Book Review - Everything We Left Behind: A Novel by Kerry Lonsdale

 

Everything We Left Behind: A Novel

 By Kerry Lonsdale

Two months before his wedding, financial executive James Donato chased his trade-laundering brother Phil to Mexico, only to be lost at sea and presumed dead. Six and a half years later, he emerges from a dissociative fugue state to find he’s been living in Oaxaca as artist Carlos Dominguez, widower and father of two sons, with his sister-in-law Natalya Hayes, a retired professional surfer, helping to keep his life afloat. But his fiancée, Aimee Tierney, the love of his life, has moved on. She’s married and has a child of her own.

Devastated, James and his sons return to California. But Phil is scheduled for release from prison, and he’s determined to find James, who witnessed something in Mexico that could land Phil back in confinement. Under mounting family pressure, James flees with his sons to Kauai, seeking refuge with Natalya. As James begins to unravel the mystery of his fractured identity, danger is never far behind, and Natalya may be the only person he can trust.

This book was absolutely amazing. I know it sounds clichéd but I was mesmerised from the first sentence. I could not put this book down and I read long into the night. Although this is book 2 of a series, I did not feel at all lost. Reading this book was almost effortless. This book should be on your to-read list.

I got my copy from NetGalley but you can pick up yours on Amazon