The People We Keep
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-18 11:21:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Allison Larkin
- ISBN：1797124382
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The People we Keep is about a young songwriter longing to find a home in the world。
Little River， New York， 1994: April Sawicki is living in a run-down motorhome， flunking out of school， and picking up shifts at the local diner。 But when April realizes she’s finally had enough—enough of her selfish， absent father and barely surviving in an unfeeling town—she decides to make a break for it。 Stealing a car and with only her music to keep her company， April hits the road， determined to live life on her own terms。
She manages to scrape together a meaningful existence as she travels， encountering people and places she’s never dreamed of， and could never imagine deserving。 From lifelong friendships to tragic heartbreaks， April chronicles her journey in the beautiful music she creates as she discovers that home is with the people you choose to keep。
Little River， New York， 1994: April Sawicki is living in a run-down motorhome， flunking out of school， and picking up shifts at the local diner。 But when April realizes she’s finally had enough—enough of her selfish， absent father and barely surviving in an unfeeling town—she decides to make a break for it。 Stealing a car and with only her music to keep her company， April hits the road， determined to live life on her own terms。
She manages to scrape together a meaningful existence as she travels， encountering people and places she’s never dreamed of， and could never imagine deserving。 From lifelong friendships to tragic heartbreaks， April chronicles her journey in the beautiful music she creates as she discovers that home is with the people you choose to keep。
Reviews
Mary Ann Bernarducci
，
Excellent！！
Nichole
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5I did not get the ending that I was hoping for here。 I guess I was supposed to pick up at the beginning of Part 2 that April's life of touring wasn't going to turn into a successful music career when she opens with how draining she finds performing to be。 But ending up pregnant at 19 with no plan in pace to care for a child and then magically being reunited with all of her "people" and being saved by motherhood was a letdown。 I thought The People We Keep was going to be her first #1 on the Bi 2。5I did not get the ending that I was hoping for here。 I guess I was supposed to pick up at the beginning of Part 2 that April's life of touring wasn't going to turn into a successful music career when she opens with how draining she finds performing to be。 But ending up pregnant at 19 with no plan in pace to care for a child and then magically being reunited with all of her "people" and being saved by motherhood was a letdown。 I thought The People We Keep was going to be her first #1 on the Billboard charts， and that's the ending I'm envisioning for April after she gets some stability and gets Max through the baby years。 。。。more
Ticey Geyer
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🎧 Julia Whelan is the narrator and she’s amazing as always。 I’m still not sure on my thoughts about the book。 It’s sad and heartbreaking and honestly quite depressing even though there are many redeeming moments throughout。 I think it falls between 3。5-3。75 for me。
Michelle
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There was some really nice writing here， some beautiful passages and attention to detail。 I really wanted to love it， but it just didn’t resonate with me。 Maybe it was a little disjointed， or maybe it drug too much in the middle and got boring。 It could have been the trite ending。 The best parts were the song lyrics and April’s relationship with music。 I could have had more of that。
Stacy
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Received this book for Book of the Month July 2021。 Quick easy read with enjoyable storyline and great characters
Cassie
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Sixteen year old high school drop out April Sawicki knows there’s so much more to life than the one she lives in her desperate， tiny hometown in upstate New York。 Abandoned by her mother， and with an absentee father， all it takes is for one massive fight between her and her dad to send April away for good。 Homeless and alone， she finds herself in Ithaca where she begins to build her community and a sense of belonging。 However， she fears the secrets of her past will catch up with her， and so she Sixteen year old high school drop out April Sawicki knows there’s so much more to life than the one she lives in her desperate， tiny hometown in upstate New York。 Abandoned by her mother， and with an absentee father， all it takes is for one massive fight between her and her dad to send April away for good。 Homeless and alone， she finds herself in Ithaca where she begins to build her community and a sense of belonging。 However， she fears the secrets of her past will catch up with her， and so she painfully leaves her new life behind， spending the next three years traveling the East Coast playing music gigs wherever she can， belonging to no one or nowhere in particular。 But when life eventually forces her to slow down， she quickly learns that home isn’t just a place—it’s also the people you surround yourself with。This book completely broke my heart， rearranged it， and put it back together。 The writing was so powerful， with the narrative written in such a way that you can’t help but genuinely feel every single thing April is feeling， too。 A story of purpose， belonging， and found family， April’s story really drives home the point that sometimes your family isn’t always the one that you are born into。 Sometimes， your family is the one you create。 。。。more
Susan Kovach
，
3。5ish
Becca Hawley
，
This book gave me hope in something I didn’t even know I needed。 April’s story resonates with me on so many levels。 If this book were turned in a movie， I would be the first person in line to see it。 This will definitely be a title I have on my bookshelf to read every year！
Paula
，
Get your tissues ready！ The People We Keep is a real tear jerker， but only in the best ways。If you like books about found family， you would probably like this book a lot。 I loved the main character， April， and getting to hear her inner monologue was a real treat。 This gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes while also feeling like a Kristin Hannah novel， and I am in love。 ❤ An added bonus， the QUEEN of audio book narraration， Julia Whelan narrated this if audio books are your thing。 Seriously， sto Get your tissues ready！ The People We Keep is a real tear jerker， but only in the best ways。If you like books about found family， you would probably like this book a lot。 I loved the main character， April， and getting to hear her inner monologue was a real treat。 This gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes while also feeling like a Kristin Hannah novel， and I am in love。 ❤ An added bonus， the QUEEN of audio book narraration， Julia Whelan narrated this if audio books are your thing。 Seriously， stop reading the reviews and read this book！ 。。。more
Katie McClanahan
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All the feels on this one。
Katie Henry
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3。5 stars
Margaret
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I liked this one。 I had a soft spot for the main character。 Tugs at your heart strings。 She makes connections and creates her family of her choosing since her own family sucks。
Jessie Georges
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I LOVED this book。 I love how April， the protagonist， didn't let the family she was born into define her。 She was abandoned by her father and deserted by her mother。 Instead of accepting that fate， she took life by the horns and pursued。 I love the connections she made throughout her life。 Some were good and some were bad， but they all shaped her and her life。 I love that some of those connections remained in spite of desertion and distance。 When she was most in need， the people she loved the mo I LOVED this book。 I love how April， the protagonist， didn't let the family she was born into define her。 She was abandoned by her father and deserted by her mother。 Instead of accepting that fate， she took life by the horns and pursued。 I love the connections she made throughout her life。 Some were good and some were bad， but they all shaped her and her life。 I love that some of those connections remained in spite of desertion and distance。 When she was most in need， the people she loved the most and who loved her， were there for her。 In spite of their differences， they were bound by love。 Looking forward to reading more by this author！ 。。。more
Allie
，
This didn’t really do it for me。 I think the abrupt changes in storyline kept me from connecting with any of the characters。 It didn’t help that many side characters were briefly mentioned as if we already knew who they were。 That， plus April kind of annoying me， made the story seem uninteresting IMO。
Kellie Dill
，
This was a nice surprise as I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did！ I wanted to keep reading about April and her story。 There were so many likeable characters and it was a great read。
Katelyn
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I’m sad I didn’t pick this up sooner。 I’m glad I finally got it from BOTM。 This is now tied for my fav book of the year！ April is a fantastic， STRONG， Fiercely independent kid turned woman。 Her story is heartbreaking + tragic at times while at the same time heartwarming + hopeful。 This gave me all the feels。 April’s coming of age story and her harsh realities made such a beautiful story
Alana
，
April’s story is a heartbreaking coming-of-age journey。 She’s a wonderful， realistic character—I identified with how independent and self-focused she was as a kid。 She definitely made some bad choices and it broke my heart to watch her struggle。 I cheered for her as she grew into her ability to trust and love。 Carly， Margo and Ethan were such solid support characters。 I loved the unhurried pace of the story and the thoughtful character development。 And Julia Whelan is a masterful narrator。 I lov April’s story is a heartbreaking coming-of-age journey。 She’s a wonderful， realistic character—I identified with how independent and self-focused she was as a kid。 She definitely made some bad choices and it broke my heart to watch her struggle。 I cheered for her as she grew into her ability to trust and love。 Carly， Margo and Ethan were such solid support characters。 I loved the unhurried pace of the story and the thoughtful character development。 And Julia Whelan is a masterful narrator。 I loved how she brought April to life。 Thank you to @simon。audio for this review copy。 The opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sonnie
，
4。5
Amanda Dollar
，
This book was so beautiful！ I love the idea that we go through our lives collecting people that change our lives in such a way like April did。 A quick read， I couldn’t put it down once I hit the halfway mark and had to finish before I went to bed！
Deanna
，
4。5 stars
Kari Ann Sweeney
，
I read this in a day- curled up on the porch on a rainy， “let the to-do list wait” Sunday。 It was the right book at the right time。 I loved it。 The writing was lyrical and engaging and the story was layered and emotional。 I was invested in the main character， April， from page one。 She’s resilient yet a little naïve。 She is gutsy but vulnerable。 Her journey broke my heart and put it back together again and again。 Watching her learn to trust and love （herself and others） while building a found fa I read this in a day- curled up on the porch on a rainy， “let the to-do list wait” Sunday。 It was the right book at the right time。 I loved it。 The writing was lyrical and engaging and the story was layered and emotional。 I was invested in the main character， April， from page one。 She’s resilient yet a little naïve。 She is gutsy but vulnerable。 Her journey broke my heart and put it back together again and again。 Watching her learn to trust and love （herself and others） while building a found family had me transfixed。 I also loved the time period – 1994。 I was around the same age as April during that time。 Apart from the coming-of-age components， my story is nothing like hers。 But all the other elements were vibrant。 I found comfort in the nostalgia。 。。。more
Shannon
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What happens when the adults in your life fail you？ What happens when your Mother leaves you and your Father finds another family。 It's not pretty。April's journey to finding "home" is a must read。 So many people hurt April in her life but there are always people to keep :） What happens when the adults in your life fail you？ What happens when your Mother leaves you and your Father finds another family。 It's not pretty。April's journey to finding "home" is a must read。 So many people hurt April in her life but there are always people to keep :） 。。。more
Lara
，
I loved this so much。 Allie Larkin’s characters have a way of worming themselves into my heart until I stay up past 2 AM on a Sunday night because I can’t bear to sleep without knowing what happens to them。 Getting up early to get to work tomorrow is going to suck， but this book sure didn’t。
Manders
，
So far， this is the best books I’ve read in 2021！
Angela Pineda
，
4。5 stars。 This book really surprised me， and I love being surprised。 The People We Keep is ultimately about life’s journey and found family。 We meet 16 year old April， whose home life is non existent; her mother left years ago， and her loser absentee father cares more about his new girlfriend’s family than his own daughter。 She soon leaves her podunk town， setting off to find a different life。 This is a bit like a coming of age story， but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies。 April made a lot 4。5 stars。 This book really surprised me， and I love being surprised。 The People We Keep is ultimately about life’s journey and found family。 We meet 16 year old April， whose home life is non existent; her mother left years ago， and her loser absentee father cares more about his new girlfriend’s family than his own daughter。 She soon leaves her podunk town， setting off to find a different life。 This is a bit like a coming of age story， but it’s not all rainbows and butterflies。 April made a lot of decisions I did not agree with， but I understood why she did them。 I rooted for her the whole time （and 35-year-old me really wanted to give her a hug）。 I did have mixed feelings on a relationship in the story （all I’ll say to avoid spoilers）。 But overall- this was a beautifully written story and I’m so glad I took a chance on it。Random thought: I would not consider this book historical fiction， despite being set in the 1990s。 It’s much more contemporary or literary fiction， in my opinion。 。。。more
Irina Jackson
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Wow， what a beautiful heartwarming book Highly recommend！！
Dana
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2。5 starsIt took me over a month to finish this。 I didn't feel any connection to the characters， and I was endlessly frustrated with every decision April made and how she always up and abandoned people。 It was less about people she kept and more about the people who forced her to stop running away。 She really didn't have much growth even though her age range throughout the book （16-19/20） suggests she should've matured at least a bit more than she did。 I didn't think the writing was particularly 2。5 starsIt took me over a month to finish this。 I didn't feel any connection to the characters， and I was endlessly frustrated with every decision April made and how she always up and abandoned people。 It was less about people she kept and more about the people who forced her to stop running away。 She really didn't have much growth even though her age range throughout the book （16-19/20） suggests she should've matured at least a bit more than she did。 I didn't think the writing was particularly bad， but the story was very slow and not very engaging。 The second half of the book was a bit better， and I did like the little section of the book with April and Ethan。 Overall， I think that's what saved this book。 。。。more
Teresa
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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The People We Keep by Allison Larkin。April is a high schooler， stuck in a dump of a motorhome with a dad who doesn't care about her， a mother who she doesn't know， and no money to take care of herself。 Finally fed up with the bleakness of her life， she steals enough money to run away and start a new life。 But her age and the shame of her secrets make it difficult for her to put down roots anywhere。 Will April be able to settle down and make a life？I adore thes Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The People We Keep by Allison Larkin。April is a high schooler， stuck in a dump of a motorhome with a dad who doesn't care about her， a mother who she doesn't know， and no money to take care of herself。 Finally fed up with the bleakness of her life， she steals enough money to run away and start a new life。 But her age and the shame of her secrets make it difficult for her to put down roots anywhere。 Will April be able to settle down and make a life？I adore these kinds of stories。 A journey of loss， disappointment， discovery， romance， friendship， family， and learning about what's most important。 I love the theme of how， even when you lose people， they will always have a positive impact on your life。 I also really appreciated how family can be the people you choose， despite blood relations。 It was so sweet， but not enough to give you a toothache。 I loved it。 。。。more
Sarah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I found this book very difficult to read。 All of the characters were one dimensional。 I could not emotionally connect to April or her experiences。 The ending of the book angered me that all of these people she treated so poorly just so easily came together and forgave her。
Karlie Schaefer
，
"𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦。 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥。"The People We Keep by Allison Larkin takes the reader on 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 and down the east coast playing her guitar and singing， making some money and friends wherever she can。 This coming of age story is both heartbreaking and hopeful。 It's for anyone who ever felt that life can't be good or that they didn't "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦。 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥。"The People We Keep by Allison Larkin takes the reader on 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 and down the east coast playing her guitar and singing， making some money and friends wherever she can。 This coming of age story is both heartbreaking and hopeful。 It's for anyone who ever felt that life can't be good or that they didn't deserve the friends who treat them like family。 I found this to be a very calming and enjoyable read。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The People We Keep
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The People We Keep&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The People We Keep&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0