In the sink, the red spirals away, but not the echo of her whispered help me. It fills my head, and I want to drown it out with screams. But I can’t. I need to be strong. For Alice. For Dad. Relaxation will not help me ace this,” I reply without looking up from my notecards, where I’ve written each line of my poem for today’s presentation.

Other secondary characters in the book include Lily and Alice’s father and step-mother, Lily’s friends and classmates, and Micah’s mother The Words We Keep Summary Read Online For all anyone knows, my big sister is still off at college, living in her dorm, staying out too late on weekends. I never mention that she came home a few weeks into freshman year, got into bed, and never got up again. That is, until the Night of the Bathroom floor. They embark on an art project for school, which involves finding poetry in unexpected places, and Lily realizes that it is the words she has been swallowing that desperately want to break through. Our Review Lily hasn’t seen her sister, Alice, since the Night of the Bathroom Floor. She can’t bring herself to visit her at Fairview Treatment Centre. Straight A student Lily thinks she needs to keep her school life separate from her home life if she’s going to stay afloat. She’s desperately trying to hold her family together. What the hell, dude?” he yells, jumping up as a wet circle forms on his crotch. But the new kid is already walking away, hands raised like it’s out of his control.

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And he doesn’t appear particularly psychotic.” I’m not exactly sure what a true psycho would, in fact, look like. But I do not think this kid is it. This is a five star read, clear and simple. Tissues were required. I was obsessed with listening to this. I was invested way too much in these characters and the reader was amazing too. A relevant portrait of mental health amongst young adults, The Words We Keep is an accurate reminder of the weight our unspoken words carry, and how these very words need to be heard, now more than ever.

Note: give me a brooding, male artist with a troubled past any day and I’ll love him to bits, and that’s exactly what I did with Micah. 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. I stare holes into my notecards. I pretend not to see him coming. Pretend I don’t notice when he’s standing right next to me.It’s never just one grade,” I say, rubbing my temple to momentarily release the tension wrapping my head. Note to self: I have got to get more sleep. “Not all of us can have your raw musical talent.” It is superrr emotional and very real for a YA book so just beware! I mean i always love a good ol’ YA sad book. They just always hit in the perfect way, especially this one. While rereading the words we keep i had forgot pretty much everything and so it felt like reading it for the first time again. Which is always so satisfying!

I use the term losing metaphorically, of course, because I’ve decided going insane is a process, and not a singular event, despite our eloquent idioms. Books that include characters struggling with their mental health can sometimes feel like a balancing act. They need to be real enough to be relatable but there needs to be some hope too. The author definitely doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff here but there are some rays of sunshine as well. The characters’ thoughts and emotions have an authenticity that are clearly drawn from the author’s lived experience, discussed in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. “You are enough. Right now. Just the way you are.” Content warnings include attempted suicide, mental health and self harm. Readers with emetophobia may have trouble with some scenes. Lily realizes that it’s the words she’s been swallowing that desperately want to break through. The novel explores mental illness, familial love, and finding your voice in a tender and heartfelt way that is sure to resonate with readers. So don’t tell me it’s just one grade or one solo or one anything. It’s a never-ending domino effect to success, and if one piece is off, only the slightest bit not perfect, the whole thing goes to hell.” Go away, I say. But my voice is tiny and no match for monsters.” (an excerpt from the poem Monsters) p.155

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Damon leans toward her, whispering dramatically, “Exactly. It’s the perfect ones you have to be careful about. So tightly wound. The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart’s story follows high school junior Lily Larkin, who is desperately trying to hold things together for her family three months after her older sister Alice’s traumatic suicide attempt. Lily is partnered with Micah Mendez, a new student at school who knows all about Alice’s experience, and together they embark on an art project for school This book is thought provoking, heartfelt, realistic and definitely educational to learn and understand more about the people who are brave enough to fight against mental health issues.

This book almost brought me to tears because it reminded me of how hard I try every day to stay. The darkness is not allowed around me. My voice, my positivity, is the only thing allowed to come through. Not the monsters. The Words We Keep reminded me of my own novel, All the Little Things, and how cathartic it was for me to write. That was the beginning of my journey to heal. Writing. I would love to thank Erin Stewart for finding the courage to write about her experiences as well because it’s hard to bare your soul, and it’s even harder to ask for help. This only makes him cry harder, and Alice is crying, too, which makes no sense because she’s the bravest one of all. Whatever. Bottom line, kid’s a psycho. You should put that in your Word of the Day, Lil,” he says, referring to my social media handle, LogoLily, where I geek out by making up new words. “P-S-Y--” The Words We Keep wasn’t that great of a story and I found myself bored. It contained so many clichés that it wasn’t an original story. There were some points of light in there but you have to read a lot before you find them. This book wasn’t for me but I can see others really enjoying this one. video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://erinstewartbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WordsWeKeep_Trailer.mp4" poster="https://erinstewartbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Screen-Shot-2022-01-19-at-12.25.05-PM.png"][/video]

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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. The role played by the guerrilla poets and the voices they amplified was admirable and one of my favourite additions to this story! The truths their actions allowed to speak, and the outlet it provided others who needed to scream into the void and be heard, even if just a whisper, was touching and my heart soared to see how receptive the majority of the students were to these artistic displays. To see the power of words and art at play, and the healing it can aid was inspiring. The Words We Keep is a luminous exploration into the restorative power of love and art. The only thing it contains more of than poetry is raw, unfiltered hope. This book is a healing balm to a wounded heart. “ —Jeff Zentner, Morris Award–winning author of In the Wild Light I was captivated by Lily’s narration and how her inner thoughts, the monsters, would just jump in when they wanted to. There were words that she wanted to say to her family and friends, but wouldn’t and instead of just thinking them, they’d be off to the side with a strikeout through them to indicate she was scared to reveal how she really felt. The use of poetry in the book was perfect to show her struggle with anxiety and trying to not let the monsters win.