People We Keep | 
pickI really loved this book. It left me with such a book hangover I didn't know what to do with myself when I finished. A flawed, but deeply wounded young heroine struggling to find a place where she feels safe and wanted. April makes so many mistakes but I just wanted to hold her and tell her that it would all be ok.
so-soYou know how you listen to or read a book, the protagonist suffers throughout childhood but then grows up, overcomes, and turns out strong and amazing? This isn‘t that. This is a terrible childhood followed by mistake, after mistake, after mistake. No one‘s held accountable for bad behavior, and no one is rewarded for good behavior, either. By the end of the book, I was just glad it was over. Good writing, but a so-so story.
Better late than never? I‘ve been ridiculously busy in June and just haven‘t carved out the time to do my month end updates. Here is where my #BookspinBingo for June finished up. Made a bingo but didn‘t make too much progress with my #BOTM catch up project (finished 2). I didn‘t finish my #Bookspin (The Lost Apothecary), but I did get #Doublespin (tagged).
Will post July next!
pickThese characters we so real, so heartbreaking. I wanted to wrap April in a blanket and never let her go. She was frustrating. Charming. And beautifully written. Perfect book for the Popsugar found family prompt.
pickLight pick. I was emotionally affected, and was really rooting for April throughout, but felt a bit cheated in character growth, seeing April repeatedly cycle through the same behaviors and patterns over the course of several years. Actions I could sympathize with when she was a neglected & abused 16 yo, were less excusable in her early 20s, still driven to escape out of convenience and embarrassment rather than stay and confront her issues.
pickSlow pick as my feelings were mixed on this. I was cheering for April to find her place and the loving people she deserved. On the other hand, this was a 16 yo abandoned first by her mother, then for unforgivable reasons, her father. She dislikes school, has no friends, is sexually active (well, of course she is) and leaves, and leaves again. I didn‘t always buy in to her story because she needed so much more than casual and occasional help.
“I think about all the times I wished someone would hold my hand when I felt defeated.”
“It scares me that you can get to be an adult and still feel that way.”
pickA surprisingly emotional story about a drifting teenager who leaves behind her hometown in the hope of finding somewhere to belong. After a nasty fight with her father, April steals her neighbor‘s car and drives to Ithaca, New York, a small college town that ends up being just one of many stops on her journey. This is a story about found family, and the pain of forging our own path.
pickI really enjoyed this story. It‘s a strong book about friendship overall and really shows that the only love you need in life is the kind that will always be there no matter what despite the hard times. The characters were so unique and well written that they felt like family and this book just made me feel warm in the end. I may have liked it to end a little differently but it was mostly realistic and I enjoyed it.
It‘s easy to fall in love with someone when you need them, but that doesn‘t make it real or right. I don‘t think how we were in our time together is how we‘d always be. There‘s a way you hold yourself in when love and need get tangled. It‘s hard to know what would last and what would wear too thin to keep 🛣🎶👶
so-soI wanted to like this one more based on the reviews, but I think the biggest problem was the person reading it. I think Ive aged out of coming of age tales. April has a pretty rough upbringing and after a last straw with her dad, hits the road to try life out on her own. Despite meeting some wonderful people; she was pretty terrible to all of them making it hard for me to sympathize with her. Borrowed from one of my people & my #doublespin
pickBeyond a doubt one of my favorite novels I have ever read. All the stars. Ended the last page, eyes a little welled, nose a little runny, heart very full. ❤️ Put this on your TBR.
Starting my #doublespin for February, on loan from a friend.
pickThis book was so good! Really well developed characters and a very engaging story! Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Educating the pups on the importance of your people 🤪 #currentlyreading in my Baby Yoda onesie next to the fireplace
I say it‘s amazing how much you can miss people you only got to be with for one tiny little perfect bit of time; how a place where you barely got to live can be the closest thing you‘ve ever had to a home.
Stronger Spine 2022 Reading Challenge! I was ONE BOOK SHY in 2021 🤦🏽♀️ here's to a completion this year.🥂
so-soThe story was cute and the writing easy to follow. Slightly repetitive and predictable.
pickBook 148
I listened to The People We Keep by Allison Larkin. It is an engaging story about a teenaged girl who leaves her small town to make a bigger life for herself. The relationships are compelling but end was a little disappointing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️ The starving artist trope is so overplayed, but this ended up being a solid #bookclub selection. Teenaged April leaves school and home, working and playing gigs in town after town. Questionable decisions bring on a lingering and overwhelming sense of foreboding. April is a good, well-meaning person. She doesn‘t need to be rescued, yet she does need someone to care. You can create your family. They need not be your blood to be your heart.
so-soI really wanted to like this, based on the title; but, the few shining stars of this story weren‘t enough to save it. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#the-people-we-keep
pickThe journey of Alex was so interesting, when the book came to end, I literally felt that the book should not end, every journey of hers, every place she haulted and every relation she made was really great to read. It is all about the People we keep
🌴𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽-𝗨𝗽🌺
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗪𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 by 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 by 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹 by 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗺𝗮𝗻⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝘀 by 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘆⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 by 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 by 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻⭐⭐⭐⭐
so-soWell narrated #audiobook
Loved the first half and found some heartwarming moments. But, it really dragged from there. Good but overblown ending.
pick
I throughly enjoyed this book. It was so heartwarming! I absolutely LOVED most of the characters! Even if it sounds strange, I feel like I know them personally. The author did a great job of making them feel so real. I really like this young author, and know that she will continue to excel. If you haven‘t read this book, please do so. You won‘t be sorry!
I am at a Women in the Woods Retreat this weekend so not much time for reading; however, I did sneak in some book time before bed.
pickWhat a great coming of age story. April was dealt a shit hand in life but she did the best she could and left a good mark on so many people. I can‘t imagine facing that kind of hardship at 39 let alone 16! I‘ll be looking at more of Allison Larkin‘s books for sure. Book #55 in 2021
panI just grabbed this last night from my #botm pile.Trying to whittle it down. Couldn‘t sleep,so I did finish.I was too lazy to get another book.I did enjoy the early chapters when April was still living in Little Rivers,some of the Ithaca scenes,especially her friendships with Carly & Ethan.But for the most part some of her wanderings/singing in bars,sleeping with men was boring & went on & on.Waste of my reading time.
#superseptember #readathon
#weeklyreport #Sept5toSept11 #overbookedclub #studentbuddyread #sophiesworld #literarycrew #audio #mystery
Finished 4 books & in various stages of the other 6.
How was your week
bailedYeah, I tried three times with this library #audiobook and never made it more than 11%. Not compelling, and I‘m not sure Julia Whelan was the right narrator. (But tbh, I‘m not a huge fan of her anyway.) Back it goes!
I‘m going to have to turn in my infrequent bailer card @BarbaraBB 😂
pickThis wonderful coming of age story has both humour and romance. It is lovely read.
pickTake a journey with April, a 16-year-old who feels unloved by her family and unaccepted by the people in her hometown. She roadtrips up & down the east coast playing her guitar, making some money & friends wherever she can. This coming of age story is both heartbreaking & hopeful. It's for anyone who ever felt that life can't be good or that they don't deserve friends who treat them like family. I found this to be a very calming & enjoyable read.
pickThis was a heartfelt novel that kept my attention and had me rooting for the characters. There were a few flaws to the story imo—mainly it felt a little unbelievable for me, as far as the ending mostly. That said, I think this is a great book about relationships and what we mean to others. #botm
pickSometimes we can‘t help who some of the people are around us, but we can always choose the people we keep close.
What a likable character! April is a singer/songwriter who is simply trying to find her way as she travels from one town to the next, chronicling her life and the people she meets by writing songs.
Will she ever find a place to stay and people who want to stay with her?
I loved this writing style, and an expected but satisfying end!
pickI loved this book soooooo much! Favorite of 2021 so far. So many feels! I felt sad for April…happy for her…cheered her on…then so angry I wanted to shake her! I had a roller coaster of emotions going on. I wanna say so much more, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Rating: 3.75 stars
Review: This was, in my opinion, a good book. I enjoyed the story. It also has a great message, especially for the teenage/young adult age brackets. Although the story was good (and I did enjoy it), I don't think that this book was ultimately for me. While I liked most of the characters and the setting, something about the book made me think, “I read it. I liked it. It's one-and-done.“
pickIf you like coming of age novels and stories that examine the meaning of family, this one is for you. A character-driven novel focused on what it means to be loved and the sacrifices we make to protect those who mean the most to us. I did not always like April's choices but I was rooting for her the whole way through. The ending was very satisfying and heart-warming. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
pickOMG! This is probably my favorite #BOTM choice this year! #BOTY material. The story was beautiful. I fell in love with all of the characters. The experiences that each character brought to the Novel were tender & heartbreaking. I didn't want to put it down & eagerly checked on my new friends at every opportunity. The ending had me sobbing in the best way. I cannot recommend this book enough. ❤️
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