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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I absolutely loved Everything We Keep, it had me holding my breath and broke my heart for all the characters. So I was so happy to know that a sequel was coming from James perspective. This book was just as good as the first. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time wondering what would happen. Thanks kerry for such a good conclusion to this heartbreaking story.
Better than the first book
It's better than the first book. I thought the ending would be more dramatic in terms of actions, but it's ok. I like how the author tried to make round characters.
It's better than the first book. I thought the ending would be more dramatic in terms of actions, but it's ok. I like how the author tried to make round characters.
Amazing follow up
This really tied things from the last book well. It was great to see the next point in their lives and tie up loose ends
This really tied things from the last book well. It was great to see the next point in their lives and tie up loose ends
i thought this was a great sequel. it was really interesting to see the whole story from James/Carlos’s perspectives. I liked that we saw both of their stories. i was sad that we hardly saw Aimee in the story. i feel like james would’ve make a bigger deal to see her and for how much she cared about him, i am surprised she didn’t reach out more. i do love kerry’s use of epilogues for plot twists and cliff hangers. i think i didn’t love how james just accepted that phil didn’t try killing him, but i loved how he drew the line at the end. i thought the pacing was nice and i was satisfied with this read. onto the third!
I am probably in the minority of reviewers so far, because I did not like this book. In fact, I couldn't even finish it. The going back and forth between Carlos (in the past) and James (in the present) was confusing for me. Too much of this story was inside the character's head, instead of explaining what was happening in the story. I enjoyed the first book, 'Everything We Keep', more than this, although I never felt that urge or desire to find out what happened to James throughout either book. Unfortunately, when reading this book I was bored and felt dread whenever I went to pick it up. I'm sure this book is great for many other people, it just wasn't for me.
**ARC generously provided to me from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
**ARC generously provided to me from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I read the previous book in the series, [b:Everything We Keep|29639736|Everything We Keep (Everything #1)|Kerry Lonsdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1459205790s/29639736.jpg|46247179], through the (now-called) Amazon First Reads program, and the third is coming to me via Netgalley, so I happily went out and purchased the Kindle version of this sequel to read beforehand. Womp, womp.
Where book one was tender and emotional at times, I found this installment to be pretty lackluster and easy to skim. Neither version of the main character, be he James or be he Carlos, was engaging enough to hold the steering wheel. Lonsdale wrote both sides of the man as angsty and repeating a basic ohmygodnowwhatdoIdo? mantra. The [a:V.C. Andrews|1353301|V.C. Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413410493p2/1353301.jpg]-esque incestuous relationship was talked about more often here, and it felt as awkward and out of place as it did in the first book, just not cushioned by a better story. The mom and the brothers gave off a distinct cardboard cutout odor. Regrettably, Natalya and Carlos were far more interesting than the direction this story is headed.
While the writing quality and story depth suffered a bit in this one, the main weight that pulled the story down continuously was the existence of this journal supposedly written in great detail by Carlos to James. Now, I have no doubt that Carlos would write a journal to jot down everything he so desperately wants James to know, when and if he does surface. No, my issue is that we don't see the journal entries; we only see the novel's regular narration from Carlos's POV. But then James directly references these portions of the book as though they were journal entries. Journal entries are rarely written like actual books with full paragraphs, full dialogue, and properly structured sentences. This entire side of the narration, Carlos's POV, drove me nuts the entire time. It just dripped with the presence of the author, and brought me fully back into the real world every time.
I am looking forward to hearing more from Ian from the first book. So, here's hoping for a better book in the third one, [b:Everything We Give: A Novel|36689505|Everything We Give A Novel|Kerry Lonsdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517417236s/36689505.jpg|58418974].
Where book one was tender and emotional at times, I found this installment to be pretty lackluster and easy to skim. Neither version of the main character, be he James or be he Carlos, was engaging enough to hold the steering wheel. Lonsdale wrote both sides of the man as angsty and repeating a basic ohmygodnowwhatdoIdo? mantra. The [a:V.C. Andrews|1353301|V.C. Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1413410493p2/1353301.jpg]-esque incestuous relationship was talked about more often here, and it felt as awkward and out of place as it did in the first book, just not cushioned by a better story. The mom and the brothers gave off a distinct cardboard cutout odor. Regrettably, Natalya and Carlos were far more interesting than the direction this story is headed.
While the writing quality and story depth suffered a bit in this one, the main weight that pulled the story down continuously was the existence of this journal supposedly written in great detail by Carlos to James. Now, I have no doubt that Carlos would write a journal to jot down everything he so desperately wants James to know, when and if he does surface. No, my issue is that we don't see the journal entries; we only see the novel's regular narration from Carlos's POV. But then James directly references these portions of the book as though they were journal entries. Journal entries are rarely written like actual books with full paragraphs, full dialogue, and properly structured sentences. This entire side of the narration, Carlos's POV, drove me nuts the entire time. It just dripped with the presence of the author, and brought me fully back into the real world every time.
I am looking forward to hearing more from Ian from the first book. So, here's hoping for a better book in the third one, [b:Everything We Give: A Novel|36689505|Everything We Give A Novel|Kerry Lonsdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517417236s/36689505.jpg|58418974].
Everything We Left Behind is the follow up Kerry Lonsdale's debut book Everything We Keep. Perhaps, the nonlinear timeline creates a disconnect. Perhaps, James is a less interesting character than Aimee. Perhaps, the styles of the books and the story they tell is too similar. Perhaps, I read the two books one after the other. Perhaps, the mystery is lacking, and the ending is predictable. For all these reasons, this book is still an entertaining read but a less engaging one than the first.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/10/everything-we-left-behind.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/10/everything-we-left-behind.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes