Things We Cannot Keep

Title: Things We Cannot Keep

Author: Amanda Cox

Source: Library

My Review:

From the beautiful cover to the lovely story within, this book is a complicated web of trauma, healing, forgiveness, and learning to move forward.

Tess believes she has built a life that she loves until she is challenged to rethink everything that she has believed since leaving home at eighteen.

Elliot has spent his life searching for Tess, only to find her on a lark. Despite their complicated past, Elliot beseeches Tess to trust him and embark on a journey with him to unravel the mystery surrounding an anonymous watch that was sent to Tess. 

This captivating, well-written story held my attention until the final reveal.

★★★★/5

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Tess has built a new life in Alabama, repairing timepieces and avoiding her troubled past as she restores her customers' family heirlooms--treasures she never had herself. When a mysterious package arrives addressed to Teresa Baker, the name she abandoned, Tess finds herself drawn into a puzzle that threatens her delicate peace.

Then Elliot Sullivan appears at her door after eighteen years, and Tess knows he's after more than just forgiveness. She doesn't trust his motives, but it becomes apparent that he could be the key to uncovering the origin of the mystery package and its cryptic contents.

Tess has found safety in her simple life, but reuniting this lost heirloom to its rightful recipient requires her to come out of hiding. Each clue leads to a different place around the world, and each story reveals hidden truths. The question is whether she's brave enough to face what she might find--and whether the man beside her can be trusted with what matters most.