Before I Let You Go

A Novel

By: Kelly Rimmer

Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson, Amy Landon

Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of The Things We Cannot Say, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break.

“Kelly Rimmer skillfully takes us deep inside a world where love must make choices that logic cannot. Ripped from the headlines and from the heart, Before I Let You Go is an unforgettable novel that will amaze and startle you with its impact and insight.” ( (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times best-selling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End)

“Before I Let You Go is a heartbreaking book about an impossible decision. Kelly Rimmer writes with wisdom and compassion about the relationships between sisters, mother and daughter....She captures the anguish of addiction, the agonizing conflict between an addict’s best and worst selves. Above all, this is a novel about the deepest love possible.” (Luanne Rice, New York Times best-selling author)

The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar - and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out - she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby - maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.

As the weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhoods, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?

©2018 Lantana Management Pty Ltd (P)2018 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Might be just me

I’m not sure if it was the performance or writing or maybe the intention, but I found it so hard to empathize or not be annoyed by the main character Lexie. It also seemed a bit predictable, but was a fine story. I might have also gone in with high expectations since the reviews were all 5 stars.

Moving story, but one reader is terrible

I almost never listen to books at faster than the normal speed, but I had to with this one. The reader for the character of Lexi was like a dull computer read-out of a text message. I eventually overcame my irritation with her and really did enjoy the story but it’s unfortunate the reader didn’t do Justice to the character.

Needs another narrator

The story was good but the female voices pretending to be male were annoying and sometime the voice of “Lexi” pretending to be male, forgets to go back to the female voice.

Very Slow

The story dragged much longer than necessary. The characters were not believable. Lexi’s character did not make sense and made the book hard to read. She was irrational, juvenile, controlling and could not have successfully made it through medical school and residency, let alone had a successful practice with how self-centered she was on her own problems with her sister and her questionable judgement.
Sam was better suited as a fairytale prince and not realistic.
The writing was good and made the book tolerable. Overall, not nearly as impressive as the author’s other work.

Robotic narrator

The narrator was disappointing. The character Lexi was unfortunately a little too whiny for someone who had persevered through so much.

beautiful story

I absolutely loved this book, love how the story was told!!!! really makes you appreciate life

Sad

This got a bit long, drug at times. Good story overall though. Would probably recommend.

Readers

Could have use better readers, the ones used didn’t make justice to the book!!! I love it anyway!!!

Good story

Wish the narrator that read Annie’s story would have done the whole book. The main narrator had an odd almost annoying way of annunciating the last word of almost every sentence.

Whiny and Tiresome

This book was difficult to listen to, because the main characters had so many personal problems related to addiction, that they continually barraged the listener from beginning to end with their troubles. The good news is the book gives some understanding about why addiction is so horrible and so difficult to get out of. But I have enough troubles of my own in my life and I don’t really need to import somebody else’s.

This book was depressing! Annie, the addict, just seemed to make one bad decision after another. I wanted to shake her! It was almost a relief when she died because I knew at least she wouldn’t make any more bad moves. But then, of course, her sister, Lexi, had plenty of opportunity to make bad movies of her own. The ending certainly tied up all the loose ends, and I didn’t get the feeling. the family was happy ever after because of their great loss. But at least their conflicts got resolved.