Monday 14 September 2015

Book Review - Letting You Go by Anouska Knight

Amazon UK
Title: Letting You Go
Author: Anouska Knight
Format reviewed: Paperback
Source: Publisher supplied review copy
Publisher: MIRA
Publication Date: 10th September 2015
Rating: 4.5 Stars


What if a tragedy occurred and you only had yourself to blame? How do you move on from the past?

Alex Foster lives a quiet life, avoiding the home she hasn’t visited in eight years. Then her sister Jaime calls. Their mother is sick, and Alex must return. Suddenly she’s plunged back into the past she’s been trying to escape.

Returning to her hometown, memories of the tragic accident that has haunted her and her family are impossible to ignore. Alex still blames herself for what happened to her brother and it’s soon clear that her father holds her responsible too. As Alex struggles to cope, can she ever escape the ghosts of the past?

Letting You Go is a moving and emotional tale of heartbreak, grief, forgiveness, with a good quantity of secrets thrown in too. 

Alex Foster hasn't been back to Eilidh Falls  in eight years, she has never forgiven herself for the death of her younger brother, and she believes her father has never forgiven her either. And then she gets a call from Jem, her younger sister, telling her their mother is ill and in hospital.

As scared as Alex is to return home, she loves mum Blythe more than anything and rushes to her bedside, and promises to stay until Blythe is able to return home. In returning to the small town, she stirs up a lot of memories for not just her family, but plenty of other families in town too. 

This includes Finn, who was her boyfriend all those years ago, and who has always loved her, no matter what Alex has done. 

Alex's father Ted struggles to show his feelings, but very slowly he starts to accept Alex being around a bit more, even if he isn't happy with who his daughters are hanging about with. 

Is is soon apparent that Jem is hiding at least one secret if not more, and so are other members of the family. There is a twisted web of lies and half lies, until everything becomes apparent. Some of the secrets I guessed at, and others were a bit more shocking. 

There are little light hearted moments dotted amongst the book, including things "dog" does, the little puppy the family have, but haven't named yet. 

Alex is as obstinate as her father but is it too late to repair their very fractured relationship? Will Jem and Alex ever admit to being in love? And just what happened on the day that their brother died? Answers to this and to other questions the book brings up, will be answered just by reading. 

I really enjoyed reading Letting You Go, its a more serious, heavier book than  a lot of the books I do read, but it is a fabulous story,  by  an author that seems to be getting better and better with each book. I have a feeling this book will be staying with me for some time. 

Thank you so much to Cara at MIRA for this ARC. This was my honest review and opinion. 

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