On the other hand, your writing should be something YOU love. You keep going because YOU WANT to, because you're madly, desperately in love with your words and the sound of your own voice, and no one, ever, ever, ever, EVER should be able to take that away from you. If you don't like/agree that a reader's suggestion isn't right for your story, then it isn't! Readers are readers, and writers are writers. They can have ideas, advice, things they'd like to see happen. YOU are under NO obligation to do anything more than listen, nod, and think about it.
One more crucial thing. Make sure your audience isn't just flattering you. I read somewhere that you should have both sides of a coin, one who adores you (your mom?), and one who'll be brutally honest (a professor?).