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Keeping Sam: An uplifting feel-good novel about second chances

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When Kate wakes up from a year-long coma, the first person she asks for is her son. Recovering from a head injury and getting back on her feet takes all of Kate’s energy, but toddler Sam has left a hole in her heart – a hole that isn’t healed by the knowledge that Sam is being cared for by Kate’s mother. Estranged from her parents since she was eighteen, Kate soon discovers they took Sam home to Cornwall months ago, convinced Kate would never wake up ...

By the time Kate is well enough to reclaim her son she is frantic with worry. Why hasn’t her mother brought Sam to see her? Why haven’t they replied to any of her letters? And why will no one talk to her about the circumstances around her injuries?

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 23, 2015

158 people are currently reading
455 people want to read

About the author

Joanne Phillips

25 books126 followers
Joanne Phillips lives Cheshire, England with her nine-year-old daughter Lulu, and spends her days (and often nights!) writing commercial fiction, romantic comedies and contemporary mysteries. Her first novel, Can’t Live Without, was an Amazon top 100 bestseller in 2012, and the stand-alone sequel, The Family Trap, won the coveted SpaSpa award in 2013 for Best Romantic Comedy.

Joanne developed a love of writing early on, when she would retreat into imaginary conversations and invent fantasy worlds. She carried on writing through her twenties, studying with The Writers’ Bureau and the Open University, and has recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her latest novel, This Beautiful World, was shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead award, and also made it to the shortlist for publication with the renowned Valley Press. Joanne is currently working on a new 'domestic noir' thriller and the next Flora Lively mystery.

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5 stars
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263 (32%)
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246 (30%)
2 stars
59 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Terry Tyler.
Author 34 books584 followers
November 22, 2015
This novel is an interesting move sideways for Joanne Phillips, who has previously been known for her light romances and cosy mysteries. Keeping Sam is an emotionally complex drama that I am sure will appeal to readers who have a preference for stories about modern day family issues. One point I'd like to make straight away is that there is no bad language, sex or violence in this book; I know this is important to some people when making reading choices.

Following a break in and a knock on the head, single mother Kate has been in a coma for a year. When she wakes up, she is eager to fetch her toddler son, Sam, from her parents' house. However, she reckons without the relationship her mother, Barbara, has built up with Sam while Kate was asleep. Kate must cope not only with her own physical difficulties, but also with the general opinion that she is not yet ready to be a full time mother to her son. Her frustration and the feeling that there is some sort of conspiracy against her is extremely well plotted, with slightly sinister undertones that I liked very much.

As the story progresses, the strains of tension between Kate and her parents are artfully revealed. Barbara is a most interesting character, resentful, lonely, frightened of the future; she is essentially an unlikable character, but I couldn't help feeling sorry for her because of the dull emptiness of her life, which made me want to run a mile, should I ever have to live anything like it! Enter stage left, Kate's ex and Sam's father, the feckless Evan, who has his own agenda.

A little of the author's tendency towards the more lighthearted is introduced in the form of the delightful Marie, Kate's landlady, and her tumultuous relationship with the love of her life, Big Tony. This is a well told and unusual story, incorporating a little mystery, too, and fans of Joanne Phillips (of which there are many) will be pleased to know that she's also added in a pleasing touch of romantic interest! A most enjoyable read, with that all important satisfying ending.



Profile Image for Linda Tilling.
845 reviews30 followers
August 10, 2022
Kate wakes up from a year-long coma, of which she has no memory of what happened to put her there, and is desperate to see her son Sam. However, her parents have taken him home to Cornwall and so ensues a fight to regain custody of him from her controlling and estranged mother and difficult father.

It is a book that totally immerses you, and some of the characters are great to get to know, but it was a bit of a slow burn and half way through I started to lose interest in the storyline. However, I persevered and the ending was worth waiting for.
Profile Image for Terri L Dyess.
6 reviews2 followers
May 20, 2016
So emotional

Really held my attention, I had to know what was happening next and where everyone was fitting into the story, emotions running wild not only in the book but in me to, I loved it
Profile Image for Lesley.
323 reviews
September 2, 2017
This was a free download from Amazon.uk, and I've read it in less than a day, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It doesn't have a long, involved story, and in places it's quite shallow.

But it's a good read, and kept me picking it up all day.
Profile Image for Terri.
164 reviews11 followers
November 18, 2017
I'll start with what I didn't like:
Barbara came off as a villain from a Disney movie, or maybe a soap opera. Her character seemed one-dimensional. I also didn't buy her whole redemption story line. It seemed like a quick fix to wind down the book.

With that said, I really did enjoy this book and would look forward to reading more from the author.
Profile Image for Agnes .
980 reviews88 followers
July 8, 2016
OK I read it in 2 days - but I wanted to finish it in one. I have found a new author to follow...The story of Kate - who is attacked which causes her to be in a coma for almost a year. Meantime, her mom is taking care of her son. When she wakes up she wants her son back...but since her mom has been raising him, she is reluctant to give him back. And so starts a court case and some very ugly dealings between mom and daughter. But Kate does find friendship in her neighbors, Marie and Patrick and does not have to go the journey alone. A sweet and bitter story of love, hate, regrets, and forgiveness.
Profile Image for sandra B. Cohen.
19 reviews1 follower
May 1, 2016
Engrossing

Couldn't put the book down. The characters came alive. Kate and family engrossing. As a family therapist I recognized the suffering in this family.
Profile Image for ❤Marie Gentilcore.
878 reviews41 followers
July 8, 2016
This was a pleasant story of a woman who wakes up from a coma and her efforts to get her son back. I liked the main character Kate. She was strong and good.
10 reviews
June 14, 2018
Okay storyline

The storyline for this book was okay but the author has obviously not been around many 18 month old children. The author made it sound like a small toddler could carry on a much more sophisticated conversation than is actually possible for someone of that age. No children I know, including my own 4 kids, could have carried on conversations as described in this book.
43 reviews2 followers
September 3, 2017
Family Dysfunction and Forgiveness

There are many families that have internal problems causing separation. This is a story of one such family, where tradegy eventually gets resolved although not easily. Young children often get caught in between, and it's good to see that Sam comes out of the turmoil unscathed.
5 reviews
May 26, 2019
Good book but not extraordinary. It was not one of those books that you can't put down.

The book was good but not one of those books you can't put down. It took me a long time to read. Would lose interest.
Profile Image for Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams.
2,705 reviews5 followers
February 5, 2020
Keeping Sam

Kate has been in a coma for almost a year and not she is awake but her mother, Barbara has her son. Barbara is doing everything she can to keep Sam including bring back Sam's father who is a drive dealer. Will Late get her son back? Great story of family abuse.
Profile Image for Edna  Loosa.
12 reviews
November 16, 2016
Great book

This is a great book a must read. It is a adventure between a mom and daughter finding there love for each other.
2 reviews2 followers
September 4, 2017
I was interested enough in the story to finish it, but the entire story line was obvious and cheesy.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
1,245 reviews5 followers
February 26, 2017
This was a really quick interesting read. The storyline is intriguing but also pretty predictable.
Profile Image for Amanda McKeon.
Author 3 books19 followers
November 27, 2015
I was delighted to be asked to review this book before it hit the shelves in November, in exchange for an honest review, and I was not disappointed.
After suffering a brutal attack, Kate wakes up from a year long coma only to find that her young son, Sam, has been placed in the care of her parents, from whom she has been estranged for some time. Unable to walk or leave the hospital she waits desperately for them to bring Sam to see her. Straight away the reader is cast into the world of a mother who is living and breathing grief and loss and will do anything to get her son back.
This is a bit of a departure from Joanne Phillips’ other books, although she has proved many times that she is certainly no one trick pony. It’s a great story and a real page-turner, exploring the unspoken trauma that lies at the heart of a family, as it festers and leaks into the next generation.

I love Phillips’ style; the writing is tight and the story is utterly absorbing. We follow Kate as she seeks out her son, only to learn that she has to prove to the courts that she is ‘fit’ to have him back. She finds herself deep in a system where social workers, determined not to place children where they might be harmed, have her tied up in red tape. Her despair threatens to topple her but she learns to be resilient. Or, is resilience something she had to learn as a child in order to survive? As Kate negotiates her son’s return, the past is dragged out into the light, with all it’s secrets and lies.
Comic relief comes in the form of Marie, Kate's vivacious landlady, and there’s romance in the air too.
An altogether great read.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Ray.
937 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2016
This book was free on one of my daily Book Bub emails and I thought the synopsis sounded fascinating, so I bought it on a whim. Main character Kate was attacked a year ago by persons unknown and has been in a coma for nearly a year. She awakes to find that her son, Sam, has been living with her parents, who she is estranged from. The synopsis makes the book sound like more of a mystery/suspense book than it really is.

Kate and her mother are soon locked into an ugly custody battle over Sam. Secrets from Kate's childhood are revealed and the reader can't help but feel empathetic toward her. I was terrified about what might happen to Sam as a result of the custody battle. Meanwhile, there is some romance between Kate and a neighbor that is made complicated when Sam's father shows up.

I really loved the character of Kate. My heart just broke for her and her situation! I can't even imagine. I loved her landlord, a giving lady who stuck her nose into everyone's business. I also loved the romantic interest and his protective, yet gentle, ways. I was chilled to the bone at times when the story was from the point of view of Sam's grandmother. I'm not sure how I feel about the way that the book ended. This book was not predictable to me and there were a few things I didn't see coming. The story had very good pacing and drew the reader in almost immediately.

A quick, interesting read with a great main character!
Profile Image for Karla Renee Goforth Abreu.
670 reviews8 followers
October 6, 2016
The story is interesting enough: a young woman wakes up from a coma to discover her toddler has been taken by her estranged parents. The story involves a slight exploration of an abusive and dysfunctional childhood. There are elements of mystery and a love interest. Themes of forgiveness, self-discovery, and grace are revealed as the story progresses.
The style of writing flows and the story does not drag. The bothersome issues I had with the story are the description and actions of the little boy, Sam. His age is 18 months at the beginning and only a few months pass during the timeline. The author depicts him as a much older child, three or so. The conversations he has are far beyond the abilities of any 18 month old. The abstract concepts of empathy and such are not known to children of this age, but Sam is concerned for his grandmother crying, arguments, etc. Sam is told to go "wash up for tea," and no child of that age does all of that on his own. He is left to play and draw in rooms by himself, even on a different level of the house from where the grandmother is. The author is describing a much older child and that bothered me throughout the reading. All in all, it is a book that is an easy read and does manage to tell a story of fierce love in the face of uncertainty.
Profile Image for moxieBK.
1,763 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2017
Keeping Sam — Joanne Phillips (31 chapters) Jan. 7-8, 2016

I kind of started to read this to decide why I had downloaded to read it in the first place, when I found myself in the middle of chapter three! I realized I was hooked on the story not because of the main character, but because of the secondary character of Sam.

I was amazed at how fast I read this book (I could have read it in a day, but chose it read it over a few.) The plot was interesting, and unique enough that I couldn’t stop reading it. The characters and events worked well together and the story (plus the mystery of what happened was written well. I mean, the plot was fleshed out and well-though out.

The plot is very complete. The chapters are perfectly written. Each one blends into the next one, or can be stopped at. When I picked the story up at the next chapter, I didn’t feel like I had lost my place. It’s been awhile since I’ve written such a nicely written piece. It felt very literary in reading. A real gem of a story.

I thought this would be a cry-fest…so glad it is not! It’s actually very uplifting and has a great message.

I have never read this author before, but if I see her name pop up on my reading list, I will be sure and check the story out.

Four stars.
Profile Image for Ranjini.
316 reviews18 followers
June 10, 2017
Randomly picked up - as it just popped up as a reco on bookbub. Didn't realize a random pop-up would turn out to be such an unputdownable book.

Kate suffered an attack on the head, post-which she was in a year-long coma. On awakening, she finds out that her toddler son, Sam, has been put in the care of her parents from whom she has been estranged years ago. Unable to walk or leave the hospital, she waits desperately for them to bring Sam to see her. The connect with Kate, as a mother, was immediate - she is living and breathing grief and loss and is determined to get to Sam.
Kate must not only cope with her own physical difficulties, but also the fact that her own mother just doesn't want to let Sam go!
As the story progresses, the strains of tension between Kate and her parents are artfully revealed.
Kate's journey to get custody of her son is heart-wrenching, and the author has very beautifully showcased the turmoil Kate is in - wherein, on one hand is her son and on the other hand is her own mother, complicated by her ex-lover.
How one can go to any extent, to keep what they want...

A powerful, yet quick read!
Profile Image for Lisa.
293 reviews
October 9, 2016
Kate has been in hospital in a coma for a long time. The question is, how did it happen and who or what put her there. The intrigue of this carries on until the end of the book is almost upon you.

From the outset this was a heart wrenching tale of a single Mum, estranged from her parents, and having to fight a custody battle for her young Son Sam. You could feel sorry for her, but she has been portrayed as a fighter and you can imagine that if she was your friend in the real and not fictional world, she wouldn't want your pity.

She gets herself set up in a room in a house, with a landlady and a lodger for company and there her fight begins to get herself back to health; get her son back and work out what happened to her.

I loved Kate's character and really warmed to her with her fight, determination and passion.

This family drama had me hooked and I didn't want to put it down. I could see it as a saga which could be unfolding right now, anywhere in our Country.

This was an enjoyable read, with a lot of drama and content, packed into a fairly quick read. A thoroughly recommended read

** The author provided me with a copy of the book for my honest review **
Profile Image for Laura.
276 reviews
July 28, 2016
Keeping Sam

Keeping Sam is a good story of dealing with regrets and finding forgiveness. Kate has been in a coma for nine months after being attacked in her apartment and finds that her mother has taken her son to live with her. When Kate gets to Corrin Cove, she finds she has a fight on her hands to get her son back. If only she can remember who is responsible for her attack and who planted drugs in her apartment, and can she ever work things out with her parents about her childhood? This is not an "inspirational" book, but is fairly clean with only some slang words and innuendo.
Profile Image for Tracy.
171 reviews3 followers
May 4, 2016
Couldn't put it down

I haven't picked up a book that I've been able to finish in 2 days in awhile ... this book caught my attention from the beginning and I couldn't wait to see who got to keep Sam. I'm not sure that it's a Christian Fiction book, but it wasn't a romance full of sex scenes and that is good. There was a little suspense but not over powering, so if you like a romance, suspense, good to the very end book give "Keeping Sam" a read. I'm going to see if Joanne Phillips has written a sequel to this as I'd like to see if anything blooms with Patrick.....
Profile Image for Eddi.
614 reviews5 followers
August 17, 2016
Wonderful engrossing story about a young woman who awakens from a year-long coma, only to find out that her son, Sam, is being cared for by her parents from whom she is estranged. She works at rehab with her entire being, with the goal of getting Sam back, but finds that her mother has no intention of letting her have him. In fact, her mother will go to any extremes to keep from giving up Sam.
They engage in an awful custody battle, and family secrets, lies and abuse surface, with some ultimate healing and forgiveness.
Profile Image for Lori Henrich.
1,084 reviews81 followers
May 8, 2016
Kate wakes up from a coma to find that her parents are raising her son and she will have to fight with everything she has to get him back. Her mother is bitter and resentful and will stop at nothing to make sure that Kate will never get custody of her son Sam.

Well written. The characters come to life. Some of the terms I wasn't familiar with since the story was set in England, but that wasn't something that took anything away from the story. It is a story of a mother's love.
Profile Image for Delissca.
258 reviews1 follower
May 11, 2016
This book was better than ok, but not great. I thought the writing flowed very smoothly and fast paced. I didn't get a clear picture in my head of any of the characters or places. But it was an interesting read. I am a grandmother myself, in a similar situation with my daughter and grandchildren so it really hit home for me.
Profile Image for Anita R.
457 reviews7 followers
June 29, 2016
This is a very interesting book about a mother who has lost custody of her child through no fault of her own. The mother , Kate, has to resolve her feelings and memories about her own parents and her abusive upbringing. It was a good story about trusting people and accepting them.
1,160 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2016
Heart-wrenching story of a young woman's struggles to regain custody of her son after waking up from 9 months of being in a coma. The characters are well-developed and real. The situation could definitely happen, and makes for a powerful, yet quick read.

36 reviews
April 29, 2016
Enjoyable

Enjoyable tale of a mother's love and the lengths she will go to have him back where he belongs. Interesting insight into the long term psychological effects of domestic abuse on families
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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