Synopses & Reviews
In this follow-up to the riveting international bestseller No Child of Mine, author Susan Lewis delivers an emotionally complex novel—perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult—of reinvention, reconnection, and the deepest love that can bind two people together.Charlotte Nicholls can hardly believe it, but it seems she’s landed in paradise. Living in a cottage in a shady cove on the beautiful Bay of Islands, surrounded by the splendor of New Zealand, Charlotte revels in her new life. She and her nearly four-year-old daughter, Chloe, have started over, with the help of Charlotte’s birth mother, Anna, who has recently reentered Charlotte’s life after a twenty-six-year absence. Little Chloe is thriving in her new home, and despite lingering effects from a terrible trauma Chloe has suffered, Charlotte is hopeful that love will pull her through. And though their relationship is tentative, Charlotte and Anna are slowly rebuilding their trust after nearly a lifetime apart.
But the horrors of the past—both recent and long buried—are never far from Charlotte’s mind. And then their idyll is suddenly shattered, as a series of events is set in motion that Charlotte can neither control nor comprehend. It will take all of Charlotte’s strength to keep her little family together, in the face of a world that will do everything it can to tear them apart.
Praise for Don’t Let Me Go
“An emotionally complex novel.”—USA Today
“Unputdownable . . . a compelling blend of family dynamics, courtroom drama, and love story.”—Booklist
“You know you’re in the hands of a master storyteller when you can’t bear the tension. Susan Lewis drops you into a nightmare where the best interests of a child collide with the law designed to protect her. The endearing little girl at the center of this poignant and gripping tale, as well as the brave protagonist, will win your heart.”—Diane Chamberlain, internationally bestselling author of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
“A gripping tale that pulls you in from the first chapter to the end, Don’t Let Me Go is a read that will remind you just how precious children are.”—Romance Reviews Today
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About the Author
Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including No Child of Mine, Missing, A French Affair, and Stolen. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the deeply moving and often hilarious memoirs of her childhood in the sixties. Having resided in France and the United States for many years, she now lives in the rural county of Gloucestershire, U.K.
Reading Group Guide
1. Even if no one had ever found out the secrets of Charlotte’s past, would she have been able to enjoy her new life with Chloe? Or would she always worry whether she got away with it?
2. Do you think Katie was right in turning Charlotte in?
3. Charlotte and Chloe have an intense and loving bond,
despite not being related by blood. What makes someone family?
4. What problems did you see in the foster-care system that Chloe faced upon her return to England? Could Chloe’s time back in the system have been avoided?
5. What will be the lasting effects of everything that Chloe’s gone through? Will Charlotte’s love allow Chloe to live a normal life in the future? Or will she always carry the scars of her early abuse and her traumatic time in the foster-care system?
6. Rick and Charlotte both led double lives, of a very different sort. Rick’s was ostensibly because he was worried about coming out to his father. Were his reluctance and lies justified?
7. Charlotte and her mother had a very loving yet also very difficult relationship from the moment they reunited, but Anna proved herself over Charlotte’s trial. What do you think their relationship will be like going forward?
8. What did you make of the “not guilty” verdict? What, to you, is the true definition of justice?
9. Anthony came to Charlotte’s rescue like a knight in shining armor. What did you make of his defense of Charlotte and her actions?
10. Were you surprised by the ending?
11. What changes do you think the additions of Anthony and the new baby will make in Charlotte’s family?
12. The novel has many themes, including love, home, and the true meanings of justice and family. Which was the most meaningful for you?