This book had a really good storyline and plot. It took me a while to get into this book, but I enjoyed it. It had some unexpected twists and turns. Overall, it's an enjoyable read. I’ve not read any books by JA Andrew before, so was intrigued by I Let Her Go. The level of suspense was great and kept me hooked throughout. Told by several points of views, over past and present timelines, the story starts with a letter from an eleven-year-old child. This was the perfect way to begin in my opinion as I was gripped straight away and emotionally invested from the first few pages.

Gripping from the first pages! This is a dark and twisty read focusing on the friendships of 3 teens growing up in foster care, their relationships bonded through hardship, becoming even more heart breaking when one of the teens goes missing. Years later, Lucy and Josh are planning their wedding when a body is found and here the plot really takes off, revealing terrifying threats and exposing secrets that should have stayed buried. This is an emotional story, heavy at times, containing sensitive issues that could be triggering for some. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and JA Andrews for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

please note I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.
the ratings were low for this book

This was a book that contained a very touchy subject. It is told by lots of points of view over different timelines. I found the pace to be a bit slow though. It still had twists and turns to hold my interest.

I do like a good mystery and I Let Her go by JA Andrews is down right crazy mysterious.. I got a copy from Netgalley to read and review and I am glad I did. It took me awhile to get into the story.. I don’t think it was actually me and starting it at all the wrong times. Once I settled in, the i finished it quickly. Lucy Mitchell was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of a Foster mom Linda.. Her past was miserable at best and although Lucy was crazy, it was better then living with her parents!! While at Lucy’s she met Amber and Josh, 3 other dysfunctional kids. Their upbringings and issues are just as bad as Lucy’s. Lucy and Amber become close friends. Or as close as they could get. They have trust issues, anxiety and endless fear. Josh is older and Linda isn’t as hard in him.. so he gets out of the house. The girls find solace in the woods around the house. They go here to hideout and think. They go together and always come back together. One day though, only Lucy comes home. A note is left and it says that Amber ran away.. Fast forward, 15 years later and Lucy now lives with Josh, she isn’t close to Linda but she still sees her and she is planning her wedding. This should be a happy time. But both her and Josh are far from normal.. or stable. And a body is found in the woods, where the girls played. Could it be Amber’s body? Was she dead this whole time? She always hoped she had run away and had a better life. But Lucy, Linda and Josh all have secrets and they all start to distrust each other. What really happened? Who knows what? Could it really be Amber. Lucy needs to figure these things and and quick.. because a note is left in her mailbox that says, you are next!!!
The characters were crazy and I found it hard to like them. But the story the author created for them was excellent. To see broken people, trying to have normal lives is a hard topic.. & yet Andrews had me rooting for all of them to find their way.. this was a 4 star read for me. I hope you enjoy it too!!!!

Great group of characters and a superb story line, I loved this book from start to finish. Well written and gripping even though the subplot was kind of predictable. Recommend.

I received an eARC of I Let Her Go by J.A. Andrews from NetGalley and J.A. Andrews in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! This book was well-written with a few twists. Overall, I enjoyed this book even though it took me a while to get through it.

Really enjoyed this deliciously dark read, but will say it’s likely not for everyone. I love dark, demented reads, which I found this to be. It was very well written, intense, and unputdownable! Writing style unique and just overall fabulous, while the characters were not like able, I still found them to be well developed and in a way relatable! I think this was one of those books that the ending couldn’t come fast enough, but I also dreaded ending! Highly, highly recommend, if you enjoy deliciously dark tales like me!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of I Let Her Go. This book kept me up late because I didn’t want to stop reading!

Some secrets should have stayed buried...

Lucy Mitchell had a troubled past, was abandoned by her mother and left to fend for herself in foster care. This is where she met Amber and Josh, but living in a strict foster home brought fears of its own. Fears that brought Amber and Lucy closer together.

Amber and Lucy formed a pact. They said they would be friends for life and often found solace in the local woods to escape from their foster carer, Linda. This was a place they used to hide together, but when only one girl had returned from the woods, the note said Amber had run away.

Fifteen years later and Lucy is planning the wedding of her dreams with Josh until a body is found, then the trauma of Lucy’s past comes back to haunt her.

Tensions mount as Lucy, Josh and Linda all have secrets to hide and distrust makes them question each others story around Ambers disappearance. As the body's identity is soon to be exposed, life for Lucy takes a terrifying turn for the worst.

The note says Lucy is next!

Good book with a solid story. The only thing I didn’t like was the multiple points of view. It just got the story a bit muddled. It was good and entertaining but sometimes the storyline just got a bit lost.

Like most mystery books, I was drawn to this one by the cover as it was simple but attractive and draws the reader's eye in. This book starts with our main character Lucy wandering in the woods looking for Amber - her best friend and foster sister. The book then jumps to Lucy being called inside and it turns out she was having a live nightmare in the garden and the incident with Amber happened fifteen years ago. Lucy and Amber got into a fight over Josh - their foster brother who they both loved as he kissed Lucy and not Amber. That night, Amber vanished and for the past fifteen years, there has been no trace. Life moved on and Lucy and Josh are now busy planning their life together as their wedding and honeymoon are coming up. However, a set of found bones in the woods that Lucy, Amber, and Josh used to hang out is about to resurface old memories and put a damper on things. Everyone is hiding secrets and soon Lucy will be put at the center of a dark secret and in danger. As the book delves deeper, we learn that Lucy is the key and everyone is keeping secrets from her. Who can Lucy trust especially when she thought the people, she loved the most are the ones hurting her? I Let Her Go was a slower-paced novel with a lot going on and lots of twists and turns and it took paths I wasn't expecting, especially those last few chapters at the end which in my opinion - the endings are what can make or break the story, and in this case, it made the story a great psychological thriller.

'I Let Her Go' by J.A Andrews is another chilling tale that I couldn't stop reading. This is one author whose newest book always manages to best his previous ones - even though I always wonder if he will!
Lucy Mitchell was a child of 'the system'. Abandoned by her mum she was put into foster care and with that had to grow up pretty quickly. She found friends in Amber and Josh, they all lived a strict foster home and they soon forged a friendship that helped them survive. Lucy and Amber always spent time in nearby woods just to get away from Linda, their foster carer. Then the day arrived that only one child came back. They found a note which said Amber had run away...but did she?
Fast forward fifteen years and Lucy is getting married to Josh, everything is falling into place until a body is discovered. As Lucy is made to face the traumatic memories she has worked hard to eradicate from her life it seems that the past is rearing it's ugly head. We see Lucy, Josh and Lindad wondering if they can even trust each other as they go back to the way they each acted the night Amber disappeared. Each one of them is harbouring their own secrets and have kept them hidden for so long but the arrival of a note stating Lucy will be next makes everything else seem like childs play.
A psychological thriller that shows you should keep your enemies close. It even gave me goose bumps and made me double check the locks! J.A Andrews has skilfully placed twists after terrifying twists in 'I Let Her Go', enough to have you second guessing every move of the story. A book that has the power to keep you rooted to your seat until you have finished every last word.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources, netgalley and J.A Andrews for the copy of the book.

Another of J A Andrew's books I've really enjoyed.

This book took me a little while to get into as it is split into different time periods but once I got to grips with it, I really enjoyed it.

There are plenty of twists and turns and it definitely kept me guessing. I loved the characters in this book, they were really well developed which speaks volumes for the author
⭐⭐⭐⭐

A deeply dark story with unlikeable characters. My fave! However, it can be a lot to deal with. The author goes deep into emotional and physical abuse as and child and as an adult. I can imagine that these topics could be very triggering for some. Although the does touch on these topics with a high level of sensitivity, please be aware that they exist.

What I actually liked about the characters in this book is that they are totally unpredictable. That means I get a story that keeps me guessing and the exciting ride that only plot twists and turns can provide. Each of these twists are made to grab your attention, meaning you won’t be putting down I Let Her Go anytime soon. Just keep in mind that the book does have somewhat of a slow start, but it’s certainly worth your while to keep those pages turning.

Overall, I found I Let Her Go to be an intriguing read that kept me on my toes.

I Let Her Go is a detailed fast paced story that switches between the past and present of the characters lives...the titled chapters make it easier to see which character is been discussed...
I like how Andrews has raised awareness of complex issues such as domestic violence, child abuse, foster care and mental health issues. Although these are difficult to read about it opens the eyes of the reader to things that are a common occurrence in daily life!
The character development of I Let Her Go is good. The characters are interesting and realistic. I felt a lot of empathy for the characters in their young years and can see how much help and guidance they still need as adults...
I would recommend reading I Let Her Go to lovers of thrillers, as it is a emotionally charged plot that uses complex issues and tension to build up a gripping and suspenseful story!

I’ve not read any books by JA Andrew before, so was intrigued by I Let Her Go.

Lucy, Amber and Josh all meet in foster care after traumatic childhoods. Their carer Linda sounds like she hasn’t been the most loving mother figure these foster children so badly need. One day, Amber runs away and is never seen again. Fifteen years later, as Lucy and Josh are planning their wedding, a body turns up in the woods they used to hang around in…

This story was a very slow burner, with juicy breadcrumbs of intrigue and suspense to keep you in its grip. JA Andrew is masterfully skilled in characterisation. The story is narrated by several characters over a jumbled few days. Each of the main characters are damaged and raw - their childhood trauma and resulting adult lives are sensitively and expertly written. I really felt for Josh and Lucy, and Linda clearly has her own demons.

I really enjoyed the teasingly slow burn of this thriller. I feel like I know these characters so well, that I’ve had a window into their soul - JA Andrew’s descriptive writing style is that good! The level of suspense was great and kept me hooked throughout.

I admit, I had a couple of suspicions of how things were going but I didn’t expect the final whopper! That was unexpected.

I will definitely be checking out more of JA Andrew’s books.

Thank you to JA Andrews, Rachel’s Random Resources and the publisher for a gifted digital copy. My review is voluntary and thoughts entirely my own.

This book grabbed my attention. I knew it was one for me to read when I read the synopsis! It is a dark , twisty thriller. The chapters are told in alternating points of view from four of the characters. We get to know the thoughts of the main three characters, they are all well written, they are all full of flaws and they are some quite gritty people ! We certainly get Stephen Kings 'Misery' vibes here! The alternating voices made for a great tension building read! We really struggle to work out who to trust!
⚠️ I must warn you there are some dark topics covered in the story , alcohol and drug abuse. Foster care and abuse ⚠️

Overall I enjoyed this book and read it quickly! The ending was not what I had suspected for a good 80% of the book ...only towards the end did I realise what might be going on! ..

This was an average read covering some very sensitive issues so please do some research before picking it up, it could be incredibly triggering for some, but the author talks about this himself which is refreshing to see.

Told by several points of views, over past and present timelines, the story starts with a letter from an eleven-year-old child. This was the perfect way to begin in my opinion as I was gripped straight away and emotionally invested from the first few pages.

I enjoyed this, but there were times that I thought the pace could have picked up slightly, and I was worried that my motivation to finish would lapse. Thankfully due to the twists and turns in the plot, I was able to regain my interest and ploughed through. This is definitely worth baring with if you experience the same. I can’t say that this book blew me away, but it wasn’t dreadful either. It hasn’t put me off reading anything from this author in the future.

This is an emotional read that pulled on my heart strings more than once. Some parts were heavy going due to the subject matter, but over all a typical thriller, written to the standard that I have come to expect from this genre.

This was such a different type of thriller book for me. The book follows Lucy and Josh while the are planning their wedding.

When they were teenagers they were both sent to Linda's house who fostered them, along with Amber. Amber went missing, and 15 years later a body is found in the woodland where Lucy last seen her.

The book is all about how everything comes to light while they all try to figure out if one of them involved killed Amber.

I found the ending really rushed and parts of the book completely irrelevant to the ending. I kept waiting for things to be made relevant but it never came.

I enjoyed the book, but the ending did let it down for me, personally.

Lucy has had a tough life. She was abandoned by her parents and grew up in foster care where she lived with and became friends with Amber. When Amber disappears, Lucy is obviously a suspect since they left for the woods together and only Lucy returned. As a reader you don’t know because Lucy has gaps in her memory.

After such a hard life, it is sad to see that Lucy is still surrounded by people that aren’t nurturing and supportive of her. You would hope she could break the cycle.

You then fast forward and a body is found in the woods. The reader is left wondering if it is Ambers and what happened to that body.

There are twists and turns along the way. The first 2/3rds to 3/4s of the book moves at a slow pace, but the last piece picks up and hops along as you learn everyone’s secrets.