ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: Radley just wants to get home to her parents in Vermont. While she was volunteering abroad, the American People’s Party took power; the new president was assassinated; and the government cracked down on citizens. Travel restrictions are worse than ever, and when her plane finally lands in New Hampshire, Radley’s parents aren’t there.

Exhausted; her phone dead; her credit cards worthless: Radley starts walking. -Goodreads

Review: Sakekeeping is the story of Radley, who returns home to America in the midst of civil unrest and all kinds of political unhappiness. On top of that, her parents are nowhere to be found… so as the situation at home gets progressively uglier she makes the best decision she can and starts to head north for Canada.

While the story seems to progress slowly sometimes it moves along quickly enough that you are always wondering what will happen next. Radley is continuously forced to make tough decisions and do some (mildly) unpleasant things in order to survive and you are rooting for this girl right from the get go, she is incredibly easy to relate to. As soon as she gets home all she wants to do is see her parents and have them make everything better but when it doesn’t look like it will be that easy she quickly learns that she is tougher than she thought.

All that being said, I felt like a very quick read could have probably been cut down even farther. A lot happens and I can not even guess how many miles (and kilometers, heh) Radley travels in the course of the book but the story still seems to drag in some parts. While it only ended up being a three-star read for me it is absolutely worth saying that this book made me cry, twice. I am not a crier. There was an emotional vulnerability to both Radley and Celia, the traveling companion she eventually picks up.

If you’re looking for a quick read and something that is a bit different from the standard dystopian books many of us are reading, I would absolutely look into Safekeeping. As a bonus, it’s also a standalone so it would make for a very good escape from the massive undertakings in reading many of us have planned. Enjoy!

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

Rating:

Second Opinions:
@Emily’s Reading Room
@Frenetic Reader