A review by bethany6788
The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Truly, this book was something I absolutely needed to read. I loved reading @mason_deaver’s acknowledgments and author’s note for this book. So much of this book was so relatable to me. As someone who lost their dad at 12 years old, suddenly, with no opportunity to say goodbye, it made me cry. I was able to relate to so much of what Liam was going through. Their struggles were not exactly the same, but some of these lines could have been pulled straight from my brain. And those friends!!! They didn’t even try to understand. I’m glad Liam had Marcus, but even that was a difficult thing for them because their own feelings were wrapped up in it. Their parents really were doing their best.

I really don’t have words to explain what this book means to me. But as a 35 year old adult woman, this is the book I needed when I was 16 years old. Thank you to Mason Deaver for writing such raw and real stories. Grief is universal. And it’s messy. And it’s cathartic. And it’s sad. And it’s hard. I’m gonna go wipe my face now.