Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold

“How can you expect forgiveness from others if you can’t even forgive yourself”.

Keep me afloat was a heartfelt, complex and emotional story that took place on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula in Port Townsend, Washington. Through this gorgeous backdrop, we meet our protagonist, Abby Fisher, a marine biologist who has become a shadow of herself, hiding behind her past and her mistakes, unable to move forward and move on, with this dark cloud of guilt constantly looming above her. The story moved through her process of self discovery, forgiveness and second chances.

The story was deep and complex that covered issues that was definitely relatable and realistic. It touched upon topics on forgiveness of self and others, marriage and fidelity, balancing family and career, reconnecting with the past and ideals of coming back home, and parent/child relationship to name a few.

Gold’s writing style was as easy as the ocean breeze – flows well, was addicting, full of memorable characters, well thought out plots and sub-plots, and was a story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading.

Jennifer Gold was a new author to me but has quickly become one of my favorites and will also certainly be an auto buy author and one that I will be watching for.

This book was good, but not as fantastic as I had hoped. The book follows Abby, a mid-thirties marine biologist moving back to her hometown after a job loss. The book is told in two timelines; one is 2018, and one timeline follows her through meeting her husband as a teen and her life until a traumatic event happens. I would have liked this book more if the past tense chapters had been longer. I feel like I didn't really connect with that half of the book the way I did with Abby's 2018 persona (which had much longer chapters comparitively). Every time I got into a past tense chapters' groove, bam! It was over. However that being said, I did like the story and the book is worth a read. 3.5 stars!

After a big mistake breaks apart her marriage with the love of her life, marine biologist Abby runs away to California to join a research project about whales. But five years later, when the funding for the project is cut, Abby returns to her hometown looking for forgiveness. But the hardest one to forgive is herself.
This wonderful story jumps back and forth from past to present with each chapter, from meeting and marrying Dennis, and their marriage, to the present trying to build a new career and repairing her past relationships with friends and family. This really showed the importance of communication in a marriage. If she had just talked to Dennis and explained why she needed a job in the field she loved, he would have understood and been able to compromise. Such a sad story but with a happy ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! This was an amazing story about love, regret, and forgiveness. When I started reading this story I was so excited and couldn't put it down. I loved the weaving story that took you on many twists and turns with Abby.
I would highly recommend this story.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to express my own honest opinion.

Jennifer Gold, author of "Keep Me Afloat" has written a poignant, memorable, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking novel.  The Genre for the novel is Fiction. The timeline for this story takes place in the present goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events.  The author describes the characters as flawed, complex, complicated, and confused.

Abby Fisher has returned home after being at a job that ran out of funding. Five years before, Abby made some choices that have cost her trauma and pain. Abby is once again in her parent's home and has to start over again.  Abby finds it difficult to move on from her past mistakes and forgive herself and sees that other people have a hard time forgiving her as well. Feeling guilty seems to be holding Abby back from going forward.

I love that the author discusses the importance of forgiveness, second chances, and having a fresh start.  I also appreciate that the author discusses the difficulties for women having a career they want, and also a stable relationship. Women shouldn't have to make a choice of a career or marriage.

There was one OMG part of the story, where I was both surprised and having a Kleenex moment. As I wiped my tears away, I realized what a thought-provoking novel this is. I highly recommend this novel for those readers who appreciate a memorable and poignant story.

This novel was deeply enthralling and captivating. This story is about Abby Fisher who made one mistake that changed the course of her life. She fled her then life and built a new one but when her new life falls apart, she goes back home and finds that what she remembered about her life back then is nowhere near where it is now. Abby is determined to fix those mistakes and make up for a lost time but will she be able to stay afloat? I found myself wanting to know what happened to Abby and I could not put this book down.

I don't normally read books like this one, but I found myself completely immersed in Abby's story to the point I actually forgot I was reading a book in bed. Jennifer's parallel storytelling of Abby's present and past lives painted a great picture of the difficulties and struggles Abby was going through. You were able to fully grasp the back story. The writing style was simple, and easy to read as well—always a plus!

Excellent Sophomore Effort. In this followup to 2019's The Ingredients of Us, Gold does an excellent job of telling a serious tale of a woman struggling to learn to forgive herself while managing to keep the overall tone hopeful. Once again she plays around with using dates as chapter names, which is an interesting construct. Unlike Ingredients, this one uses a more month to month structure, with flashbacks to the same few years prior as events from those periods are revealed. This is also the second book where the lead, as it turns out, is childfree - and still Gold doesn't actually use that term in the book itself. Overall truly a remarkable effort that shows Gold's growth as a writer and storyteller. Very much recommended.

One reason I enjoyed this book is because to me it seemed like an adult "coming of age" story. The timelines go back and forth in Abby's life (starting in 2000 and going to present-day 2018) as she starts life afresh and anew and learns to forgive herself. Another reason I liked this book is because the amount of research put into this novel is just absolutely unreal -- I wasn't a "science-y" girl growing up but Jennifer Gold's character Abby made whale watching and the care and keeping of ocean life just so interesting. The scene with the dead whale baby and her grieving mother is just heartbreaking and very well done.

The characters really "make" this story. Chrissy and Nick -- Abby's friends -- are amazing. I loved Abby's relationships with her parents. And as an animal lover I loved all the dog and cat characters :)

Jennifer Gold is an author to watch -- put her on your radar because I am predicting great, great things from her.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.

Can you go home again? Told in dual time line, it's the story of Abby, who wanted more than her small town could give her. She left Dennis and her family behind to become a marine biologist. Now, though, she's come back because she lost her funding, and frankly, her footing. This is a second chance life story with, wonderfully, marine life. Abby has her issues (she seems immature much of the time) but her respect for the sea is a real positive. Gold has a nice storytelling style and has created an interesting character. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A good read.

Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold is a story of second chances, heartbreak and forgiveness. While there were certain elements of the story that were familiar, I thought the author created some truly interesting characters in Abby and Dennis, as well as the cast of supporting characters. What set this book apart from other books with a similar storyline was Abby's backstory of being a marine biologist and the descriptions of whales and the ocean. It was clear the author did her research, which allowed for a fascinating, well-crafted (and accurate) story.

KEEP ME AFLOAT is the story of Abby, a marine biologist who has returns to her hometown when her research grant is pulled. But her hometown is the last place Abby should be because Abby is already stuck in the past. The novel focuses on how Abby puts herself back together and learns to live in the present. Wee-written but a little meandering.

When funding runs out on her research project, 35 year old Abby, a marine biologist, heads home where she is finally forced to face her past mistakes head on. With the loving support of her parents and best friends from high school, Chrissy and Nick, will she finally find forgiveness from others and, most importantly, be able to forgive herself?

Ever since being deeply moved by Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish (5 stars) and Blackfish, a documentary about orcas, I have been heartbroken over the treatment of such majestic and intelligent creatures. I loved that Afloat brought attention to this topic and it's obvious that this is also a passionate subject for the author. For this reason and more, this book literally moved me to tears several times. I loved reading about the boat tours, and I definitely hope to experience one myself some day. This book was poignant, and I found myself rooting for Abby as she began to create a new life for herself.

Last summer, I read the author's debut, The Ingredients of Us (3.5 stars), and I knew then that this new author was very promising. I was so excited to read Afloat, especially once I learned it would be about whales, and as soon as I started reading, her writing style felt familiar. I was soon fully immersed in the story, devouring it in only two days because I could not put it down.

Location: Port Townsend, Washington

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Abby returns home after five years away to the comfort and love of her parents and close friends, Chrissy and Nick, but not everyone is happy to see Abby back in Chimacum, Washington. Five years ago, an unfortunate decision resulted in the end of Abby's marriage to Dennis.

I really enjoyed this story of forgiveness, family and second chances. I found the descriptions of the whale watching tours so interesting. The twist toward the end shocked me; I wasn’t expecting it at all. Keep Me Afloat packs an emotional punch and I’ll be looking forward to what Jennifer Gold writes in the future.

I received a copy of the book from the author and was happy to be on the book tour with @katerockbook tours.
I really enjoyed reading this suspenseful family drama with so many twists and turns. I’ve loved the setting of the Pacific Northwest and the many references to the sea and wildlife in the area.
The main character has gone away and come back to the area in which she grew up only to find out nothing is how she remembered or expected it to be. She doesn’t have a problem forgiving others- only herself and it’s a hard lesson to learn.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keep Me Afloat
Jennifer Gold
3-3-20

Can one mistake really ruin your life? Abby Fisher finds love, her life seems to be falling into place. The story follows Abby from High School - 2000 - to adulthood 2018. Each chapter told from Abby’s point of view going back and forth in time. The character development was perfect. They were likable, reliable and supportive. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and following them throughout the years. Abby and Dennis seem to have it all, but Abby is at a crossroad. She makes a decision that may impact her career path as well as her marriage. We follow Abby as she tries to pick up the pieces and find closure, forgiveness and acceptance. This was a very fast paced read and I enjoyed it very much!!

Thank you the Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me the ARC for my honest review of Keep Me Afloat



Instagram
@donnasnotsosecretbookdiary

@donna64619247

This book grabbed my attention from the beginning with the mysterious references to Abby's past that prompted her to flee to California and away from her friends and family. The story starts with Abby returning home when the research program that she's part of ends. As the story unfolds, we get glimpses of Abby's past while following her on her struggle to rebuild her life in a place that holds painful memories. I really liked how the author wrote in a way that made the reader really feel Abby's emotions (especially her angst while working at the bank and her elation when she was doing anything related to marine biology). Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

This book is an amazing story about love, loss, the beautiful and messy parts of relationships, and finding yourself. If you are looking for a compelling women’s fiction novel with the perfect dose of romance, then I highly recommend this book! The use of alternating timelines between chapters built suspense as you read to see how main character Abby’s past has led to her current situation of feeling lost and as though all of her past relationships she had left years before have unfinished business. Author Jennifer Gold does a fantastic job of writing perfectly flawed characters who show the raw realities of what loving someone can really look like, and of showing that no matter how far someone has gone from their path in life that people are worthy of second chances and finding love again.

Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold was a great read! A nice departure from the standard fluffy romantic books. The character was so realistic!

Abby has lost her job due to funding. She is at a crossroads in her life. She decides to run to the safety of her family. But, it turns out it is not the safe haven she expects it to be. She keeps being reminded of her past…something she is trying desperately to forget.

I enjoy smart, strong women characters and Abby is a smart, young lady. However, she is guilt ridden and I just felt she should buck up. She is in her 30s and life is what you make it….so toughen up..atone and quit beating yourself up.

This story started out pretty well then it kind of lost focus. Abby’s mistake wasn’t as big as I expected it to be, or rather, not big enough to warrant her reaction. However, the scenery and the descriptions of the whales are outstanding. I just kept expecting and little more out of Abby and her situation.

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.