Never Let You Go

4.5 stars

Lindsey’s ex-husband, Andrew, has been in jail for the past decade. He was abusive toward Lindsey, and she has since built a new life for her and her daughter, Sophie. Unfortunately when Andrew gets out of jail, he comes back to the town where Lindsey and Sophie live.

I have not yet been disappointed in a Chevy Stevens novel. I found this very fast-paced and suspenseful, and I wanted to keep reading. I listened to the audio, which was very well done; it was read by two different narrators, one for Lindsey and one for Sophie. The book does jump around in time (now and then) and perspective (Lindsey and Sophie). Very very good, in my opinion! There was what I thought of as a coincidence at the end, but without saying too much, show more it turned out to be planned, so not a coincidence, after all. show less

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens is a tense, nail-biting thriller that will capture your rapt attention from beginning to end. It is very highly recommended. Set aside the time to read this all at once (which you will be doing anyway, so you might as well plan for it).

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped an abusive relationship. It was a miracle that she managed to get out alive with her daughter, Sophie. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was arrested when he drove drunk in search of her, causing an accident that killed a woman. He was sent to jail and Lindsey and Sophie went on to start a new life in Dogwood Bay, a lakeshore town in British Columbia. She has her own business cleaning houses. Sophie is now 17 and getting ready to finish high show more school.

Now Andrew is being released from prison. Lindsey is sure he can't find her, but when disturbing things begin to happen, it appears that someone is watching her and even entering her home, she contacts the police. As the threats escalate, it seems to be clear that Andrew is trying to extract revenge on her.

Sophie, unknown to Linsey, has sent letters to her father when he was in prison and she agrees to secretly meet with him when he is released. He claims he has changed and that he would never harm Lindsey, but is he telling the truth? Clearly someone is stalking Lindsey and means her harm.

The story is told in the alternating voices of Lindsey and Sophie. It also shifts back and forth in time, chronicling Andrew's escalating abuse and control over Lindsey. Lindsey's terror is palpable as she relates the story of Andrew's increasingly violent abuse and control over her, even to the point where she is scared for Sophie's safety. Sophie's chapters are all present day. She was just a child when Andrew was sent to prison. She wants a father, but also knows about Lindsey's fear over his abuse.

This is a masterful fast-paced thriller. The writing is incredible. The plot is skillfully presented as the suspense just keeps building on itself and you don't know who you can trust. Let's just say there is more than one suspect. Lindsey and Sophie are well developed, imperfect characters with flaws, talents, and doubts, who are placed in an impossibly strained situation. There are a couple twists that I didn't see coming at all that took my breath away.

Get this novel! Chevy Stevens is proving she's a writer who can consistently create an excellent novel that is sure to ramp up the tension, surprise you with some twists, and leave you satisfied with the ending. Never Let You Go is now added to my list of best books of the year.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of St. Martin's Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/02/never-let-you-go.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1749533853 show less

Wicked.
I expected nothing less to be honest. Chevy's stories have a habit of keeping me up at night, part from I have to keep reading it and part from sheer terror. I live for that in a thriller though. It's a key element to getting me sucked right into the story to where I am a fright.
Chevy Stevens is the Canadian, Female, Stephen King. Seriously. Her books give me the kind of chills his books do. It is so hard not to find the talent in this lady's writing. She captures the reader, and keeps them glued to the end.
This story hit close to home for me. I am a domestic abuse survivor. When I started reading the book and realized that this story was about just that, I prayed to God she got it right. Having lived through it, it's not show more something authors put forth with such rawness, at least like this one. At times, it hit so close I was thinking back to my own experiences. The likeness was uncanny and scary all over again.
That is what makes her an incredible writer.
She gets so gritty, raw and real, you almost think you're reading a real life event or story.
Plus the twists and turns in the mystery part, man, I thought I had it once. Then twice, then back again. It was cool though. You think you know, but do you really?! I love that!
Another book, that not only is going to be a favorite, but one I won't get out of my head. Ever.
If you haven't read this author, what are you waiting for? Do it. Do it now. show less

Chevy Stevens returns following Those Girls (2015), with yet another top notch Sleeping with the Enemy psychological domestic suspense thriller on steroids!

A long-time Stevens fan, reading every book she creatively crafts, and anxiously awaiting the next — Stevens once again showcases her highly creative plotting skills, an engrossing narrative, and her "signature ingredient" of keeping readers surprised, with her famous twists, while moving seamlessly between timelines.

Starting in November 2005, we meet Lindsey, married to Andrew and daughter Sophie. She knows one thing: She had to leave her husband. There was no more time. No matter what it took, no matter how risky it was, she had to get Sophie away from him. She needed to show more protect her daughter. She is terrified.

As with all domestic abusers, they remove all their victim's friends and financial resources, to keep them under their thumb.

Flash forward to 2016. Lindsey and Sophie are now living in Dogwood Bay. She has started a new life. She hopes the past is in the past. Or is it? Andrew has spent time in prison. He wants her to suffer. He was going to make her pay for every year he spent behind bars. He was now a free man and he was going to find her.

Is someone watching? Is Andrew back to act out his revenge?

Stevens flashes back and forth from between these two timelines and even further back to 1997 when the couple met. We hear from Lindsey and Sophie’s POV. The master manipulator. Is there more than one? Who can be trusted?

When she left him years ago, after drugging him, to enable their escape—there was a car accident. A young woman was dead. Someone had to pay.

From Sleeping with the Enemy, The Perfect Guy, Fatal Attraction and more, we always love the intensity of unfortunate protagonists finding themselves stuck with Mr, Crazy. Intense. The man masked behind the chilling monster inside. Unfortunately, not until too late, does he reveal his true self. Then the victim finds themselves risking their lives and others to escape.

As always, a master storyteller, Stevens adds her own clever twist. There is nothing ordinary or similar to this tale. A cautionary tale screaming “Do not trust anyone.” When you least expect someone, crosses your path. When you are most vulnerable, most trusting. They may seek you out for their own revenge.

Stevens delivers her most riveting grip-lit yet. The brutality of domestic violence. Frighteningly real, and all too familiar for many. In addition, it is among the hardest to witness, as for why many are free to continue on their destructive path, until it is often, too late.

The author knows how to build suspense, and keep readers on the edge of their seat From the darkest obsessions, the entrapment, control, and evil.

By adding Sophie’s POV, she reaches outside the couple to hear the fear of a child, a sense of loyalty, the consequences, and strong pull between the troubled parent's abusive relationship.

If you enjoy the TV series, Big Little Lies —you will be thinking of Celeste (Nichole Kidman) and Perry Wright (Alexander Skarsgård). This guy totally gives me the creeps. He reminds me of my ex-husband. Rich, powerful, and crazy.

Highly recommend. For all my Chevy Stevens' GR Book Reviews Trust me, you will want to read this one. Mark out the time. Unputdownable.

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks show less

This was a very intense thriller about a woman who manages to free herself and her daughter from her abusive drinking control freak husband, only to find he's found them again several years later. When Lindsey finds out that her daughter Sophie had initiated the contact to her father she is furious, but Sophie insists Andrew has changed and is a different man. But fears runs deep and Lindsey won't ever be able to forgive him for what he did to her family - especially when weird things start happening, like someone breaking into her house and snooping through her things. She is intent on getting her life back - once again - and is determined to get Andrew back behind bars. Thankfully, she has new friends that support her - Greg, her show more 'friend-with-benefits', and Marcus, who teaches her self-defense fighting techniques. Then Sophie starts dating a boy who seems to have a possessive streak just like Andrew, and Lindsey fears her daughter might repeat her own errors. But things are never what they seem in this story full of twists, which is masterfully proven especially at the end.

I loved how the story went along in a zigzag fashion, never following a straight path, but instead taking unexpected detours and suddenly heading towards a totally different destination. The first half I devoured without a blink, and while there came a couple of slower pages after that, I was almost grateful for the short break it offered to take a deep breath before immersing fully myself in the story again. There were a couple of scenes that felt slightly awkward and made me wonder whether to believe what happened, but then again Lindsey's paranoid behavior was as convincing as Sophie's desperate longing for a real father. The story was told in turn by Lindsey and Sophie, which made it easy to understand both their hopes and fears and how they had to collide during the course of events. 'Never Let You Go' is a thrilling tale made of the finest page turner material.

(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own) show less

I ended up liking this one quite a bit. The twists were pretty good and kept me wondering until it was all revealed. The daughter irritated me throughout the entire book due to her poor choices and attitude but I just rolled my eyes, grumbled, and waited for her mom's parts.

It took me a little while to get used to the 1st person present tense POVs and I never really warmed up to that.

This was the second book by Chevy Stevens that I've read and I did enjoy it more than Still Missing. I do have to say, though, that the parts in the cabin in Still Missing were spectacular and there wasn't anything in Never Let You Go that I thought could compare to that. This one, though, was more enjoyable throughout.

I'd give it a 3.5 stars if Goodreads show more allowed it but rounded up because of how much fun I had reading the final chunk of the book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Never Let You Go. show less

The prose wasn't the best but the plot was so intriguing.
Edit:

I wasn't a fan of how they ended it by saying that Andrew was a good guy after all. Like, what the fuck, no he wasn't. He still stalked her. He still didn't hear the word "no". And Jared being a good guy at the end too despite being a super creepy person? Like, it should have ended by being like "they all sucked oh well"