative in different ways.
The characters were wonderfully drawn. The lead character was a blend of vulnerable and strong. She survived all that life threw at her.
Letting go is another theme. Do we love someone enough to let them go?
The ending has perfectly set the reader up for the second book in the series - and that is exactly the book I am now reaching for. I need to know what happens next.
Everything We Keep was a delightful, beautiful read with a curve ball that I never saw coming!
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book with the twists & turns it provided. Aimee & James appeared to be the "perfect" couple. They had been friends since they were 8, dated in high school, & now were engaged to be married. A couple of months before the wedding, James disappeared. Aimee has a hard time believing he's dead even though his brother brings back his body & they have a funeral. At the funeral a woman approaches Aimee & tells her James isn't dead. This leads to her wondering & leaving everything the same (house, clothes, wearing engagement ring) but she doesn't pursue it for a little over a year. She realizes some of his paintings are missing but doesn't find them. She ends up opening up her own cafe which was her dream. She meets a photographer named Ian but she just can't shake James & the feeling he's still alive. So she finally pursues a lead she gets from the "psychic" & goes to Mexico. What she finds rocks her world & I highly recommend you read this book to find out what happens. Can't wait to read the sequel as well!

Have you ever read a novel and when finished you realized that you both loved and hated it at the same time? That basically summarizes my feelings regarding Everything We Keep. Let me start with my positive thoughts…

This novel started out very promising with the idea of her fiance dying on a fishing trip and his remains being buried on their wedding day. Not positive like I was glad he died, but it seemed to predict a great suspense/thriller. Secondly, after James’ funeral and a mourning period, Aimee decides to realize her dream of opening her own coffee/bistro place, as well as, meets the handsome, talented and uber patient photographer Ian.

There were numerous flashbacks to Aimee and James’ childhood providing a backstory to their longtime love, as well as, what kind of family James had. These flashbacks only strengthened initial opinions I had about their long-term love and what creepy people were in his family – but all of this was relevant to the story.

Which brings me to some issues with this novel… I apologize, but it will require bullet points… ***These may be considered spoilers, which I never do, but be forewarned.

Two years passed between the time the psychic, Lacy contacted Aimee and when Aimee finally went to Mexico to look into whether or not James was alive. Why wait so long and why go after that much time?
Ian was super hot and talented and so forth, why keep hanging around hoping for one little chance that Aimee would get over James?
Why in the hell were Aimee and Ian’s flights from California to Mexico 19 and 22 hours? Often, I will overlook things like this but come on… I live in Roanoke, VA and could fly there in less time. It didn’t take that long to get from Roanoke to Hawaii last time I went. This is just sloppiness in my opinion because all the author had to do was google flight times.
Immediately after Aimee is raped, James literally applies her mascara for her so she will be presentable to go see their parents to announce their engagement? Umm, excuse me, if you propose to me and one of your family members rapes me a few minutes after, do not attempt to fix my make-up, take me to the hospital and then the police.
I could go on and on, but I won’t. Honestly, I was unable to put this book down after I started it. Despite the itemized list above, I could not stop reading it. But there were too many side stories and questions left unanswered to make me love this book. I truly feel that Kerry Lonsdale had a fantastic story idea with this one, but things went wrong in several places. Considering I have already been approved for the follow-up novel, Everything We Left Behind, I will read it with high hopes. But I’m sorry to say that if I would have read this last year when released, I would not have given it a second thought.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A really fantastic read with gripping twists and turns throughout! Really loved where the author was going with this book.