Honestly I was just kind of bored. I didn’t feel like I was really invested in the story because it was so slow moving. I just didn’t have the patience for it.

This thriller surpassed my initial expectations by far! Imagine discovering that your mother, presumed dead for twenty-five years after a drowning incident, might actually be alive. And to realize this while revisiting memories of the car accident where both you and your father survived, a haunting event that still haunts your dreams.

Admittedly, it took me some time to immerse myself in the narrative, mainly due to the multiple points of view and the alternating timelines. However, once I delved deeper, I found myself utterly engrossed in the tales of Sam and Lauri. The pages seemed to turn themselves as I eagerly followed their stories.

Sam Cooper lives a normal life. He lives in London and works in an office. One night he receives a phonecall from his father, the father he's been estranged from for eighteen years. As Sam rushes to his fathers side he is flooded by memories. Sam is reminded that twenty-five years earlier the family car crashed into a river and his mother and younger brother didn't survive. From that moment on Sam's father retreated into himself. But now after years of silence, Sam’s father makes a shocking confession on his deathbed.

Who was Laurie Cooper? What happens when you discover you’ve been lied to for twenty-five years? Sam is determined to find out, but someone wants to silence the truth forever. Following a trail from London to Connecticut, Sam will have to uncover exactly what his mother did and why—no matter the cost.

This was an okay read for me, it wasn't remarkable, but it wasn't terrible. It's one of those books that just has a steady pace. For me, I don't believe that will be true for all readers.

Let's take a minute to admire this cover.

I'll admit, Im a cover snob, but I swooned over this one.

Flashing back and forth between 1982 and present day, Luca Veste, narrates the perfect plot to keep you on the edge of your seat and interested to know what comes next.

Secrets, lies, deceit...

This book was twisted and packed such a punch, my tummy still hurts. I felt for Sam, I loved Sam, I rooted for him the entire time. He deserved his answers and he deserved to know the truth about what happened to his mother.

What happens when you find out, the past 25 years of your life has been a lie?

You're going to have to tune in to find out, check out this teaser :

A DEVOTED MOTHER

Sam Cooper has a happy life: a good job, a blossoming relationship. Yet, there's something he can never forget - the image seared into his mind of his mother, Laurie, dying when he was a child. His father allowed his grief to tear them apart and Sam hasn't seen him in years.

A LOVING WIFE

Until an unexpected call from Firwood hospital, asking Sam to come home, puts in motion a chain of devastating events. On his deathbed, Sam's father makes a shocking confession.

A LIAR?

Who was Laurie Cooper? It's clear that everything Sam thought he knew about his mother was wrong. And now he's determined to find out exactly what she did and why - whatever the cost.

What happens if you discover you've been lied to by your own family for twenty-five years?

Sam Cooper is about to find out.

My first book by this author and I’m looking forward to picking more up. An enjoyable fast paced thriller.

I always enjoy a book by LV. This was a really good one. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy in exchange for a review

A dual timeline thriller that weaves past and present together. Sam is on a mission to uncover why his father was being targeted and if his dying words hold truth.

The setup leans heavily into keeping the reader in the dark just as much as Sam throughout. While the connections to come together, it felt difficult for me to be patient when it seemed as if Sam didn’t know why he was doing any of the things he set out to. This is a read that kept me guessing though and takes the readers through quite a few twists and turns to throw us off.

You Never Said Goodbye ~ Luca Veste

After an awful childhood, Sam finally has a happy life but then his dad makes a shocking confession on his death bed. The name Laurie Cooper sends him on a journey from London to Connecticut to find out the truth.

A UK thriller that grips you from page one with a bit of action mixed in. You feel for Sam as he’s thrown in an extraordinary situation - tender and twisty all at the same time.

It was slightly repetitive, and took awhile to claim my interest...after that it became a little bit better of a read. It was the first time I ever read this author so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book

Sam's father has been attacked and is dying, someone is trying to kill him, and his father's last words are to tell Sam that his mother, who died 20 years ago, is actually alive. Following a clue from his father and a bewildering conversation with his mother's childhood best friend, Sam takes a plane to America, determined to find out the truth about his family.

This book has some interesting and surprising twists and turns, and I really like that. Veste does a good job of presenting multiple red herrings, and i found myself going back-and-forth about what was the real story of the death of Sam's mother.

Similarly, Sam changes his mind multiple times throughout the story. While that is realistic, it is wearing for the reader. I would prefer for the character to change his mind but not pivot to different plans in every other chapter. Sam undercuts himself several times by switching up his goals while on his hunt for the truth. One minute he thinks his mom is alive and the next he is convinced she is dead.

The flashbacks of his mother as a teen and later a young adult, trapped in an abusive relationship, are extremely well done. Veste does a great job of showing the internal turmoil of an abused woman who realizes too late that her partner isn't going to stop or change. Only the intervention of her childhood best friend can save her, but it comes at the cost of always looking over her shoulder.

The one major objection I have to this book is Sam's incredible luck in getting away from killers. Two professional killers are stalking him. They attack him several times, but Sam always escapes. Sam, who has no training, has never shot a gun, and is scared out of his wits, somehow manages to best these men. I'll give you once, but not the several times it happens in the book. That totally broke the suspension of disbelief for me, and I found myself just finishing the book to see what the truth was around his mother's disappearance.

You Never Said Goodbye is a fast paced thriller that kept my attention all the way through. There were times when a lot was going on at once but I really enjoyed following where this was going to end up. I was surprised a few times by twists and the action was movie quality.

If there is one thing You Never Said Goodbye by Luca Veste has a lot of it is action, and it read a lot like an action movie to me. I was a little confused for a while as to exactly who all the different characters were and what was going on in the actual storyline, but in the end, it all made sense for the most part and I think I finally got everyone straight. As you can probably guess, there was a lot going on here and while I had a hard time keeping up, I was really into the story and finding out what was going to happen next. I had no idea what the truth about Laurie would end up being, and it really was quite the ride to get there.

Another thing that might make this book more confusing is listening to the audiobook as I did. There is only one narrator for the various viewpoints which made it a bit harder to keep track of everyone (especially all the guys). That being said, George Weightman definitely made me feel the action, and he did make for a great narrator. This would make an excellent book for any reader that is a fan of action thrillers/mysteries and anyone who doesn't mind a decent number of characters to keep track of.

Luca Veste has quickly become one pf my go To's when I need a quick read.
This story was twisted and hooked me from the beginning.
I would absolutly recommend this one

This was a new author for me, and I definitely enjoyed the book. It's hard to review without giving spoilers. Secrets, lies, grief and twists are all part of this story. If you like mystery and suspense check out, You Never Said Goodbye.

YOU NEVER SAID GOODBYE
By: Luca Veste

YOU NEVER SAID GOODBYE by Luca Veste, a new author for me, quickly became my favorite author. I enjoyed the writing style, and I thought the story was great. I really enjoyed my reading experience.

I love it when a book reels you in from the very beginning and continues to engage you throughout the read. This certainly did just that. Sam and his family were involved in a fatal car crash that took the lives of him mother and sibling, while his father carried the grief horribly and moved away. Twenty years later, his father tells him as his last words – your mother is alive.

What happens next is a propulsive thriller I had to know what is going on. Fast paced and thriller readers will really enjoy this one and should not miss.

I am now going back to Luca Veste’s backlist to enjoy all the other books.

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I would be open to reading more from him. I felt that the entire plot had a kind of been there, done that vibe. You have a really bad guy that has henchmen that mess up constantly to keep the plot moving on. I really liked this book until somewhere are the 70% mark and it just seemed like the book just kept dragging on excessively. I wish there would have been more of the mother's storyline and a build up prior to the car accident. I think this really would have added some much needed texture to this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This one was ok.

You Never Said Goodbye is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Luca Veste really knows what he's doing. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out You Never Said Goodbye today.

This was such an excellent thriller. It had my attention from the first page to the last. I would recommend this book!

If I wasn’t a dedicated reader I wouldn’t have finished this book. It took until about the fifth chapter before everything started to make any sense and the main character emerged. After that it held my interest and became an interesting story. There were multiple plot twists but it was mainly a story of extreme obsession and male dominance.