June 2016 Book Club Book: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by The Blackfish, May 31, 2016.

  1. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    [​IMG]

    In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

    Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23125266-i-let-you-go

    http://www.amazon.com/Let-You-Go-Cl... go&qid=1464709426&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1
     
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  2. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    Finishing City of Mirrors tonight, will start this tomorrow.
     
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  3. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    May be a little while before I start this. I usually listen to the book club books on audiobook, but I think I'm going to read this one on my kindle while I re-read The Passage and The Twelve via Audiobook.

    I'm 30% through the 9th Malazan book Dust of Dreams but its 1000+ pages. I'll read this after I finish that.
     
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  4. Blackterno

    Blackterno Well-Known Member
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    I'll get to this after finishing the latest Gray Man installment.
     
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  5. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    I'm flying through Life of Pi, so I should get started on this by the end of the week.
     
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  6. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    Had some time to kill before I went to bed (will be doing so after this post) so I read the prologue + first three chapters. Some spoilered thoughts below.
    Enjoying it, though not really sure what exactly to make of everything. Which I shouldn't expect to know, I'm 9% in. Seems like we'll be bouncing back and forth between the investigation narrative + what's going on with the mom. Which I think is going to make for a really fun read as I usually enjoy books like that. Ray seems like a good character.
     
  7. Lorne Malvo

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    22%
    I am really enjoying it so far. Investigation part is more interesting right now but I think that's because (a) there are more characters and (b) I really like Ray. I also think Kate is super smart and has made for a good Robin to his Batman. And I'm guessing they hook up.

    No idea wtf is going on though and where this is going. It's obviously bigger than a traditional hit and run but in what way? The past of Jenna will certainly play a big part. It's been alluded to too much so far.

    Looking forward to reading more tomorrow after the NBA Finals.
     
    #7 Lorne Malvo, Jun 2, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2016
  8. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Through Chapter 4
    Slow starting book, but a quick read. This feels like any episode of Law and Order or something. Im guessing it wasn't a random hit n run and Jenna has some connection to the driver
     
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  9. Blackterno

    Blackterno Well-Known Member
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    anyone have an epub of this?
     
  10. Lorne Malvo

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    30%
    Didnt think they'd sleep together this quickly, damn. Obvious that things are bad at home for Ray and Mags. Things will not end well there for him/his wife/the kids. Should be interesting to see how this affects work.

    The heaviness that hangs over Jenna's chapters is really well done. She's like Tony Soprano in the series finale - always looking out for someone that will turn things into shit. Have to imagine that whomever that is will be showing up sooner rather than later. Happy that Beau kept coming upstairs and was there to support her. Dogs are the best.

    Still liking this book a lot. Easy read and I like how stuff has unfolded thus far.
     
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  11. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    21%

    No real thoughts on the story but I like the shift between first and third person narration.
     
  12. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Through Part 1/ Chapter 21

    This book has been pretty meh so far... until the very last paragraph. Dun dun dun....

    Jenna is the driver. :mindblown:. I went back and read the first Jenna chapter and holy moly. Never referred to the boy being hit a her son ect.

    Well done Mackintosh. I went from just reading this to get it over with to pretty invested in the story now.
     
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  13. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Same place (30%)

    Damn it, Ray. But it was obvious what was coming.

    Is it weird that I think Tom may have some connection to the hit and run? Probably way off
     
  14. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Oh damn, didn't see this coming. Great twist
     
  15. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Someone have a mobi of this?
     
  16. Lorne Malvo

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    I too, did not see this coming at all. Wow. Puts the whole first part of the book in a new light. Need to re-read the first chapter now.

    I'm really enjoying it. I've been invested in the characters and the story beyond the hit and run and what exactly happened.
     
    #16 Lorne Malvo, Jun 4, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2016
  17. Lorne Malvo

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    Through chapter 28/58%
    So Ian is obviously a piece of shit with his manipulation of her weight, going out w/friends, and now killing the cat. And he's definitely involved in the hit and run and is a big part of the missing piece of the puzzle to that night. But is it as simple as him being the driver? I can't figure that part out/where this is going overall.

    I love that we're now bouncing all over the place as far as narratives go w/the past + Jenna + the investigation.
     
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  18. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Finished.

    Blazed through this in two days (most of it today). Pretty surprised how quick it went.

    Still trying to figure out my thoughts on it overall. Immediate reaction spoilered

    So Ian killed Jacob, and Jenna was covering for him for fear of her life. I liked the twists. The only one I wasn't wild about was Ian being Jacobs father. Seemed a bit over the top. All in all, I was entertained after a ho-hum beginning and it was a really quick read for me.

    Also, maybe I'm just forgetting it already but I would've liked some resolution with the Tom subplot.

    Parts of this were really well written, imo. Parts came off a bit stilted. The author is better at writing first person. I think the hook really saved the book (which I guess is the whole point).

    I'm thinking a 7 overall.
     
    #18 Gonff, Jun 4, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2016
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  19. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Finished. Pretty much have the same opinion as RegimentML . Liked it, didnt love it.
     
  20. Lorne Malvo

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    I'm 87% in and have like an 50+ minutes left according to my Kindle so I'll finish it sometime tonight. I'm still really enjoying it
    Backstory with Ian has been a really interesting wrinkle in the back half of the book. And the timeline of things has been really crazy to me because it's been one long backstory in order, sans when he met up with her sister and figured out how to find where she was. And it's building towards the car accident in some way. Maybe she was trying to kill Ian and accidentally killed the kid? He has to be involved in that night. Maybe grabbed the wheel or something? And then there's the investigation, figuring out the blue card, and now where that story goes in the end. Looking forward to finding out what happens.
     
  21. RJF-GUMP

    RJF-GUMP Daubert Qualified in Cooler Thermodynamics
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    so i'm looking for a good book to read-should i read this one? i read the description on goodreads and it seems pretty depressing which isn't what i'm looking for
     
  22. The Blackfish

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    Reading this book means you're participating in the TMB Book Club which comes with an honorary pin that Arkie Proud will provide you.
     
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  23. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Great book? Not in my opinion.

    Solid book? Sure.

    Depends on whether you want to participate in book club or not. If you're looking for something else, there's plenty of threads to pick through that may be better suited to your interest.
     
  24. Arkie Proud

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    I'll need your mailing address and pants size, especially the crotch inseam. Actually, just a picture of your crotch inseam would be fine.
     
  25. The Blackfish

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    Check your PM
     
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  26. Lorne Malvo

    Lorne Malvo Aces!
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    Finished as well
    I think you put into words a lot of the same thoughts I had. I figured that Ian could have been the driver and she was covering up for him earlier in the book, but I didn't get the motive as to why. Then you read it and see how terribly he treated her + how fearful she was and it was easy to understand why. But Jacob being his son was a bit much. "I was afraid you'd leave if you found out I had a son" doesn't really connect with me when you've been beating her up and pouring boiling water on her hand.

    Also, you're spot on on Tom and I think that is one of the biggest reasons I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads instead of 4. And it's not really him, but Ray's home life as a whole. All that fighting that's solved with a "I'll be home tonight, want some takeout?" text? Really? Idk, there was so much put into that part of the story and it just felt like something to cause issues. We didn't need that type of drama with everyone else that happened.

    Happy I read it as it was a pretty easy read and was an interesting story. Missed some things that would have made it a better book though.
     
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  27. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Agreed. I gave it a 4, but it's more like a 3.5. I rounded up because I was entertained the last 2/3 and read it all in basically one sitting. But it could have easily been a 3.
     
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  28. Lorne Malvo

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    One more thought:
    I hated that they let Jenna leave the hospital. I get that the author needed one more big moment of peril, but why the hell did they let her leave the hospital? Hell, why did they let her leave their sight, when they didn't know where Ian was. But that was incredibly stupid and almost killed her. And it was one of the things that lowered my grade.
     
  29. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    100% agree. My expression at that point:

    [​IMG]

    I know the lady who wrote it is an ex-cop, but it seems unrealistic that Jenna wouldn't even have some sort of escort or person checking in on her. Nope, just let her go while this lunatic is going around unchecked.
     
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  30. Blackterno

    Blackterno Well-Known Member
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    I'm 25% in...
    and my two main thoughts are: 1) why am I reading this book? 2) this is why we should have a voting process When selecting each month's book.

    Hopefully something happens soon that is not totally geared towards some sentimentality only possessed by women.
     
    #30 Blackterno, Jun 9, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2016
  31. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    At the same point, I had similar thoughts. It gets better. How much better is probably based on taste.
     
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  32. Blackterno

    Blackterno Well-Known Member
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    I'm 1/3 through and pray that Patrick isn't the mysterious unknown driver of the car that killed Jacob
     
  33. Blackterno

    Blackterno Well-Known Member
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    Finished...

    The twist in the middle made this book ok in my estimation. The story between Jenna and Ian was interesting and at least entertaining. Someone mentioned that he viewed this book as a cross between Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. That is the best description that I could give.

    The side story with Ray, Mags, Kate, and the son Tom was clearly written by a woman and was annoying.

    The Ian story made this book entertaining enough to be worthwhile. I liked the open ending.

    I'll give it a 6.5/10. We can and should do better for the monthly selections.
     
  34. Lorne Malvo

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    Looking at this specifically, I agree, and not just because I recommended this book and most response has been pretty lukewarm. But the way monthly picks have worked lately is the best its been since the early days. Participation is WAY down from what it used to be, but voting on books that were recommended started going down to the point where someone throwing out a book and one or two people saying "sounds good" became the way we've done it.

    And maybe it's a chicken or egg thing with participation = the process of choosing books. I'm all for making it better/getting more people to read. Just need to figure out how.
     
  35. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    I like this genre of books. I loved Gone Girl,liked Girl on the Train. This seemed to be in the same mold, just turned out to be a meh book. Im not mad I read it, but probably wouldn't recommend it either. They cant all be winners. It's impossible to know ahead of time.
     
  36. The Blackfish

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    Take it to the introduction thread pls. We've tried a bunch of different ways to do this. I think it's working alright right now since we're down to 3-7 people per book but always open to improvement like LKrFn6274828483 said
     
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  37. KJROD20

    KJROD20 the ends will justify the means.
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    Just started this one, not sure how I feel, only about 40 pages in.
     
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  38. KJROD20

    KJROD20 the ends will justify the means.
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    your first sentence is exactly how i felt. "meh this is boring WAIT WHAT THE FUCK"

    I stopped right at the end of Part 1 because my train was pulling in, excited to pick it back up to see what the hell is going on.
     
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  39. The Blackfish

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    Started this last night.
     
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  40. The Blackfish

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    Finished a while back. Pretty good. 6.5 out of 10. Agree with pretty much everything that has been said

    Them letting her leave the hospital and head home by herself is just bad writing.

    Never really cared about the Mags/Tom story-line, really just wanted him to snog with Kate more. Tom was a little shit.

    Ian was super hateable, and I feel like listening to it on audiobook made him even more dislikeable. The reader made him sound like the most smarmy brit out there while he was justifying his abuse of Jenna to himself