Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, March 2016

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback, 384 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband was sent to jail and she started over with a new life. Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When her ex-husband is finally released, Lindsey believes she’s cut all ties. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her. 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 can he really change? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Review:

** A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No compensations were made and all opinions are my own **

Have you ever read a Chevy Stevens book? I have read every single one, including her novella, and each one gets better than the last. It's hard for me to say that Never Let You Go is her best to date because I still remember my first read by her and I get chills... in fact, all of her books leave me with chills!

Chevy Stevens is a writer of thriller/suspense novels and one of the best part about her writing is how she makes you crave more. I don't think a single one of her books has every taken me more than a couple of days to read because, once you start, you cannot stop. Fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat suspense will leave you sleepless.

One of the things that I love about Chevy's books are her characters. They are so real, so relatable and developed to feel like you would see them on the street or in the local coffee shop. The characters in Never Let You Go were no different. I loved Lindsey (I mean, her name alone) and felt that her story, her strength and her love for her daughter was so real that I understood why she did what she had to to get away from a dangerous situation. A mother's love is no joke... they will bring out the bear when needed. Sophie was another great character. Full of the typical teenage angst and trouble that you never know if you love them or hate them. As for the other, supporting, characters, every single one fit the story so well and worked to advance the story exactly as they should have!

When you are an avid reader of mystery books, you tend to learn to expect the unexpected (any Big Brother fans out there) and start to look at the most unlikely character to be the 'bad guy' but, once again, my jaw dropped when everything comes together at the end.. I love that feeling. It's rare and i takes some serious talent to be able to have the reader constantly second-guessing 'who dun it?' BRAVO!!

Overall, a stunner of a book and one that you MUST read. I can't say enough about Chevy Stevens, she is the queen of mystery and at the top of my must-read author list... perfection in a book!!

My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Publisher: Penguin Random House, February 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: Paperback (ARC), 436 pages

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (from goodreads.com):

Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.

Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?

Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams? Or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway?

Review:

**This book was provided to me by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

First off, I love Sophie Kinsella... LOVE! I believe I have read every single one of her books and just love her ability to weave a story and keep the reader engaged in every aspect of it so it comes as no surprise that I absolutely adored "My (Not So) Perfect Life". You know that feeling you get when you start a book and already, on page one, you know that you are going to be in for a good read? I got that feeling when I was reading this book.

There is something about stories that take place in London that grip me and when you add such loveable characters, like Katie (or Cat or Cath), into the mix, it's a recipe for success. In fact, all of the characters really are wonderful... each of them have their own personality which add a certain element to the overall flow of the story. Whether you love or hate them, they really grow on you as the book progresses and I found myself rooting for the people I had least expected.

I also like that the book was broken into two parts... a London storyline and a Somerset (or country) storyline. While I did enjoy the London part of the story, my favourite part was when Katie moved to the country... I can't even imagine what it would be like to go from a city-loving girl to finding yourself, back at home, in the middle of your families latest money-making adventure. I found myself smiling and laughing out loud as Katie took her 'Glampers' on crazy adventures and used some of that pent-up frustration to get back at her, more privileged, guests.

As with most chick-lit books, there is going to be a romantic aspect to the story but I really like that Sophie Kinsella doesn't shove it down your throat. It wasn't a 'romance' book and the relationship that developed really was more of a behind the scenes story... it also didn't follow that usual recipe for romance which I really appreciated. Now, that said, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how things go but, I will say that I was very happy come the end of the book.

Before I wrap up this review, I wanted to touch on the underlying message that I found running through the book and that is of the 'perfect life' that we see so much in social media. The life that people WANT you to see... I thought it was brilliant that Katie had a 180 degree spin in her thoughts on how social media works. It's so true that what you see isn't always the true story. Nobody wants you to see the heaps of dirty laundry, the messy stove, the couches covered in animal hair (speaking from experience here)... everybody wants to give the illusion that their lives are perfect. So, THANK YOU Sophie for making that a theme in your novel, I found it humbling to know that so many will read that and hopefully feel better about their own lives and the way they present themselves to other people. xx

Overall, if you are a fan, in any way, of Sophie Kinsella, this book is a must. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am already chomping at the bit for her next book to come out!