REVIEW: Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Narrator: Rachel Fulginiti and Caitlin Davies
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: March 2018
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A stunning and thrilling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing.

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 Thoughts: To begin with, I have to wonder how I have never read anything from this author before, but she has definitely been flying below my radar. My love of all things thriller, suspenseful, twisty and edgy are fed fully with Never Let You Go. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing nearly all the way to the end about who the culprit is, right about the same time our protagonist, Lindsey, realizes it. I like being surprised like this rather than figuring it out in the first few chapters then feeling impatient for everyone else to catch up.

The girl meets a boy then realizes he’s dangerous and escapes him only to be stalked and terrorized down the road plot device is used quite extensively, and I do enjoy them immensely. This one resonates with me because the author does a wonderful job of humanizing the characters, so the reader gets a real sense of the empathy, love and confusion the victims feel towards the villain. When there are potentially multiple villains, it makes the story more complex. Initially, the reader is told the backstory of Lindsey and Andrew in flashbacks building up the tension and fear Lindsey feels at the hands of this man she loves, but who she is convinced is going to kill her one day.

In the present day, eleven years later, the reader gets both Lindsey and Sophie’s perspectives when Andrew reenters their lives and I could empathize with both of them regarding their feelings about Andrew and whether or not he could be trusted. Obviously, most readers will automatically assume he’s the one who is stalking them now and though I understood why, I kept thinking that would be the obvious choice. The author sets up the story to offer up other viable suspects that kept me guessing and doubting.

The story moves at a reasonable pace and once the backstory of Lindsey and Andrew’s lives is revealed, the story begins to get more twisty and, though some of the events occurring were quite disturbing, they were very relevant. I thought the characters were masterfully developed, easy to relate to and get to know.

I went with the audiobook edition of this story, narrated by Rachel Fulginiti and Caitlin Davies. Both performing alternating points of view from Lindsey and her daughter, Sophie, which I enjoyed because the voices are distinctly different in their pitch and tone so it gave me a better listening experience. It gives the reader more of a sense of performance than just being read to.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this story to be very good, offering up a twisty, edge of my seat, nail-biting experience. Fans who enjoy being surprised, shocked and a little terrified will enjoy this book. I recommend the audiobook edition for the added emotional impact of the performances which gave me the sensation of being in the house with the characters rather than observing from a distance.