I was not a fan of this domestic thriller/mystery. It sounded like it would be interesting but from the very first few chapters I already wasn't feeling it. It was so repetitive and boring. I felt like literally nothing happened except a bunch of Russian dolls being left places. The "shocking" twist at the end was beyond obvious and so disappointing. Not the book for me.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finn and Layla's end to their vacation is tense but things go completely awry when Finn stops off to use the restroom leaving Layla in the car. When he returns, Layla is gone, disappeared without a trace. The only clues are drag marks made by someone pulling her out of the car and a tiny nesting doll she dropped. Finn embellishes the events slightly, knowing that the police will undoubtedly make him their primary suspect, but Layla, nor her body, ever turn up. Seven years after her disappearance, Finn and Layla's sister dedicate a memorial bench to her in one of her favorite spots and those begins an attraction between the two that is conflicted for both, with the memory of Layla lying between them. Twelve years after her disappearance, Finn and Ellen have set a wedding date when strange things begin happening. A previous neighbor of Finn and Layla's believe he has seen her, and tells the police so. Ellen believes she has seen her. And little nesting dolls begin turning up at every turn. Finn is initially convinced that someone is trying to mess with him but realizes rather quickly that there is more to this. I don't want to give away any of this wonderful ending as it is surprising and darker than expected. Well written, fast paced, and kept me glued to every word, dying to know what happens in the end! And it's a shocker!

Delightfully twisty. Bring Me Back kept me reading, but there were too many implausible and improbable events to let me love it. I'd recommend this book for a summer beach read, but it was not among my favorites.

I received an advance copy of this book. from Net Galley. I am a fan of B.A. Paris and loved her previous book Behind Closed Doors. Her new book, Bring Me Back had me after the first few sentences! I read it in one day at the pool. I don't give a line by line review but will tell you that you won't be able to put it down!
Her characters, Layla, Finn , Ellen, Harry and Ruby are all very likable. I could really see something such as this plot taking place in real life.
Please read this book! You will be happy that you did!

This was an easy, quick read with a nice twist at the end. And creepy Russian dolls always add that extra something.

Breath taking speed with blind curves and dead ends. Mr. Paris leaves you guessing to the final reveal. Didn’t see it coming and I always second guess. The British tale was my first visit with this author and this type (British) of genre. It did not disappoint. It starts a little slow but the pace picks by the fourth chapter. After that nothing is what it seems . The melancholy that permeates the story seems overdone but it works in this book. Looking forward to more from this talented author and my foray into international reading. Different pace,different views; a welcome education and entertaining trip thanks to NetGalley. This is one that I might have overlooked and would have missed a great read. I recommend it highly for those that enjoy great mysteries and love stories

I will never look at little Russian dolls the same again. B. A. Paris knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat, gripping the book until the creepy end. Loved this on!

A romantic psychological thriller from Paris that has you questioning what really happened, who has the best motive, and who’s truly the predator and prey. Written from different perspectives, you think you’re getting the big picture, but are you really? The characters are detailed and varied, and lends well to the plot. The plot itself moves a bit slowly at times and felt drawn out, but it picked back up as the mystery began to unravel itself. The solution was unbelievable to me, and I got rather annoyed at the end, but hey, mystery solved, I guess. A lot of potential, but the delivery left a lot to be desired for me.

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
3.5 stars

When I picked this book up I was in the mood for a thriller-- heart-pounding, edge of your seat, thriller. That isn't exactly what I got. I still definitely would call this a thriller and there were moments that were creepy or elicited an "Ohhh" from me. So, a different type of thriller than I was expecting.

This was such an interesting read. I thought I knew who the villain was and then changed my mind-- even on the crime! In fact, I didn't have things figured out until almost 2/3rds of the way through the book. Which is a decent amount of time for me to have fun deciding what is going on. The twists aren't all over the place and the suspense, for me at least, was constantly there (albieth a low tide).

I think what bothers me the most is the secrets... I don't see why people would keep things secret from their partners, so I just kept rolling my eyes at how he was sharing what was going on with people outside of his future-marriage. Like... if you can't count on your potential spouse, then why even be with them?
And the big plot twist... just didn't work for me. Perhaps I'm tired of this trope? Or I've just read some really REALLY good ones that use it, but I will say that the last line of the book made me think better about the trope useage and brought a smirk to my face.

This is one I would recommend to people who like thrillers or want something not as intense, gory, or murder-filled. This one is pretty tame, so I think it can be read by a wide variety of people.

It took me longer than I expected to get into this book considering I had read her previous two books in less than 24 hours and gobbled them right up. It still shocked me though - I just didn't feel for any of the characters as strongly as I have in other books. She certainly does this genre well though and this is a wonderful summer read.

I enjoyed the setting and premise of the book and am sure it will entertain a large audience. It showed a lot of plotting effort on the author's part; for me, though, the plot wandered and meandered more than twisted and turned.

I felt like this was a bit of a rip off of Gone Girl gone wrong. So many books are like this now, where you know what happens and then it back tracks to tell you how. This one did a good job but I also wasn't sucked in.

2.5 stars
I read this with the Traveling Friends group on Goodreads and most enjoyed it more than I did.

This book has a compelling premise and a strong start. I thought the first half was interesting enough even with some inconsistencies. I was still invested enough to keep reading to see how the story played out and I even had a theory about what was happening.

First the good:
- I partially guessed the conclusion but not 100% so the author surprised me.
- This is a quick and fast read. It would be perfect if you want an easy read at the beach, airport, or anytime you want a book that doesn’t require a lot of thought or concentration.
- it would make a fun Lifetime movie, and I mean that in a good way
- it wasn't terrible but it also didn't wow me

But then after the 50% mark things went sideways for me for the following reasons:
-too much telling, not enough showing.
- the plot didn’t advance much in the second half and there was a lot of repetition
-I grew more and more disillusioned with the story as I read
- the aforementioned inconsistencies, which I can’t go into without spoilers. This book needs to be read after turning off your inner critic
- the Russian nesting dolls were supposed to be creepy but they were not. They were mostly annoying and pointless
- the protagonist is dumb as a box of rocks
- the ending. I am sometimes willing to suspend disbelief but not here. I was surprised but not in a good way. I found it preposterous. Maybe I'm just burned out on the psychological thriller genre.

The reviews are all over the place, with a love it or hate it reaction. I was somewhere in the middle. Give it a try, you may end up in the love it camp!

**Many thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to read this book

I fell for this book and for Layla, Finn and Ellen immediately, I enjoyed every minute. The few "extra" characters who were friends filled in the right balance to keep the intrigue going. I could not put this book down; I thought I had it figured out, then I didn't and then wait - I did, but no, not until the very end. Can't wait to share it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

I enjoyed this book maybe not as much as some other suspense/thrillers I have recently read. It was a quick good read all the same. My issue is with the ending, the letter was too long and I was pretty sure I knew it was going to have some twist but it was not a take my breath away twist. All in all a good book that I enjoyed and will recommend. Usually if a book is not pulling me in I move on to the next, not enough time to read something I can't get into. This pulled me in and I finished it.

I have heard a lot of rave reviews about this book, but it didn't pull me in like I had hoped. There are some good parts but I was just really wanting more. With all the new thriller/suspense books being released, it really sets the bar high. This one was just middle of the road. I didn't hate it but it's not one of my favorites.

I didn't enjoy this book as much a previous books by this author. I found it to be a bit repetitive and really wanted the book to end. Disappointed!

decent novel, bit overwritten and over the top; the plot is familiar, the characters engaging but not deeply developed.

This one was just too implausible for me. How could he possibly not have known this was the same girl? I understand her change in mannerisms and demeanor, but physically, intimately, how could he not have known? I didn't catch on until the last doll or two. I started to wonder if it wasn't "Ellen" all along. So while I did catch it before "the big reveal" in the book, it wasn't terribly long before. I was glad the dog was okay! I didn't feel like I really got to know the characters as well as I would've liked. They felt flat. Overall, not a bad book, but not my favorite. Also, wasn't sure if this has been corrected in the final book copy,: 52% location 1767 of 3411 on the Kindle copy. "I began to adopt some of her mannerisms and say things she would have said, which infuriated my father no end" - I believe this should read "infuriated my father TO no end."

Since this is my first B.A. Paris book, I really don’t have any idea what to expect. Except, of course, I was hoping it to be really good considering the hype the author is getting. Well, this ended up as an okay read for me. Bring Me Back is a well-written novel, no doubt about that. It immediately drew me in, I was fully absorbed. I wanted to know what happened to Layla and what Finn’s got to do with it. Right off the bat, we know he couldn’t be trusted. And as Finn’s past with Layla and his present with Ellen were alternately presented by his viewpoint for us to examine, my opinion of him continue to dwindle. He seemed obsessed and just, well, horrible. For someone who claimed to be so in love with Layla, how can he be so clueless? And then, come Layla’s POV wherein she made light on what really happened to her the day she went missing and what is happening at the present. I was hoping it will also help me see why Finn was so into her. But, nope. She was as uninteresting as her sister, Ellen. Despite my best effort, I just can’t seem to connect to any of the characters. It doesn’t help that both Layla and Finn are unreliable narrators.

It started real strong but got painfully slow towards the middle. It helps that the chapters are short and thus it make for a fast read. The Russian dolls, while intriguing at first, get tiring after a while. There’s just too much focus on them for my liking. It’s also a little predictable so by the end, I didn’t find the twist shocking as it intends to. Said ending was improbable and would require a little suspension of disbelief, too. Overall, I still think Bring Me Back is a solid, well-crafted mystery thriller and I can see why people got different opinions on this. It may not be as impressive as I expect it to be but I still find it a good read.