On the one hand, you sympathise with Constance while on the other you dislike her intensely. She does come across as needy and clingy but then again, you have the inside scoop as to why she acts the way she does, so does that make it excusable or just understandable? Half the time I couldn't decide whether I liked or hated her but somehow I still found myself rooting for her. I guess I wanted to see Samuel get his comeuppance, because really the man was deplorable. And Dale? He was just uber creepy. I did not like him from the start. How Constance couldn't see through him is beyond me. His pointed comment about those who are so obsessed with who they are watching often are oblivious as to who may be watching them (or words to that effect)...was just super creepy. Overall, If I Let You Go is an intriguing, intense, immersive tale by Levin that does a wonderful job of highlighting just how devastating and all-consuming guilt and grief can be and reminds us to savour every moment because life can often change in a heartbeat. I didn't really know about this book at first but I did get into it. Janet is a cleaner with an overly controlling husband, Colin. It's clear from the start that something isn't right between the pair, Colin is horrible towards Janet, never lets her go out and always expects her to do everything for him. WOW! It's been two days since I finished this book, and I am still feeling a huge book hangover. I love books centered around love and obsession and I just found my favorite one.

It was Ernest Hemingway who once encouraged writers to begin with “one true sentence”. There are many such sentences in Charlotte Levin’s debut “If I Can’t Have You”, but this is her first: “Everyone stared.” Simple, effective, true, because, above all, this is a novel not about looking but rather, about the desire to be seen. 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. The reasoning behind choosing the “safe” areas is also illogical. Some nearer destinations are out of bounds or a scarier prospect than somewhere further yet familiar. But to clarify, none are far from my house. I’m trapped within the constraints of my hometown – the only occasion where the term “Madchester” would be acceptable. My restrictions aren’t limited to the where but also the when. The only thing worse than a journey is a journey with bad traffic. The vision of red brake lights ahead is a certain trigger. Overheating, nausea, dizziness, palpitations and derealisation are all exacerbated by the fact I can’t escape. The dry humor was refreshing and softens the tough battle Constance is dealing with . The ending is rather abrupt and could have been more elaborated .However Samuel's sense of entitlement, self-importance and arrogance as well as his inability to see the depth of his treatment of not only Constance, but women in general, speaks volumes as to the type of man he is. Why is it that these are the men who attract the most vulnerable kind of woman? They fall for his charm, his smile, the way he makes them laugh all without seeing that he is really laughing at them not with them. He comes from a world of entitlement and privilege and is used to getting what he wants and then justifying his disgraceful actions by accusing women of being sulky and clingy who dare to mistake sexual intimacy as a relationship when all he is really after is a good time. A 28 year old receptionist in a private doctor’s surgery in Kensington. A chain-smoking, emotionally stunted woman who is running away from her past having recently experienced a traumatic loss. Living in a crappy bedsit, drinking too much and avoiding her own feelings so when the handsome and charming Dr Samuel Stevens starts working at the surgery she can’t help falling for him. When a lonely young woman, Constance Little, develops an infatuation with Samuel, the new doctor at the private medical centre where she works, she is thrilled when he reciprocates. But when he ends their brief and passionate affair, the emotional wounds from her past come fully to the fore, turning her love into a dangerous obsession. The reductiveness of its premise - designed, no doubt, by the publishers to appeal to readers’ tireless appetite for thrills, is both a pity and a mistake. A mistake because this is not in essence a traditional psychological thriller; a pity because there is a danger that it will be overlooked by others. And that would be a shame, because this is a smart, compelling and utterly fascinating novel that lingers.

That was the moment my world shrunk smaller than the set of The Truman Show. The moment I became agoraphobic. And 25 years later – I still am. PDF / EPUB File Name: If_I_Cant_Have_You_-_Charlotte_Levin.pdf, If_I_Cant_Have_You_-_Charlotte_Levin.epubIt’s the story of Constance Little, a tough cookie who appears thoroughly self-centred and unlikeable. When Dr Samuel Stevens joins the surgery where she works she becomes obsessed with him; he’s everything she wants in a man and it looks like he feels the same. Levin was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in English before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television. Levin currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. I think that this book would make an excellent reading group choice. There is so much food for debate not least Janet’s decisions, her marriage and her choices.. Thank you to Pigeonhole, Charlotte Levin and Pan McMillan for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion! If I Can’t Have You Book has been translated into seven languages and is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Dutch. Book Editions