ARC Review

I was so excited to have the chance to read this book. Unfortunately it wasn’t a win for me. The story itself isn’t a bad one. It held my attention and was a fast read. I think it had a lot of good ideas that just were not executed fully.

I was a little disappointed that the book description did not match the story itself. None of the murders in my opinion got the attention they should have nor did they affect the story as much as they meant to. Also i was waiting for the part when “ missing five-year old girl is the key to unlocking a detective’s terrifying past” part would happen. It didn’t.

I also really disliked the main character very much.

Thank you to Netgalley, Willow Rose and Bookouture Audio for the Eaudio of Don't let her go.

I really enjoyed this book by Willow Rose. The story starts with an abduction of a young child from a garden which sparks an investigation with Detective Billie-Ann Wilde. This investigation isn't as straight forward as it seems which bothers Billie Rose as it reminds her of a cold case she worked on years before,

I pretty much listened to this book in 2 sittings and would have done it in one but you gotta sleep ! Willow has a great writing style, descriptive and built the characters in this book. Billie Ann has a family and she is also dealing with a secret of her own which is creating turmoil within her own family. I personally really enjoy the underlining narrative of the main characters life within police investigations as it makes them more human.

The story is set on 2 time lines, 14 years earlier and working forward and the other timeline is present day. This works really well and is clearly vocalised at the start of the chapters. I always end this helpful as it helps separate the main characters in my own mind. There's some clever twists within the story and the last 3rd of the book when things start to click into place, I found it tense. It also invoked quite a few emotions within me too.

Lisa Rost-Welling who narrates this book has a great story telling voice and found her easy to listen to. I can't wait to read/listen to the next instalment of Detective Billie Ann Wilde!

An enjoyable cop procedural that covers a series of missing children spanning generations. Detective Billie Anne Wilde is determined to bring home the Missing kids back to their families even as she fights to keep her own life from falling apart.

Detective Billie Anne Wilde is called in to investigate the body of a child found in a pond. Soon she is also tasked with investigating a possible missing child. It’s unclear if the child really exists or the mother is mentally ill. The threads that relate the two with other murders in the area keep the story intriguing with twists and turns occurring throughout.
In addition to her professional life, she has come out as a lesbian to her husband and is dealing with the fallout of that decision and the effect it has I. Her teenage daughter.
There were so many sub plot’s within this story that at times it felt too diffused and I found myself wanting the focus to stay on the plot it was following a bit longer.
Overall, a thriller that keeps you guessing and an engaging story. I would give the narration 3 stars and the story 4.
**Be aware of TW for child abuse and sexual violence.
I was given the book by bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story had so much potential. But for me there was too much side story for Billy Ann that it was distracting unless it’s part of a series with her has a main character. There was so much side story that it took away from the investigation of the murder.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
I have read several books by Willow Rose and have enjoyed them all! This was no different. It did get slightly hard to follow with the back and forth from present day to the past, it jumped suddenly at times, but overall, I really liked this one! The storyline was great - a lot of wondering how it will go with the present and past stories being told. I had suspected the reveal but not enough to be certain of it, just enough hints at it along the way that you felt satisfied with knowing and not having guessed it early. I recommend reading this book and any others by this author!!

This book had my emotions all over the place. I was surprised by twists, frustrated by character actions, and I found the main character believable and interesting. I didn't know what to expect through this story and the ending was very satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley, Willow Rose, and Bookouture Audio for the advanced reader audiobook. I loved this audiobook narrated by Lisa Rost-Welling. It was a quick and fast paced thriller. Switching from then to now and connecting the story expertly. I can't wait to read more of Detective Billie Ann Wilde.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Don't Let Her Go
Willow Rose

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ok, my first and most important thing to say about this book is do not read the blurb!!

I'm not a blurb reader....until after ...ever! But for some reason, I did read this before reading and it gave too much of the story away for my liking!

Having said that, I'm not sure whether actually the plotline was pretty predictable (to a point!) just from the presentation of having the story told over the two timelines (then and now).
This absolutely did not ruin my enjoyment of the book at all because there was just so much going on and so many side stories to keep me entertained.

Our main character Billie Ann was such a great character to explore. With a traumatic past herself and a lot going on in present day life, this made the case even more complex for her to deal with.
I'm already keen to see how she develops over the whole series.

This was a very dark but satisfying case to work through.
There was a lot of going round in circles, so much linking to other things (past and present) and so many suspects.
Anything involving children is always going to be tough, but I loved how everything came together in the end to bring the case to its conclusion.
But obviously I still have many, many questions with regards to Billie Ann's personal story - which I'm sure will be answered in part in book 2!?

A great read with lots to think through, I can't wait for book 2!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Much thanks to Willow Rose, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine. A good mystery to pass the time, if not a terribly unique one. I feel kinda slimy saying child abduction and pedophilia is nothing new, but it's not. Still makes me feel sick, though, so that's good.

Rose seemed to throw the entire book of antagonists at the MC---cancer survivor, gay, marriage falling apart, rebellious teen children, history of rape, misogyny at work, accused of a crime, tense relationship with disapproving parents, issues with an ex-coworker. That's aside from the murder and missing persons cases she's working. And for the most part, Rose wove it all together pretty well---but it still felt like a lot, and dealing with all those sub-issues overshadowed the mystery. The cancer and rape history could have been cut at the very least.

Billie Ann was a decent protagonist, though she didn't have much personality. Having 99 problems, see above, is not personality. I didn't dislike her but I can't say I wanted to be her friend; she felt like one of those people whom it would be stressful being friends with. She was sympathetic, though, and Rose cast a wide net for relatability with all those ants. Billie should be able to carry a series.

Overall, yes, a decent way to pass the time, but forgettable.

Ok, seriously, it's an amazing story. The only thing I can say is that I would have like a clearer picture of times/years that things happened, but I also wonder if it would have given too much away. I didn't see the ending coming, and I'm just totally shocked at the reveal. I will definitely be looking for the next book because this one was so good.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for the book #DontLetHerGo by #WillowRose. This book was non stop drama and wildly entertaining. It touched so many different things that are wrong with society and was very well written.

If you like your protagonists loaded with baggage and trauma, then this one is a doozy., who is taking no crap from anyone anymore. If I had even half the things going on in my life that she has in hers I'd be screaming at the world, but nope, Billie-Ann is fighting back, determined to find a missing child no one wants to look for while solving the murder of a teenage girl.

I was fully immersed in this tale as I listened and enjoyed the mystery involved, even when it threw up what I felt were strange character behaviours it all slotted into the puzzle perfectly, leaving me able to metaphorically shut the book with a satisfied thunk.

Took awhile to grab my attention. But once I was hooked I had to figure out the ending. Some of the “twists” were a bit predictable to me. But overall great.
4.5/5

I really liked this book, I thought the mystery very exciting and wanted to continue reading at all points. Fairly predictable in parts but great and it did have a twist I didn't see coming, but I usually don't see the twists until they're spelled out! The audiobook was easy to listen to and I liked her accent. She did have an odd habit of breaking up sentences, like she's putting unnecessary commas in. But not too off-putting. Good book I would read more from the series. Besides, I need to know what happens with the MC's newly single life!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ALC!

⭐⭐⭐/5

TW: Graphic child abuse, sexual abuse, rape.

Marissa Clemens reports her four year old daughter, Emma, missing, but with no evidence of a child at her home only Billie Ann doesn’t see her as a fantasist, even when Marissa can supply no background details or a photograph. In the meantime there is a killer on the loose and Billie Ann suspects a link to Emma.

The story started being really intriguing, but I found myself losing interest about halfway through. There was so much potential for this book. I have mixed feelings about it. But i would still recommend if you love your mysteries.

Publication Date: February 2, 2024

Willow Rose is so skilled at telling an engaging story, even when the books read like first drafts. It’s still a 4 star experience, because just like junk tv or candy movies, it’s just a fun time!

Premise - a mother’s daughter has gone missing, right after the disappearance of her babysitter… but does the child even exist?

The writing is definitely the greatest weakness of these books - they're so engaging, Willow Rose is an excellent storyteller, but the prose itself is clunky, repetitive, and often detracts from the story.

The detective in this story also needs to find a new profession. Every single sad thing she sees in her job (and her job is literally to see sad things) affects her deeply emotionally *in the moment* so she's constantly stumbling around crime scenes on the verge of tears. In the words of the great Edna Mode: Pull! Yourself! Together! Seriously, she's the detective version of a surgeon who weeps over his patient mid-operation. That's not the surgeon I want! Professional remove is a good thing!

The killer acted in service of the plot, rather than true to character, when he only knocked Billie Ann out instead of killing her. He kills his other victims on-site, so why would he keep a literal cop alive to drag her to a swamp and kill her there? It’s not because he isn’t strong enough to move the body, because he drags her there unconscious. It makes zero sense.

Separately, it was very obvious how the past Kitty storyline and the present storyline were connected. Even so, Willow Rose has such a knack for pacing that I was no less interested for it! How does she do that? Wow.

Overall, Willow Rose is a talented author and I would certainly read more of her books - they just need better editing (developmental and line). They read like first drafts of great stories, which they probably are given her output rate. A little revision and they could be amazing! Even as is, they're too fun to pass up.

📚 Series or Standalone: series, but strong enough to read as a standalone
📚 Genre: mystery thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of domestic thrillers along the lines of Daniel Hurst, Frieda McFadden

💕 Characters: 2/5
💕 Writing: 2/5
💕 Plot: 5:5
💕 Pacing: 5/5
💕 Unputdownability: 5/5
💕 Enjoyment: 4/5
💕 Book Cover: 4/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic! The book was full of suspense and excitement from beginning to end. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and she is one of my new favorites. I love that her main characters are these brave women with high intensity careers but we still get to peek behind the curtain at their personal lives. I’m on my way to binge read all of her books!

📝Review 🇺🇸 :
I got this ARC audiobook
I listened To it in one sitting I couldn’t put it away it was so sooo good 😊 ..
Might wanna add trigger warnings tho
Cause themes are phedophilia , rape , child abuse & this is not mentioned in the beginning of the book

I recommend putting this book on your tbr for next month


—-
🇳🇱:
Ik kreeg deze ARC audiobook toegestuurd & ik heb hem in 1 zitting uitgeluisterd .. het was echt zo goed !
Ze mogen wel trigger warnings in het begin van het boek zetten aangezien er thema’s als pedofilie , verkrachting, en kindermishandeling aan bod komen & dit niet wordt vermeld in het boek voorin of op de achterkant .

Ik raad dit boek 100% aan om op je tbr lijst te zetten volgende maand 😊

First, I loved the cover art, it's gorgeous. It's the main reason I read this book.
For the actual book, it had a lot of issues. I figured out the major twists about 30% in to the book. It was very obvious.
The author tried to include way too many hot topics. Rape, pedophilia, racism, sexism, drunk driving, homophobia, and on and on. It got annoying really fast.
The narrator used an overly young voice for the kidnapped child. It wasn't clear enough that she had aged quite a bit. I won't say too much as it will give some of the twist away.
One last thing, the author repeats words quite a bit, and the way she portrayed the main character was a tad immature and selfish, which didn't fit the persona of her profession.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.
I'm sorry I didn't like it.