Chevy Stevens

"The author of Still Missing targets her readership with a novel that hits all the notes they come to expect from her--and ratchets up the stakes even more. 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?"--

Never let you go

Denaiir

Good as usual with Cehvy Stevens, I guessed the ending though so not blown away but it was fast-paced, overall really enjoyable

Melyssa Tromberg 

I really enjoyed this book, cover to cover. I loved her writing style & the way she captured your attention right from the beginning. 

Lindsey meets Andrew. They hit it off and things move fast with them moving in together. Andrew starts showing signs of needing control/abusive tendencies...

When things get bad, Lindsey and her daughter escape in the middle of the night - Andrew ends up in jail and they try and start over...

11 years later, Andrew is released from jail & strange things start happening. Is it him? This is when the book gets good, REALLY GOOD 😲.

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

I can't believe this is my first Chevy Stevens book... Why have I never read a book by this fantastic author?! Guys, this book completely blew me away! My review will not express just how amazing this book was so why don't you see for yourself and buy this thrilling read?!

At the beginning of the story, the chapters alternate between present and past—the past starting off with Andrew and Lindsey falling in love, starting a family and then fear for Lindsey's life after Andrew shows his abusive side. All of this leads up to the present time. Now, Andrew is out of prison and Lindsey is sure he's seeking revenge. After all, he knows she had something to do with him ending up in jail and the illegal way Lindsey went about it.

I loved that this story not only focused on the abusive and toxic relationship between Lindsey and Andrew but also on Lindsey's daughter Sofia and her relationship with her mom and her dad. I felt for Sofia a lot. All she remembers of her dad was that he was a great father figure so to find out what he did to her mom left her really conflicted. Still, Sofia wanted to meet up with her father and learn more about him, which is very understandable. Again, my heart broke for her and for Lindsey as well.

"Your dad loved to scare me."

I'm beyond impressed by Stevens writing. Her words lured me into the story and gripped my attention. Stevens wrote everything in a way that toyed with my emotions, and I was actually loving this. It made for a great page-turner! You don't want to stop reading at all. Let me tell you, I never saw the plot twist coming. Never. I thought I had it figured it out. I really did. I was so sure, I was willing to bet money on who the culprit was. Well, I'm glad I didn't bet anything or I would have lost everything I owned. Guys, the twist came out of nowhere! It caught me off guard and left me breathless. I'm still in shock, okay?! It was that good!

Never Let You Go is a brilliant, fear-inducing, heart-racing, thrilling mystery that will grip its readers to the very end!

I received an ARC from the publisher via mail for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Brittney Browne

** spoiler alert **
           Honestly, I was not a fan of this book. It’s my second Chevy Stevens book and I think it’s going to be my last. 
But I’ll start with the good:
*The way* she portrays domestic abuse and life with an alcoholic narcissist is spot on. There should be a big ol trigger warning. Because I can see this hitting very close to home for anyone who’s been in a relationship with someone like that. 
Lindsay’s character was by far the best developed, likable character in the book. She is well-rounded and with plenty of emotional depth that really mad me feel like I knew her and wanted to support her. 
Finally, I’ll throw this in the “good” section, the first half of the book I thought was well-paced, interesting, and a real page turner. But the second half of the book is where it went downhill for me
The Bad:
Let me start just by saying, the first half of this book and the second half didn’t feel like they went together for me. They felt like two completely different book that got smooshed together. A pretty major thing happens about 2/3 into the book that I initially thought was going to be the impetus to “wrap it up”. Imagine my shock when I realized I was only 66% in (audiobook). ‘What else could happen at this point??’ A completely different story. That’s what. 
There’s SOOOO much unnecessary exposition. Things I still don’t understand why they were even the story. Like the character Greg? Literally what was the point. To be a red herring? He wasn’t a good one if that’s the only reason for him existing. He was otherwise completely useless and not relevant to the story at all. 
And speaking of the characters, this book had some pretty annoying ones. For starters, I could not stand Sophie. I know she’s a teenager but the level of naïveté and whininess and just complete lack of common sense she displays did not make her likable. And she’s supposed to be likable. Andrew started off the book as the perfect villain and was well done but then the second half?? NO. We’re not going to make him the tragic hero. That about did me in. We don’t posthumously regard our abusers with reverence in this house. 
And on that note, I hated the ending. It didn’t line up with any of the rest of the story. The actions literally every character takes just didn’t make sense. After pages and pages of exposition the story just implodes on the *twist*. 

So 2.5-3⭐️ really just because I finished it and because I really did think the first half was so well done. I was so disappointed with the turns she took. I almost DNFd once I realized she was going to make Andrew a tragic hero 🤮. I know the “sleeping with the enemy” trope may be overdone but this story could have been just so much better had she gone that direction instead.

Anna Berg

This book kept me up at night! It starts off being very intense and ends up being even more intense towards the end. I didn't give it 5 stars because it didn't keep me guessing right up to the end, and was a bit predictable too soon. At least in my opinion. I would nevertheless recommend it to those interested in a good crime story.

A chilling, twisting thriller, perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh and BA Paris Don't miss Chevy Steven's heart-pounding new thriller, DARK ROADS, available to pre-order now __________ She thought she'd escaped him forever. But will he ever let her go? Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash fled into the night with her young daughter, leaving an abusive relationship behind. Her ex-husband ended up in jail and Lindsey started a new life. Now, Lindsey is older, wiser and believes she has cut all ties with the past. But when Andrew is released from prison, strange things start happening. Lindsey's new boyfriend is threatened, her home invaded and her daughter followed. Her ex-husband denies all knowledge, but Lindsey is convinced he's responsible. Because, after all, who else could it be...? __________ PRAISE FOR CHEVY STEVENS 'Gripping . . . Unforgettable' GILLIAN FLYNN 'Will have you spellbound' KARIN SLAUGHTER 'Intense and disturbing . . . Terrific' LEE CHILD 'Will grip you from page one' HARLAN COBEN

A heart-stopping psychological thriller you won't be able to put down

Never Let You Go

Lauren Attaway

Holy plot twist! I love mysteries and thrillers and I pride myself on the occasions where I figure a twist out well in advance. I had decided at about a third of the way through this book I knew exactly where it was going. I'm happy to say I was wrong.

The novel cuts between the past and the present as we're introduced to the main character Lindsey and her daughter Sophie. Lindsey was in an abusive marriage to Sophie's dad that she was able to escape from but has never really been able to move on. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that when Sophie's father Andrew gets out of prison the thriller element of their story really picks up. Has Andrew really changed/can he change? You'll just have to read this one and find out.

I'm almost sad to have finished this book and will definitely add the rest of Chevy Stevens' books to my reading list. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

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. "Stevens's taut writing and chilling depiction of love twisted beyond recognition make this a compelling read." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "Disturbing, suspenseful, and just a little nerve-wracking." —Library Journal

A Novel

Brittany

I really loved this book. So many twist and turns. Has you guessing until the last chapter. Love It!!

Moon of Pages

Ruth Parker 

This was a great domestic thriller with an interesting twist - one that I did see coming but wrote off early on, although it kept coming back to me as a theory haha. It was a good book but I’m not sure I’ll remember it in detail in a few months, which is why I can’t give it 5/5 stars this time. I’ll come back again in six months and see if I changed my mind!

Samantha

Laura

Chevy Stevens, like Gillian Flynn and Megan Abbott, is one of those super popular thriller writers, mostly with the women's lit crowd who are too edgy for Jodi Picoult. I don't have a problem with her popularity, though I did read one of her books- Still Missing- and thought it was only okay. The twist ending felt contrived and the writing was nothing special so it didn't get much higher than a three stars from me. Never Let You Go, not to be confused with the phenomenal Never Let Me Go, only solidified my Still Missing-conceived view of her.

The main thing that did not work for me was the writing/narrative- it's hard to separate the two. Stevens is a functional writer, but not a particularly artful one. She's not necessarily what I would consider to be a bad writer- she's not SM Parker- but she's also not Tana French either. She's not even Paula Hawkins, whose style I do kind of like, or Megan Abbott who I genuinely believe is a good writer- in small doses. I could tell reading this book that she went for an emphasis of plot and characters over writing, which is fine by me- in fact, I kind of prefer it to those who favor writing over everything else, which always feels hollow and self-indulgent to me- think The Night Circus. Still, it comes across in her writing- lots of telling, little showing, buckets of exposition, etc.

I wasn't too keen on her characters, either. My biggest issue with the abusive relationship depicted was that it came across as if Stevens' extent of knowledge of abusive relationships amounted to the Wikipedia article on it. Of course, I don't know her so I'm not implying anything, and it is true that a lot of Andrew's actions were textbook abusive behaviors, but there was something about it that felt hollow and unrealistic. 

Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...