[Review] Never Let You Go - Chevy Stevens

Summary: Lindsey Nash has left an abusive relationship and her ex-husband was sent to jail. She has started over with a new life, her own business, and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties. There is no way he can ever find her and her daughter again. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded. Even her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it's her ex-husband, even though he claims he is a different person and doesn't want to do her any harm. But can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead even closer to home than she thought? (Pub Date: Mar 14, 2017)

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Years after Lindsay has escaped from her violent husband and rebuilt a life for her and her daughter, Andrew is released from prison. The moment she learns he has appeared in town, weird events start to happen, her dog is almost killed, her boyfriend injured and her daughter is in constant contact with her father. Andrew swears he has changed but admits he has followed their daughter more than once, which proves he hasn't really changed.

This was my first book by Chevy Stevens, and I was so happy to be allowed to review it! But I feel partly disappointed.

Lindsey and Sophie, who divided the narration, were good characters. I did call Sophie dumb or worse a few times but in a forgivable way, for she is just a teenager. Lindsey could be considered a little too jumpy to some but to me she has every right to feel wary of anyone. I liked how the author built both characters with flaws that could have made them unbearable but managed to keep them relatable. I also feel Andrew was well written. He can be both charming and scary in a way that pulls the reader into doubting their instinct. I kept asking myself, "This is a bad guy, right?".

A special mention to Angus, the dog. There aren't many authors who can write a pet into a story and really make us feel that there is a pet there. He was the character I most felt anxious about to the end.

Also, about the narration, I think for a professional writer this wasn't supposed to even count points but we find so many books carrying this flaw I have to point it out. Stevens got the voices right, for both narration and dialog. Phew.

Unfortunately, she also got a lot of things wrong.

First, the beginning was slow. Part of this is my fault, as I'm not into books with two timelines. It is also true, however, that the chapters occurring in the past here didn't add anything. We knew Andrew was abusive and, even before the past timeline gives us the information, we know why Lindsey felt guilty about Andrew's accident, which eventually got him into jail. So why do that? I never the function, and I was relieved when the author dropped it around the middle of the book. It finally got smoother to read.

The plot twits weren't exciting either. Stevens was able to make me doubt every character in the book but failed to provoke that nice page-turning urgency a good thriller is supposed to do. On the other hand, the book gets better and the best moment was the climax—as it should be.

As I tried to find out why so many readers loved this novel, I wondered if the answer was in the domestic violence parts. I hope Stevens has never suffered that from up close because the description felt indeed real. For most of the book, I believed the drama was the star here and I confess that, even though I admire the work she has put into it, it is not my cup of tea. Then it hit me that I was getting it all wrong. Despite the book having the appearance of an eye opener to domestic violence, it is just too lenient on Andrew.

This was what I really hated about it, because the only reason Andrew is arrested is partially attributed to Lindsey—his victim!—, and when you think Stevens will finally relieve her from that burden, she actually makes it even worse. So what is the message this book tells us? I'm not saying a book is to tell any messages but the moment you exploit such a topic, you choose a DV victim to be the character your reader relates to, you make that person relive everything... In any case, I don't think Andrew left space for doubts whether he deserved to serve time. Wasn't that what the many flashback chapters were supposed to prove to us?

So... this was a well-written book, and the plot is not bad. However, I had too many issues to give it a higher grade. Which is a pity, I really wanted to like this one. But I haven't given up on Chevy Stevens. I could see why so many like her. Moreover, this would be a good pick for a book club considering not only the thriller but also the issue on domestic violence. I would love to see if anyone else agrees with my conclusions on Andrew.

Rating: 3 out of 5.