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Never Let You Go
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Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens - May 2017
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I was surprised when Andrew was killed. At the time, I didn't think he was trying to protect Sophie. Sandra, I agree the author did good work with the twists & turns here.
I'm in the minority here; I did not like the book much, did not relate to the main characters and, although the author wrote of the angst, I could not get any suspense from this book until the end. It was a shock that the ex-husband was found dead, but I was very iffy about him after he got out of prison. Sorry, friends, this one just did not ring any bells for me, although the theme of abuse is extremely serious.
Charlene wrote: "I'm in the minority here; I did not like the book much, did not relate to the main characters and, although the author wrote of the angst, I could not get any suspense from this book until the end...."No worries, Charlene...we can't all like the same things (and a darn good thing, I think!). Sometimes when I don't care for a book I have even more to talk about though...anything in particular that turned you off?
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I enjoy getting all opinions, Charlene. It's always interesting to learn why a book works for some but not for others. Love hearing/sharing those opinions in our brs.
I could not wait to read this book because I have never read a book by Chevy Stevens but it was just O.K. for me. The domestic abuse just made me cringe and made me very uncomfortable. I think what bothered me about the domestic abuse was the victims tendency to smooth things over. I just wanted to scream at them: no this is NOT OK! It was a page turner where I was intrigued and was shocked when Andrew died. It wasnt anything though that I would rave about. I will check out other books by this author. This one just wasnt for me.
Mary wrote: "I could not wait to read this book because I have never read a book by Chevy Stevens but it was just O.K. for me. The domestic abuse just made me cringe and made me very uncomfortable. I think what..."Do you think the author meant to make the reader uncomfortable with the abuse and the victim's "smoothing it over"? Did it seem realistic to you? From what I've read about the subject (and that's not a lot, I'll readily admit) victims of abuse tend to try to avoid confrontation with their abuser and try to make things run as smoothly as possible so the abuser doesn't get angry. From that perspective, it seemed realistic to me.
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From all I've heard or read - this is "normal" behavior for victims of domestic abuse. I think it was probably very realistic and true to the subject matter. Victims make excuses for their abusers be it spouse or boyfriend or whomever. It's hard to understand why they don't seek help sooner, but again, I think it's part of the pattern. They're scared for themselves and their loved ones. I also think that at first - they really want to believe it won't happen again. They keep giving them "chances". So sad.
Was it harsh and hard to read? Yes. But on the other hand, it was something to celebrate when they finally broke free.
Charlene wrote: "Do you think the author meant to make the reader uncomfortable with the abuse and the victim's "smoothing it over"? Did it seem realistic to you?...."It seems very realistic to me. Most abusers do not start out that way. It takes months or even years before they can really show their true colors. I researched it in college for a group project I was working on. Each of the members of our group knew someone that had been in an abusive relationship....so that was the subject we focused on. During the interviews we did, the women said that the men were extremely charming at first. They won over many of their friends and family. As time goes on though they would make subtle little jabs at them to lower their self esteem all the while pulling them further away from people. They eventually lose touch with most friends and family...sometimes without really realizing it. Eventually the woman's self esteem is so low that they feel as though it is their fault their spouse flies off the handle. That if they just did what they should have done then it never would have happened. They feel as though they deserve what they got and that they should really be grateful since it's not as though anyone else would be able to put up with them. They may have been told that they were too stupid, or too fat, or a hundred other things to make them think no one would want them. In some cases the women grew up in household in which they were criticized like that by their parents or siblings, so having it be told to them by their spouse is nothing new.
In the case of Lindsey, she grew up in a loving home, but Andrew treated her like gold originally. He won over her family and they didn't suspect a thing. They thought he was great by giving her father a job and helping the family out. Her parent's relied on Andrew allowing her father to work for him. That is what allowed her to overlook things in the beginning probably. Later on it was partly because she didn't want their child to grow up without a father. Of course, sometimes the abuse eventually carries onto the child also. Eventually Lindsey realized though that if she stayed with him that he would kill her one day. Having her brother's help gave her that last boost she needed to be able to leave. And I agree that it is definitely something to celebrate when she was finally about to break free from the abuse.
In answer to your question above, Charlene, I think it was the author's style of writing that didn't work for me. I felt in the beginning that she was extremely repetitive, trying too hard to persuade the reader about the domestic abuse. From there, I didn't relate to the story and characters as much as I had expected to do. Perhaps it's because I know a fair amount about domestic violence and recognized the patterns early....
Thanks for asking. I do appreciate discussions both when I agree with the things written and also when we are able to see the other's viewpoint and, perhaps, to learn something interesting anyway!
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Thanks for sharing that. I actually agree about the repetitiveness. I noticed that also, but was able to get past it and enjoyed the book.
One question I have is whether, if Lindsey hadn't shared the sleeping pill information, Marcus had targeted her to destroy her or to replace his lost wife in a loving relationship with Lindsey. I can follow his plan to kill Andrew, but I wasn't sure whether he would have been content for Lindsey to be his wife....Is the answer to my question clear, or is there an open question here to explore?
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Sandra ~ ♥ Cross My Heart ♥ wrote: "I wondered the same...I feel like it was left kind of open. My feeling was that she was the "replacement" - kind of like an eye for an eye in that "Andrew took his family" so he was "taking Andrew'..."I agree with your assessment although I'm not sure if she would have been enough for him forever. I think maybe he would have snapped at some point even if she hadn't said anything about the pills.
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Sandra ~ ♥ Cross My Heart ♥ wrote: "I wondered the same...I feel like it was left kind of open. My feeling was that she was the "replacement" - kind of like an eye for an eye in that "Andrew took his family" so he was "taking Andrew'..."That's what I thought too. And yeah...I think he would have snapped at some point regardless - he was already out of his mind.
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That had to be tough and scary. Adults rarely think kids remember these kind of events.
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I'm glad you're now safe, Paula.
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1. Did the author provide a realistic depiction of domestic abuse victims' behaviors!
I thought so, based on my experience with people in my life that went through domestic abuse. Abusers don't normally show up negatively in the beginning. It's almost a grooming process where they slowly take control and isolate the victim. It has the effect of stripping self esteem and the victim questions her/his own perception. I thought she got it right.
2. Did I ever suspect Marcus?
No, never. Even when he slipped and named Elizabeth as the victim in the car accident, it just didn't register. I was so invested in Andrew I never considered anyone else until the dog was drugged. His reaction seemed genuine. But, I still didn't look at Marcus. Even when she discovered he was Elizabeth's husband, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
3. Would Marcus have killed Lindsey if she hadn't told him about drugging Andrew?
I think so. His entire goal was to take Andrew's family so his pursuit of Lindsey never had anything to do with loving her. This guy was seriously deranged as his plan was developed over ten years! It wouldn't have taken much to set him off. And, why would he leave all that stuff in the cabin that identified Elizabeth? Deep down, I think he wanted Lindsey to find out.
4. Did the author intend to make the reader uncomfortable?
Most definitely. This could happen to anyone.
5. Was Andrew's death a surprise?
YES!!! Like you, Charlene, I had to rewind the audiobook, thinking I'd missed something. That's when I began to believe someone else was involved, maybe as a favor to Lindsey and Sophie. I originally suspected Jared of killing Andrew for Sophie. I just really had this all wrong.
6. Did I suspect anyone else?
Remember when Lindsey caught Greg with his hands on her medicine cabinet door? It made me suspect him of drugging Angus. I couldn't square the motive, though, other than trying to get her to move in with him. But he let her go so easily. I never suspected Jared as he didn't fit the profile at all.
7. Was Andrew reformed?
I don't believe so. He manipulated Sophie and kept their relationship secret. He tried to insert himself back into Lindsey's life. Didn't seem like he'd successfully completed his program. That's why I went all in.
8. Sophie
Boy was I frustrated with her for a large part of this story. However, her behavior was realistic and Lindsey shielded her from a lot of her past with Andrew. She didn't know how bad things were for her mother. I ultimately gave her a pass.
9. Overall opinion of the story
I liked this book, primarily because I thought it realistically portrayed domestic abuse where the perpetrator and victim are not so obvious and is most typical in our society. I liked how it alternated from past to present until everything was current. I'm not often fooled as bad as I was here and the clues were there. Andrew was my red herring. In the audiobook edition, they used two narrators for Lindsey and Sophie and it was really effective.
finished the book, read through opinions and copy and pasting the questions Jonetta had formed from them with my own answers.1. Did the author provide a realistic depiction of domestic abuse victims' behaviors?
Yes, I believe so. Even having Lindsey have those "outbursts" of independence and fighting back here and there, though she was afraid.
2. Did I ever suspect Marcus?
I suspected everyone! Part of why he did stand out for me was that everyone else seemed to do something that was attention grabbing suspect, and he seemed the most normal or the bunch, so that was odd. Then at the lake with the closed off room, the saying Elizabeth, just red flags started flying.
3. Would Marcus have killed Lindsey if she hadn't told him about drugging Andrew?
I think so. The plan at one point was to do that and blame Andrew, then it was just a steal his family, but I think that there would have been some way his mind would have eventually blamed Lindsey in some other way. The fact that Andrew was on the rode looking for her because she ran away possibly. There was also all the things left in the house, that he had them stay there and didn't hide or get rid of beforehand.
4. Did the author intend to make the reader uncomfortable?
Yes, it is not something I think should be comfortable to read. It also adds to the wanting to see how it all ends.
5. Was Andrew's death a surprise?
No. Just the way that we were going to be led to believe Jared was going to do something to him to cast more suspicion at him I wasn't surprised he was dead. I would have been surprised if it was Jared that did it.
6. Did I suspect anyone else?
At some points everyone that showed up in the book was a suspect.
7. Was Andrew reformed?
I don't think so. I think he was being very manipulative and was trying to insert himself back into his "position" in their lives.
8. Sophie
Frustrating, but realistic for a confused child, missing her father and going through the end of the teen years.
9. Overall opinion of the story
I liked it, didn't love it. It did keep me guessing. It is interesting to look back at the "clues" about Marcus, and how odd he really was when he seemed the most normal to me while reading through. Yet he was inserting himself into a lot while maintaining a good distance. The way the love interest parts were written it always had a not interested in her feel but then we are supposed to believe he was just timid for whatever reasons and did always like her. Looking back it just doesn't all fit proper, but written well enough that I didn't really question it at the time.
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I'm so impressed at how you deduced Marcu as a suspect. You raise great points.
I was shocked! I knew it wasn't him, but I didn't expect him to be killed. I thought he was just using Sophia to get info (and he was), but apparently he really did want to get to know her too. The author did a really great job with the red herrings & twists and turns in this one. I really enjoyed it.