Never Say Goodbye by Irene Hannon

Never Say Goodbye by Irene Hannon
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Irene Hannon (March 11, 2025)

REVIEW BY GWEN M. PLANO

Prisoner Scott Mitchell is released after three years of confinement. He’s a changed man and has one hope – to win back his wife, Jess. This seems to be an impossible goal, because Jess hates him for having killed their four-year-old daughter in a drunk driving accident. She, and her parents, want nothing to do with him.

Scott begins building a new life by finding part-time landscaping jobs in the same town where he once lived as a respected man. There are random, unexpected encounters with his beloved that draw him deeper into prayer. Though he struggles with despair, he holds onto the guidance he received from the prison chaplain:

One of the prison chaplains took me under his wing. Made me realize I wasn’t as alone as I felt, that God doesn’t desert us even when we make terrible, tragic mistakes. It took months for that message to sink in, but it finally did. And that changed everything. It gave me hope.

Never Say Goodbye, by Irene Hannon

And Scott realizes that regaining Jess’s love may not be possible:

One thing I’ve learned, Jess, is that you can’t forget the past. God knows, I’ve tried. I’d still like to erase the memory of the bad days in our marriage, the accident, the trial, prison. But I can’t. It’s part of me. And that’s true for everyone who’s experienced grief or trauma or guilt or pain. Eventually, you have to accept the past, learn what you can from it, then leave it behind and move on.

Never Say Goodbye, by Irene Hannon

This story was an emotional roller coaster for me. I couldn’t put the book down. I loved the characters and their small steps toward rebuilding a life free of hate. The wife’s anger is visceral and relatable, and Scott’s humility and quiet understanding grabbed my heart. As a reader, I understood the bereaved wife/mother, but I was also moved by the husband’s/father’s deep grief and tenderness.

The book is not preachy or abstract. Hannon has a wonderful way of bringing the reader through one vivid scene after another. I saw and felt the characters’ hate, but I also experienced their healing love. Ultimately, this is a story about redemption. And through Hannon’s characters, I suspect that readers will see themselves–and their own journey.

This was a fast-paced, five-fish read for me. It left me with the reminder that Pentecostal blessings abound, sometimes in unexpected ways.

I purchased the Kindle version of Never Say Goodbye

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