I read this book awhile ago and was wondering why I hadn't put a review up for it, so I skimmed it again to get the review out and I think I know why I didn't review it the first time....because I can't decide if it was good or not. I think 3 stars is pushing it, but I'll give it 3 for the premise of the book. But the details and the characters???, no thanks. I will not understand how it took Aimee months to act on the information she was given about her fiancee. Then it delves into more strange and confusing plot lines. I just didn't find this believable at all, so therefore wasn't in the mood to review it then, and just giving it a toss out there. If you are on the fence about it, I'd look elsewhere for a good read.

This torn filled adventure that this storyline takes you on is truly an experience. The ups and downs with all its emotions in tacked that it puts you though. Yes I would do it all over again. Read it over and over passing it around till there is nothing left of the book. I would so recommend this to anyone and everyone.

EVERYTHING WE KEEP is the first book I’ve ever read by Kerry Lonsdale. The twists and turns keep coming and I had to know how it was going to end! Every time I thought I knew where this story was going, a few pages later, Kerry Lonsdale threw me for a loop and I knew I was wrong! I’m kicking myself for not reading this wonderful debut novel sooner.

EVERYTHING WE KEEP is a quick read and unputdownable! There were quite a few times when reading it that I wanted to reach into the pages and slap a few of these people with their wishy washy ways of thinking. I found myself laughing one second and then tearing up the next. If you are looking for a beautiful story to pull you out of your book slump, you can’t go wrong with EVERYTHING WE KEEP. I’m so excited to continue with this series. Kerry Lonsdale is now one of my auto buy authors.

The twists and turns in EVERYTHING WE KEEP are going to keep you up late into the night trying to figure it out. One minute you believe you know where Aimee is going with her life and the next you are sitting there shaking your head, wondering what the heck just happened. I had my ideas, I had it all figured out, or so I thought, and BAM…….wrong again! Once you start reading, trust me, you aren’t going to be able to stop! When everything is finally revealed, well, you won’t believe it!

EVERYTHING WE KEEP begins with Aimee in a church she was supposed to be getting married in. Instead, she is attending her fiancées funeral. I thoroughly enjoyed reading EVERYTHING WE KEEP. It is also heart warming and filled with so many different emotions. There is so much going on in this story, but Kerry Lonsdale does a wonderful job of weaving all the pieces together. All of the characters will have you feeling sad and then giggling on the same page. More than once I wanted to be in Mexico with my new found friends! Once you finish devouring this story, you are going to want to tell everyone you know about this awesome book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

Aimee was preparing for her wedding date instead now she has to bury her fiancée James. A part of her feels that he is still alive but is that just wishful thinking? Aimee starts to rebuild her life while dealing with her grief but, there are questions she still has regarding James. This will lead to her to discover certain things and uncover lies. Once Aimee knows the truth she has to figure out if she can live with it and accept what has occurred.

A story of love, lost, suspense, family, lies, and how to accept things that life deals us. I enjoyed reading the book and thought it was an interesting story line. I wanted to know what was going on and couldn't stop reading. A quick read and would recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was another one I did not want to put down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

It’s Aimee’s wedding day and she’s burying her husband-to-be. With her entire future buried with him, Aimee is lost. Her best friends support her as much as they can but Aimee is struggling to get over her grief and move on with her life. She desperately wants to believe this is all a nightmare and that fiancé James will one day come home. When she follows her gut and starts to question the truth of James’ death, she starts to uncover secrets and lies she could never have imagined.

After a few heavy reads recently I was pleased to find that Everything We Keep is an easy, comfortable and enjoyable read. Main character Aimee is likeable and feels familiar. Fiancé James is an all-round good guy and their relationship is lovingly genuine and meant to be. Her friends are supportive and try to help her move on as good friends should and are there for her when she needs to fall apart. There is also a new potential love interest; a man named Ian who is a gentleman. Kind, considerate, funny and attractive, he’ll never be anything more than a friend to Aimee but he loves her and takes care of her anyway, proving to her just what she means to him. The relationships in this book are key to its enjoyability. Relationships and emotional states progress throughout to a beautiful conclusion.

The book is left on a kind of cliffhanger leaving room for #2. Everything We Keep isn’t a stand-out book but it’s wholly enjoyable anyway.

Thank you to Kerry Lonsdale, NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful first in series that presents a mystery/thriller while exploring the range of human emotions with loss and love. Fans of mystery and literary fiction will be very happy when they select this work. For Young Adults-adults, a recommended read.

"Everything We Keep" by Kerry Lonsdale

Kerry Lonsdale has written a wonderful and amazing novel in "Everything We Keep."

The characters are spectacularly written. Very relatable and honest in their presentation and behavior. They feel like people you have grown to know and spend time with.

This psychological romance novel is very well written. It is engaging, relatable, and full of twists and turns.

While there is no true cliffhanger at the end of the novel, there are many questions the reader has at the and, that hopefully are answered in her upcoming novel, which won't be released until...July. (A long wait for many of us, but more than worth it.)

Rating: 4.5

An amazing page turner! Aimee was written so wonderfully, and the plot was gripping. Although filled with loss and grief, I was completely enthralled by the plot and could not put this down!

This is one of those books that completely defies your expectations. I had expected a fairly predictable plot but was SO wrong. Thoroughly recommended for a holiday or long journey.

SO FANTASTIC. I couldn't put this book down. I was constantly excited to read the next chapter. Well written and certainly addictive!

This was an entertaining read and kept me interested for a few hours. I liked the characters and although it was a bit corny at times, enjoyed the romance.

I was hesitant to read this - I honestly thought it would be one of those books that had the same old story of lost love found. Boy, was I wrong.

This is a heartbreaking story of true love lost on the eve of their wedding. Poor Aimee is devasted and does everything she can think of to move on, but someone keeps sending her tidbits that her love is still alive.

Going through everything with Aimee is like being there yourself.

I highly recommend

I was on the fence on this book. I couldn't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it either. Aimee has known her fiancé James since they were kids. They had big dreams for their futures, Aimee, wanted to be a chef and take over her family's resturaunt. James, had plans to leave his family's business and become the artist he has always dreamed of becoming, even though his family frowned upon. On what was supposed to be one of his final business trips to Mexico before his wedding, there is a tragic accident. Ironically, the day James and Aimee are set to get married, becomes the day of James' funeral. Afterwards, a devastated Aimee is approached by a psychic, telling her James did not die. This starts a whirlwind of unexpected twists and turns, and family lies that were meant to stay hidden.

This book was certainly suspenseful, and will keep you guessing until the end. But Aimee is annoying. I felt sorry for her at first, I mean who wouldn't! As she tries to find the truth about what really happened to James, and was he alive...I found myself thinking how kinda ridiculous some of the situations were, James is there, no he isn't, is that James' Mexican twin or is it James? A little far fetched at times. But it was an ok read. I will admit, I was intrigued enough to go on to read the 2nd book in the Everything series, just to find out where the story went, but I had no interest to go onto the 3rd installment.

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
Review by Dawn Thomas

304 Pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Series: The Everything Series


General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction, Family Dynamics


Aimee should be happy on her wedding day. Instead she is planning her fiancé, James’, funeral. Her whole world is spiraling out of control. A woman approaches Aimee and tells her James is still alive. Aimee doesn’t believe her and thinks she is a fraud out to get something. After several unexplainable events, Aimee starts to wonder if James really could still be alive.

Aimee is trying to move on with her life by opening a café. Her friends want her to start dating and clean out James’ clothes from her closet. Aimee has to make the decision herself. She needs to find where her heart is. Should she try to find out if James is alive or move on with her life? This decision could heal her or break her.

The book is written in first person point of view with flashbacks. The book is an emotional roller coaster and my feelings were all over the place. The book is well-written and the characters are developed. I recommend anyone who enjoys books on relationships and family dymanics.

I loved this book! I may even read it again! I would tell many to read it!

So impressed with this book. The mystery, the depth of character development. Constant twists in the plot that keep you thinking all the way through. This is the fist time I have read anything from Kerry Lonsdale and I am very impressed! If you are looking for something new to check out, I highly recommend this one!

When Aimee’s fiancé is found dead while abroad she is devastated and this book explores their history and the background where things are not what they seem. Twists and turns throughout.

This book isn’t something I would normally read but when Netgalley gave me the opportunity to read this, and Kerry Lonsdale’s latest book together, I decided to give them a go. The book felt a little chic lit/romance novelish for me and the psychic “I believe your dead husband is alive” thing made me scared it was a fantasy novel, utterly my least favourite genre.
Ok, so the book is very romantic but it isn’t just a sugary romance novel. The characters were likeable and relatable and Aimee’s recollections of her and James’ childhood were lovely. I was totally ‘with’ Aimee on her James/Ian feelings. I wanted her to be able to have both men and be completely happy in every way, but life isn’t like that and thankfully neither is this novel.
Heart breaking decisions lead to greater self awareness and there is also a great dollop of “who is really behind this?” “What are they hiding?” Which I was convinced I’d worked out. I had half of one question correct but was way off on the other and really the only thing about the book that genuinely confused me in the end was the bit I guessed incorrectly. May I just say “eeuww” It wasn’t necessary to the story and could have been done the more conventional way. (Blimey it’s hard to talk about plot twists without spoilers!)
Having been not sure it was my *thing* I finished the book in a few hours today and have instantly downloaded her recently published sequel.