Review: What Holds Us Together by Sandi Ward

From the author of The Astonishing Thing and Something Worth Saving comes a tender, wise, and insightful novel of a family cat, a second chance, and the love that persists through the deepest heartache . . .

They say that cats don't like change. But Luna, an imaginative tabby, understands that sometimes it's necessary. When her owner, Annika, moved back to her small New England hometown six months ago along with her sixteen-year-old twins, Luna knew it was for the best. Ever since Annika's husband, Peter, died suddenly, the family has been floundering. Luna, too, is guilt-ridden, sure she could have done more to save her favorite person. Luna also knows something the others don't know. Peter's spirit is still with them, and Luna believes there is something he needs her help to do . . .

Annika has been struggling to move on. It doesn't help that her son, Donovan, blames her for his father's death. Peter always told Annika that they had the best love story going, yet the fact is that much of their story has been hidden away, even from their children. When Annika's first love, Sam, arrives to plow them out during an intensifying storm, the truth begins to emerge at last. And Luna--watchful and unwavering in her affection--may be her family's best hope of learning how to forgive and to heal . . . 

My Review: 

If you have read any of Sandi Ward’s books in the past, you don’t want to miss this one.  As the others, it features a beautiful cat on the cover and a heartfelt family story. 

After Annika’s husband, Peter, suddenly dies in his sleep, she moves back to her family home with her twin teenagers and their cat, Luna.  Only Luna knows Peter is still with them.  She can see and communicate his ghost.  While trapped at home during a snow storm, along with Annika’s high school boyfriend and his brother, Luna helps her family heal from their loss.  Annika also learns to trust in love again.  

This was an enjoyable, and emotional, book and I liked how it was told from different points of views, including Luna’s.  The story switches from the present to the past, telling Annika’s story about her life with Peter, Sam and the troubled relationship with her sister, Lisa.  The author fully uses her imagination to weave a tale that is unexpected and highly memorable.  I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.