If I Let You Go: The Heartbreaking, Shocking Richard and Judy Book Club Pick

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If I Let You Go is as scrumptious as it gets: lusciously lyrical prose wrapped around an irresistible protagonist, amid alternating layers of intrigue and humor. I DEVOURED it! The writing is crisp and edgy. The characters are anxious, tormented, and flawed. And the plot is a tense, unpredictable tale full of twists, turns, revelations, insecurities, deception, grief, manipulation, lies, and tragedy. Colin was a caricature, stereotypical, a villain. His character wasn’t nuanced or complex which made Janet’s situation (and how she found herself there) even more baffling. Mia and Robbie were vacuous and the fast and furious dynamics between the couples seemed inauthentic given the circumstances of how they all met. Janet is such a great and relatable character - flawed & struggling but so much more than she initially believes herself to be.

But Janet's story isn't quite what it seems, and as events spiral out of control, she soon discovers that coming clean isn't an option. Because if Janet washes away the lies, what long-buried truths will she finally have to face? If I Let you Go is the story of Janet who lives with husband Colin. They lost their daughter Claire as a child..Janet throws herself into her cleaning job; Colin blames Janet for what happened to Claire..Their marriage is unhappy. Colin is controlling and this and Janet’s grief trap her into a situation of deep misery…And then there is a train crash..I've been looking forward to Charlotte Levin's second book since…well…since finishing her first one, and it was worth waiting for. In fact, I think it's now my favourite of the two. A thoughtful, beautifully written book about grief, and ordinary people being thrown into extraordinary circumstances. Unusual and compelling, with just a touch of humour. Loved it -- Catherine Cooper author of The Chalet and The Cruise My mum was my safety person. I could even travel from London to Manchester with her and go to the seaside. When she died five years ago, followed by my dad a few months later, it wasn’t just agonising grief I was dealing with, but my capacity to negotiate the world had gone, too. The pufferfish deflated to the size of an anchovy. I was metaphorically cast adrift, with the additional misfortune of potentially never being able to see the sea again.

Tremendously powerful. Nobody writes quite like Charlotte Levin. It's at once uplifting and heartbreaking; excruciating and inspiring. She captures the essence of her characters like no other writer I know. A brilliant achievement. -- Emma Christie, bestselling author of Find Her First and The Silent Daughter bookshelf #bookshelflove #booklove #bookishlove #bookish #booktok #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramuk #bookobsessed #booknerd #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #instabooks A really well written, believable story and you really could feel the weight of Janets grief and her guilt as she is pulled further into her rather unwitting deception. She acts as our narrator, walking us thoughtfully through everything that happens with occasional glimpses into the darkest moments of the past, showing us little pieces of a much larger puzzle. But eventually this slow, steady pace spirals out of control into unpredictable and erratic chaos, in a way that seems outlandish but really is such an accurate show of just how absurd life can become in a moments notice. This is a fast paced story, for the most part. It meandered a little in the beginning, dragging out scenes with Robbie, Mia and Lizzie with guilt-filled angst that got a little repetitive but was important to understand Janet and her situation. I wanted to shake Janet, scream at her to ditch Colin. That she didn’t deserve all the self-hate, the abuse she put up with. That is wasn’t her fault.

Martin Howard & Colin Stimpson

I loved If I Let You Go. It is beautifully written, stark yet redemptive - moving, hopeful, powerful and wonderfully human. Charlotte Levin is the queen of complex narrators. I feel like I've known Janet all my life. -- Caroline Hulse, author of All the Fun of the Fair Then, Janet finds herself involved in a train crash and, recognizing the chance to do what she couldn’t all those years ago, she makes a decision. As news spreads of Janet’s actions, her story inspires everyone around her, and for the first time her life has purpose and the future is filled with hope. If I let you go follows Janet, a cleaner who has followed the same routine for years going to work and cleaning offices. Her and her husband Colin have been affected by something in the past regarding their daughter Claire. Janet is etched with guilt regarding whatever happened with their daughter. When a train crash happens and Janet is seen as the local hero for saving a little girl, her life begins to change.