The People We Keep

I'm not a fan of coming of age stories or character driven plots so I'm not sure why I picked up this book. I do adore Julia Whelan and that was probably why. I enjoyed the emotional catharsis I got at the end of the story, but the road to get there was uncomfortable.  It's probably a 5 star read to someone who digs this kind of story. For me, it was reminder of why I don't normally read these kind of books.

April Sawicki was abandoned by her mother when she was just six years old. From there, her life has only gotten worse to the point that, at sixteen years old, she is living in a seedy trailer park in a motorhome that doesn't even have an engine. Her emotionally absent father has also spent the past several months also being physically absent, living with another woman, Irene, and fathering her young son, while failing to even provide April with t...read more

The People we keep was a lovely tale of a girl finding her own way in the world. I liked the fierce independence of the protagonist, but near the end I felt that the woe me story line was a bit played out. One thing the author did well was to write a forbidden romance that did not feel too creepy

This book is a coming of age story for a teen who is abandoned by her mother and left one her own at a young age by her dad. She has musical talent and a fierce sense of survival. My heart aches for her often but she keeps herself safe mostly by instinct. Her biggest challenge is forming relationships. (Of course) and you go with her as she takes risks in this area. I thought I would find it very cliche but it’s not. I read it very quickly, ...read more

3.5 ⭐️ quick read about a teenager finding her place in the world. Great writing, but can’t tell if I really liked the story or found it realistic.