Words We Keep

Product Information

Author Erin Stewart takes a raw, thought-provoking look into the mind of a teen struggling with anxiety.

Enter Micah, a new student at school with a past of his own. He was in treatment with Alice and seems determined to get Lily to process not only Alice’s experience, but her own. Because Lily has secrets, too. Compulsions she can’t seem to let go of and thoughts she can’t drown out. It’s been three months since the Night on the Bathroom Floor—when Lily found her sister, Alice, hurting herself. Since then, Lily has been trying to be the perfect daughter, friend, student and athlete. But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program and it’s becoming harder for Lily to outrun her feelings. Especially when she meets Micah, a guy with a troubled past of his own. I use the term losing metaphorically, of course, because I’ve decided going insane is a process, and not a singular event, despite our eloquent idioms. Dad falls to his knees, and he’s hugging us, so tight I almost pop, and we’re huddled on the beach, and he’s crying, and I think they’re happy tears, but it’s hard to tell.

Advance Praise

And he doesn’t appear particularly psychotic.” I’m not exactly sure what a true psycho would, in fact, look like. But I do not think this kid is it. The book also touches on intense stigmas attached to mental illness, and Lily and her classmates refer to Micah as “Manic Micah,” and wonder if he will “lose it” and freak out on classmates. Despite these issues, The Words We Keep is a powerful and important book that encourages readers to realize that whatever they struggle with, they are not alone and are already enough. Books Like The Words We Keep For all anyone knows, my big sister is still off at college, living in her dorm, staying out too late on weekends. I never mention that she came home a few weeks into freshman year, got into bed, and never got up again. That is, until the Night of the Bathroom floor. A new student at Lily’s school who was in treatment with Alice. Micah is Mexican American and has his own past struggles with mental health.

It’s never just one grade,” I say, rubbing my temple to momentarily release the tension wrapping my head. Note to self: I have got to get more sleep. “Not all of us can have your raw musical talent.” Whatever. Bottom line, kid’s a psycho. You should put that in your Word of the Day, Lil,” he says, referring to my social media handle, LogoLily, where I geek out by making up new words. “P-S-Y--” Lily’s younger sister who is also struggling to cope with Alice’s absence and mental health issues.despite it being fiction, this book is the realest story ive ever read. it’s heartbreaking and healing. it is what mental illness is for so many of us every single day of our lives. the uncertainty of whether or not tomorrow will be a day that we can get through but also the uncertainty that the light we sometimes see might not still be there tomorrow. In slow motion, I wipe her with a towel. Try to stop the blood. Find the source. But my shaking hands make it worse. Bright red on my skin. Smeared on the floor. Lily realizes that it’s the words she’s been swallowing that desperately want to break through. The novel explores mental illness, familial love, and finding your voice in a tender and heartfelt way that is sure to resonate with readers. video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://erinstewartbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/WordsWeKeep_Trailer.mp4" poster="https://erinstewartbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Screen-Shot-2022-01-19-at-12.25.05-PM.png"][/video]

It is superrr emotional and very real for a YA book so just beware! I mean i always love a good ol’ YA sad book. They just always hit in the perfect way, especially this one. While rereading the words we keep i had forgot pretty much everything and so it felt like reading it for the first time again. Which is always so satisfying! I also liked Micah. He inspired others in very special ways and made them see that they were shining stars in the dark. He is the one who made this story thrive.When Lily and Micah embark on an art project for school involving finding poetry in unexpected places, she realizes that it's the words she's been swallowing that desperately want to break through.