Book Review: Leave Everything You Know Behind by Ginny Fite
Genre: Contemporary
Age: Adult
Publisher: Milford House Press
Publication Date: December 22, 2023
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Synopsis:
Cranky, aging newspaper publisher Anne Canfield is determined to live forever, no matter what. Young, brilliant writer and teacher Indira Anand thinks she wants to die. But the winter morning Anne saves Indira Anand from drowning, everything changes.
That evening, Anne stumbles and falls. Diagnosed shortly after her fall with incurable brain cancer and only months to live, she must hurry to save her newspaper, heal her regrets, keep her secrets hidden, and protect her son from the truth before time runs out.
Indira, suffering a second incidence of ovarian cancer, wants to invoke her right to die. Thwarted by both the law and her distant husband but desperate to escape the pain she watched her grandmother endure, she wavers, unsure of her decision.
Out of options, Indira reaches out to Anne. Even as they make a pact to help each other, Indira realizes Anne won’t live long enough to be with her at the end. She must find another way.
Meanwhile, Anne’s daughter-in-law, Laura, suffering her own loss and resentful of her husband Freddy’s flagging attention, discovers Anne’s secret. In a move she’s sure will hasten Anne’s death, Laura locates Anne’s old lover, Colin, and goads him to turn up at Anne’s home, hoping he’ll upset the family she hates. For good measure, in an attempt to cause a rift between mother and son, Laura suggests to Freddy that Colin is his father.
Leave is a story about what keeps us wanting to live, what we’ll do for redemption, and how love can save us.
REVIEW:
Trigger Warning : Cancer
emotional, heartfelt, and thought provoking
You should definitely have tissues ready when you start this book. Leave Everything You Know Behind is a story about friendship, love, reflection, and life. This is a fast-paced read, that discusses some heavy topics, such as cancer, death, reflections on life, and what you want.
This story is about an unexpected friendship that changes everything for two women facing the hardest challenges life can dish up. Both women are diagnosed with cancer(different types) and want two different things(one wants to live and one wants to die). They agree to help each other get through the time they have left.
The author creates a story that will have you completely in my feelings. Leave Everything You Know Behind navigates the struggles of having cancer but also the way it affects and the impact it has on not just you but those around you. The writing style is simple and interesting and the characters are so well written. It was interesting to see the dynamics of both women’s thoughts and journeys. This story is heartfelt and heartwarming and will make you cry but you can’t help but get attached to these characters and their journey.
Read if you like:
- Emotional story
- Thought-provoking
- story about friendship
- Reflecting on life
- Buried secrets
- Family drama
- Short Chapters
- Multiple POVs
Thank you Ginny Fite and IRead Book Tours for the gifted review copy🩷
If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading! Till next time!
HAPPY READING!
Bookish Rebel 