Without Saying Goodbye is the story of two women incognito who meet under highly unusual circumstances. After coming to a wordless understanding that discussions about their past is off limits, they form a tentative bond and makeshift family of sorts. Both women are running from something or someone. Both are at the end of their rope. Both would rather die than return to their former lives. Both have secrets they will not share. As the story unfolds, readers come to know these women, to understand their pain, motivation and fear of being forced back to the insufferable life they fled.

Cerys is battling depression as a result of empty nest syndrome. She gave up her dreams of a career to be a stay at home wife and mother, and now all these years later she's left with nothing to fill her idle time or mind - nothing to look forward to, nothing to live for. She doesn't know who she is anymore or what role she plays to an indifferent family that no longer needs or sees her often enough to recognize the signs of deepening depression threatening to break her. Over a period of time, as the darkness claims Cerys, she makes an irreversible decision culminating in one dark night on an empty highway, a fiery crash and a no longer tethered woman on the run.

Lily is a young, naive, abused mother with a helpless four year old child. Her husband has repeatedly beaten her down both mentally and physically until her confidence in her own ability as a mother, wife and human being is nonexistent. However, it's not fear for her own life that motivates her, but rather love for the child depending on her. There's one thing this monster can't beat out of her - her maternal instinct to protect her child at all costs, and so on a dark, foggy night after months of silent preparation, Lily slips out of the house and vanishes with her child.

One fateful afternoon, far away from their respective former homes, Cerys' and Lily's paths cross. Both recognize a bit of themselves in the other and without revealing backgrounds, they form a tentative, temporary arrangement to live together - no questions asked. Things improve until the day an emergency ends their anonymity, and someone figures out who they are. It's only a matter of time until danger arrives on their doorstep.

Without Saying Goodbye is a propulsive, emotional domestic thriller that explores the many stages of motherhood, the overwhelming need to protect and the need to be needed no matter ones' age. Jarratt does a beautiful job of characterization, of building empathy for both women who are decades apart in age. Readers are drawn into both women's lives, coming to understand what drove them to run - to leave their families without a word of goodbye, and how in their own way, they're each searching for their own identity. The plot line unfolds in a steadily rising pace with tension increasing over concerns of being discovered and forced to go back which keeps both women wary and always looking over their shoulder. Will they ever truly be free of the past that haunts them?

For this reader, the most beautiful part of Without Saying Goodbye is the gradual transformation of both women from darkness to light as they learn to trust again - both their own instincts and others. Through picturesque prose, Jarratt renders this story with beauty and grace even as she delivers a commentary on social issues like mental and physical abuse, empty nest syndrome and a mother's internal instinct to protect - to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of her children. How far would you go to protect your child? I know I'd do whatever it takes.

Without Saying Goodbye is a powerful, highly readable, heart touching domestic thriller. It's especially suited to women of all ages who've ever felt invisible or less than without really understanding why. I highly recommend it to fans of character driven domestic crimes and light suspense thrillers.

2.5 stars

This book has a very interesting premise, but for me it was not executed well. For a book that clocks in just under 300 pages, it felt long, overdrawn, and repetitive at times to the point where it felt like Jarratt was trying to reach a word count goal. The characters repeated the same thoughts/ideas/insecurities numerous times and in the same way each and every time they were brought up. Interspersed with the main character POVs were two outside plot lines that were closely tied to the main, but ended up feeling a lot like filler, especially when it came to Lily's husband. Each chapter centered on him felt the same and his characterization in them felt like a mustache twirling villain. Nothing new was discovered by centering any of the action on him.

Because of this, what felt like sloppy pacing, the central ideas of the book get lost in the shuffle. Jarratt has started to craft a story about motherhood and what that means, and there are moments when that shines through, most notably at the very end of the book. The last 10% of the story felt the most cohesive, once all the characters stopped lying (for good reasons, mostly) to one another, stopped internally harping on the FACT that they were lying to each other, and just got on with it. Unfortunately, that and a few bright spots or lovingly crafted revelations could not save this book for me.

This novel is a story of 2 different women; very different yet their paths meet. One is Cerys, an older woman who’s 3 children have all flocked from the nest, leaving her alone and confused about what is next. Then there is Lily, a young mother who is escaping her unfavorable husband with her four year old in tow.

I think this book was great!!! It got me out of a 2 month reading slump and I am overall happy with the read. Some of the book is very very easy to guess what happens next but some you do not see coming!!

Without Saying Goodbye is a beautiful, heartwarming tale of two women who have lost their sense of self. Cerys had an abundance of love to give and Lily desperately needed someone to show her some love. When they meet purely by happenstance, they become fast friends and confidantes.

Lily is running from an abusive marriage, needing to protect her child, while Cerys is running away from life in general. They made a pact not to question each other about their reasons for running, but their truths slowly come to light as they trust each other more and more. Cerys is the mother that Lily never had and Lily is the only person who has needed Cerys in a long while. They build a beautiful, everlasting friendship.

This story is both heartwarming and heart wrenching. The author does a fantastic job with character development and both women felt like a friend I’d like to have myself. I give this book 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks for the advanced copy.

Cerys leaves her life behind; desperate and alone, she sets off with no idea where she is going. When she crossed paths with Lily, who herself is desperate and struggling, the two women are drawn to each other. They strike up an unlikely friendship, or maybe it isn’t really all that unlikely, considering they are both mothers at different stages in their lives. Lily is has a young child and is trying to escape an abusive relationship, and Cerys feels lost with her three children grown and no longer needing her the way they once did. A beautiful look at the relationship between mothers and children (whether blood or found family), this was an emotional thriller.

Since I loved Laura Jarrett’s last book, I had to check this out too! Told in alternating perspectives, we learn more about both Cerys’ and Lily’s pasts, and the tension is palpable as the past catches up with them. I could relate SO much to Cerys, as a mother myself not having a career since my children were born. When they are your whole purpose, your only job, I could see why she was so lost as they grew up. Moreover, this was thought-provoking read about speaking your truth, finding your purpose, and doing what brings you joy (even if it’s unconventional at times). I also really appreciated the aspect of living with depression; I thought the author did a very respectful job of portraying that dark cloud that drags you under. And also with showing hope that you will find your light again. With short chapters and a fast-pace, I read this in a day.

“I was a mother…nothing more than that. I didn’t have a career. They were my whole life”.

Thank you to Netgalley, Laura Jarrett and Sourcebooks for the ARC! “Without Saying Goodbye” releases May 2nd!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I really struggled to get into Without Saying Goodbye. I love this author's other novels so I will continue to read them. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I sat down this afternoon to read this, and immediately disliked the writing style. I briefly considered putting it aside to try again later, but I’m not a fan of the “DNF” if I’m reviewing a book. I may start to skim and give you a low rating, but I’ll always finish the book. In this case, I AM SO GLAD I DID! And there will be no low ratings here…

I thought I was in for a fast-paced thriller, but that’s not this. This is a beautiful story, with a light thriller/mystery touch, but it’s mostly a drama - even with a bit of romance. I love when I get books that I normally wouldn’t read if they were labeled differently and enjoy them! This was thoughtful, touching, and almost made me tear up (I’m not a big crier).

We have the story of two women: Lily and Cerys. Cerys is a stay-at-home-mom turned empty-nester who feels she has nothing else to live for, so she decided to kill herself. She failed though, and just started walking towards the sea to drown. As she’s passing a hamburger stand, she sees a little boy accidentally spill his meal, and she sees the mother break down. Her need to kill herself is sidetracked by seeing a young mother in distress - and so she meets Lily, and her four-year-old son, Sammy.

Lily has run away from her abusive husband; she’s young - really young, and at a breaking point. She needs help, and Cerys seems to also need help. They both understand that something is wrong with the other, but they put those worries aside. Soon, these two women - both with pasts they decide to keep secret - become a makeshift family, along with a sheep farmer they meet, Dylis.

This does have the “Sleeping with the Enemy” trope of a woman leaving her abusive husband and living in fear that he’ll find her, but aside from that, this was super fresh and I finished it in one sitting. Heartwarming, heartbreaking, phenomenally-written characters and just a fantastic story, this is one I’d highly recommend. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile, which makes it get five stars from me.

(Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Laura Jarratt, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on May 2, 2023.)