The People We Keep

By: Allison Larkin

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Book Riot’s Best Books of 2021

“This is a novel of great empathy, about connections and coming-of-age, built families and self-acceptance. It contains heartbreak and redemption, and a plucky, irresistible protagonist.... [A] propulsive, empathetic novel.” (Shelf Awareness)

Little River, New York, 1994: April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at a local diner, she’s left fending for herself in a town where she’s never quite felt at home. When she “borrows” her neighbor’s car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.

Driving without a chosen destination, she stops to rest in Ithaca. Her only plan is to survive, but as she looks for work, she finds a kindred sense of belonging at Cafe Decadence, the local coffee shop. Still, somehow, it doesn’t make sense to her that life could be this easy. The more she falls in love with her friends in Ithaca, the more she can’t shake the feeling that she’ll hurt them the way she’s been hurt. As April moves through the world, meeting people who feel like home, she chronicles her life in the songs she writes and discovers that where she came from doesn’t dictate who she has to be.

This lyrical, luminous tale “is both a profound love letter to creative resilience and a reminder that sometimes even tragedy can be a kind of blessing” (Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author).

©2021 Allie Larkin Writes, Ltd. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Julia Whelan is wonderful as April Sawicki, a teenager escaping an abusive home through travels, music, and meeting strangers. Whelan's husky timbre and thoughtful tone draw listeners into April's thoughts, which are mostly filled with self-doubt." (AudioFile Magazine)

Read it.

It was a beautiful story. Really enjoyed it. You're angry and then cry and then happy and cry again... and then??? All good cries. Glad I found this.

Can't decide...

It's hard to describe how this book made me feel. I loved and hated it all at the same time! I feel like April created happiness for herself then destroyed it each time! It was honestly frustrating at times to listen to, but yet I couldn't put it down. Very conflicting! I did enjoy the ending, however.

Loved this book!

I’m usually not one to not be able to “put a book down” but this book had me listening for hours at a time!

Great read, great book!

Loved it!! Loved the narrator's voice! I'd probably read it again. Would be great to have another book continue on with their story.

Thoroughly Enjoyed

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. A heartfelt story of friendship and the families you create in life along the way.

One of my favorites

This is one of those books that you sit in your car and keep listening to when you are already at your destination . First of all, the narrator is probably my favorite. Her performances are incredible, and you quickly get sucked into each character like you know them. The story is entertaining and heartbreaking at the same time. There are moments when you are so involved that you are yelling at the character because of a decision she is making. I honestly didn’t want it to end. This will be hard to top.

👍👍

I loved everything about this story. I couldn't stop listening. When I first started listening, I was worried that this was going to turn into a cheesy romance story, but it's not that at all.

Loved it!

Great book, loved the story and characters. Julia Whelan is always the best narrator, I’ll listen to anything she narrates!

Good story, relaxing to listen to

i love that this book was not predictable. just enough tension to make you want to have resolution but it keeps launching me deeper.

Wonderfully told story!

Rooted for her from the start! Great characters and an interesting story. Kept me engaged and listening extra time wherever I went in my car. Narrator's voice was great for the story.