The characters were a little cliche for my liking but were well developed. The pace was nice and the dialogue was clever.

I was so enthralled by Aimee's story in the first book that I hardly reaized how this was truly James's story. The Carlos and James storylines connected a lot of the thoughts I formed when initially reading EWK. I was content to feel some loose ends tied up while being easily pulled into new character development and more potential stories. This book hooked me from the first page. I will definitely be gifting EWLB to friends, and I cnnot wait for more from Kerry Lonsdale!

Everything We Left Behind is compelling suspense, but mostly a story about a man trying to find his true family. James has been in a fugue state after being traumatized at the hands of his brother; living in Mexico as Carlos, father of two young sons and in love with Natalya. When James emerges from the fugue, he is confused and heartbroken, and the family he'd loved were now strangers to him. How does James move on with his life...can he overcome his past and build a loving relationship with his sons again? And where will he find his true home? It was fascinating to watch James deal with both the past and the future; his struggle, his emotions, his angst are so clear. The story is told partly in flashbacks as we follow Carlos' journey for the previous 6 years, and partly in the present as James finds love and peace in his life. This book is the sequel, to Everything We Keep, another fascinating book, and I encourage readers to read EWK first; you will get so much more out of the story.

I have wanted to read Everything We Left Behind since the last page of Everything We Keep. To say I was impatiently waiting for this book is an understatement! This book is everything I hoped for and more. In Everything We Keep, James Donato was presumed dead right before his wedding to Aimee. Aimee had to learn to live her life without James. In Everything We Left Behind, James has to learn to live after being in a fugue state for over 6 years. It tells the story from alternating chapters of James's life after waking from the fugue and during his fugue state living his life as Carlos. It is a beautiful story of love,loss, and family. It is a story of acceptance and learning what is truly important. I loved every single word, paragraph, and chapter. Thank you so very much to Kerry Lonsdale, NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I received an ARC of EWLB in exchange for an honest opinion. Here goes.

I can't remember how I first discovered Kerry Longsdale last year, with her debut novel Everything We Keep, but I was beyond thankful I did. I absolutely devoured EWK, and it left me wanting so much more! I had to find out more - would Aimee stay with Ian, would she find her way back to James, what would James remember, how awful was James' family, really... and so much more. Well, rest assured friends.... Questions are answered - Not all, but most. I will not give away any spoilers here, I'll just go on to say, once again Kerry delivers - on point!
This time around the book goes back and forth between present time and the years James was living as Carlos. We get more of James/Carlos' backstory - we get to know Nat, Carlos' sister-in-law, and we even get some great interaction between James/Aimee/Ian.
I absolutely LOVED EWLB, and have another Kerry Book Hangover. I will read anything Kerry writes, so I am hoping her next book is coming out soon!!
I highly suggest Everything We Left Behind, but strongly encourage readers to read Everything We Keep first for a better understanding of all the players in the book.

Kerry knocks it out of the park again! After reading All the breaking waves I couldn't wait for everything we left behind. I read Aimee's journey through tears and now James' story put me in that same place. His struggle with the journey of who he is to who he was is heartbreaking. Rediscovering a past you can't have because of the present life you now live is frustrating. Amazing story of lost love, lost time, lost identity to all be rebuilt with a new love, life and reason. Without spoilers I will just say Kerry writes in a way that captivates you and makes you feel in the presence of the characters. I'm looking forward to future writings and where James story will go from here.