Thank you to Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House for a copy of I Will Never Leave You in exchange for an honest review.
Summary of Kara A. Kennedy’s I Will Never Leave You
Maya has always belonged to Alana. After four years of dating and on the precipice of graduating high school, Maya has been too terrified to consider the idea of life outside of their volatile relationship. Until she finds the courage to break up with Alana while they’re hiking in Southern California.
Then Alana goes missing. As the police get involved and the media run wild with the story, everyone seems to think that Maya is lying about Alana’s disappearance. Secretly, Maya knows they’re right: if Alana’s dead, she’s the one to blame.
But that’s not Maya’s only secret. Alana isn’t gone, not really — and she isn’t going to let Maya go so easily…
The Literal Ghosts of Trauma
Kara A. Kennedy’s I Will Never Leave You exemplifies the saying, “You can’t make a person get help until they’re ready.” Watching (reading) Maya go through what she does with Alana is heartbreaking. Knowing that everyone around her sees it, too, makes it even more so. But Maya isn’t ready to see what’s happening, so they cannot do anything to help her, no matter how hard they try.
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Maya’s reactions are not uncommon but made more intense by her young age. One of those reactions is lying to the police. You can see her thought process, but you’ll still say, “Girl, what are you doing”? You’ll basically say that to Maya throughout the novel. I believe other teens will, too.
That I Will Never Leave You explores emotional abuse in the natural world, and the supernatural makes it more effective than if Kennedy had picked one over the other. Horror is an excellent allegory for real-world issues. Trauma reverberates beyond the “end” of the problem.
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Kennedy uses several “tropey” locations in I Will Never Leave You, like a horror mashup. She’s got an all-girl private school, beautiful hiking spots and an idyllic lake town. But it’s not the locations that make this story terrifying — it’s the plot and characters. It’s all very clever.
Should You Read It?
You should totally read Kara A. Kennedy’s I Will Never Leave You. I’ll add the caveat that if you’re not comfortable reading about emotional abuse, you should hold off. Take care of yourself. But if you’re in a place to read it, I think the novel could be healing.
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I Will Never Leave You comes out on July 23, 2024. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚👻
Content warnings: Emotional abuse, arson, cheating, violence, death, missing child.
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