In Kaya McLaren's What's Worth Keeping, during one unforgettable summer, three generations of one family receive the best gift of all time: a second chance...
The day her doctor says the one word that no one wants to hear, Amy Bergstrom discovers a secret that her husband of 25 years has been keeping from her. Now that the months of treatment and surgeries are behind her, she escapes her claustrophobic life seeking healing, peace and clarity in an ancient forest in Washington State, a forest that holds memories of her childhood summers.
After dropping off his daughter at Amy’s Aunt Rae’s horse ranch in the mountains of New Mexico, Officer Paul Bergstrom visits the fixer-upper he had bought years ago as a place to retire with his family. Although it appears fine on the outside, the inside is a disaster—just like his marriage. When he finds himself with more off-duty time than he expected, he lovingly repairs his dream home, building the future he so desperately wants.
Witnessing her mother’s health crisis had been terrifying enough, but learning the cause was genetic leaves Carly with the sense that all of her dreams are pointless. With the help of her eccentric great aunt and a Clydesdale named T. Rex, Carly just may find her faith in her future again.
Amy, Paul, and Carly discover that love and family are worth keeping in this powerful, emotional, and hopeful novel.
MY THOUGHTS
This is my first book by Kaya McLaren. I look forward to reading more.
This book will pull at your heart. It will draw you in and won't let go. You will love and hate some of the characters but ultimately they definitely will grow on you and worm their way into your heart.
It's the story of a loss. Not just any loss but a woman's loss. Cancer hits Amy hard. In a huge way. She finds out some things about her husband also. So she's dealing with a whole lot. A whole lot of hurt and anger. Fear and pain. Amy takes her life into her own hands and goes on an adventure of a lifetime. One she loves and was meant to take. To find herself and get back to her roots all in one. You will read a lot of beautiful descriptions in this book too. It will feel like you are right there with Amy. In all the beauty she sees. All the pain she feels. All her fears. Ups and downs.
This book is told from Amy, her husband Paul and their daughter Carly's points of views. How each is dealing with not only what Amy is dealing with but what each of them are dealing with also. Each has a lot on their plates. A whole lot of pain and sadness. Fears. Hopes. Each needing forgiveness. This family needs so much. Some deep healing. Some forgiving and hope. Each takes the time to find a part of themselves and deals with the loss that Amy went through. Each has a story that will touch your heart. It's a beautiful story of so much misunderstanding. Of falling apart and building back up again. It's a family story that really needed to be told.
I loved the characters in this book. I thought I was going to hate Paul but I didn't. I felt bad for him. Once I got to know him. Carly was your typical teen dealing with typical things and on top of that what her mother was going through. She was a strong kid and also weak in many ways too. She said some things that she truly didn't mean and it ate at her bad. Amy did what she had to do to survive this. She thought her life as she knew it was over.
I absolutely LOVED this book. It made me cry some pretty hard tears. Feel some pretty hard feelings. Fears were there. But the beauty in the descriptions, most of them, was just wonderful. Soul touching. The sights you will see in this book will stay with you for a long time. Some of the descriptions are bad but realistic which makes it ok. Overall this is truly a book that needs to be read.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #KayaMcLaren, #StMartin'sPress for this ARC. These are my own true thoughts.
5/5 stars and a very high recommend. Have lots of tissues handy while reading though.
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