Thriller

If I Can't Have You

If I Can't Have You

  • Downloads：8471
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-07 13:52:24
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Charlotte Levin
  • ISBN：1529032423
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

'So beautifully written， such a devastatingly compelling story。。。 I can honestly say it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read - it is without shadow of a doubt， EASILY up there with Girl On a Train and Eleanor Oliphant。' - Ruth Jones

Samuel， the day we met I knew I’d finally found what I’ve been waiting for。

You。

Happiness， at last。

Then you left me。

And now I am alone。

Everyone I love leaves in the end。

But not this time。

I’m not giving up on us。

I’m not giving up on you。

When you love someone， you never let them go。

That’s why for me， this is just beginning。

Download

Reviews

Vicky Mann ，

Brilliant！ I couldn’t put it down。

elaine ，

3。5 stars 🌟

Gia Salvaggio ，

This book may have single-handedly reconciled me with 2nd person POV。 I loved this， SO MUCH。 The first chapter hooks you immediately and then you just have to keep going to know how Constance ended up where we meet her。 I was expecting a twisty crime novel （don't know why） but I'm not mad it was， actually， an in-depth psychological study on loneliness and grief。 On how easy it is to cross the line between love and hate and to get lost in the middle。 Uncomfortable at times， quite dark in others。 This book may have single-handedly reconciled me with 2nd person POV。 I loved this， SO MUCH。 The first chapter hooks you immediately and then you just have to keep going to know how Constance ended up where we meet her。 I was expecting a twisty crime novel （don't know why） but I'm not mad it was， actually， an in-depth psychological study on loneliness and grief。 On how easy it is to cross the line between love and hate and to get lost in the middle。 Uncomfortable at times， quite dark in others。 I ended up feeling quite a lot for Constance and wishing she'd rid herself of the crushing weight of her parents' behaviour and her obsession over Samuel to move。 The epistolarian， wit infused， style of writing was at times very poignant too。 So yes， I shall be waiting for Levin's next book eagerly！！ 。。。more

Lucy Hodgson ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ruth Jones compares this book to The Girl on the Train and Eleanor Oliphant， and after reading this it was also the vibe I got too。 This was a good psychological thriller and was written from the one perspective of Constance writing a letter to her unrequited lover。 However， everyone in the book （except Edward） were not likeable or good people。 The ending was shocking with Samuel's death but there are still unanswered questions like what did happen to her Father。 I honestly expected Constance to Ruth Jones compares this book to The Girl on the Train and Eleanor Oliphant， and after reading this it was also the vibe I got too。 This was a good psychological thriller and was written from the one perspective of Constance writing a letter to her unrequited lover。 However， everyone in the book （except Edward） were not likeable or good people。 The ending was shocking with Samuel's death but there are still unanswered questions like what did happen to her Father。 I honestly expected Constance to be writing this from a psychiatric hospital but there seemed to be no consequences for either hers of Dales actions。 In fact she seemed to be rewarded with looking after Edward and having a baby which was dissatisfiying。 。。。more

booklover ，

I loved this book。 This follows Constance and her journey with obsession。 She falls in love with Samuel but can't seem to let him go when things take a turn。 I absolutely loved this book and the way it was written。 Highly recommend！！ I loved this book。 This follows Constance and her journey with obsession。 She falls in love with Samuel but can't seem to let him go when things take a turn。 I absolutely loved this book and the way it was written。 Highly recommend！！ 。。。more

Ashli Hughes ，

Honestly， I was so disappointed in this book。 It had so much potential and it just felt like it was lacking the entire way through， the ending was okay but it felt as though I was constantly waiting for it to pick up。

Terri ，

Am very undecided on this book。 It was well written and certainly not boring， but there was something missing。 Maybe it was the subject matter that didn't sit well with me。 Am very undecided on this book。 It was well written and certainly not boring， but there was something missing。 Maybe it was the subject matter that didn't sit well with me。 。。。more

Alex Rogers ，

A painfully intimate account by a character that I really didn't like or respect。 I gave up pretty quickly。 A painfully intimate account by a character that I really didn't like or respect。 I gave up pretty quickly。 。。。more

Danielle ，

3。5 rounded up ✨

Kate ，

I can't make my mind up if this is 3 stars or 4 。。。 I keep flitting between the two。 I did enjoy this novel， but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting。 If I Can't Have You follows the story of Constance Little; a young woman who works at a doctor's surgery， as one of the receptionists。 Constance has suffered various trauma in her life， feeling that everyone that she loves leaves her。 If only she could hang on to them， everything would be fine。 Then， she meets a new doctor， Samuel。 Straightaway， I can't make my mind up if this is 3 stars or 4 。。。 I keep flitting between the two。 I did enjoy this novel， but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting。 If I Can't Have You follows the story of Constance Little; a young woman who works at a doctor's surgery， as one of the receptionists。 Constance has suffered various trauma in her life， feeling that everyone that she loves leaves her。 If only she could hang on to them， everything would be fine。 Then， she meets a new doctor， Samuel。 Straightaway， she is drawn to him， and develops strong feelings for him。 But， will this time around be any different？ In a sense， there aren't many surprises to this novel。 Constance narrates for us， explaining how she feels that she is made to do what she does。 What I did like about this novel is that， rather than Constance coming across as a completely crazed stalker， her journey into this is more subtle than that。 As you read how Samuel sometimes treats her， you can see why she thinks the way that she does， you can see that although the choices she makes are not right， you can empathise with how she is feeling， and you can understand how she is rationalising things in her mind。 However， on the other hand， I was hoping for something more to happen throughout this tale。 I thought that it was building up to something more， meaning that I came away from this novel feeling like it was a little anti-climatic。 There was another element to this novel that I thought was quite original， but didn't seem to get quite as much examination as I thought it could have done - it would have made for an interesting twist （but I can't say too much， as I don't want to give anything away for others）。 Overall， I did like this book， but it didn't quite turn out as I thought it would。 。。。more

Samantha Collins ，

I thought it went on and on until nothing really happened。 Boring。

Spud ，

I was completely hooked on this one。 I have some issues with the ending 3。75 。。。 I do recommend it！ And when you read it， come talk to me about it！

Hannah Wilkinson ，

Ohhhhh boy， where to start with this one！ I picked it up in the supermarket on my lunch break as I’d finished my last read that morning。 I knew nothing about it other than the testimonial which told me that the main character （Constance） was “brilliantly flawed and so compassionately drawn”。。。 my kinda gal。 Charlotte Levin writes in a way which belies her debutant status。 The novel moves quickly and with great energy but without losing the emotional connections to the characters。 ‘If I Can’t Hav Ohhhhh boy， where to start with this one！ I picked it up in the supermarket on my lunch break as I’d finished my last read that morning。 I knew nothing about it other than the testimonial which told me that the main character （Constance） was “brilliantly flawed and so compassionately drawn”。。。 my kinda gal。 Charlotte Levin writes in a way which belies her debutant status。 The novel moves quickly and with great energy but without losing the emotional connections to the characters。 ‘If I Can’t Have You’ is half-thriller and half-character study。 We follow Constance - a girl who keeps her cards close to her chest， and her emotions locked deep away inside it - as she navigates the twisted paths of love， loss and longing。 Constance is undoubtedly a flawed individual， but the drip-feeding of her back story kept me wondering whether or not I was supposed to like her， whether the secrets she held would redeem or condemn her。 This novel is cleverly written， a dark story of obsession which is all at once creepy， funny and heartbreakingly sad。 It shines a light on the crippling pain of loneliness and how it can destroy a person’s soul。 I’ll leave this vague so as to avoid spoilers for those who want to read it but suffice to say I will be keeping my eyes well and truly peeled for what Charlotte Levin does next！ 。。。more

Cody Bowkett ，

Absolutely incredible！ So so addicting you don’t realise it’s 3am and you’ve been reading since 10pm！！ One of the best books， I highly recommend if you like fast paced， page Turner books！！！

holly。 ，

Had a ‘Gone Girl’ feel to it， great dark and twisted thriller about obsession and unrequited love。

Madison ，

This book is not one I would usually read。 Not the genre or writing style。 Yet every chapter was so compelling it was almost impossible to put down。 Levin takes the perspective of a character rarely taken and makes you feel uncomfortable， nervous， intrigued and devastated at every turn。 A brilliantly written book that is a must read。

Louise ，

This book is a little different to the others I’ve read recently but it was a really good read！ Going through a breakup so it was nice to be able to divert my attention away from my own life and feel like I was reading about someone else’s， As crazy as that might be。 Brilliant read， dark， obsessive and loving。

Cathy Clapinson ，

Excellent read。 Flowing story， unusually written in the form of a journal。 Really enjoyed it。

m e g ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️i must admit that my opinion fluctuated a lot whilst reading this novel。 at first， i was vaguely interested in the plot， but the characters were so unlikeable that i couldn’t connect to them in a way that i value in a book。 however， as the story developed and unfolded， i started to appreciate the beauty of constance’s raw and unapologetic flaws。 i couldn’t help but laugh， cry， grieve and scream in frustration alongside her。 and her friendship with edward was definitely the light that fil ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️i must admit that my opinion fluctuated a lot whilst reading this novel。 at first， i was vaguely interested in the plot， but the characters were so unlikeable that i couldn’t connect to them in a way that i value in a book。 however， as the story developed and unfolded， i started to appreciate the beauty of constance’s raw and unapologetic flaws。 i couldn’t help but laugh， cry， grieve and scream in frustration alongside her。 and her friendship with edward was definitely the light that filtered through her struggles， and allowed the reader a well needed break from the heavy topics that are addressed。 the ending left me awe-struck， and it will definitely be a hard one to forget。 。。。more

Ness ，

When I picked this up， I didn't think I'd be rooting for Constance at all。 She is stalking the poor guy after all， but let's be honest， he is trash。 The complete book is a letter from Constance to Samuel and I usually don't like first person POV， but for this it's perfect and the adressing him in the story and the small interjections， it just works。 At first I was feeling bad for Samuel and Dale but as the story progressed， I was just rooting for Constance to ruin their lives， although I would'v When I picked this up， I didn't think I'd be rooting for Constance at all。 She is stalking the poor guy after all， but let's be honest， he is trash。 The complete book is a letter from Constance to Samuel and I usually don't like first person POV， but for this it's perfect and the adressing him in the story and the small interjections， it just works。 At first I was feeling bad for Samuel and Dale but as the story progressed， I was just rooting for Constance to ruin their lives， although I would've liked for there to be some consequences for her after what she did。 Most times whenever she went a step further it happened so organically， it was just a little thing， you could almost excuse it， until you take a step back and see the whole picture。 For a book about stalking I would've imagined it being more thrilling， but mostly it's sad。 It's mostly about loss and loneliness， which the book portrays very well， but for me it's lacking a bit of thrill considering how disturbing stalking is。 。。。more

Gemma （Bookish & Brews） ，

I LOVED THIS！ AND ITS HER FIRST NOVEL TOO！ ❤️🤯It was a quick read， mainly because I couldn’t but it down！ It also wasn’t too far fetched， which made it believable。 If you have read Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine and read/watched the You series then this book is for you。I really liked Constance。 At first I thought she was plain as day crazy， but the more I got into the book and the more she told us about herself， I could see that she just wanted to be loved。 She was carrying a dark secret an I LOVED THIS！ AND ITS HER FIRST NOVEL TOO！ ❤️🤯It was a quick read， mainly because I couldn’t but it down！ It also wasn’t too far fetched， which made it believable。 If you have read Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine and read/watched the You series then this book is for you。I really liked Constance。 At first I thought she was plain as day crazy， but the more I got into the book and the more she told us about herself， I could see that she just wanted to be loved。 She was carrying a dark secret and until she was ready to tell someone， it would consume her。 Dr Stevens， Samuel， was a fantastic male character， even if I did dislike him 😂 Sometimes I find that I forget about the sub characters when a read has such strong lead characters but even they were likeable （or not， depending on who they were） One word to describe Dale， SHIFTY！ From start to finish。 Not a fan， however I did love Edward ❤️ I didn’t call the ending， didn’t see the twists。 I kept thinking ‘maybe this is how it ends’ and then quickly realising I was wrong。 Over all a fantastic read。 Cannot wait to see what Charlotte Levin brings out next！ I think my other half will be happy I’ve finished this as during the whole time I’ve been reading it I’ve either been ‘singing’ or humming ‘if I can’t have you， I don’t want nobody baby’ 😂 🎶 。。。more

Jennifer ，

If I can’t have You By Charlotte Levin*Twisted & Disturbing*Charlotte’s Father abandoned her when she was young， so it was Charlotte and her Mum against the world。 One day Charlotte’s world goes dark， then she is alone。 In the hope of a fresh start she leaves Manchester and goes to London。 She is working in a Doctors practice and when one doctor’s dies in an accident in walks the new doctor。 Soon Charlotte is secretly dating him and she falls for him then he ends things。 The thing is He is the o If I can’t have You By Charlotte Levin*Twisted & Disturbing*Charlotte’s Father abandoned her when she was young， so it was Charlotte and her Mum against the world。 One day Charlotte’s world goes dark， then she is alone。 In the hope of a fresh start she leaves Manchester and goes to London。 She is working in a Doctors practice and when one doctor’s dies in an accident in walks the new doctor。 Soon Charlotte is secretly dating him and she falls for him then he ends things。 The thing is He is the one and she cannot let him go。 To her he is the love of her life， to him it’s a bit of fun。 Even when he treats her badly with the odd liaison every now and then this only serves to fuel her desire for him。 This becomes an obsession and things go from bad to so much worse - Charlotte has so many unresolved issues that she is so tunnel visioned on the object of her desire that does not see what is right in front of her， in the guise of another man that is a friend who brings his own version of love。 。。。more

Khanya Mazibuko ，

Literally so sad that this book had to end！！ So good！！！

Gabrielle ，

Such a fantastic， compelling read from an incredibly gifted author。 For a debut novel， I was blown away。 Completely invested in the characters， impossible to put down。

Claire Bailey ，

A devastatingly raw depiction of loss， grief， love and the desire to be seen。This book has such a creepy compulsiveness to it that I really struggled to put it down。 Even when things were epically awkward or you could see Constance’s thought process spiralling out of control or whilst bawling my eyes out for her。 I was mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end！I loved Constance’s character。 She has this dark， quick wit about her （reminds me of CJ Skuse’s Rhiannon）。 She’s brilliantly flawed y A devastatingly raw depiction of loss， grief， love and the desire to be seen。This book has such a creepy compulsiveness to it that I really struggled to put it down。 Even when things were epically awkward or you could see Constance’s thought process spiralling out of control or whilst bawling my eyes out for her。 I was mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end！I loved Constance’s character。 She has this dark， quick wit about her （reminds me of CJ Skuse’s Rhiannon）。 She’s brilliantly flawed yet compassionately written。 Whilst you question her mental state throughout the story you can’t help feeling that not all is entirely her fault and and sadly I think a lot of women/readers will share in her woe with their own experiences of love and loss。When you step back from the story and visit Constance’s world as she portrays it。 Everything and everyone is coated in this dirty， unwashed， irritating， sweaty， vomit-inducing smog。 It’s only Samuel that is shown as a pure， fresh smelling， beautiful human being and that in itself shows just how far she has placed him on that pedal stall。 As she clearly only had eyes for him， it makes me wonder if everyone is as disgusting as she describes？When I was recommended this book I initially thought （title included） that this would be a much darker and bloody example of stalker/obsession。 Whilst the book does contain this elements it is much more psychological and I think， if anything that makes it ten times stronger as a storyline。Loved it！ Can’t believe this is a debut ❤️ 。。。more

Mellisa ，

Oh this book has made me have so many emotions！ It's so gripping， I felt so much sympathy for Constance but irritation too， at making one man her whole life。It's different to other obsession style books。 Constance felt so alone and Samuel kept picking her up and then dripping her again。 Telling her they have a connection and then laughing at her。 He's hugely manipulative but very good at hiding it。 Then there's Dale。 Her bestfriend， who we find is actually another manipulator， playing on her lon Oh this book has made me have so many emotions！ It's so gripping， I felt so much sympathy for Constance but irritation too， at making one man her whole life。It's different to other obsession style books。 Constance felt so alone and Samuel kept picking her up and then dripping her again。 Telling her they have a connection and then laughing at her。 He's hugely manipulative but very good at hiding it。 Then there's Dale。 Her bestfriend， who we find is actually another manipulator， playing on her loneliness and forcing her to be with him which then leads to more traumatic experiences for poor Constance。 Constance has had so much hurt from everyone around her， people leaving her， using her。 She feels it's all her fault and that broke my heart。 It's so strange to read an obsession book and actually feel so much sympathy to the obsessor。 I won't forget this book。 Utterly gripping， shocking， I didn't want it to finish。 What an amazing book！ 。。。more

Kate Sheehan-Finn ，

Oh my goodness！ Charlotte Levin has written a heroine that is both lovable and repulsive at the same time。 There were times I wanted to hug Constance and there were times I wanted to slap her。 But I never lost empathy for her and I kept on reading to the very end。

Laura Wilkinson ，

Obsessive love， loss， loneliness， friendship in unexpected quarters， a damaged heroine。。。 This is a dark， funny， ultimately redemptive story。 Amongst a slew of brilliant books read of late， this one stands out。

Ivy Elland ，

I loved this book。 A lot。 It’s my perfect kind of book and I tend to gravitate towards these kind of psychological thrillers。 I loved the concept of the obsessed Constance who became fixated on Dr Stevens， her boss。 While it’s not a new or novel storyline， I personally don’t think it can ever get old！ I love it！ I didn’t want to put it down most times。 I liked Constance， where many other reviewers didn’t。 I saw some of myself in her （minus the stalking！） and I felt like I would be friends with h I loved this book。 A lot。 It’s my perfect kind of book and I tend to gravitate towards these kind of psychological thrillers。 I loved the concept of the obsessed Constance who became fixated on Dr Stevens， her boss。 While it’s not a new or novel storyline， I personally don’t think it can ever get old！ I love it！ I didn’t want to put it down most times。 I liked Constance， where many other reviewers didn’t。 I saw some of myself in her （minus the stalking！） and I felt like I would be friends with her。 The book really touched on sexism， misogyny and unconscious biases when it comes to the way men can treat women romantically。 Dr Stevens and Dale were both sexist and ignorant。 I despised Dale more as he just was always shouting and questioning Constance and claiming her and her body as belonging to him。 I liked the fact the narrator didn’t even need to say this or mention the sexism explicitly， it was just clever how the theme was running and as a reader we could see that。 The only issues I had with the book was there was a few repetitions。 ‘I did as I was told’ and a lot of ‘I。。。I’ and ellipsis’s。 Overall I thought this was an excellent book！ There are some questions I want answered though with respect to Constance’s dad and more about Dr Stevens and the end。 I would definitely recommend this to readers。EDIT: It was also very funny。 Something you don’t often get with these genres。 。。。more

Natasha Halliwell ，

One of the most incredible books I’ve read in a long long time。 Fantastic and endearing characters - we have all encountered a Samuel haven’t we？ I loved Constance and just wanted her to love herself so bad。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=If I Can't Have You

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=If I Can't Have You&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,If I Can't Have You&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0