Don't Let Me Go

by Jamila Mikhail

On top of battling the normal teenage angst that everyone goes through, Joanie is also reeling from her parents’ bitter divorce and having to cope with her mother’s new boyfriend and father’s new family. Alone in a new town and without friends, she turns to passing the time by indulging in her longtime hobby of making toy models of soldiers and is both amazed and shocked when one of them comes to life.Despite her millions of unanswered questions and having to make sense of new mysteries every day Joanie comes to find a loyal and trustworthy companion in Adler, a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht and a member of the German Resistance during World War II who must also find a way to handle living in modern times on top of being invisible to most of the population.The two of them will have to fight several battles on many fronts in both the physical world and unseen realms as they both try to comprehend Adler’s new existence and piece Joanie’s broken life back together.

ebook

Published August 1, 2018

About the author

Jamila Mikhail (Жамийла Михаил), or simply Mila for short, was born in British Columbia, Canada in 1996 and now lives in Ottawa, the city of her dreams, with her cat Squeaker. In 2018 she was one of the people who received the title of Top Writer on Quora and over the years she has also received several awards for her poetry and short stories ever since she started writing on a serious basis in 2011. Mila is currently working towards a degree in human rights and is passionate about social justice. In her spare time Mila also enjoys various hobbies including photography, gastronomy, building toy models of various sizes and studying a variety of things including history, philosophy and foreign languages. She thinks that it’s strange to write about herself in the third person.

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

After trying multiple times, I could not finish this book. I’m not sure exactly who the audience needs to be but I was not interested.

Thanks to NetGalley for the book in exchange for my honest review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is a teenager and she has more problems out into her. Her parents went through a bitter divorce and they both have new families. She is alone in a new town and school. She makes toy soldiers. One becomes alive, she is shocked and soon they have some adventures. See what they will get up to

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Let Me Go is probably the most unusual book I've read this year and I think I'm still getting my ahead around the meaning behind it.

We follow the story of Joanie, a teenage girl with family and school problems, and her 'keeper', Alder. Through the telling of the story, Alder helps Joanie to explore her feelings and address her problems rather than running away from them.

The book tackles issues of mental health, friendship, family, spirituality, and domestic abuse. I think it would serve as an uplifting book for YAs who are maybe struggling through their teenage years. There is an exploration of spirituality and religion, which I admit to struggling with somewhat, but I tried to stay as open-minded as possible.

My only criticism is that I found the adoration between Joanie and Adler a bit repetitive, and that it did not add a great deal to the telling of the story.

I otherwise enjoyed the story, and aimed at the right audience, I think it will be a popular book.

Many thanks to BookBuzz.net and NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanie is a 13 year old girl who's going through some pretty hard times after her parents divorce. She lives with her mom, step dad, and step brother. Mike her step dad isn't a great guy and Joanie feels lost and alone.
She spends her time making dolls. Soldiers to be exact.
When she's having a really hard time, her soldier Adler comes to life. No one can see him but her.
This book can get a little dark and deals with some big issues. At the same time the author instills alot of hope and wisdom.
There is also a lot of history and science going on. I love history, but science was my worst subject even though I find it fascinating. A few things might of went over my head a bit, but were so interesting I'll be looking them up at some point.
The end surprised me. Like really surprised me. For a minute I sat there like what?! Then it all came together and was pretty amazing.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every so often I enjoy reading a YA book and something that’s different from my ‘normal’ genres.
There were some positive as well as negative thoughts I had while reading this book.
I will not go into the plot because plenty of other reviews have and will continue to cover it.

First, the Positives:
Likeable characters, especially the main character, Joanie, and her “keeper”, Adler. (I could visualize these two characters in a movie!)
Different from almost every other book I’ve read in a while.
Wanted to keep reading it to find out what happens and why the title “Don’t Let Me Go”.
Kept thinking that this would be a good book for teenage girl (or boy) because of all the emotions and thoughts that Joanie was dealing with including but not limited to: anger, self-esteem, feeling abandoned.
Even though I am far from being a high school student, the angst was still very real and believable in this novel. Some of Joanie’s thoughts rang true, not just teenagers but everyone, especially when she talked about feeling like one is alone despite all the people around you.
Thought it was clever plot device about the toy soldiers Joanie made. Very clever.

Now, the negatives:
Not sure I understood about “Keeper” but that did not stop me from reading and finishing the book.
Repetitive. I would mentally ‘roll my eyes’ at the number of times Joanie and Adler talked about how important they were to each other. Ugh. Just didn’t feel right to me.
One has to suspend disbelief. I can do that but not everyone enjoys this type of novel.
Book seemed to drag in parts.

Despite what I didn’t enjoy about the book and at times found it repetitive and slow, I would still recommend it and also thought it was a very good book for a teenager, especially a girl.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kayla Silverss · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got sent this book in exchange for a honest review, all my opinions are my own and thank you so much to the publishers for sending me this book!

I unfortunately dnf'd this book.

[Amanda George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but the spelling mistakes of certain words and occasional "you what?" bits due to the author obviously thinking of one way to write the sentence then changing her mind part way through and instead of deleting the part she wants to re-word, the author has just gone on to the new version part way through the sentence.


It was a bit weird with it being in first person for a couple of chapters but when I got into the book I got used to it and didn't think any more of it.


The author has really put a creative spin on how a teen really does feel. Buy this book, as long as you can skip over the errors in it.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good teen and young adult read. The characters are good. The story tackles issues of mental health, friendship, family, spirituality, religion, and domestic abuse.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fictional stories take place in a world very different from our own: think of The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. But my favorite kind of fictional stories are ones that take place in our world, where everything is exactly as we know it... EXCEPT FOR ONE BIG THING, and it's that one difference that causes the drama. "Don't Let Me Go" is exactly that kind of story. The settings are a real world city, house, and high school we could easily live near. The protagonist is the kind of young teen girl we could easily sit next to on the bus, and barely take notice of. Her family problems are as real as they are raw... and then the author brings in the ONE BIG FANTASTIC ELEMENT to give the heroine some very unique ways to deal with her troubles. I won't reveal too much of the plot and spoil it, but I'll say I found the story entertaining and uplifting. It's easy to root for the main character Joanie, it's good to watch her grow through the story, and the characterization of Adler is perfect in his near-perfection. An enjoyable tale!

[Victoria Haugen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my first introduction to Jamila Mikhail, and certainly won't be my last. She's a lovely person, and an amazing writer :)

Very personable and inspiring story about a young lady (well, teenager) who has to start all over after moving to a new city when her parents divorced. Very real emotions and setting - it's a very stressful situation, after all. We've all had problems like these - well, most of us :)

In times of great stress, our minds work in mysterious ways.

Joanie finds a very interesting and unique way to cope with the stresses she's under - one of the toy soldiers she's made is ALIVE! She finds solace with Adler, a lieutenant in the "Wehrmacht" (had to look it up LOL! - the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1946) and a member of the German Resistance during World War II. No one but Joanie can see Adler, and they strike up quite an intriguing relationship.
GREAT STORY, beautifully written and narrated, I love Jamila's work! Definitely recommended :)

[Katharina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot; the idea of a keeper and the way it is presented in the book made me wish I had a keeper of my own. Even though the story deals with tough topics such as bullying and domestic abuse, a hopeful feeling is created throughout the whole thing. There is a surprise twist at the end, which I definitely did not see coming! The character Joanie is a very realistic representation of a 14-year old in my opinion, something which not many authors achieve when writing teenagers.
I would recommend this book to any teenager, struggling or not; this story would have helped 14-year old me a lot.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome quick road by a local author! Deals with hard topics (bullying, self-harm, domestic violence, even genocide) but very uplifting -- and mysterious. For those who like YA, fantasy and mystery this would be great. The book is for teens but I would also recommend it to parents who have teens. I'm an older lady with no children but I still see many of the issues in this book in society. The book left me feeling happy and I am now a new fan of this author.

[Dada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't review books but since there was a request for one at the back of the book here we go.

Thoughtful story and interesting perspective. It talks a little about spirituality but in a very neutral and inclusive way so as an atheist it didn't really bother me. Had to read the ending twice to get it but it was really good!

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun short read, I usually don’t read YA (and can’t say I really understand anything from a girl’s perspective lol) but the historical aspects appealed to this history buff and it turns out that I really enjoyed it! Interesting take on contemporary issues.

[Mila Mikhail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intertwined with fantasy, mystery, history and hard-hitting life lessons, writing this book was for me a deeply profound, personal, social and spiritual experience. Drawing on what I would’ve needed during the hardest part of my life — between the ages of 13 and 17 — I wrote this book in the hopes of opening hearts and minds to the often unspoken inner struggles that young people face and the blind eye society turns, this young adult novel will both inspire you and uplift you despite the many heavy themes.

Described as unusual, entertaining and eye-opening, this story will touch the hearts of the young and old alike. Get the expanded edition to enjoy plenty of bonus content including the original (and quite different) short story that later turned into this novel.

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to really say about this book which is why I’ve delayed reviewing it for so long. It was an intriguing concept but moved very slowly for the most part. The story is about a girl, Joanie, dealing with a lot of family drama along with depression and anxiety, who deals with it by making model soldiers. She makes one of the models into a German resistance soldier and after her stepfather destroys it the model comes back, basically to life, as a “keeper” named Adler. A keeper is as I understand it, kind of like a guardian angel who lives in between worlds and is assigned to watch over a particular person who needs them. Joanie leans on Adler to help her get through her everyday stresses and at times he can even intervene in the real world. She confronts a lot of things she wouldn’t have before Adler appeared. He is a helpful coping mechanism for Joanie for the most part but there are times when it also causes problems because it’s basically like she has an imaginary friend who is real and interfering but no one believes her. Because Joanie created Adler’s character/model she basically created him as a person, even though he was from another dimension and she chose this father figure of a man. This was pretty interesting and looking back makes a lot of sense though when I first was listening to the book Adler’s age struck me as weird. In the end, Joanie does learn that she has to try to deal with her anxiety and stress in more direct and realistic ways.
This was definitely a unique story. I have never read anything like it. Also, I listened to it on audiobook and I did have some issues with that. There were points were it would skip or a phrase would just repeat itself for no reason. I restarted the app but that didn’t help. I also thought it may have been the download but I deleted it and re-downloaded the book and it was the same. It wouldn’t have been a big deal except it happened multiple times. It felt like deja vu and was distracting. The other thing I’m not quite sure if I liked or not was the narrator. She did a good job in general (spoke clearly, portrayed the characters’ emotions) but she sounded like a child. Not an early teen or even a twelve year old but a child like 8-9. She had almost a babyish voice. Maybe she was chosen on purpose because of all Joanie was going through and how she was a bit immature for her age but it was very pronounced.
Overall this book was a unique concept. The idea of it was interesting but the story dragged and it could have been executed better. I definitely prefer the author’s poetry over her fiction. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I would like to thank the author/narrator/publisher for generously providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I took the time to engage with the story, and it was a treasure to have shared in.

The book deserves to be read by a 13 year old, not a something definitely older than 13 year old who can do nothing but look back with an ache at what it was like to be that age. There was something really visceral about living inside Joanie's head that felt so perfectly 13. I have no idea how old the author is, but the empathy with being that young - that lost, that frustrated, that need to have things magically be made better - felt like I was walking in a 13 year old's shoes.

The main character was shallow, but only because she was new to knowing herself. Her self-concept was shallow, even though her needs and wants were deep. It wasn't a degradation of her, it was right for her. Her 'saviour' was shallow, because he was an extension of her. Her interactions with people were shallow, because she was constantly forced to live and interact with shallow people - as we do at that age.

I didn't mind that it was shallow. The writing unfortunately needed some moments of maturity, as a counter point to the subject matter. The author very much needed an editor to blitz through the pacing and framing (and a few errors) - this is a fantastic first draft, I would have liked to see it grow into a second.

Another thing - although it is personal - I am Jewish, and it was very difficult to 'hear' the ways Jewish victims of the Holocaust were a... Background running counterpoint to this - clearly very miserable - 13 year old's life & struggles. There were moments where it worked, because that is what life IS like for you when you are 13, this giant historical tradegies that are so abstract from your life you can only view them through yourself, and in fact as a feature it felt faithful to the main character. But the author's voice lacked maturity to handle that subject. It left this Jewish girl feeling very strange.

Ultimately I am glad that I took the time with this book. And to put it in a phrase: it is far stronger, far better, and far warmer than anything I read at 13; I would have been better for reading a book like this in my pre-teens.

[L. Penn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had good fortune of being given the audio-book by Jamila Mikhail and found myself pleasantly surprised.
A succulent 'swimming through the murky waters of being a teenager', young Joanie's inner passions conjure up her very own spirit-keeper named Adler, a German soldier whose death leaves him trapped between parallel universes, and while a source for good, there is some bad. Read the book or listen it to find out exactly what.
Crafted well, Joanie's emotions are beautifully told as they resonate off the page by a gifted and sweet-voiced, Melody Craven. I liked the way Adler and Joanie's relationship is so charming and at times biting yet they held each other emotionally strong. They could keep one another up and sometimes pull one another down especially where events were difficult to control, and there are many of those too, where teenage anxiety about school, homelife, and pals, rear their challenging heads.
No doubt family and friends show 'concerns' over Joanie's 'keeper' which are cleverly intertwined in the story (particularly Rose's) and I could envision the audio-telling clearly. The ending's a cracker!
So yes, as someone who enjoys a more hard-hitting-story for my reads, this one left me delightfully embellished, oh, and the extended-version has a bonus, alternative-short, at the end. Good stuff indeed from such a young writer!

[Mamadukes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost skipped this book when it said it was about a German soldier. I AM SO HAPPY I READ THIS! A beautiful coming-of-age novel about a lonely girl who takes comfort in the dolls she builds from bits and pieces. Joanie creates Adler and her other dolls as her ‘friends’ while trying to deal with her parent’s divorce and their subsequent relationships and the normal angst of teenaged years. The relationship that develops when one of her dolls comes to life is a wonder, with both of them leaning on, trusting and teaching each other about life from their own unique perspectives. Ms. Mikhail will touch a deep place in your heart with this one. BRAVO! I LOVED IT!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of a Keeper and how they can help teens navigate the struggles of modern society. I also really liked the way the book brought light to domestic violence and the hardships people have in leaving abusive situations. The one thing that detracted from the book for me was that the main character's outlook on life. It seemed like her entire personality was just complaining about everything without having any sort of depth. But other than that, the plot was prettu interesting!!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this free from NetGalley and the author for an honest review.
I found parts of this book interesting and some of it confusing. I enjoyed the character of Joanie, although at times I had to remind myself that she was only 13, because some of her insight was very mature. But the whole Adler thing was very confusing to me. And I felt that parts of the book were almost repeated, especially the interactions between Joanie and her "keeper".

[Ylva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now this book couldn't really convince me. I think that the idea of a keeper looking after you, similar to a guardian angel, and that keeper being someone from the past so that he has experiences from a different time was a cute idea. But I think that a lof of potential was wasted in this book. Adler was a very flat character that, almost until the end, didn't do much else than utter general maxims and encouraging things. He also didn't act like someone from the early twentieth century and it seemed to me that he had no real issues to adapt to the modern world.
Joanie on the other hand didn't seem like a thirteen-year-old to me. Her voice sounded like she was older and didn't really fit.
Many of the other characters remained flat too and there wasn't much suspense.

So I think that it's a pity that the potential of this idea wasn't used. I wasn't a fan of this book and even though it was easy to read, I almost did not finish it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for the audiobook.

Katie Frechette does a good enough job narrating, but the editing could be better. The volume changes quite a bit and it's easy to tell certain sections were spliced in. Also in several places the narrator fixes (aka rereads) what she just said. That should be edited out.

Besides that, I enjoyed the story. I felt sorry for Joanie and the situation she was in. I'm glad she was able to find a friend with Adler.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I did not finish this book. I just could not get into it at all but cannot pin point what it was.