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A review by chelsss_ann
What We Keep by Jennifer Millikin
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I knew What We Keep was going to be an emotional sucker punch, but Jennifer Millikin really outdid herself this time. Her books aren't ones you fly through (if you do, how does it feel to be mentally stable??), and What We Keep is no different. One of the things I love about this author's books are how we really flesh out all the uncomfortable things we don't usually see in romance books. Trust is broken - how does it get fixed? What are the MC's thoughts when they want to trust that person again, but are so hurt by their actions that they don't know if they can have an HEA? Those are the things you get to walk through in Jennifer Millikin's books.
I was just so distraught throughout this book. In the first part of the book, we see the story unfolding as if it's in present time, but it's really interwoven between therapy sessions that Avery is taking part in. I really liked this format, because before we even know what happens to tear apart Avery and Gabriel, we're seeing how Avery is learning more about her role in everything that went down.
Then during Part 2, we leave the therapy sessions behind, and instead, we get Gabriel's POV. Which is just heart-wrenching. Both of these characters are dealing with loss and abandonment from their childhood/early adulthood, and how this trauma is laced throughout the story is just so realistic. I was crying more than once while reading Gabriel and Avery's story, and how fate didn't think they were quite over.
Jennifer Millikin writes real love stories. Not necessarily the ones we escape into so that we forget what's really happening in our lives, but instead, she writes stories that help us heal or grow without even realizing it. But don't let that scare you. This is an author you need to read.
I was just so distraught throughout this book. In the first part of the book, we see the story unfolding as if it's in present time, but it's really interwoven between therapy sessions that Avery is taking part in. I really liked this format, because before we even know what happens to tear apart Avery and Gabriel, we're seeing how Avery is learning more about her role in everything that went down.
Then during Part 2, we leave the therapy sessions behind, and instead, we get Gabriel's POV. Which is just heart-wrenching. Both of these characters are dealing with loss and abandonment from their childhood/early adulthood, and how this trauma is laced throughout the story is just so realistic. I was crying more than once while reading Gabriel and Avery's story, and how fate didn't think they were quite over.
Jennifer Millikin writes real love stories. Not necessarily the ones we escape into so that we forget what's really happening in our lives, but instead, she writes stories that help us heal or grow without even realizing it. But don't let that scare you. This is an author you need to read.