Author: Chevy Stevens
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Source: Hardback - Library
Rating: 4 out of 5
Lindsey had managed to escape the a life of abuse and horror her husband inflicted on her. She spent months moving herself and her daughter from place to place trying to hide from, even though he was in jail. When she finally has settled down, began a new relationship and new business, her ex-husband Andrew is released from jail. Now he is living in her town and Lindsey believes he has found her to cause more torment and upend their new lives. Her daughter believes Andrew has changed and tries for a relationship with him, but the more Sophie gets closer to him, thing escalate and the two run away again. Can an abusive alcoholic change their ways? Is the person causing her stress and playing mind games Andrew or someone else? Someone closer to Lindsey than she thought?
I am a member of a book club on Facebook which is amazing because we share all kinds of new books and share our thoughts on similar books. Chevy Stevens books kept coming up as a fantastic read, so when I seen her name in the library I grabbed the first book off the shelf which happened to be this one. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. When I did put it down, I could not stop thinking about it. I wanted to read every minute of the day just to find out what happened, even in the car while on a road trip. You barely were able to talk to me when I had this book open it was that good.
It is an interesting book right from the beginning with Lindsey describing certain events from the past. Then we get into the present which is 11 years or so later. This gives the readers a background on the characters without having to do flashbacks or somehow have the main character relive their past. I feel like it had a little bit of everything: Thrill, suspense, a bit of romance and some mystery, and it was all blended so well together that one didn't overpower the other. The romance was done so well that it didn't feel like it was just thrown into the story as a sort of fan-service as many novels feel like. I loved how the reader is left guessing at who is leaving notes, cds, calling etc. Stevens does a fantastic job at creating the anxiety and stress of being stalked and not knowing who is actually doing it.
The end of my gosh I will not spoil it but I was not expecting it. I had my own theories about different things and how things were going to play out, but I was so wrong and I am happy about that. I honestly wanted to cry out "NO" when I read that part, but I was at my boyfriend's parents and they were sleeping so that would have been a bad first impression. But if I was alone, you can imagine the words that would come out, the literary cats would have hidden. I love that the story was told from both Lindsey and Sophie's point of views. It really added to the creepy chilling factor especially when he begins to "run into Sophie." You get two different viewpoints of the same situation, and yet get the same outcome. Fantastically done. Not many authors can take two view points and blend them together so well.
I am very much impressed with this author and plan on reading more of her novels. I would compare this novel to B.A Paris' Behind Closed Doors, or I guess it should be the other way around because I believe this came out first. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good thriller/suspense novel. This needs to be on your summer read list, or yearly read list, or whatever reading list you have. Pick it up and get dragged in, you won't regret it.
Check out other reviews of Never Let You Go
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