The Never List by Koethi Zan‏

Summary from Goodreads

There were four of us down there for the first thirty-two months and eleven days of our captivity.And then, very suddenly and without warning, there were three. Even though the fourth person hadn't made any noise at all in several months, the room got very quiet when she was gone. For a long time after that, we sat in silence, in the dark, each of us wondering what this meant for her and for us, and which of us would be the next in the box.

NEVER GET IN THE CAR

For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the 'Never List': a list of actions to be avoided, for safety's sake, at all costs. But one night, they failed to follow their own rules.

NEVER GO OUT ALONE AFTER DARK

Sarah has spent ten years trying to forget her ordeal. But now the FBI has news that forces her to confront her worst fears.

NEVER TAKE RISKS

If she is to uncover the truth about what really happened to Jennifer, Sarah needs to work with the other women who shared her nightmare. But they won't be happy to hear from her. Because down there in the dark, Sarah wasn't just a victim.

NEVER TRUST ANYONE

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published August 1st 2013 by Harvill Secker

My Review

Well wow, this is a mind-bendingly brilliant debut that grabs hold right up until the very last page!

Koethi Zan writes fabulously and I felt a wide rage of emotions throughout the story. I also found it extremely easy to vividly picture the scene unfolding right in front of me. I loved that each page had something interesting but each little thing built into lots of big shockers that I most definitely didn't see coming!

Main character Sarah is brilliantly crafted and I really enjoyed getting to know her and her weird ways. She is a bit of a broken woman but really she has an excuse to be that way. She is a complete control freak and has a really strange way of doing things. From the wreck of a woman at the start of the book to the woman she grew into was really beautiful to watch. I loved watching her grow and get stronger as the pages flew by.

Sarah and Jennifer were childhood best friends and they decided to put together a 'Never List' to protect themselves after a tragic event. The girls still go through the rules in their college years, but one night they don't follow one of their own rules and are abducted....

13 years later, Sarah, is forced to relive those terrifying memories to help keep their captor behind bars. Sarah starts digging and she uncovers more that she ever could of imagined...

There were explosions throughout and every shocking revelation that was overturned truly blew my mind. I was reading furiously and was on the edge of my seat right up until the final page. The ending itself well and truly shocked me and I thought it was a terrifyingly brilliant ending to a nail bitingly brilliant page turner!

The Never List will have you checking your locks twice and looking behind you while out at night, it will chill you to the bone but you will be begging for more - totally thrilling stuff!

4.5 / 5 Stars!

*Special thanks to Harvill Secker for the review copy*