Publishers Weekly
★ 01/23/2017
Lindsey Nash, the narrator of this superlative psychological thriller from bestseller Stevens (Those Girls), has built a good life for herself and her teenage daughter, Sophie, in Dogwood Bay, a lakeshore town in British Columbia, since fleeing with Sophie from her abusive husband, Andrew, 11 years earlier. On the night Lindsey left, Andrew—drunk and enraged—followed them, causing a car accident that left an innocent woman dead. Andrew went to prison, but now he’s out, and Lindsey is certain he’ll make her pay for every day he spent behind bars. When the local police are unable to assist Lindsey after an increasingly frightening series of incidents (a pet bird killed, a dog poisoned, a hit-and-run), Lindsey turns for help to her friend and self-defense teacher, Marcus, a former psychiatrist with a tragic past who develops into a love interest. Stevens’s taut writing and chilling depiction of love twisted beyond recognition make this a compelling read from the first page to the last. 150,000-copy first printing; author tour. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Agency. (Mar.)
Shelf Awareness
The hooks that sink in from page one and dig ever deeper, through to a thrilling and unanticipated end, are all the more frightening for their invisibility.”
Booklist (audio review)
Fulginiti creates a compelling voice for the not quite-middle-aged mother who believes she has put herself and her daughter beyond the dangers of her ex-husband…Davies, who recounts Lindsey’s teenage daughter’s perspective, offers a suitably young tone and energetic pacing, giving listeners the opportunity to sink more deeply into the twists and turns of the story..”
RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
This mystery is not easy to figure out and will keep readers quickly devouring the story to discover what exactly is going on…and it will not be the expected answer.”
AudioFile
The claustrophobic suspense is beautifully conveyed by the measured desperation in Fulginiti’s voice. Davies is perfect as the teenage Sophie, who is both struggling to understand her mother’s situation and longing for a father.”
Booklist
The gripping, often terrifying story follows Lindsey as she endures the roller coaster that is survival…Stevens’ portrayal is spot-on.”
From the Publisher
Praise for Never Let You Go:
"A fast-paced thriller with a surprise twist." —Kirkus Reviews
"The gripping, often terrifying story follows Lindsey as she endures the roller coaster that is survival and in the end finds an outcome that she never expected... Stevens’ portrayal is spot-on." —Booklist
Praise for Chevy Stevens’ Novels:
"Gripping...unforgettable." —Gillian Flynn
"Heart-pounding." —Lisa Gardner
"Will have you spellbound." —Karin Slaughter
“Engrossing, suspenseful.” –Library Journal
"Utterly absorbing." —Kathy Reichs
“Chilling, compelling.” —William Landay
“Tense…Action-packed.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Fast-paced and thought-provoking.” –Kimberly McCreight
“An emotional rollercoaster you’ll be sorry to get off of when you finish the last page.” –Jennifer McMahon
“Stevens skillfully builds suspense.” –Publishers Weekly
“Haunting and harrowing.” –Megan Abbott
“Taught and riveting.” –Hilary Davidson
“Deep and exciting.” –Lisa Unger
“Riveting.” –Alafair Burke
Library Journal
01/01/2017
In Steven's sixth novel (after Those Girls), we meet Lindsey, a woman who has escaped an abusive husband and created a settled and safe life with her teenage daughter, Sophie. The story of the disintegration of Lindsey's marriage to Andrew, told in flashbacks, explains her need to be independent and her fierce protection of Sophie. When Andrew reappears after a long imprisonment, disturbing things begin to happen to Lindsey. Sophie, who is curious about her father, makes contact with him, and they began to meet secretly. The tension escalates as Lindsey struggles to regain control of her life and escape from the subtle terror that colors her every move. Friends, boyfriends, and a concerned police officer become involved as the danger escalates. The story is told in the alternating voices of Lindsey and Sophie, allowing readers to understand both characters more fully. The Pacific Northwest small-town setting contributes to the sense of looming disaster as it is continually beset with fog, rain, and snow. VERDICT Disturbing, suspenseful, and just a little nerve-wracking, this fast-paced psychological thriller will keep fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl on edge. [See Prepub Alert, 9/26/16.]—Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY
MAY 2017 - AudioFile
Two narrators deliver this tense mystery. Rachel Fulginiti delivers the chapters told from the point of view of Lindsey, who has escaped her abusive husband, Andrew. She’s starting over with her daughter, Sophie, whose story is narrated by Caitlin Davies. The descriptions of Andrew’s escalating abuse are difficult to listen to but essential to understanding Lindsey’s terror when he makes a reappearance. The claustrophobic suspense is beautifully conveyed by the measured desperation in Fulginiti's voice. Davies is perfect as the teenage Sophie, who is both struggling to understand her mother’s situation and longing for a father. The intimate portrayals of the female characters help to compensate for an overly long story that lacks enough twists to sustain it. However, the climax more than makes up for any shortcomings. C.A.T. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-12-19
In Stevens' (Those Girls, 2015, etc.) latest, a Canadian woman believes a decade in prison hasn't lessened her former husband's obsessive belief that they were meant to be together. Lindsey was a clerk when she fell for Andrew, a prosperous contractor. Soon she was head over heels in love with him, a man kind enough to give her out-of-work father a job as a foreman. They married. Soon, though, came incidents when Andrew inflicted emotional terror. After daughter Sophie was born, the abuse turned physical. Lindsey feared for her life. She fled, taking Sophie. In pursuit and driving drunk, Andrew killed a young woman, a crime that led to his imprisonment. In the meantime, Lindsey escaped to Dogwood Bay, a small town near Vancouver. Feeling free, she joined a support group where she met Marcus, a reserved man coping with his own tragedy, and found a boyfriend, Greg, a quiet, laid-back delivery driver. Then, sentence complete, Andrew arrived in Dogwood Bay. Andrew was a textbook abuser: charismatic, handsome, possessive, rigid, and violent. There are hints Andrew has reformed, but Lindsey is skeptical, and shadows within the narrative suggest the old Andrew is at work again. Stevens' tale isn't linear, instead shifting back and forth across 20 years, sometimes a chronicle of misdirection, more often a dissection of obsession and revenge, fear and terror. Most of the chapters are narrated by Lindsey, a haunted character, while at other times Sophie relates the tale, "too young to comprehend obsession," stumbling to reconnect with a father she's never known. The pace never slackens until a death sends the narrative spinning, hidden dangers lurking even while Lindsey worries that Sophie's youthful romance displays disturbing parallels to Lindsey's courtship with Andrew. Stevens' take on a familiar woman-pursued-by-abuser plot has sparked a fast-paced thriller with a surprise twist.
