Author(s): Erin Stewart

Teen Fiction

Shining a light on mental health stigma, perfectionism and self-expression, The Words We Keep is perfect for fans of Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places and Tamara Ireland Stone’s Every Last Word. Sixteen-year-old Lily carefully hides her crippling anxiety to keep her family and her perfect façade from falling apart. Especially since her older sister’s breakdown at college and subsequent stay in a mental health facility, Lily feels the pressure to be “the perfect one” more than ever. But when Lily pairs up for a poetry project with a boy who has his own dark secrets, she must face the demons in her head that tell her she’s not enough. Together, Lily and Micah spread their secret fears and words across the school as anonymous guerrilla poets. But when the project goes too far, Lily’s anxiety spirals further than ever, and she must face the only three words that can actually save her: I need help.