Genre: NA Contemporary
Edition: ebook
Source: I received a copy in return for an honest review

This is an NA book, and it isn't a typical NA book. There's no way Let Me Go can be excused as just a "YA book with sex in it". There's no way it can be dismissed because it shares so many similarities with others that the story just feels like a regurgitated form of what has already been written before. This isn't one of those. First of all, there isn't a college setting throughout the novel. Secondly, there is zero swoony and romantic moments in this book. It's not a romance—far from it. Instead, it's about a family of four women where each goes through her own separate and secretive cycle of abuse, trying to deal with or deny as much of it as she can without drawing the support of the others. It is a harsh book, one without the purpose to simply entertain us, but with the purpose to convey a certain message about family, abuse, and survival.

Sometime in the second half of Let Me Go, I suddenly thought of something: it was like an Ellen Hopkin's novel. The writing is not the same and the story isn't the same as any of Hopkins' books, but this book felt like the same type, which includes all of this:

-A harsh topic or issue
-Story consists of of several different character's journeys that were both similar and different from one another
-Each individual story connected with the others
-No fluff and no flowers—it wasn't watered down
-Characters weren't built to be super reader-friendly—they weren't too likable and they made many decisions most people wouldn't agree with or understand
-Feels like it was meant to convey some sort of realistic message—like it was written with a purpose
-Not meant to be "enjoyed" exactly
-Some sort of emotional impact (at least for me)

Ellen Hopkins' stories feel like this, and so did Let Me Go. I absolutely love these types of books.

There were parts (largely in the beginning half) where I felt were underdeveloped—like I wasn't getting to know the characters. I also thought the writing itself could have been more interesting. Overall, though, the story was brilliantly put together. There was great symbolism in the dragonfly tattoos. I absolutely loved it and the messages it sent. I also loved how the girl in the box fit into the story—like a puzzle piece—and how unpredictable it was for me.

I highly recommend this book to all of you seeking a great NA novel. Let Me Go is a fine representation of what the genre is truly about and I am so glad that I got a chance to read it.

Favorite Quotes:

This is a long quote, but I have to share it. It captures what the family was going through perfectly. There were a ton of secrets hidden in the book.

"Secrets. It seemed their family was always carrying secrets. And not just little ones that would hurt a few feelings here and there. No, their family harbored big secrets, such large skeleton's in their closets, that if let out were full of power to take a person and break them down into a small dust of nothing. Secrets that must be guarded like Pandora's Box, kept vigil over sleepless night over sleepless night."

This one was during one of the "Girl in the Box" chapters. "They" is concerning the dragonflies flying free from a jar, and . . . it's such a beautiful scene. It's my favorite part of the entire book. If there's any part in the book that made me tear up, it was that chapter.

"They continue stretching their wings, hovering in and out of the grasslands while seemingly waiting for the rest of their friends to join them... and then, glimmering fleetingly against the painted sky, they finally hurry away in abandon."

From http://readingismytreasure.blogspot.com/