WOW!

I just finished this book about 10 minutes ago and I'm very impressed. I'm also very tired as it's now after 5am! I will be so very tired today but it is totally worth it!!

I have so many good books that I want to read right now. I keep adding to my collection faster than I'm reading. I've gotten into a bad habit of reading a couple of pages of new books and forgetting which one I wanted to read next. Because of that this novel had been forgotten about until today. When I picked it up again today I did find it a little bit hard to get into at first but once I was a little ways in I was hooked!

Jenna the main character is desperate to escape from her past after a tragic hit-and-run accident destroys her life. Feeling lost she finds her way to a small Welsh community where she attempts to pick up the pieces and start anew. She is haunted by her fear and grief. Memories pulling her back and forcing her to face things that cannot be ignored. Investigator Ray Stevens and his team work hard to seek justice for a mother who is living every parent's worst nightmare.

This psychological thriller had me captivated and I really was unable to put it down until I finished it. An emotional plot with a huge twist that snuck right up on me making my heart jump into my throat. Completely changed the dynamic of the story and then another twist that I never expected. Many great characters that are very well developed. Jenna is haunting and felt very authentic as did many of the characters. This novel clearly shows how in one moment an unexpected tragedy can occur leaving many people devastated.

I think I'll stop there as I don't want to give anything away. This was such a great debut novel and I'm excited to read more from Clare Mackintosh!!
Highly recommended!!!







highly-recommended my-favorites602 s1 comment Elyse Walters4,010 11.2k

Jacob, a five year old boy is killed at the start of the novel.
NOTHING PLEASANT SO FAR! Then for the next 400 or so pages -- we feel nothing for this poor child. We never knew him to begin with. His death is a shock incident - we have no emotional connection with him whatsoever. So... the story is about 'who killed him?" why did the driver hit Jacob and drive away? And why the hell after a year, are there no leads about the case? And why is it taking so long to tell this story--when 'some' of us (me), can see the ending -in the first 20% of this book?

"A sculptor not sculpting .....and a mother without a child".
NOTHING TOO INSPIRING ABOUT THAT..... (about JENNA). Our main character, Jenna, is the sculptor, no longer sculpting and mother without a child.
Jenna is intended as a sympathetic character....but mostly I found her passive and irritating. Her little boy dies - yet within three months she is "feeling alive" drawing her name in the sand, taking photos with her camera on the beach. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!! FISHY FISHY FISHY!! She runs away - goes off grid - throws her cell phone away -hides out- - 'less' that 3 months after her child is killed. In 6 months she's happy about a new photography business? Odd!!! She is completely out of communication with the police Dept - the people who are trying to find HER son's killer . They have no idea where she is living or how to reach her for much of the book.
......Jenna's new boyfriend is one hell of a dandy cherry pie, too!
.....The entire plot was implausible.
.....Lots of coincidences- unbelievable - insane - absurd!
......Yucky uninspiring male characters
......The 'side-story' of the detectives teenage son-- shows 'more' uninspiring 'men'. The author even managed to turned a 12 year old BOY into an uninspiring character.
He wouldn't win any young male roll model awards - that's for sure.

......Throughout the tale, Jenna was constantly referring to her breathing: "I couldn't catch my breath", "my breathing became"..."I felt my breath.."
I'm 'not' exaggerating, when I say there were so many references to "breathing", it became annoying. I know nothing about editing...but I would have caught the 'breathing' ( authors blind spot), repetitive phrases. But it drove me crazy. I almost started counting how many more times I'd have to hear Jenna talk about her breathing.

.....Not only did I see the the 'mystery-ending' very early into this novel- [I found it very predictable], but there was so much 'yuckiness' about this novel... I didn't feel inspired about myself for having read it.
.....While listening to this audiobook - during hikes, soaking in the pool, on car rides to the beach with Paul in the car...( even Paul figured out the ending - by only listening to parts of this book)....I kept thinking...."this is 2016, a contemporary story"....
"We need stories about strong female characters - not weak ones".
"Shame on me for getting sucked into this book" - it's nasty!!

There was not one character in this entire book to be inspired about...
...A kid is killed : hit and run
...The police dept. Is dysfunctional - each with personal problems - home problems-
...everyone is a victim!
....Abuse, violence, lies, cheating, silly& boring...
... Yucky is as Yucky is! I want my money back!!!!

2 stars Jennifer Masterson200 1,294

Bravo! Bravo Ms. Mackintosh for completely blowing my mind and making me an emotional wreck! 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5! 5 ++++ Stars for phenomenal narration! I didn't figure this one out! Fantastic book! Wonderful audio! I can't believe this was a debut!

This is a hard book to review without giving away spoilers. What I will say is that this novel starts out as a simple but devastating crime of hit and run. A five year old boy is dead. Jenna Gray's life is changed forever. She runs off to a seaside town in Wales and begins to start her life over again. Then bam!!! A major twist happens in the story and everything changes. The book then takes off and twists and turns.

That's all I'm going to say about "I Let You Go". Stop reading and get this book!!!

The only reason I docked this book half a star was because of the pacing in the beginning. I thought it was just a tad slow until part 2, but boy did part 2 make up for part 1!!!

Highly recommended to fans of psychological thriller/mystery books!!!audio favorites-2016 tissues-needed322 s Maxine (Booklover Catlady)1,346 1,324

I got the paperback of this last month for my birthday. I read it yonks ago when it was first released but gave it another read and it stood the test of time!

I love a good psychological thriller, and this one fell into the category of excellent ones. Holy macaroni Batman! I did NOT see that twist coming in a million years! I just stared at the page whilst my brain scrambled to get some footing again. And it wasn't the only one. But the BIGGIE was done so very, very well.

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating...

It's so hard to talk anymore about the plot of this book without giving away the entire reason for the book so I am not going to do that.

All I will say is that the plot is cleverly written, with twists that I have already told you are amazing and plenty more surprise moments along the way. It's very clever with the way stories intertwine rope to make for a very strong book overall. Fascinating. I was flicking pages wanting more of the story to reveal itself.

The characters in the book I thought were excellent, I felt I could relate to each of them as if I was there with them, in the story, including the peripheral characters as well. Some might find a bit of a hate/love with Jenna I think, for me, I reserved judgement on her until the end of the book.

It has some tense, thrilling and shocking moments in it, some you see coming, some you don't, but it's not a boring book by any means. I could not put it down once I got going and was so thrilled that it took me to places I did not predict it would. I had heard good things about this one but went in with no expectations.

All in all, a stunning and sometimes surprising novel with a powerful message running through it, a book that will quench your thirst for a novel you can at last just sink into and lose yourself completely. A book you will recommend to all your friends.

An easy five star read for me and one that has gone on my favourite's shelf. Nice work from Clare Mackintosh! could-not-put-down maxines-favourites psychological-thrillers-read248 s1 comment Julie4,132 38.5k

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is a 2016 Berkley publication.


I heard so many good things about this book, by the time I got my hands on a copy I was frothing at the mouth with excitement. Did the book live up to all the hype?

Oh yeah, itÂ’s very clever! The one downside is that it is hard to say much of anything at all about the plot, so I will refer you back to the book synopsis/blurb to get the setup.

I did have a few issues with a couple of lead characters, but since no one is mentioning that part of the story, I wonÂ’t either. Other than that, I was impressed with this debut thriller, which lures you in with a heart wrenching situation, quietly and slowly, but despite the low key pacing, the mystery deepens as you go along, becoming more curious and puzzling, and the last quarter of the book was absolutely riveting with one huge, shocking gut punch you will not see coming, which also comes with a few aftershocks.

So despite the understated quality the book begins with, by the time you finish the book you might experience a little mental exhaustion.

Although I hate writing such a vague review when I feel the need to discuss the characters and my personal opinion of them, and would to have the opportunity to drop a few clues that would compel someone to give the book a try, I can tell you that if you psychological thrillers and mysteries you will most ly appreciate this one and the cunning technique of the author employs.

Overall, this one gets kudos for originality, for tossing the formula writing out the window and for giving me a story that challenged me, which is just what I am always on the lookout for. 4 stars

196 s Chelsea Humphrey1,487 81.6k

Thought I was finished reading for the night but decided that I just had to finish this one! While I had it all figured out early on, it didn't keep me from enjoying this one. Extremely well written debut and I look forward to her next book.

Jacob is a 5 year old little boy who lets go of his mother's hand for a brief moment and is killed in a hit and run in the prologue of this gripping police procedural. Jenna Gray's life is forever changed and runs away immediately following the accident to escape the talk of the town.

This book felt almost 2 separate books between "Part one" and "Part two". I found myself not totally engrossed until I reached "Part two", but once I hit that I couldn't put this down! I really enjoyed the author's note at the end which explained how this story came about; its real life influences from her work as a police official and personal, family experiences as well. I think if I had been able to go in blind on this one and not been told time and again of "the big twist(s)" it would have gotten me; however, because I was expecting them I found myself figuring it all out before the reveals. This book was still extremely enjoyable for me regardless of the twists; I always enjoy a book more if it can stand on its own without the gimmicks. The characters were strong and believable; this book was well-developed all around.195 s Reading Corner88 112

I Let You Go is incredibly cliche and predictable, the format of the book was so familiar because a lot of thrillers seem to follow the same trend.It's all muddled at the start,then we get to about the halfway point and there's a "big twist"or revelation and the book is switching between the past and present to eventually uncover the mystery.And then the bad guy(in this case the abusive husband,Ian) comes back and gives the protagonist,Jenna one last beating. I was expecting a massive,exciting twist,it wasn't,it was stupid and so underwhelming.

The first half of the book before the twist is exciting and I mostly enjoyed that half.To be fair, the writing is great, it's the story and charcters that dragged the book's rating down for me.There is some fantastic descriptions in this book, especially when the author descibes the crash scene and the writing never left me confused and it wasn't too basic.

The detectives were so boring, I hated when it switched back to Ray, I much preferred Jenna's narrative.The plot wasn't really exciting and then they were other small reveals throughout the story which were so predictable or just unnecessary, the bit where it turns out Jacob was Ian's son just seemed so pointless and was only thrown in for shock value.

I thought the ending was just plain stupid because the police were idiots.They leave Jenna go home, without any police protection and don't even arrange for someone to watch her house or check up on her when she returns home to an incredibly remote area in Wales where she has no neighbours and Ian could easily find her which he does and proceeds to beat her.This ending was soooo cliche and I instantly knew what was going to happen.

I somewhat enjoyed the first part of this novel and the writing along with the descriptions but would I recommend this book?Absolutely not and I'm annoyed I bought it, quick read though.187 s Melissa ? Dog/Wolf Lover ? Martin3,597 10.7k



I can't believe this book! And the significance of the words "OMG" written in the sand has to do with both my reaction and something in the book that I'm not going to tell you!



Headlights glint on wet tarmac, the dazzle blinding them every few seconds. Waiting for a break in the traffic they duck across the busy road, and she tightens her grip on the small hand inside the soft woollen glove, so he has to run to keep up. Sodden leaves cling to the railings, their bright colours darkening to a dull brown.

People, if you have not read this book and you are planning on it! READ IT! And don't put it down even if it gets a little bland at one point. This book takes a twist that blew me away! There is nothing a book that will do that and Clare Mackintosh did that with this book! When all of the pieces fit together you are left sitting.. staring.. thinking, how, what.. did she really just do that? Did she twist that book so freaking much that it resembles a pretzel?

I'm NOT giving out a spoiler, not even a tiny one, because this is one of those books you need to find out for yourself. I was actually wondering after the first little bit why the book had such high and then it smacks you right in the face!

After a tragedy occurs in Jenna Gray's life, she leaves town and tries to start up a new life. But you can never leave the past behind, it hurts, it haunts, it finds you.

Oh dear Lord, I have to stop here before I give something away. I so want to tell all of you every little thing so you can have the OMG moment with me!

And I have to mention that this UK edition has a most beautiful cover! ?

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading Listmystery-thriller-etc own167 s Justin290 2,391

I do my best to always keep my relatively spoiler-free. Hell, most of the time I barely even comment on the plot at all. I don't usually provide my own synopsis or rehash any major bits of the story. However, I feel with this book I need to dive into the plot and discuss more of the details because, man, I had a really complicated relationship with this book. So anyway... fair warning. Don't read beyond here if you haven't read the book yet. Hey, if you haven't read it yet, come back here after you finish it. Let's discuss it. Let me know how you feel.

Actually, you can read this paragraph, too, before things get more detailed. I should preface this by saying I went into reading I Let You Go knowing very little about the plot except the major event that happens at the very beginning. I also went into it thinking it would ly be a better version of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train or something else with Girl in the title. I thought it could probably be called The Girl Who Let Go or I Let the Girl Go since it felt it would be any of those kinds of books. So that's where my head was at when I cracked into this bad boy.

OK - stop here if you haven't read it. Final warning.

Part I of I Let You Go is fantastic. I loved the bouncing back and forth between Jacob being hit by a car and Jenna running away to the story of the cops trying to figure out what happened and searching for leads. It was a nice slow burn and there were subtle things happening to develop the story and the characters. The dynamic of Ray and Kate was awkward and you could see early on where it was going, but it never went over the top. Jenna taking off to a remote location and starting over was great to read about as she met new people and tried to build a new life. Not a whole lot going on. Cops would always hit a dead end. Jenna would drink coffee and build relationships. I d it through. I was cool with it.

Then I hit that last page before Part II where you find out Jenna isn't Jacob's mom and she was driving (for now). I threw the book down and looked over at my wife and said, "Oh my God! Are you gonna read this?! No, you aren't gonna read this because a kid dies at the beginning. No way you are reading this. Anyway...". And I broke down al that just happened and how it all got flipped on its head right there at the end of Part I. I loved the beginning. And,man, I said, I didn't know much about the book so I'm just along for the ride just happy to be surprised and twisted around a little bit. I d where things were going.

Part II was a bit of a letdown for me though. Yeah, I know. This was your favorite part of the book. You took your foot off the brakes and just plowed through the second half of the book. I read your review. I know what's up. And I can completely see why you would do that because Part II was insane! It was wild and crazy and outta control! I flew right the hell through it, too! I'm with you!

Ian ruined this book for me though. Ian took what was going so well and brought everything back into the muddy world of those books I mentioned earlier. Ian was that guy from You by Caroline Kepnes just recast into a different world. That garbage is so played out though. Normal guy who is actually a controlling psycho. I'm over it. Every chapter with him pissed me off. It ruined the momentum of the story. He even talked from the same perspective as that Kepnes book. You did this. You did that. Look at you. And he does all this stupid stuff to Jenna that just didn't work. Ian ruined it. It could have been so much more if she didn't add Ian and his character I'm sick of reading about.

The rest of the plot twists and things were fine. There were some interesting surprises, and Ian needed to be there to get to some of those conclusions, but it was just too much of an abrasive turn from where the book was heading in the first half. So I said it ruined it, but it's still a three star read for me. Still a cut above others it will be compared to in the genre. It just could have been more, and I wish I could say it was. I just can't do anymore psycho guy going psycho on a woman physically and emotionally. But it's working. And now the book has to fall back and be compared to other polarizing Girl whatever books.

I did the author's note at the end with her background of what inspired the story. It couldn't have been an easy book for her to write, and I am cool with reading whatever she does next. After this become a movie, of course. This will definitely be a movie.

And Ian will ruin it.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review162 s Emily May2,044 310k

Hmm, I wonder if I'd have d this more if I'd read it in 2014 when it first came out. Every review I've read, every quote on the book jacket, made such a big deal out of the huge twist, so I braced myself for it and... it was very disappointing when it hit. I've read versions of this exact twist countless times.

I won't bother with a plot summary because I would need to either reveal spoilers or deliberately mislead you. The GR description tells you all you need to know.

The first half of the book was very very slow. I can actually understand the comparisons to Gone Girl because it has that same drawn out who even cares? first half that is turned on its head by a twist. We move between Jenna-- as she takes some photos, gets a dog and starts a new romance in Wales --and the lead detective, Ray, who manages to be even more boring than Jenna.

Ray is pretty useless and his perspective is mostly him flirting blandly with another police officer while his poor wife looks after the kids. Neither Ray and Kate, nor Jenna and whatsisname, have any chemistry whatsoever.

Then the twist hits and it was so cliche that I never really managed to shake my annoyance after that. And when we get to the last bit, the dramatic climax of the story, my eyes were rolling so hard. How are these detectives this incompetent? Anyone with a few brain cells could see that coming a mile off.

What a snooze. The only character I ever felt anything for was Ray's wife.

Warning for domestic abuse, loss of a child and rape.2023 mystery-thriller178 s1 comment Charlotte May748 1,205

I stayed up late last night to finish this one - which speaks volumes about how much I was enjoying it, as I value my sleep more than anything else in life!

A young mum walks her 5 year old son home from school, any other day. Except that this day is different, her son lets go of her hand and is hit by a car and killed instantly.
In Part 1 we flick between two POVs - that of the woman, choosing to begin her life again after the horrific accident and grief it has left behind. She moves from Bristol to rural South Wales, a place where no one knows her, or her past.
The second POV is the Bristol Police Force. Ray - the DI for the CID team is trying to juggle his workload with his family life, and it is proving difficult. He spends more and more time at work to escape the stress of his home life. When the death of 5 year old Jacob comes to their attention Ray is determined to discover who did it, and why they drove away from the scene of the crime.

Full of twists and turns, I was gripped by the storyline. I did get a brief sense of deja vu - as I read a book last year The Bed I Made which also involves a young woman who moves to a secluded area to escape her past. But I guess that's quite a popular trope in the mystery/thriller genre.

I d the different POVs - even though one of them was absolutely terrifying to read about. I was sufficiently thrilled - so I guess the book did its job! 4 stars!

crime-mystery-thriller sisters142 s Christine609 1,275

I Let You Go is a very smart, very clever psychological mystery by new British author Clare Mackintosh. This is an extremely impressive debut novel.

The story involves a hit and run killing of a 5-year-old boy and is told from the POV of 3 characters—our main protagonist Jenna, the lead detective on the case Ray, and a man named Ian. Ms. Mackintosh is an excellent writer. She knows how to capture the reader’s attention right off the bat. Jenna and Ray are well characterized and Ms. Mackintosh had me rooting mightily for both, though they each had flaws. Jenna, in particular, I cared deeply about. Ian, on the other hand, I abhorred. He is absolutely loathsome, and I was disappointed every time one of his chapters appeared.

The highlight of the story for me was the gobsmacking twist (more a tornado) that hit just before the halfway mark. Wowzers!!!! I do believe this was one of if not THE biggest twist I have ever come across in my fictional reading. I was momentarily disoriented as I went back to reread the paragraph a couple of times before I was convinced that what I thought I had read was indeed what I did read. This was by all means not the end of the surprises, but it sure packed the most powerful punch!

Other positives included an interesting side story involving RayÂ’s family life, which held my interest, though I wasnÂ’t certain I totally bought into a situation with his young son. I did think the police procedural part of the book was well done, especially considering this is primarily a psychological thriller. Ms. Mackintosh, being a former detective herself, is clearly well qualified to write a believable crime story. I also thought she did a particularly terrific job with the complex psychological aspects of the story--well done for a non-psychologist! Clearly this reflects her willingness to do her homework.

So why 4 stars instead of 5? I marked down the rating for strictly personal reasons. I have recently read several books that feature despicable male characters that abuse women. I have found myself becoming less and less tolerant of that situation, and stories that spotlight that angle have become much less attractive to me. Let me go on to say, however, that I am sure my position on this is not the norm amongst psychological thriller fans, and it does not keep me from recommending the novel.

I highly recommend I Let You Go for all fans of psychological suspense. I think it is an outstanding novel, especially for a debut author. I eagerly await Ms. MackintoshÂ’s next offering.
149 s Carol1,370 2,258

How the hell did I miss this GREAT debut? First of all and most IMPORTANT: GO IN COLD TURKEY FOLKS, AND READ IT! I LET YOU GO all begins with an inexcusable crime that leads to an investigative division (with a story of its own) on the hunt. With a very subtle underlying current of 'something brewing' (that might be construed as slow going) there's another unexpected tragedy, a shocker of a twist, heartrending grief, fear, nightmares, and a door that won't lock.AND, despite all the great quotes I made note of, I can only use one that will give nothing away and tell you very little of this amazing debut, (but I love and believe it.) "You can tell a lot about people by the way they treat animals." Absolutely cannot wait to read I SEE YOU......only two more days, and I do believe I have a new favorite author!ebook favorites mystery-crime ...more149 s Gabby1,421 27.6k

Somewhere between a 4-4.5
This book has been on my TBR for years so IÂ’m so glad I finally got to it! This thriller started off slow, but towards the end I got so emotionally invested that I actually cried
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