I Let You Go

by Clare Mackintosh

[kimbacaffeinate]

I am going to be deliberately vague. Too many reviews of I Let You Go contain spoilers. Every detail I share is mentioned in the synopsis and while I hint at twists and characters I have left you to discover those. I want you to experience all the gasps, cringes and surprises that I did.

I Let You Go begins when Jenna Gray let's go of her son’s hand for one second. He darts into the street and in that moment he is lost to her forever. After the funeral she moves to a remote coastal village to escape the painful memories. We slowly watch her over the course of a year as she mourns and begins to piece together an existence. The writing is beautiful and captures all of her emotions. I could feel the weight of it all and began to wonder the books purpose. The story felt slow here, not bad but it meandered a bit. Don't get to comfortable though because things are about to get interesting!

At the same time, we follow two Bristol police investigators as they search for the driver. Mackintosh shares not only the case but shares their daily struggle both a at home and on the job. It added depth giving the story a genuineness. We spent most of our time with Ray as he dealt with the case, his home life, career etc. Kate is new to the department, and I loved how she questioned everything. Even when others push to set this case aside they continue to pursue justice.

I Let You Go had me tearful, angry, and reaching for truffles during the first part of this story. My heart hurt for Jenna as the author allowed us to feel her grief, guilt and hopelessness. I understood her suffocating need to run, to forget, and that feeling of not being able to breathe. I loved the time spent with investigators Ray and Kate. I felt their frustrations and admired their tenacity as they searched for clues. Mackintosh made their struggles realistic.

Then it happened. Mackintosh took me into full thriller blow my mind mode. About midway through the listen, there were twists and turns I NEVER saw coming. I thought for sure I had somehow spaced out while listening. I went back a chapter, two chapters and OMG how I missed this? Fantastic I tell you!

Mackintosh does not stop there. She introduces another perspective one that will make you cringe. She shares a dark secret that many carry with them…maybe even you. All of the threads begin to entwine but there is something just out of your minds reach. You cannot quite grasp it until the author shines a light and you gasp aloud.

I Let You Go does very well as an audiobook. Both Nicola Barber and Steven Crossley brought the characters to life. Nicola in particular brought forth Jenna’s emotions allowing me to become connected..

Audiobook provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer