I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Out and proud, Riley Iverson knows there’s nothing more cringe than crushing on a straight boy. But from the moment that the handsome and sporty Jackson Haines walks into his life, Riley can’t help but feel an undeniable connection.

Mainly because, as impossible as it seems, Jackson is the spitting image of the boy who’s recently appeared in Riley’s dreams—dreams set in another time and another place where he and Jackson are desperately in love.

Soon these dreams morph into increasingly vivid nightmares. But no matter where or when these visions play out, two things remain constant: Riley and Jackson are always together, and they always die at the end.

Forced to consider the possibility that their burgeoning relationship might be propelling them headfirst into their own tragic ending, the boys have to decide: Is it worth staying apart to save their lives if the price is forsaking a love that has defied not only time and space but death itself?

Short and Sweet Review

Don’t Let Me Go follows the story of Jackson and Riley who live in present day Florida but for some reason are having flashbacks to different time periods when they were in a relationship. Riley and Jackson don’t know each other well but they know these flashbacks must mean something and they’re willing to figure it out together.

This book starts off with introducing us to our two main characters Riley and Jackson. Jackson just moved to Orlando to live with his aunt after an incident at his last school left him feeling unsure about things. Riley has lived in Orlando his whole life and has a group of friends he feels safe around and a dad he thinks he wants to be like when it comes to careers. Riley knows he’s gay but Jackson on the other hand is pretty sure until he meets Riley. Riley has been having fainting spells in which he ends up seeing himself and Jackson in a past life as lovers but they usually never make it out alive. Riley knows these dreams have to mean something and it isn’t until Jackson experiences one for himself that he starts to believe that maybe he should give Riley a chance. I liked the whole past lives storyline and how it would alternate between the present and past and we got to see different iterations of Riley and Jackson. I didn’t like how we don’t find out until past the halfway point what was going on and why they were having these fainting spells. I also thought once they did become a couple they went way overboard with the PDA and it felt like they were trying hard, like Jackson wasn’t even sure about his sexuality and now he’s all in, which was fine but seemed out of the norm for someone who didn’t even like guys until 5 minutes ago. I also felt like the ending was rushed and I was not satisfied with the ending or the epilogue. I was just left wanting more at the end which is unfortunate because this was already a 400 page book.

Overall, I liked the premise but I feel like the way things were wrapped up will leave readers wanting more. I don’t want to ruin anything so I won’t divulge on the ending but it could have been better. I will say I did like the story but I think the whole reason for the past life could have been incorporated better.