Before I Let You Go in Aussie Readers

Feb 21, 2018 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, aussie-authors, net-galley, suspense, read-on-kindle, 5000-books, 2018-release, arc, own-read

The day Lexie and Annie's father died was the catalyst to change - nothing was the same in the aftermath. Their mother was unable to cope, and Lexie, being the older of the two sisters, took over. She prepared meals, got them both ready for school, did the laundry - she grew up quickly.

Twelve months later Robert appeared in their lives; their mother married him and Lexie and Annie had a step-father they hated. But the bond between the two girls continued to grow with Lexie always there for Annie ...more

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Mar 29, 2018 Helen rated it it was amazing

This is a moving, emotional, heart-wrenching story a story of two sisters and their lives together and apart, the link they share and love that they give each other even if there is pain and heartbreak along the way. When reading this one a box of tissues is going to be needed and I had to take some deep breathes to let a little frustration out here and there as well, oh but what a story one that I highly recommend.

Alexia and Annie are four years apart living happily with their parents, both are This is a moving, emotional, heart-wrenching story a story of two sisters and their lives together and apart, the link they share and love that they give each other even if there is pain and heartbreak along the way. When reading this one a box of tissues is going to be needed and I had to take some deep breathes to let a little frustration out here and there as well, oh but what a story one that I highly recommend.

Alexia and Annie are four years apart living happily with their parents, both are doing well at school until tragedy happens and they lose their Dad, their mother suffers severely with the loss and Lexie being the eldest becomes mother and big sister and keeps the family going, until their mother remarries and they end up in a religious sect here their lives take another different turn.

Lexie leaves as soon as she can and gets into university to become a Doctor, leaving Annie behind this changes her life and eventually she escapes to find Lexie, but Annie is a different person and the years apart have taken their toll on the girls and another separation begins. Annie spirals downwards with drug addiction and the writing that she loves so much gets left behind. Two years later Annie calls and she needs her sister badly she is pregnant an addict and both Annie and the baby are in danger, Lexie of course steps in to help but there is also her fiancé Sam to think of now too and soon the baby is born premature and suffering with NAS.

This story takes us into the world of a heroin addict and the people around them that get hurt as well, it discusses the issues and the law that can be unfair especially to pregnant woman who are suffering, it shows the horrors but it shows the strength and love that comes from family. Lexie and Annie along with Sam and beautiful baby Daisy have a lot to learn and go through, MS Rimmer has written a story that is a real page turner there is a lot of pain that these girls go through the baby included but there is so much love and in the end honesty that needs to come out. I did very much enjoy this story and the ending did leave me happy.
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Mar 19, 2018 Bree T rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, contemporary, issues

This book was a complete page turner.

I started it on Tuesday, about 2.5hours before I would have to leave to go get my kids from school. I thought I’d just read a bit of it but with around an hour to go before I had to leave I realised it was going to be a bit of a race – would I finish it before I had to go? I didn’t want to have to put it down!

Lexie hasn’t heard from her sister Annie in two years – since she threw Annie out of her house after Annie’s addiction had impacted on their lives too m This book was a complete page turner.

I started it on Tuesday, about 2.5hours before I would have to leave to go get my kids from school. I thought I’d just read a bit of it but with around an hour to go before I had to leave I realised it was going to be a bit of a race – would I finish it before I had to go? I didn’t want to have to put it down!

Lexie hasn’t heard from her sister Annie in two years – since she threw Annie out of her house after Annie’s addiction had impacted on their lives too much for Lexie to continue. It’d been years of trying to get Annie help with little success. But when Annie calls in the middle of the night with news that she’s pregnant and not feeling well, Lexie doesn’t hesitate to race to her side.

This book made me feel a lot of things – I was surprised actually, the amount and range of emotions Kelly Rimmer was able to inspire. It’s so easy to judge a pregnant drug addict – and in fact, there’s plenty of judgement in this novel. Even from Lexie, who as a doctor and Annie’s sister, knows full well the dangers and powers of an addiction. But you can’t help it at times. Especially when the novel goes to on to describe in great detail what happens when a baby is born from a drug addicted mother and then has to go through an assisted withdrawal process. It’s horrific and heartbreaking.

But this book is also set in Alabama, which has some very strict child endangerment laws which are used in this case as a basis to strip Annie of her parental rights. The baby isn’t even born, Annie is not allowed a lawyer at a bedside hearing and the consequences are often mandated rehab and any failure results in jail time. It was hard not to feel completely outraged at Annie’s lack of autonomy, despite her debilitating addiction. It’s easy to look down on addicts, to judge them for their choices and the fact that they have endangered the health of their child….but they are still people. They have all ended up in this spot for different reasons and very few would choose it willingly, especially once discovering their pregnancy.

This book tells Annie’s story as diary entries written to her counsellor which flesh out her past and how she came to be set upon a path that led her to addiction. Annie has a way with words (something that dates back to her childhood) and the way in which she paints an upbringing gone wrong is so powerful. A set of circumstances that left deep scars on a girl who deserved better and those scars grew and grew until they became an addiction. The novel does a fantastic job in showcasing Annie’s spiral – the mental demons that plagued her and the why, the how. Parts of that story infuriated me too. Both Lexie and Annie are badly let down at a time when they need strength the most. When Annie is left alone in a terrible situation, it escalates to a degree that Lexie never had to experience. I think it also showcases that someone can escape an awful situation…..but yet not really escape. Still be troubled and plagued by it until it controls most or all, facets of your life.

I think this book also showcases how inadequately drugs and addiction are dealt with. Encompassing situations like this under a criminal offence, like in Alabama, doesn’t do anything for anyone. It doesn’t help an addict try and either manage their addiction or overcome it. Court ordered rehabilitation doesn’t really work either. Women like Annie don’t belong in jail, contributing to a probably already overcrowded system. Is she equipped to care for her child? Probably not. But she doesn’t deserve to be treated like she doesn’t matter either. Annie is more than just an incubator for her child – she’s also a person who should have rights and priorities as well. Her health is important. In order for Annie (and others) to be an effective mother they need to be treated as importantly as their children are. I don’t have the answers, I’m not a health or drug and alcohol specialist but removing their children from them as soon as they are born and putting them into jail or forcing them into facilities seems like setting them up just to fail. Annie was lucky – she had a sister that loved her perhaps more than anything else in the world. There was nothing Lexie wouldn’t have done in order to help Annie. And that includes caring for her baby, once born with the hope that one day, Annie would be well enough to resume her parental duties. But not everyone has the sort of safety net that Annie did in that respect and many babies end up in the foster care system, bounced around between homes. So the rules and the system do very little for the babies they’re attempting to protect as well, in a number of cases.

This is an excellent book – perfectly paced and with a kaleidoscope sort of story where as you move through to the next portion, it changes your mind on how you feel about the characters. I absolutely loved it.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 Kalliste rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australian, netgalley

If a book is written through multiple perspectives I'm usually in. This book worked well in tying the past to the present and showing how Lexie and Annie became who they are.

I enjoyed reading this book but felt frustration with both Lexie and Annie. Lexie for pushing everyone away and having to fix everything herself and Annie for her incredible manipulation so she could get high in anyway possible. The characters are definitely flawed but they're also relatable. I can definitely imagine people ...more

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May 13, 2018 Kate Forsyth rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, contemporary, aww2018

A contemporary family drama set in Alabama, Before I Let You Go is a powerful and heart-wrenching examination of the lives of two sisters and their shared love for a tiny baby. The story begins when Lexie Vidler – a doctor with a carefully built perfect life – hears her younger sister’s voice for the first time in years. Annie is a heroin addict who has caused a great deal of harm to Lexie’s life before. Lexie had sworn to have no more to do with her, but this time Annie is really in trouble. Sh ...more

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Apr 07, 2018 Kat rated it really liked it

This is the first book I've read by Kelly Rimmer, but it certainly won't be my last. The author has chosen hard topics to write about, their heartbreaking to read about and for me hard to read at times. I went through many emotions reading this especially anger and sadness. I learnt a lot from this book about religion and certain laws in Alabama. I loved Kelly Rimmer's writing and the way she grabbed me and made me want to read one more chapter. I look forward to reading more books by Kelly.

Tha ...more

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Jul 27, 2018 Janine rated it it was amazing

Wow what a powerful book this is. Such a sad story about the love of sisters and family. Annie is struggling with her drug addiction and calls her sister Lexie to help her as she is now pregnant. Lexie has always been the one to come to Annie's rescue but hasn't seen her for a while and is shocked to find her in this condition. The problem is the state that they live in charges pregnant women who are drug addicts with criminal endangerment to the child, so Annie must agree to go to rehab when th ...more

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Jan 27, 2018 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer is the story of two sisters. Lexie is a GP, engaged to a surgeon, living the life she had always dreamed. Annie is a heroin addict, living in a trailer, heavily pregnant. After 2 years of no contact Annie calls Lexie in the middle of the night, desperate for help. What happens is heartbreaking and yet an utterly addictive tale.

Told in a combination of real time from Lexie's perspective, and Annie's diary entries of the past as well as present, it attempts to u ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer is a heartbreaking yet thought-provoking novel that sensitively and realistically portrays addiction.

As children, Lexie Vidler promised her father she would always take care of her younger sister, Annie. For the past six years, this promise has been increasingly difficult to keep as Annie's drug addiction worsens. Two years ago, Lexie finally cut off all ties with Annie but when her sister makes a frantic 2 AM phone call, she cannot refuse to help. Because thi Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer is a heartbreaking yet thought-provoking novel that sensitively and realistically portrays addiction.

As children, Lexie Vidler promised her father she would always take care of her younger sister, Annie. For the past six years, this promise has been increasingly difficult to keep as Annie's drug addiction worsens. Two years ago, Lexie finally cut off all ties with Annie but when her sister makes a frantic 2 AM phone call, she cannot refuse to help. Because this time, Annie is pregnant and her unborn baby is in jeopardy. So with her fiancé, Sam Hawke, at her side, Lexie is drawn back into the chaos that always surrounds Annie.

Neither Lexie nor Annie are particularly likable characters (which is painful to admit since the storyline is so captivating). Lexie is a successful doctor but her relationship with Annie is so incredibly dysfunctional. Lexie is determined to take care of her sister's latest mess on her own despite the fact that Sam is willing to help and should be included in making decisions since what is occurring directly affects him as well. Lexie's stubborn refusal to let him help becomes tiresome as does her conviction that cleaning up her sister's messes is HER responsibility not Annie's.

It is always frustrating when an adult refuses to see that a childhood request to take care of a sibling is not a lifelong sentence or commitment. This is especially true since Annie's addiction is NOT Lexie's responsibility and she has become the worst enabler as she makes excuses for her sister and refuses to hold Annie accountable for her actions. Lexie has put herself into incredible debt as she continues to pay for rehab and while it is understandable that she desperately wants to help Annie kick her addiction, she refuses to acknowledge that ANNIE has to decide she wants to get sober. Without this commitment and a dedicated effort to understand why she turns to drugs to cope, Annie will never maintain her sobriety. Annie's journal entries provide incredible insight into her past and how her inability to deal with her horrific ordeal set her on the path to addiction.

Before I Let You Go is a deeply affecting novel with a topical storyline about opioid addiction. Kelly Rimmer never downplays the effects of addiction on the addict's family and she accurately portrays the heartrending withdrawal that is experienced by a baby born to a drug addicted mother. This insightful glimpse of drug addiction and its effects on the addict's loved ones is an engrossing novel that is emotional, heart wrenching and ultimately, healing. ...more

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