I could not put this down and found it such an epic thriller. What an interesting read. There was alot of humour and if you like character driven novels, definitely check this out

I liked the first half of this book but the second half was just meh and I found it quite boring and repetitive in places. I really didn’t want to finish it but I needed to know what happened etc, I don’t want to say too much as it will give the story away.

thank you to netgalley for giving me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

i really wanted to enjoy this one however it just didn’t click for me & it felt really tame.

the storyline was promising and there definitely were some good moments, but i feel like so much more could have been done in the amount of pages there were.

2.5* from me.

A story of dealing with loss. Life goes on for Janet Brown 11 years after tragically losing her daughter. Claire’s bedroom remains untouched and Janet continues to live with her husband in what feels like a loveless marriage. Janet finally gets her chance to be a hero but something just doesn’t quite add up.

This book was my first by Charlotte Levin. I was really impressed.

Wow, this was a page turner! I haven't read a book in a matter of days for a long time, but this had me hooked.

Trigger warnings *loss of child and grief* should be noted in this story

It is a tragic heartbreaking story and one which I think will sit with me for a while.

I can't give any comments without giving spoilers but this was a fantastic story and as a debut, I will definitely be following the author for what they write next.

I flew through this one and really enjoyed it, although it’s different to If I Can’t Have You I had the same trouble putting down both books 🤣
This one hits differently, it deals with grief, domestic abuse and child death in a whole new way whilst interweaving a story of Janet dealing with life on a day to day basis with all her struggles and with Colin who I just dislike intently.
This book is written so well, you root for Janet the whole way through and genuinely cannot see which way she will go but want the best for her all the same. It was just an interesting, well written and different type of book for me. My only qualm was not knowing definitively what happened at the end as it’s left open to interpretation but nevertheless another excellent book by Charlotte!

This novel is full of heart. The emotions that Charlotte Levin's writing provoked in me were so strong that I can barely put into words how moving I found this novel.

I absolutely loved the author's debut novel If I Can't Have You and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read If I Let You Go.
Janet is a cleaner, she lives with her husband the controlling Colin and visits her dad in his care home. She is also living with unimaginable grief and guilt over the death of her daughter Claire.
This is a slow burn novel that I was completely drawn into and find it hard to put into words the emotional impact it had on me. It is a bleak, raw and authentic novel but one that will stay with me for a long time. Once again, the author writes beautifully and with real honesty, insight and empathy. Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I absolutely loved Charlotte’s debut novel If I Can’t Have you, so I was excited to read this new story If I Let You Go. From reading the first book I knew this author wrote emotion and mental state extremely well, and with this book she has done the same but with a very different story line and character.

Janet is a complex character. Although some people will see her as reasonably simple and happy with her life, she is carrying around a lot of raw emotion. Grief, guilt and fear to name a few. Her day to day life involves working as a cleaner and visiting her elderly father in his care home, but living with her husband Colin, a very controlling man and living with the grief of an event which happened some years previously has left an enormous toll.

Told by the voice of Janet we learn of her day to day life as it is turned upside down by one evenings chance but traumatic events. So traumatic that at first Janet can’t even remember what happened and it is this that originally leads Janet to make one bad decision after another.

The depiction of this characters emotional mental state and her controlling marriage is brilliantly done. You can not help but feel for Janet yet at the same time scream at her to stop. An inventive story line that the author uses very well to explain and look deeper at the main character and her marriage. Sad but with dry humour, the continuing wish for her to leave Colin, and a hopeful glimmer that she may be able to find a way through this, all made for an engrossing read.

Janet is just brilliant. Brave and bold, she isn’t perfect and as a reader we see her put her foot in it on many occasions. Janet really drives this novel and she is a character that is impossible to dislike.

Initially, I found this slow to begin with but as events unfold. It has really given us a chance to get to know Janet. As a reader, we see her reach breaking point which makes events spiral.

This is gripping and addictive in every way. Janet is one reason to read this book, the plot and beautiful writing are golden nuggets. Levin has the remarkable talent of setting my anxiety off as I’ve read this gem. It’s just one of those books that really does take you in.

This is one of those impossible to put down books. Levin is just a fantastic author. The debut was wonderful but If I Let you go is even better.

This is a book that is completely unputdownable, I’ve devoured this in just one sitting. I have no regrets only that I wish I could experience this as a first read all over again.

If I Let You Go is definitely a must read book. I have no doubt that this book is going to do amazing. I can literally say nothing negative about this book.

Goodness me, Janet Brown has been through the mill, and she continues to thanks to the dreadful Colin. There is plenty of sadness in Janet's tale, but also hope, salvation and the power of good friendship. I was absorbed in Janet's life, some told in flashback and the situations she found herself in. Her choices were questionable at times but as her story was revealed I just wanted to learn more about her. A compelling story which drew me in, I particularly wamed to Nish, a really good friend and ally. I hope Colin is still standing on that train platform...Highly recommend.
With thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance proof copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Absolutely loved this book, a very powerful and emotional read.

Janet is married to Colin. They've clearly been through some kind of trauma when losing their daughter, Claire at a young age. The day the book starts, would have been her 18th birthday which is bringing up all sorts, particularly for Janet. Against Colin's request, she goes out to a colleague's leaving drinks, gets drunk then comes home. When she returns, 'A THING' happens then the next thing we know she's waking up in hospital after being in a train crash and Janet has no memory of THE THING or why she was on the train. She ends up being branded a hero. But is everything quite as it seems? Janet starts to lose control on exactly what's happening, and as her memory comes back, she needs to decide whether to come clean or continue the charade.

My review:
This book was brilliant. had a slow start as it painted a much needed picture and then you're thrust into Janet's emotions and feel the same urgency as you read it, as she's feeling. Colin is vile. couldn't bear him at all and swung between wanting to wrap Janet up in a big hug and wanting to slap him silly! Everything felt so real. Whatever Janet was feeling, I too was feeling. The anxiety she must have felt as her memory came back. The dread as she feared being found out was palpable. This one is a massive yes from me, especially if you enjoy domestic thrillers.

If I Let You Go is a story that quietly worms its way under your skin, gradually revealing the details of its protagonist’s life.
Janet Brown is a woman used to not standing out. She cleans offices for a living, has few friends and lives with an emotionally abusive husband. We gradually learn some of the details of her life, and it’s hard not to feel sympathy for her.
When Janet wakes in hospital with a head injury, she is thought to have been involved in a serious train crash. She can remember little of the evening, but footage emerges of her helping to rescue the daughter of a local celebrity. Before you know it, Janet is being interviewed on national TV and hailed as a hero. She can’t be certain, but Janet is convinced the details aren’t quite right. And how do you tell anyone of your fears when you’re trapped in your situation?
Though she does a thing that I find awful to consider, Janet is painted in such a way that it’s hard not to hope things work out for her. As we learn the true story of that night, and see the damage caused by the death of Janet’s daughter years earlier, it became harder to see this story in black and white terms. Grief is destructive, and we see how damaging it can be for all concerned.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.

I absolutely loved Charlotte’s first novel so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this one. Although a very different book, I loved it just as much!

The grief depicted throughout the novel was raw and real - making you feel everything! It’s a very character driven story, but written with such depth and emotion, you’re swept up in it all from the get go.

Janet is a complex character, navigating her way through grief whilst being stuck in a loveless marriage. Her circumstances left it feeling claustrophobic, to the point of it being suffocating. You just wanted to somehow get into the book and save Janet from it all.

The twist that emerges midway - I did not see coming. I think it turned the book around entirely and made it very unexpected. Watching as poor Janet slowly unravels and digs a bigger hole for herself was heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. You almost wanted to shake her and ask her what she was doing, at the same time as wanting to give her a huge hug.

There were some beautiful instances of the power of female friendship, I adored Nish. As well as some really raw and emotional aspects of motherhood and being a parent, those hit the hardest for me personally.

I think the book deals both realistically and very sensitively with some very tough topics like PTSD, trauma, mental illness and abuse. It’s a rough ride but it’s so well done. The ending I really enjoyed, it seemed like the perfect finish. It was ambiguous and not tied up neatly - which compliments the story just right.

I absolutely loved every moment of this book and will recommend it to everyone. Another huge 5 stars from me!!

Another dark, complex read from Levin, who keeps coming up with unusual, twisty plots with hardcore tragedy at their heart. Outstanding.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

The premise of this book is an interesting one. Janet Brown is a slightly dumpy 50-something-year-old, who enjoys her work as a cleaner but is in the grip of a coercive, controlling husband. In their own ways both their lives are overshadowed by the death of their only daughter Claire, 11 years previously. It emerges that this happened in a car accident while Janet was driving, having been in the process of leaving Colin, and he has blamed her ever since and guilted her into coming back to him and allowing herself to be punished in perpetuity. On the day of Claire's 18th birthday Janet makes a fateful decision - when events spiral out of control she finds herself being hailed as a heroine for saving the life of another little girl in a train crash. But things are not quite what they seem, and she finds herself having to develop a courage and resolution that seemed lost for ever, to break out of the chains of her own making.

This is squarely chick lit in style. The quality of the writing is not up to the complex exploration that the subject matter demands. The characters remain stereotypes, as does the treatment of the story. Yes, I did root for Janet of course - everything about the story is unashamedly contriving to achieve this. But the experience was like eating too much sickly chocolate, only very briefly satisfying and making you feel you had better things to do with your time. It would do as an undemanding beach read but nothing more.

If I Let You Go follows Janet, a woman who lost her daughter in an accident years ago and has been left living in unbearable guilt ever since. She lives with her husband Colin who blames her solely for their daughters death and is incredibly emotionally abusive and controlling (big trigger warning for this topic!)

One day Janet finds herself thrust into the spotlight after saving a celebrity chefs daughter from the wreckage of a train crash - she sees this as her chance to start over and finally be forgiven.

This is a really sad book, my heart hurt for Janet. I can only imagine the horrendous pain of losing a child and then blaming yourself.

It’s fast paced and reads like a thriller, I was desperate to find out what really happened to Janet’s daughter and what would happen in the end and it didn’t disappoint.

A genuine and honest story about love and loss, with a darkly funny streak that reminds us just how strange life really is.

Janet was both the hero and villain in her own story - she was flawed, troubled and damaged, she made terrible choices but underneath it al was a kind hearted woman who just wanted to feel love and safety in a world that had none of those things. She found herself crushed under the pressure of not only her life but her newfound fame and infamy. The way she is written made me connect with her instantly, down to the way she thinks and the way she sees the world through such an intensely anxious lens. I found catharsis and companionship with her along her journey.

She acts as our narrator, walking us thoughtfully through everything that happens with occasional glimpses into the darkest moments of the past, showing us little pieces of a much larger puzzle. But eventually this slow, steady pace spirals out of control into unpredictable and erratic chaos, in a way that seems outlandish but really is such an accurate show of just how absurd life can become in a moments notice.

Levin masterfully creates a suffocating, claustrophobic atmosphere that follows us from page to page, weaving little details into the settings and the people around us that make the walls feel like they're closing in. It's clear Janet is trapped not just in her own mind, but her relationship, in her grief, in her lies - and we feel that caged anxious energy from the first page.

This is a painfully authentic reflection about the dark side of grief and loss that can seep into every aspect of life - it takes us to difficult places, but Levin offers a comforting hand to try and guide us through this journey and hope for a little bit of a light at the end. We look at the real depths that our sadness can take us to, and how it manifests so differently in all of us, but also how we don't only mourn for the dead.

An empowering shining story about finding life after letting everything go, and how difficult that really can be.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for providing me with the Advanced Reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I started reading without looking at the blurb first. So confusion was my first friend. I was wondering which direction the book will progress into. So I'll admit, it was a little slower in the beginning and I wasn't fully into it. But then things started picking up.
Janet is a lonely women who made lies her shield from other humans, resulting into further solitude. Her husband Colin loved her but he couldn't bear to be with her. A lot of couples separate after the death of a child. They stayed tethered. However, it was a tangled mess. Sometimes it's better to make a clean cut rather than working with the knots. Colin was still punishing her for the past events and she kept suffering because she felt like she deserved it.
But then an event occurs that changes her life for the better, atleast for some time. She becomes a hero in everybody's eyes for saving the life of a little girl. Janet believes that she's finally received redemption for her past mistakes. But it is not always what it looks like. A single truth can shatter her newly built foundation of lies. She starts becoming paranoid about the truth unveiling and goes on to make more mistakes. At this point, I thought she's beyond redemption. But Miss Levin came through and gave us the arc we needed. I was sure how the novel was going to end but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't so.
I would rate this book 3 stars.