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The Words We Keep

The Words We Keep

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-28 06:54:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Erin Stewart
  • ISBN：1984848860
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A beautifully realistic， relatable story about mental health and the healing powers of art--perfect for fans of Girl in Pieces and How it Feels to Float。

It's been three months since The Night on the Bathroom Floor--when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself。 Ever since then， Lily has been desperately trying to keep things together， for herself and for her family。 But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program and it is becoming harder for Lily to ignore all of the feelings she's been trying to outrun。

Enter Micah， a new student at school with a past of his own。 He was in treatment with Alice and seems determined to get Lily to process not only Alice's experience， but her own。 Because Lily has secrets， too。 Compulsions she can't seem to let go of and thoughts she can't drown out。

When Lily and Micah embark on an art project for school involving finding poetry in unexpected places， she realizes that it's the words she's been swallowing that desperately want to break through。

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Reviews

Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens ，

Following the discovery of her older sister， Alice， self-harming on the bathroom floor， Lily grapples with her own increasingly perilous mental health as she navigates her junior year and a class partnership with Micah， a new student who knows her sister from the treatment center。

Zimbellina ，

I read this in one sitting。 A great book that covers a variety of mental illness’ and the effects。 I ugly cried at the end。 I liked how the main character’s views about mental illness changed and was shaped by her sister and her own struggles。 Wonderfully written， important to read。

Abigail Browngoehl ，

gorgeously written - i felt like lily was my old friend。 a powerful plot， with great moments of levity。

Randi ，

I was not expecting to love this has much as I did。 It was such a real， raw and relatable look at mental health！ Lily's inner monologs were captivating， because of how authentic it was。 You follow Lily after witnesses her sisters attempted suicide， and how she deals with it while also dealing with her own monsters。 Then comes in Micah。 Who has his own battles but stayed true to himself and to Lily the entire time。 The ending was perfect because it wasn't all tied up in a bow， because that's not I was not expecting to love this has much as I did。 It was such a real， raw and relatable look at mental health！ Lily's inner monologs were captivating， because of how authentic it was。 You follow Lily after witnesses her sisters attempted suicide， and how she deals with it while also dealing with her own monsters。 Then comes in Micah。 Who has his own battles but stayed true to himself and to Lily the entire time。 The ending was perfect because it wasn't all tied up in a bow， because that's not life。 Especially woth mental illnesses， it's an everyday battle。 You do have to choose to Stay。 Overall this was such a good read， up there with a top favorite for dealing with these issues。 。。。more

Haileigh Taylor ，

What a beautiful story。 It depicted mental illness SO well。 As someone with lived experience of mental illness， I love this book！

Hannah Thompson ，

Wow。

E ，

Now that it's summer and I have time to post reviews， here's my review of The Words We Keep by Erin Steward。 This book is honestly my favorite young adult book I've ever read。 YA is usually an extreme miss for me （too many repetitive tropes and way too many stereotypical love stories） so I wasn't expecting too much。 MY EXPECTATIONS WERE BLOWN OUT OF WATER！ The Words We Keep is about Lily， a track team super-star， poet， and amazing student。 When the book opens Lily's sister Alice has been diagno Now that it's summer and I have time to post reviews， here's my review of The Words We Keep by Erin Steward。 This book is honestly my favorite young adult book I've ever read。 YA is usually an extreme miss for me （too many repetitive tropes and way too many stereotypical love stories） so I wasn't expecting too much。 MY EXPECTATIONS WERE BLOWN OUT OF WATER！ The Words We Keep is about Lily， a track team super-star， poet， and amazing student。 When the book opens Lily's sister Alice has been diagnosed with bipolar depression after a suicide attempt Lily witnessed a few months prior to when the book starts。 Alice was sent away to Fairview， a residential treatment facility for youth with mental health problems。 After Alice is diagnosed Lily feels pressure to keep everything under raps: her sister's whereabouts， her track times slowing， her self harm and put on a facade。 What people see from the outside is nothing like the Lily that lies within。 Lily meets Micah， a transfer student who has just gotten out of Fairview， the same facility Alice is in。 They get paired together on a school project to combine writing and art。 They grow close as Alice comes home。 Micah knows that the outside Lily is not the real Lily because he knows what it's like to live with demons as a kid with depression （view spoiler）[whose father killed themselves。 （hide spoiler）] He knows her demons and together they become undercover poets while falling in love as it becomes clear that Lily is becoming more and more not okay while at the same time not wanting to be the "problem child" like Alice。 By the end of the book I just wanted to give everyone a hug。 The book I didn't think I'd like ended up being the book that shook me to my core。 Anyone （myself included） who's struggled with an anxiety disorder can relate to Lily erasing her thoughts （the filtered thought she says is on one side while the real thought is crossed out to the side） and the monsters in her head， the many voices coming together to tell you you'll never be enough。 The characters are real， raw， relatable and WHOLESOME。 Whether you've dealt with mental health problems or not everyone will identify with the characters and see themselves in their shoes。 Lily's problems are so similar to my problems and （view spoiler）[ I'm so， so happy she got help。 （hide spoiler）] I'm happy the stepmom character is so positive since nice stepparents are a dime a dozen in lit these days。 （Also， if you're an annotator BRING THE HIGHLIGHTERS because Erin Steward knows how to write！ I wanted highlight every line。 The author does a great job of accurately describing mental health issues。 I can't explain it， all I know is that if I had to choose one word to describe Erin's writing style the word would be BEAUTIFUL The writing quality is a big part of the reason I gave such a high rating， and trust me I am NOT one of those readers who gives everything five stars。） 。。。more

Julija ，

literally the best book i ever read omg。。。

G ，

I struggled to get into this book at first but then I couldn’t put it down。 A very good representation of anxiety， self harm and mental health as a whole。 It definitely isn’t the cliche ‘two mentally ill teens find each other and are magically fixed’， in fact it’s the complete opposite， more realistic truth。 It reminded me a little of All The Bright Places which is a huge compliment as that is one of my all time favourite books。 It is very deep with some lovely writing， but there is also humour I struggled to get into this book at first but then I couldn’t put it down。 A very good representation of anxiety， self harm and mental health as a whole。 It definitely isn’t the cliche ‘two mentally ill teens find each other and are magically fixed’， in fact it’s the complete opposite， more realistic truth。 It reminded me a little of All The Bright Places which is a huge compliment as that is one of my all time favourite books。 It is very deep with some lovely writing， but there is also humour in here too as well as， of course， romance。 Overall a great book and one I’d definitely read again。Recommended for ages 13+。 TW: Suicide attempt， self harm， depression and anxiety 。。。more

T。 Rosado ，

2。5 StarsI’m always on the lookout for a YA novel with emotional depth and a sweet romance， but I wasn’t a fan of the heroine’s narrative in this one。 I appreciated the fact that she’s dealing with so many variables in her life and her own mental health crisis， but I struggled to find much of the story realistic。 There were some moving moments， but at times overdone verging on melodramatic。 My biggest problem was how bullying was handled or more apt， not handled in this story。 （view spoiler）[ Fi 2。5 StarsI’m always on the lookout for a YA novel with emotional depth and a sweet romance， but I wasn’t a fan of the heroine’s narrative in this one。 I appreciated the fact that she’s dealing with so many variables in her life and her own mental health crisis， but I struggled to find much of the story realistic。 There were some moving moments， but at times overdone verging on melodramatic。 My biggest problem was how bullying was handled or more apt， not handled in this story。 （view spoiler）[ First， when there’s an online social media platform exclusively for students， there's a high risk for cyberbullying。 It's inevitable that the school administration will discover the site and find a way to monitor or learn what's going on。 Not one teacher cottoned or was told about the incessant cyberbullying of one of their students。 Second， when bullying was occurring in real life， no one said a thing。 When an art project goes rogue and defiles school property， the school principal targets three individuals without proof due to previous transgressions。 One gets a slap on the wrist， one gets expelled and arrested， and the third goes completely unpunished even though they're over 18 and not a student。 This outcome upset me so much because along with being unfair， it made no sense。 It was contrived in order to move the story forward and fit the author's narrative。 As a parent， you better believe I would have marched right down there and confronted the school principal。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

angelica ༅:*ﾟ ，

“It’s just， I have this vision， you know？ A world where your diagnosis doesn’t define you， and getting help doesn’t make you weak or dangerous or other。 And sometimes I forget that the world isn’t there yet。”I knew before even starting this book that I would love it and I was absolutely right！ The writing is so beautiful and I like the way mental health was incorporated in the book。 It talks about aspects of mental illness that are very significant and needs to be talked about more。 Lily， th “It’s just， I have this vision， you know？ A world where your diagnosis doesn’t define you， and getting help doesn’t make you weak or dangerous or other。 And sometimes I forget that the world isn’t there yet。”I knew before even starting this book that I would love it and I was absolutely right！ The writing is so beautiful and I like the way mental health was incorporated in the book。 It talks about aspects of mental illness that are very significant and needs to be talked about more。 Lily， the main character was honestly so relatable。 Reading what she’s going through almost made me cry because I resonate to her anxiety a lot。 I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book as well。 I really like Micah’s character， he’s one of the best love interests I’ve read。 The overall message of this book was so heartwarming， it reminds you that it’s okay to he vulnerable and seek help for your internal struggles and you don’t have to hide it。 I even read the entire author’s note and acknowledgements， which is a big sign that I genuinely love this book with my whole heart since I tend to skip the acknowledgements in most books I’ve read。 。。。more

AhmetTürkben ，

https://www。lifyum。com/ https://www。lifyum。com/ 。。。more

Kayla R ，

The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart portrays the struggles of mental illness realistically， and leaves content that is relatable to some and able to teach those who do not have personal experience with any of the disorders in the book about one or more ways they could appear in somebody。 This book can let somebody know who is struggling with Anxiety， Depression， or suicidal idealization either in themselves or in a loved one， that they are not alone， and that other people share that struggle。 I li The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart portrays the struggles of mental illness realistically， and leaves content that is relatable to some and able to teach those who do not have personal experience with any of the disorders in the book about one or more ways they could appear in somebody。 This book can let somebody know who is struggling with Anxiety， Depression， or suicidal idealization either in themselves or in a loved one， that they are not alone， and that other people share that struggle。 I liked the mixed forms of writing throughout the book including the poems， Instagram posts， and the text messages which switch up the text and give the reader a more immersed feel into Lily’s， the main character， world。 This book was hard to put down and was very touching to me as I felt like I could relate to a fraction of the feelings in the book。 Lily struggles with her own issues after finding her sister Alice in the bathroom cutting herself。 Alice gets taken to a rehab facility for help and lily feels the pressure now more than ever to be the perfect child for her father。 When a poetry contest opened a scholarship opportunity to Berkley， she knew she had to win， especially with her sister coming back from rehab and their family more different than ever。 She meets with another boy who met her sister at the rehab facility， and they work as partners on the English contest。 They publish anonymous poetry along with artwork depicting the way they feel inside and the monsters that come out when nobody is watching。 。。。more

Kelli ，

“‘People always talk about mental illness like it’s a heroic war with a monstrous disease。 But the fact is， we’re fighting ourselves。’” （260）After her older sister， Alice， nearly completes suicide one night， Lily is left feeling helpless。 She wasn’t able to help Alice that night or any of the earlier nights when she knew something was off about her big sister。 She wasn’t able to visit her sister at Fairview， the treatment center she went to， either。 How could she， when she couldn’t help her？ It “‘People always talk about mental illness like it’s a heroic war with a monstrous disease。 But the fact is， we’re fighting ourselves。’” （260）After her older sister， Alice， nearly completes suicide one night， Lily is left feeling helpless。 She wasn’t able to help Alice that night or any of the earlier nights when she knew something was off about her big sister。 She wasn’t able to visit her sister at Fairview， the treatment center she went to， either。 How could she， when she couldn’t help her？ It felt wrong， to face Alice。 Her big sister was always trying to protect her。 Alice rescued Lily from riptides when they were kids and she let Lily sleep with her in bed， after their mom died。 Alice must be mad at her， for not helping。 Alice must hate her。 Why else would she try to do what she did？ Lily feels like a failure。 Like she’s a bad sister and a worse person。When Alice is finally allowed home from Fairview， Lily doesn’t know how to act。 She’s not sure if she can face Alice。But， when Alice returns home， she’s not anything like the sister Lily knew。 She’s less energetic。 Less passionate。 She doesn’t want to talk about Fairview or bipolar disorder and certainly not about her pills。 Turns out， their dad and step-mom don’t want to talk much about those things either。 Margot， their little sister， wants to look for answers in fantasy books。 Everyone in the family just wants things to go back to normal。 Everyone wants to act like nothing happened。Which， Lily wants to do too。 But， she can’t。 Every time she thinks about what almost happened to Alice， about how she couldn’t help her sister when she needed help， Lily feels like her skin is too tight and she just can’t breathe。 She’s trapped inside， listening to all her faults being screamed at her。 She picks at her skin till it bleeds and scars， trying to find some release。 She swallows all the words she wants to let out。Her sister is already “crazy”; she can’t be crazy too。But， things are getting out of hand。 She’s falling behind in class。 She can’t focus on projects。 She’s behind at track practice。 Her chances of getting into Berkely are shrinking。 And， then there’s Micah。The new boy who also spent some recent time at Fairview。 He’s got his own troubles to work through—but at least he’s trying。 Art helps him work through what he can’t always say out loud。When Micah and Lily get paired up to work on a combination English and Art class project， the two discover they may have more in common than Lily would like to believe。 They may be able to help each other。But， does Lily want help？ Can she find the words to ask for what she needs？So， this was a really hard story to get through。 It’s intense and emotional， insightful and brutally honest about what it’s like to live with an anxiety disorder。 It’s hard to convince yourself the world isn’t on fire when you can feel the heat and taste the smoke， you know？ I think this book articulates that struggle quite well， especially for young readers who may just be beginning to understand what anxiety looks and feels like。What I think was both great and difficult about this book was how it depicted the outside world’s response to someone struggling with their mental health。 The students around Lily， Alice， and Micah all demonstrate different reactions to their struggles that speak volumes about how callous and uninformed people are when it comes to mental health and mental illness。 They’re so awful—the students， and teachers， and coaches and school administrators。 We’d like to think that fiction exaggerates reactions for a compelling story but this book captures reality perfectly in this regard。 As soon as mental health struggles get real， we see how faulty our support systems are， especially for our youngest and most vulnerable。That said， I really appreciated the care these characters did receive from people who truly tried to understand them。 I think it’s important to also depict kindness in these kinds of stories。 There are lots of people out there who will treat you poorly when you need help — whether that’s out of fear or misunderstanding or cruelty。 But， there are still people who will help you if you ask for help。 You just have to ask。 It’s so hard but it’s so important because you’re important。 You just need one hand to reach back for you。 To meet you halfway。I would definitely recommend still story but with some trigger warnings。 This books mentions many serious topics related to mental health， mental illness， and suicide。 Keep that in mind~ 。。。more

charlotte ，

woah

livia arianna ，

this book finally raises awareness for mental illness and breaks the stigma around it。 it was the most touching book i have ever read。it broke my heart into a thousand pieces for each of the characters。 and somehow， it taped all the pieces back together。 i am at a loss of words， i love love loved this。

Annarisa ，

I've read a lot of books with this kind of theme but this is the first time the image （I mean the way I imagined the scenes） engraved too deeply in my mind。 I felt the description of mental illness in this book is too realistic。 It's a wow！ for me。 I love how the author balanced the plot for the budding love between the main characters and the family conflicts。 I've read a lot of books with this kind of theme but this is the first time the image （I mean the way I imagined the scenes） engraved too deeply in my mind。 I felt the description of mental illness in this book is too realistic。 It's a wow！ for me。 I love how the author balanced the plot for the budding love between the main characters and the family conflicts。 。。。more

。・✭ ・riobo 。 ✫・゜ ，

lily 🤝🏽 me 🤝🏽 micahlove them with every beat of my heart they just get me chapter 36 has my heart

Laura Gardner ，

Lily is an A student， a track star， and suffering from debilitating anxiety， which she keeps a secret from her family and friends。 Her older sister， Alice， has been away at a treatment center for suicidal ideation and to treat her bipolar disorder and Lily refused to visit while Alice was away。 But now Alice is coming home and Lily doesn’t know how to handle the emotions that are coming up for her。 Lily feels external and internal pressure to succeed and has dangerous perfectionist tendencies in Lily is an A student， a track star， and suffering from debilitating anxiety， which she keeps a secret from her family and friends。 Her older sister， Alice， has been away at a treatment center for suicidal ideation and to treat her bipolar disorder and Lily refused to visit while Alice was away。 But now Alice is coming home and Lily doesn’t know how to handle the emotions that are coming up for her。 Lily feels external and internal pressure to succeed and has dangerous perfectionist tendencies in both academics and athletics。 A poetry/art contest forces her to get to know a new student， Micah， who was with Alice at the treatment center for depression。 Micah helps Lily get in touch with her emotions and a spark of romance grows between the two。 Micah and Lily create anonymous public art/poetry installations that encourage their fellow students to share their inner worlds and words。 But Lily needs more help than mere poetry can give。 Lily and her family are white and Micah is Latino。 Includes mention of self harm， suicidal ideation。I couldn’t put this book down and was completely invested in Lily’s story。 Reading the author’s note at the end reveals that this is an #ownvoices book， which makes sense given how authentic the story feels from start to finish。 Highly recommended for grades 9+。 。。。more

berfin ，

i ❤️‍🩹 lily

saf ，

i feel like i have a lot to say about this book， but i'm not sure where to start。 i instantly felt connected with lily， as if we had just clicked。 i am lily， and she is me。 this book was just written so beautifully and it also taught me so much that i can't even put it into words。 i feel like i have a lot to say about this book， but i'm not sure where to start。 i instantly felt connected with lily， as if we had just clicked。 i am lily， and she is me。 this book was just written so beautifully and it also taught me so much that i can't even put it into words。 。。。more

claudiagideons ，

4。25⭐️“Will they want to stay if they see the wounds and hear all the words I keep？”such a beautiful book

Rachael ，

I liked this book， but， at 35 years old I wouldn't LOVED this as a teenager。 Teenage me needed it。 I liked this book， but， at 35 years old I wouldn't LOVED this as a teenager。 Teenage me needed it。 。。。more

Aadi ，

I cried。 A lot。 At The End。The writing showcased Lily's deteriorating mental status so well and the plot was very creative with the poetry and art part <3 I could talk about Lily's behavior sometimes， but I get it。 [NOT THE JUDGY THING AND THE FACT THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE NEEDED TO "FIX" MICAH AND ALICE]I wanted more redemption for the Sam situation。GOD ALICE。 I have BD and the Manic Episode was kinda true。 I wanted more exploration thoo I cried。 A lot。 At The End。The writing showcased Lily's deteriorating mental status so well and the plot was very creative with the poetry and art part <3 I could talk about Lily's behavior sometimes， but I get it。 [NOT THE JUDGY THING AND THE FACT THAT SHE THOUGHT SHE NEEDED TO "FIX" MICAH AND ALICE]I wanted more redemption for the Sam situation。GOD ALICE。 I have BD and the Manic Episode was kinda true。 I wanted more exploration thoo 。。。more

reina ，

absolutely incredible。 made me cry and made me happy all at once。 i love lily and micah 🥲

Great Books ，

Reviewer #18

xinyi ，

very touching better than most books ive read

Nikki ，

I'm well aware that this sort of book is neither original nor even （probably） exceptional， but this one hit hard for me。 I'm well aware that this sort of book is neither original nor even （probably） exceptional， but this one hit hard for me。 。。。more

Sandy O'Brien ，

🔹Rating:4。75/5 ⭐️sAs soon as I saw that you spoke was perfect for people that loved Girl in Pieces， I knew I had to read it but that it would also be a tough read。Lily was my character。 She was struggling with anxiety throughout the book and some other things that she experienced were so similar to things that I have。 I was rooting for her throughout the whole book because I just wanted her to get the help she needed and to be okay。The book does a good job of showing the different sides of menta 🔹Rating:4。75/5 ⭐️sAs soon as I saw that you spoke was perfect for people that loved Girl in Pieces， I knew I had to read it but that it would also be a tough read。Lily was my character。 She was struggling with anxiety throughout the book and some other things that she experienced were so similar to things that I have。 I was rooting for her throughout the whole book because I just wanted her to get the help she needed and to be okay。The book does a good job of showing the different sides of mental health and how it can truly affect people in their daily lives。 This would be the perfect addition to a mental health unit for high schoolers。I will forewarn you that it will make you cry。 Will not just cry， you will be sobbing at different moments in the book。 It is so worth it though and a must-read for everyone。CW: attempted suicide 。。。more

Bella Connors ，

SO GOOD I WILL LITERALLY NEVER RECOVER AND WILL NOW CRY THAT IT IS DONE。 HOW DO I GO ON😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😩😩

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Words We Keep

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Words We Keep&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Words We Keep&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0