3.65 Stars* (rounded up)

What would you do if your past came back to haunt you? Could you let it go? Would you want to? I know my answer… the question is: how do Finn and Ellen, the main characters in “Bring Me Back” by B. A. Paris, feel about it. Read on to find out my friends.

Now: Finn is happily engaged to Ellen, living a quiet life in the suburbs, just the two of them. Being with Finn, well, for Ellen it is everything she ever wanted.

Before: Finn was engaged to Layla. His love for her was extremely intense. He needed her, was consumed by her and wanted to be with her every second. Then she disappeared, out of thin air. That was twelve years ago.

Finn has never gotten over it. Neither has Ellen. Layla was Ellen’s sister, you see and Finn has been in love with both of them. Tsk. Tsk. Now, twelve years later, both Finn and Ellen start receiving Russian Dolls (reminders from Ellen’s childhood) and other notes and such, making them think Layla might still be alive. Finn is haunted by this.. by Layla, whom he was always been obsessed with. He can’t sleep, becoming more and more withdrawn, while Ellen is excited at the idea. Could her sister be alive? Is your pulse racing? Are your hands shaking? The answer should be yes.

B. A. Paris’ “Bring Me Back” is a unique mystery / suspense which short intense chapters and well developed characters in which I was immediately invested. It is a quick, easy read which I flew through in a matter of mere hours. While I guessed parts of the story by the midway part, another threw me complete for a loop and that part was a bit far-fetched for me. B. A. Paris is an expert at immediately capturing a readers attention and she grabbed mine from the get go. Having read her previous novels, I would say that this one didn’t quite measure up. That said, if you liked B. A. Paris’s other books, I think you’ll like this one as well as “Bring Me Back” is a fun, thrilling ride.

This was a Traveling Sister read which was a lot of fun for all of us. For full traveling sister group reviews, please see Norma and Brenda’s blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com


Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and B. A. Paris for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads, NetGalley, Twitter and Instagram on 6.3.18.

This isn't my typical genre, but I found the ARC on NetGalley and decided to check it out. The book definitely kept me intrigued throughout, though I wished for a less inner monologue from Finn and more focus on the action. 3.5 stars.

Enjoyed it. Good storyline with lots of twists and turns. Lots of suspense. The characters were well developed. I would read more by this author.

I am a fan of BA Paris so I was excited when I saw there was another book. Bring Me Back did not disappoint. I was afraid the ending wasn’t going to bring enough closure but it tied up nicely. (SPOILER BEGINS)

The idea that Finn couldn’t tell that it was Layla was interesting. I know it says she tinted her eyes and had laser skin treatments but I don’t think that’s enough. Maybe if she had excessive plastic surgery it would be more believable. I believe the fact that Finn didn’t recognize her was a testament to how uninterested he was in Ellen and hung up he was on Layla. But if we’re saying he was too hung up on Layla to notice Ellen then shouldn’t he be seeing/relating everything to Layla? And wouldn’t that make him see Layla in Ellen, and eventually figuring it out? I also don’t fully understand why Layla would go back to her father. The book makes it seem as though she did this so Finn couldn’t find her, but she gave enough detail in describing her home that he was able to find it off of a few details 12+ years later. I would have enjoyed some chapters in the dad/mom/Ellen’s perspective leading up to the revelation. We only heard Laylas side of the story and she has proven herself to be mentally unstable. Hearing Ellen’s version of evens would have brought more closure to me as to how things actually went down.

The premise is interesting but ultimately not very well delivered. Finn, the narrator, is an unlikable idiot with anger problems who may or may not have killed his girlfriend Layla while on vacation. Years later he's getting ready to marry her older sister Ellen, who is incredibly boring. The other secondary characters only purpose was to be possible, yet highly unlikely, red-herrings. The only believably written character was the dog.

This was a perfectly fine mystery but didn’t leave me anxious to read the next chapter so I could find out what would happen next. It started well but then slowed down, picked up again with part two but slowed again. For me there wasn’t enough story or character development to go with the back and forth that was happening and anytime I put the book down I kind of forgot about it.

I did like the overall concept though, it had a few good twists and when reading I was never really bored. I wish more had been done with Ellen, I feel like her voice was missing and she was kind of flat for me. I think if we could have seen a little bit more behind this sweat sister that filled the empty space in Finns life, the story would have felt a little more unsettling. I enjoyed B.A. Paris’ first book Behind Closed Doors and was hoping this would provide the same creepiness but really didn’t get that until the end. The end was the best part but seemed like it didn’t just leave the best for last but everything or last.

I want to thank the author, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of Bring Me Back.

This book was a strong, suspenseful, excellent read.

The book begins with a young couple on vacation and the disappearance of the young woman, Layla, and the realization that our narrator, Finn (the other half of the couple), is an admitted liar.

After escaping prosecution for Layla's disappearance and an impending marriage to Layla's sister scheduled, Finn's nightmarish past comes up again with a call from a police detective and some unexplained mementos.

Even if you figure out some of the twists, the book is still very enjoyable in the skilled hands of the author. I enjoyed the pacing and dialogue, and felt the author did a very good job of building the main characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced copy.

The premise was interesting, but I felt that it had been done before more successfully. Finn was not a likable protagonist and I wasn't sure why Layla would ever want him back. The Ellen character was too easy to see through early in the story.

I have really come to look forward to a new BA Paris book release. This book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed how this story unfurled and always expect the unexpected. I flew through this book and stayed up late to finish it because I couldn't put it down!

2.5 stars

Bring Me Back held none of the intensity of Paris’ debut novel and unfortunately was a disappointment.

Finn and Layla are driving along when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. When he returns Layla is gone―never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police, but it is not the whole story. The opening pages of this book did draw me in. I was eager to know what happened to Layla and why Finn couldn’t tell the police the whole truth? Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen (ummm, yeah?!). Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close. Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone has seen Layla.

I had high hopes that this was going to be an engaging and gripping story after reading the prologue. However, my hopes plummeted rather quickly. This story was repetitive in places, slow and unbelievable. So why did I finish it? I kept hoping it would get better, that there would be this huge twist at the end. There wasn’t. While all the questions asked during the telling of the story are answered, they inspired nothing in me but a great, big yawn and a shrug of unbelievability!

After loving Paris’ debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, she was quickly added to my must-read list. Her sophomore attempt was good, but not as good as her first. This third novel totally missed the mark with this reader. I hope her next novel reaches the level of intensity her first did or she may go off my must-read list. Here’s hoping for the best.

I absolutely loved this book!! I totally didn’t see the end coming! What a twist! I can’t wait to read her next book!

3.5 Stars...

Because I loved Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, both of which are compelling, suspenseful reads that I highly recommend if you haven't read them, I couldn't wait to read Bring Me Back. Paris is one of my favorite authors and writes some of the best suspense books around today. And she proves what an excellent author she is in her newest novel with her clever premise, an alternating narration of the novel told in a "then" and "now" format, unfolding tension, sinister, creepy atmosphere, and highly unreliable narrators in Finn and Layla.

The plot is one I'm not going to give away because you should go into this book knowing as little as possible since you have to decide which character is telling the truth about events that happened twelve years in the past and have come back to haunt the present...it is all very creepy, clever, and on the edge of your seat!

It wasn't a perfect read for me though, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped that I would. I loved the first half of the novel but then I felt like I was reading a different story the second half. Not only was the plot predictable enough that I had it figured out but there was a such an unbelievable twist towards at the end that no matter how much I tried to suspend my belief, it just didn't work for me.

Besides the implausible twist, this was an addictive page-turner. Once I started reading the novel, I didn't put it down, so it's a compulsive read! Although I might have enjoyed Behind Closed Doors much better, B.A. Paris will remain an auto-buy author, and I'll be reading everything she writes because I love her style and suspenseful stories! If you've enjoyed her other books, then you'll enjoy Bring Me Back but just prepared for an unsatisfying and unbelievable ending. Fans of fast-paced, thrilling, well-written suspense will enjoy it too!

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

Unfortunately this book was on my what the heck just happened list. It was hard for me to get through after the first few chapters. The beginning captured me with the mystery of where Layla disappeared to. But then the more I kept reading the cheesier it got. I wanted to love this book. I wanted to be enamored by it but every time I went to pick it up I found myself skimming to just get through it. The characters never really came to life for me and Finn was just so .... disappointing! Layla sounded like a nut job and not even in a fun way. Then the ending...WHAT! I think my eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of my head. The twist just didn't pack the big BAM I was expecting and hoping it would give me. I hate to be such a debbie downer about this book because I try and find what I really enjoyed and focus on that but for the most part this book just didn't do it for me. I am sure I am in the minority with this review but overall it was just a disappointment.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

This one was alright. I honestly liked The Breakdown the best and Behind Closed Doors came in close second. This one, not so much. Not as exciting, the plot was actually kind of dull and I wasn't a huge fan of any of the main characters. Ellen was a pushover, Layla was unpredictable, Finn was a first class jerk, Harry was an enabler and I don't know enough about Thomas or Tony to make character judgements. The plot was not nearly as good as her previous two and even following the climax of the story, I was disappointed. The plot was portrayed in such a way to appear like it would be complex and intriguing when in actuality it was simplistic and way too predictable. The ending left much to be be desired. I hope she writes another one soon because I think B. A. Paris is a talented writer, I honestly think she has more potential and this particular book just didn't work out.

As a fan of B. A. Paris's other novels, I could not wait to read Bring Me Back. From the first chapter, I was completely intrigued. The author does a fabulous job of weaving a line into each chapter to let the reader know that things are not as they seem. Between that and the character development, I struggled between wanting to finish the book in one sitting and wanting to drag it out to keep it from ending so soon! Thrilled that, once again, B. A. Paris did not disappoint!

Another fast-paced page-turner by B. A. Paris. Her writing is so good that you don't want to stop reading. I was captivated with the story from the beginning and it did have me guessing as to what was going on with the appearance of Russian dolls and the mysterious emails. I did and I didn't figure out who was the person responsible for the dolls/emails. That's a little difficult to explain without giving it away so that's all I will say about that. I felt that the twist at the end was surprising and a bit strange, but overall it was a good suspenseful read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy.

Definitely suspenseful, quickly paced, and I did appreciate the format. Alternating viewpoints worked very well for this story. Had no clue exactly what was going on most of the time, totally fooled. Didn't like any of these characters, suspected Finn of many things, Ellen seemed the most normal, well adjusted. Unreliable narrators was my thinking. The Russian doll gimmick I thought corny.

This was a sisters read where most liked more than I. Turned out to be a mixed read for me, though it turned out to be a very strange story. I found the resolution far-fetched and unbelievable. Plus, I still don't understand the relationships between Finn and Henry.

ARC from Netgalley.

I disliked this book at first, I found the narrative to be irritating as it appeared that the narrator was admitting to causing the disappearance of his girlfriend Layla. However, I read on, hoping the novel would surprise me. It did. I did not expect where it was going at all, sadly the writing style was still not quite to my taste but was definitely an interesting and surprising read.

B.A Paris never fails to draw me in with impeccable character development and twisty, turn-y storylines that keep you guessing until the very end!
Finn has lived through the disappearance of his girlfriend years earlier, even as he was a suspect and cleared of any wrongdoing. Now, Layla has been spotted and seems to want to make contact with her former life. This book kept me up until the wee hours of the morning to find out "what next" and "what really happened"!! You will not regret picking this up for your next psychological thriller!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, B.A. Paris and NetGalley for an ARC of this incredible book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me a chance to read Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris for an honest review.

Finn and Layla are young and in love. One day while they're on the road they stop at a station service so Finn can use the restroom. When he comes back Layla is nowhere to be found, she's gone! What happened? Was she taken, did she run, did her boyfriend hurt or murder her? Did she even disappear at all?
A decade later, Finn is dating Layla's sister and someone appears to be hiding in the shadow... Could Layla be alive? What would she want?
Wow, you just keep on reading until the very last page!

A good psychological thriller! Well written! My first time reading that author and I am not disappointed! I loved that book and couldn't put it down! Hooked from the start! I will read more from B.A Paris very soon!

Now adding St Martin's Press on my favorite publisher's list.

Thank you! Review shared online on NetGalley of course, Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon when published.