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Before I Let You Go cover art

Before I Let You Go

Written by: Kelly Rimmer
Narrated by: Vanessa Johansson,Amy Landon
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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

What listeners say about Before I Let You Go

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Heartbreaking Brilliant Read

Loved it, related to it. Captivating read.
l would highly recommend this book to friends.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but heavy subject matter

Older sisters voice by narrator was kinda odd—almost like drawn out in slow motion at Times and it was distracting. She was able to speak normally (as you see she does w other characters or even at times, being herself ...so was a bit perplexing why she chose that odd voice for the main character)....

Heavy subject matter—so as much as I was looking for an escape from my life/the world , there were times I had to stop listening cause it wasn’t relieving stress...sometimes adding to it. Very good story though—esp for anyone who wants or needs to know more about abuse/addiction and how it can affect lives etc...

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, painful narration

This story line had great potential. Unfortunately the horrible narration voices ruined that for me.

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1 person found this helpful

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Good story but a long

Good story about the struggles of addiction. It was a bit slow in spots but enjoyed it overall.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Terrible

I can’t believe I made it through to the end. Nothing makes sense and so slow. Six chapters just to describe addiction; feels like it was written by a young teen. Too wordy, and very unrealistic. Good luck getting through this one…if you can tolerate the narrator I’ll be shocked. Never again…

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  • Overall
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Loved it

Very good common topic that effects many families. Addictions tears apart many families. It was written very well and easy to follow. Causes of addiction and the repercussions of one’s actions.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A little predictable

found the story a little too predictable, based on many similar stories of addicts.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

about 50% too long

Neat story, felt it dragged on at a few points, the word incredulous is used about 100 times, and the narrator's impersonation of Sam's voice is so weird, made it tough to listen to. But, if you're looking for a dramatic, emotional story to listen to mindlessly then its good:)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I had to keep listening!

As soon as the book ended, I started again! It was riveting and suspenseful and heartbreaking! #Audible1

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  • angel
  • 2018-04-24

To much whining

I almost didn’t make it through the book (audio), Lexi’s character did nothing but whine and moan through the whole book. If I was her fiancé I would have dumped her butt along time ago! And, whom ever narrated Lexi....lets just say keep your day job because she has the MOST annoying voice and the whining and complaining almost made me throw the book across the room!!! I thought that the book was suppose to be about the sisters addiction, but instead the author made it all about selfish annoying Lexi. Would not recommend

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29 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2018-12-15

Audiobook narrating is terrible

I feel like this may have been a good story, but I couldn’t get through the audiobook because the narrators sounded like robots. It was so distracting and annoying that I couldn’t focus on the storyline. Don’t waste your money or credits on the audiobook if the narrating makes a difference to you!

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23 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Christy Carroll
  • 2018-04-11

Very unrealistic depiction of drug rehab in AL

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The book would have to be re-written with a more true and realistic depiction of drug use and the court and rehab system in AL.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not sure

Did Vanessa Johansson and Amy Landon do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

No

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointed

Any additional comments?

Terrible waste of my money

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15 people found this helpful

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 2020-02-04

one dimensional characters and terrible narrator

this narrator has the strangest inflections. so annoying to listen to and I NEVER got used to it. this story, smh, I see what she was trying to do but it fell flat to me. Lexi was so stereotypically blind. the sisterly relationship felt more codependent than driven by love. Sam was a one dimensional prince charming. boring. Annie wasn't fleshed out at all. again with the stereotypes. boring.

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11 people found this helpful

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  • S Hudson
  • 2020-01-13

Narration...ugh

Why must Lexie’s voice sound like a robot...terrible. Good story But but I would recommend reading it and not listening.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Lulu in Ohio
  • 2020-01-12

Good Story. Abysmal voice performance.

The overall story is worth a good discussion if you can get past the voice of Lexi and the male characters.
Several times i almost stopped listening because of the annoying voice of the main character and the men of the story.

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4 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Mahy Churylo
  • 2018-11-03

Didn’t love it

I enjoyed the narration for Annie. Didn’t love the character Lexi or her narration. Listening to lexi’s inner thoughts chapter after chapter got annoying

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Jodi
  • 2020-08-07

Slow

This book goes way to slow, the whole time making the audience frustrated with each character. As an addict that survived and thrived with therapy left me feeling empty and sad. This book is like a soap opera that you know you don’t need to watch but you do?

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Julia
  • 2019-11-12

Voice of Lexie

The story would be so much more enjoyable if someone else were reading for Lexie. Every man sounds the same, whispers, and speaks so slowly it's maddening!

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Susan Schroder
  • 2019-11-11

Narration made the story even worse

One of the narrators sounded like the automated robot that tells you which button to press for each option when calling a business, super annoying. Couldn’t finish the book

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3 people found this helpful

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