THE WORDS WE KEEP

Like many, I was eager to read more from Erin Stewart after her very popular, very impressive, debut YA book ‘Scars Like Wings’. She doesn’t disappoint- this is a raw and very emotional journey, sometimes painful, but ultimately hopeful. It’s been three months since 16 year-old Lily Larkin discovered her older sister self-harming.

Alice has spent those months in rehab, leaving Lily to keep things together for herself, and her family- at the same time trying to fend off her own anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Now Alice is returning home and Lily braces herself for the reappearance of a sister she might not recognise. At school, she attracts the attention of Micah Mendez, a Mexican American with his own mental health issues, and they bond over a poetry project prompting students to speak the truth - ‘the words we keep’.

It’s a very honest story and Erin Stewart dives deep into the waves of mental health and the impact the stigma surrounding it has on those desperate to be heard. There’s swoony romance, complicated family dynamics, and unforgettable poetry. You’ll want to keep every word.

RRP $19.99