The Things We Keep – by Sally Hepworth

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Just because you can't remember, doesn't mean you can't love . . .

Anna Forster is thirty-eight years old and has started to suffer from the early stages of Alzheimer's. She knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to an assisted living facility. But best can still hurt. What she also knows is that there's just one other resident her age at the facility - Luke.

As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to all that's left. What remains are her feelings for Luke. Before long the pair fall in love, despite the forces that are set against them.

But when a tragic incident occurs, Luke and Anna's families decide to separate them. There is one person at the facility who can help the pair, but only if she's willing to risk everything for them . . .

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Here is another Sally Hepworth book! And she did it once again! This book is beautiful, sad and so much more!!!

The story follows Anna, she is 38 years old and has early onset Alzheimer’s. She now is at an assisted living facility called Rosalind house, where she meets Luke. Luke is 41 and has a form of dementia, where he loses his capability to speak and form words.

The book is not only narrated by Anna, but also by Eve, who is a widowed chef and works at Rosalind House. From time to time her daughter, 7-year-old Clementine, gets to narrate as well. White the of them talk about today and present, Anna is actually speaks twelve months prior. This makes the story really interesting and unique. It’s very intense, dramatic and touching.

The book has a really deep storyline and the topic alone makes it poignant and heart-breaking. I enjoyed reading about Anna and her feelings. It was hard to see her struggle, but I still wished to read even more about her and also her relationship with Luke.

Eve’s and Clementine’s story is also very moving, so I can assure you there is a lot going on in this book, but it never becomes too much.

Rosalind House also had other inhabitants, who added spark to the story. And then there were Anna’s and Luke’s families. Let’s just say that they didn’t make the whole situation easier.

The Things We Keep is a very powerful book, full of heart, love, drama and sadness. It’s beautifully written and it will stay with you for a long time!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Anna: Reese Witherspoon

Eve: Alicia Vikander

Clementine: Mia Talerico

Sally on Twitter: @SallyHepworth

Website: http://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

The Secret of Midwives – by Sally Hepworth

Original Cover

My own story

The blurb:

A novel about three generations of midwives (a woman, her mother, and her grandmother) and the secrets they keep that push them apart and ultimately bind them together

THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES tells the story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world—and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy—including the identity of the baby’s father— hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest. For Floss, Neva’s grandmother and a retired midwife, Neva’s situation thrusts her back 60 years in time to a secret that eerily mirrors her granddaughter’s—a secret which, if revealed, will have life-changing consequences for them all. Will these women reveal their secrets and deal with the inevitable consequences? Or are some secrets best kept hidden?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Three generations of women, three midwives, three stories. I really liked the concept of this story from the start. The three women took turns telling the story, so the chapers were dedicated to one, moving on with the next chapter and the next woman.

Neva Bradley is the youngest. When the story starts she is already 30 weeks pregnant and finally has the courage telling her parents. Of course her mum Grace is curious about the father, but there is no father, at least that’s what Neva says. A mystery and one I was really curious about. I kept speculating throughout the whole story, I had my suspicions, but of course I got surprised with the actual “father”. Neva is much closer to her dad than to her mother Grace, which was shown pretty clearly in this story.

Grace, is of course also a midwife. She is dealing with her husband Robert, who might lose his job and their relationship seems tense. Then there are these allegations made against her, because of a risky home birth. She might lose her job, which would be really bad for her and Robert.

Floss is a retired midwife and also Floss carries around a secret. This secret is intense and will have a lot of impact on all their lives.

In Neva’s life there is Patrick. He went through a lot and always found help in Neva. He stays with her half the time and is very surprised when he hears about her pregnancy. His reaction is the best though and with his feelings for her, it really made me happy. They are made for each other and had shared some wonderful moments and scenes in this book. Patrick is such a gentleman and just so attentive, sweet and caring! I have to say I fell for him as well! It’s hard for him, the story with the unknown father comes between them of course and when someone he knows as well could be the father, he is so torn. I was just hoping for them and wanted them to find a way!

I really liked that all three women were taking turns in telling the story. The storyline flowed beautiful and the transitions from chapter to chapter ran smoothly. Sally’s writing is very gripping and engaging, the scenes felt so real and authentic and I loved how all three of them had their own story to tell and it still felt like one big piece. I enjoyed Neva the most and felt like her feelings came across beautifully.

A fantastic read, with great characters and riveting storyline! I’m really looking forward to reading more of Sally’s stories.

Rating:

My possible cast:

Neva: Rebecca Rittenhouse

Grace: Julianne Moore

Floss: Senta Berger

 

Patrick: Eric Dane 

Sally on Twitter: @SallyHepworth Website: http://www.sallyhepworthauthor.com Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US