Review: Never Let You Go

Never Let You Go

By Chevy Stevens

Published: March 14, 2017

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

With Never Let You Go, Chevy Stevens delivers a chilling, twisting thriller that crackles with suspense as it explores the darkest heart of love and obsession.

My review:

Never Let You Go is a fast paced suspense novel with some unexpected twists but it didn't have much in the way of character development and I had one major issue with it. My review contains minor spoilers that have nothing to do with the main plot of the story but are relevant to my thoughts on the book.

The story alternates between the past, showing Lindsey's early relationship and marriage to Andrew as well as the present. It is written initially from the viewpoint of Lindsey but later adds her daughter Sophie's voice to the narrative. Sophie was still a young child when her dad went to prison and that is reflected in the way she views him. Her mom sees Andrew as a threat while Sophie wants to give him a chance. Andrew may have been a nightmare to Lindsey but he was loving to Sophie and that affects her memories of him which could be frustrating.

I felt bad for Lindsey during her marriage to Andrew and was glad she'd found a way out and was doing well with her business but I did have some issues with her behavior regarding a romantic relationship where she was very trusting. Given what was happening with Andrew being out of prison and the escalating strange incidents, it was weird that she was so trusting. In contrast she was not so trusting of Sophie's love interest. While I enjoyed the page turning action of the book and wanted to know what would happen next, I was annoyed by Sophie's behavior at times--how bratty she could be and the decisions she made regarding her father. 

What really bothered me though was a scene of what could be considered rape between two of the characters that was never dealt with. The characters in question were inebriated and high and there was no consent given. She isn't sure of what she wants but she is too out of it to say anything and afterwards she thinks "I guess I must have wanted it, but I don't remember." Later she is upset by what happened but puts all the blame on herself because she was drunk. I thought the way it was described really muddied the waters regarding consent. Note: No other reviews I've read on Goodreads or Amazon mentioned this so maybe I'm just being sensitive but according to RAINN, consent does not look like "Someone being incapacitated because of drugs or alcohol".

I also wished for more depth to the characters. I didn't feel like I got to know Lindsey or see her change in any way. I found it difficult to connect with the characters. Even the villain was one dimensional. In some ways this is the book equivalent of an action movie/popcorn flick. I liked that I didn't anticipate everything that happened  and I thought it was suitably suspenseful but the story was problematic and could have delivered more on character development.

Note: I received an ARC for review courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley