Everything We Keep: A Novel

Aimee Tierney has just had her life turned upside down. She just buried her fiancée. On her wedding day. If that weren’t bad enough, after the funeral a woman came by claiming to know that her fiancée, James, was still alive. Aimee doesn’t believe her, but after realizing that she never saw the body, doubts begin to build in her mind. A week after this, her parents announce that they have sold the family restaurant that Aimee grew up in and is currently sous chef. With her world crumbling around her, she has to figure out what she wants to do and how to move on. Eventually, she decides to open her own restaurant, which she uses the money given to her by her late fiancée’s brother. In the process, she meets Ian, a photographer who is exhibiting his photos in a local gallery. There is instant electricity between the two of them, but Aimee just can’t bring herself to act on it. As the doubts begin to build and she continues to receive clues that James might be alive in Mexico, Aimee decides to go find out for herself. Maybe she can finally either get James back or move on.This summer I have been blessed with books that have made me think. This one was no exception. Every time that I thought I have it figured out, the author kept pushing me in another direction. I’m so glad that she did because it gave me a great ride.Even though Aimee is twenty-seven, I would still consider this a coming of age novel. She has always been dependent on somebody her entire life and she is finally coming into her own. She has to make her own decisions and then she finally makes the decision that affects her life from that point forward. Along the way there is plenty of humor and tense romance to keep it interesting.There was some occasional strong foul language and a couple of love scenes that weren’t explicit, but pretty easy to get the point of what was going on. I wouldn’t recommend this book to YA. More to the twenty something crowd!I received a complimentary copy of this book through the TLC Book Tours. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

This is an engaging read for an afternoon or evening of escapism. Kerry Lonsdale is a relatively new writer, with a straight forward style. She has a knack for character description that draws the reader into the story almost immediately. I knew I was going to like Aimee Tierney and her parents by page three of this book.Aimee is a 29-year-old woman who has to attend the funeral and burial of her childhood sweetheart and fiancée James Donato on what should have been their wedding day. We are introduced to her while she is sobbing her way through the funeral service in the church decorated with the flowers that had been ordered for the wedding. Her once-to-be-future mother-in-law insisted that they not be wasted.James was in a boating accident in Mexico while on a fishing trip and had been missing several weeks before his body was finally found. Aimee was not allowed to see the body. James’ brother Thomas took care of all that. He also gifted Aimee with a large check in excess of a quarter-million dollars on the day of the funeral and suggested that she fulfill her dream of starting her own restaurant with it. While leaving the church for the burial at the cemetery, Aimee is approached by a woman identifying herself as Lacy, who tells her James is still alive. The card she leaves with Aimee identifies her as a psychic medium and locator of missing persons.Aimee’s friends Kristen and Nadia are furious when they learn of Lacy accosting their friend with this ridiculous news. After the burial, they go home with Aimee who wisely chose not to attend the Donatos’ reception. The three friends whip up a pitcher of a favorite beverage and commiserate over the loss of James who at that point had been missing for nine weeks. They had all been friends since the Donatos moved to their little California town almost 20 years prior. Although there was no more anxiety and wonder about his fate, there was still no peace for Aimee who was really just beginning to realize the magnitude of her loss.When Aimee showed up for work as a pastry chef at her parents’ restaurant on the Monday morning following the funeral, her parents were aghast. They insisted she go home and had already made arrangements for a neighboring pastry shop to provide baked goods during Aimee’s absence. When she resisted, they finally convinced her to leave by telling her they were closing their restaurant due to indebtedness. She would have to find another job anyway. James had always planned to buy their restaurant for Aimee when the Tierneys retired. For Aimee, this was another death, another loss of the life she and James were supposed to share.Aimee basically becomes a recluse for a few months, keeping the home she and James shared a shrine to him and their planned life. His paintings are in the garage, in eight boxes, and many hang on their walls while his clothes still hang in his half of their closet. Letting go is not in her vocabulary much less her thoughts. The instinct to survive, along with some no-nonsense pushing from Nadia and Kristen bring Aimee back to the world. She decides to use Thomas’ check to buy the café where she and James used to breakfast every Sunday. As she goes through the machinations to make that happen, her outlook brightens and her friendship with Ian, a photographer, provides a way back to vibrancy.Lacy comes back into the picture and provides a small painting that seems to prove that James is indeed alive and living in Mexico under an assumed name with his own art studio. After a private investigator she hired tells her that indeed James is definitely dead and the artist known as Jaime Carlos Dominguez is not James Donato, Aimee decides to go to Mexico herself. It has been 19 months since he went missing and Aimee feels compelled to see for herself. Ian insists on going with her not just as her support but also because he has his own reasons for seeking out Lacy, whom he knows as Lucy.Ms. Lonsdale has woven a complex and clever story in Everything We Keep. The pace is excellent and keeps the reader interested. I read it in one sitting, but each chapter provides enough information along with a hint of intrigue to invite the reader to come back soon. Although most of the book is told in present time, there are a couple of chapters where the author fills in the back story of the characters, from their childhood to their young adult years. Each of these back story chapters comes at a point in the story where a new development in the Aimee/James story is about to happen. Lonsdale is very good at providing hints without giving away too much.This story is full of surprises. Just when you think Aimee has finally had enough of grief and mourning, something develops to take her back to JamesLand. Nothing really prepared me for the epilogue, where the author delivers a final thrust to the reader. I should have know she could not resist one more twist.If you are looking for a story with likable characters and an interesting plot that you can either take your time reading or finish in a few hours, give Everything We Keep a try. I doubt you’ll be disappointed. This review was posted in the coastal breeze news 09/02/16 issue. [...]

Nice summer read. Quick read in the beginning, then slows a little for me and midway to the end was pretty quick. This is the first in the series and the 2nd one has an interesting story as well.

loved the way it has been written. reading a good romance novel after soo long. therea toch of friendship, then a liitle bit of foodiness, travelling places and love. its like perfect combination for a romance novel. loved it loved it.

Man fiebert und leidet mit von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Es könnte durchaus noch länger dauern, was passiert mit James nach seinem Flash back...? Unbedingt empfehlenswert für Leser, die sich nicht nur mit oberflächlichen Liebesromanan zufriedengeben.

Ho comprato questo libro spinta dalle recensioni entusiaste, e dal fatto che fosse pubblicizzato come "A top Amazon bestseller of 2016 and Wall Street Journal bestseller". In realtà non mi è piaciuto. La trama non mi ha coinvolto, nonostante la sfumatura "thriller". I personaggi mi hanno lasciata abbastanza indifferente.

I bought this book a while ago and only just read it...It was really special. It is a fast read and had great character development. Aimee Tierney spends what was suppose to be her wedding day going to her groom's funeral. James took a business trip to Mexico and never came back after he went missing in a boating accident.Aimee went from planning to marry her childhood sweetheart, taking over the family restaurant when her parents retired and having her own family - to being lost. 'Everything We Keep' is a wonderful, mysterious and intriguing puzzle revolving around hints that Aimee keeps receiving. They start from a mysterious psychic woman and a stranger who approach Aimee in the parking lot after the funeral and tell her James is alive and culminate in her finally taking a trip to Mexico in search of James. The betrayals and secrets keep the story moving quickly and 'Everything We Keep' is an excellent romance. I enjoyed how it developed into a heart felt story. I would recommend this book to anyone that would enjoy a book that has interesting characters, a fast read and an amazing twist at the end.