Reviews with content warning for Drug use - The People We Keep

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The People We Keep by Allison Larkin

22 reviews

paperandspines's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

First off, this is a lovely story that will make your heart ache, and I loved the overall message of this book.
However, I did have some major issues with some plot points.

This one would have been a 4-4.5 star read except for the sexual relationship between a 16 yo and a 27 yo. That plot line almost made me put this down and count it as a DNF. The FMC lies about her age and says she’s 19 and even though the guy didn’t know…that still felt extremely icky and it was almost a deal breaker for me. Their relationship does end, but it shouldn’t have even started to begin with. I just couldn’t shake the icky feeling of the minor/adult relationship and it colored the entire rest of the book.

I think this story would have been more impactful had April been 19+. A lot of her actions and thought processes came across as too mature for a 16 year old-even one who has had to fend for herself. It was hard for me to believe this 16 year old was passing for 19 and working jobs and sleeping around without anyone suspecting her true age. She just seemed to have too much life experience and wisdom for a 16 year old. For example, the way she jumps in to help Carly with Rosemary-as a 16 year old I would never think to do that.

I did enjoy the ending and I’m glad that April finally realized that she does have people that genuinely love her and want what’s best for her. And I hate that she had to go through everything she did to figure it out. The final line of the book absolutely ripped me open and made me weepy.

Had it not been for that one major plot line, I would be screaming at everyone to read this book.

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thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

April's mum left and her dad has a new ready made family with his new girlfriend and her son. What does April have? She lives in her dad's motorless motorhome, a boyfriend who wants to plan to marry April and get out of their small town, and a substitute mum in the local diner's manager, Margo.

When April's dad smashes her guitar and her future dreams, she steals her dad's girlfriends car and goes on an unexpected soul searching journey across America.

You fall in love with April and her journey, with a raw and emotional story full of characters that are just right for that time they meet April. Your heart will break, laugh, cry and cheer as April discovers who she is and what friends and family mean to her.

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kylieqrada's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ok this book was emotional forreal forreal. Even though I forgot to mark this read and review it until now, when I finished it 4 days ago, I still have a real sense of the sadness that it conjured. A very intense book with a lot of hard-hitting, gorgeous writing and unflinching narrative choices. There were a few things that I had a mild case of the eeks about, but overall, a positive experience!

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martachbc's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

After teenaged April’s deadbeat dad disappoints her for the last time, she takes off in his car with the only thing of value he ever gave her - a guitar. Determined to start a new life for herself, she settled in a New York college town before beginning a nomadic, troubadour life up and down the East Coast. With just enough professional success to eke out a living, April doesn’t want for much - just a home, and a family, to call her own.

I loved this heart-aching story - though it certainly left me emotionally bereft quite a few time. April was such a strong but sad character, and I so desperately wanted things to go her way. Of course, this is a 300-plus page book, so be prepared for a lot to go wrong in her journey. But the glimmers of hope, which Allison Larkin carefully bread-crumbs along the way, teach April - and us - powerful lessons about what it means to love and be loved in return.

What’s holding me back from giving this five stars is a *totally personal preference* regarding what makes a satisfying story arc. Ultimately, I thought the climax and conclusion fit the characters and story.

It’s easy to see why this book made so many “best of” lists last year - I can’t recommend it enough.

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leahrosiee's review

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challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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gissellereads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I finished this book and I just wanted to give it a big hug! This is the kind of character driven books that I love. It is a character driven coming of age story set in the 90’s over the span of a few years. I enjoyed the character development, the plot and the themes throughout the book. You can’t help it but root for the main character April. It is a heartfelt story and one that I’ll think about for a long time.

I made the mistake of finishing it while on a plane and I cried at the end. It is a rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed the ride. This is a story that is both sad but also hopeful. It is a story about the people we cross paths with and the impact they have in our lives. There are so many great characters that will stay with me for a while.

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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Almost up to the ending of this novel, I thought I was going to hate the book. The events in the last few chapters were incredibly upsetting and made me feel really badly for the main character, April. I thought the book was going to have a sad ending and I loved April so much that I didn’t want that for her. However, the ending is the most perfect ending that could exist for this book. I cried, I laughed — I thought about my own life and the people that I have kept and those who I’ve had to let go. The reasons that we choose people to be in our lives has a lot to do with how we feel our family is supposed to be. Family is not who is related to you by blood, but it’s those people who come into your life and are unwilling to leave you, even when life gets messy, as it undoubtedly will.

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