Having read both of this author's previous works, I was greatly anticipating a sneak peek at this new novel. Overall, I was disappointed with this one mainly because I didn't see any growth or improvement over her previous works. If anything, this novel demonstrated less effort and imagination than the previous two. I enjoy following authors to watch them hone their craft and improve over time. This one hasn't done that yet. Maybe next time...

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by B.A. Paris!! I love this author's writing. It took me a little while to get into. I don't normally empathise with male characters in 1st person point of view. This book was another fast page turning novel that was extremely hard to put down near the end. I think I got a slight case of whiplash from going back and forth so much in my mind about how this one was going to end. Highly recommend!!

Grabs you in from the first page ! Finn's fiancé (Layla) disappears at a rest stop. Twelve years later an elderly neighbor states that he saw Layla. It is dismissed, but not forgotten, by her husband and the police. Very well written background will not disappoint. Clues begin to point to Layla's return. Finn is already engaged to Layla's sister. Will he be forced into making a choice? WOW!

Imagine being desperately in love with one person and then that person disappears, but seriously disappears. So what do you do? Well, Finn falls in love with Layla’s sister. Not only does he fall in love but he asks her to marry him – and Ellen says yes. So they are living an idyllic life in the Cotswolds. Fortunately he is quite wealthy; works from a garden building whilst Ellen has her own study where she does illustrations for children’s books (how perfect). They even have a lovely dog. Theirs is a life of lovely walks, peaceful, nice pub meals (even breakfast on occasion).

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But think about it, would it be great? I know that I would be full of doubts. How do I really feel, and for that matter, how does my partner really feel? Here is madness; I would never have a peaceful thought.

With 10 years gap in the timeline, this is the situation in which Finn finds himself. That is until he gets an email supposedly from the missing Layla. As back up, Finn finds the smallest of a Russian doll set which has significant meaning for Ellen. So from this point, Finn’s pleasant life is not quite so pleasant – it becomes hellish. Eventually so will Ellen’s.

Secrets and lies, and who to trust… Great book. Fantastic plot development. Great characters. Could not guess where it would go, just knew that I was in the awful position of wanting to know what happens but not wanting to finish the book. Brilliant and thank you BA Paris. Never disappoints.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This is a great book! This one click read had me white knuckled gripping the book as i sped through wanting to know what would happen next! B.A is an amazing writer and brings out all the punches! Great writing, wonderful plot, and vivid characters!

I so wanted to like this book, I liked the sound of it but quickly lost interest in it when I found I didn't like the main character Finn.I kept thinking I would get into the book if I kept reading, but I just didn't click with it,and I read it to see what would happen rather than for enjoyment.I really do not like giving a bad review,and hope others will enjoy it more than I did.I found the writing style to be disjointed and it just wasn't for me.Thanks to the publishers for an ARC and thanks to Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this book and. I was really hoping it kept me interested and entertained. Sadly, it didn't and I found myself speed reading just to see how it all ended.

The book is about a young British couple, Finn and Layla. Layla goes missing....and then we fast forward 12 years to the present where Finn is engaged to the Layla's sister. Odd things start happening though and Finn thinks Layla is back --from the dead or from where she's been hiding. He can't decided if he wants her to be back or not though because he doesn't know who he loves more, her or her sister, Ellen, who he is going to marry very soon.

Between the crazy and implausible plot "twist" and the writing, this book was really hard for me to get through. The characters are pretty one dimensional and their "voices" don't shine through at all. Different sections are told by different narrators but the writing is the same stilted and unrealistic writing throughout. It didn't really keep my attention and even though I wanted to know what happened at the end, I wasn't satisfied.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the advanced copy

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Very intense psychological thriller that will have you second guessing all the way. This is the third book I have read from this author, and becoming a major fan. Finn's girlfriend disappeared years ago. He is now engaged to the sister. However, is Layla alive and back? There were times I wanted to throw the book across the room because I was so confused, but enjoyable the suspense so much. Very enjoyable and glad I have found another author in this genre.

I've never had a book that made me doubt everything I thought I knew about what was happening. there were so many different options of what could have been. it keeps you guessing.

I've read both of B.A. Paris' other books, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, and both were 3 stars for me. Not very good in my opinion, but entertaining. I assumed this one would be the same. The book started off promising with an interesting opening to get you hooked, then it quickly went downhill. It was way too cheesy, had flat characters, and a very predictable plot twist.

The book alternates between past and present, mostly from the main character Finn's POV. Years ago Finn was on holiday with his then girlfriend Layla when we suddenly disappeared. Now years later Finn is getting ready to marry Layla's sister, Ellen, when sinister signs start appearing that indicate Layla may still be alive.

Overall it just wasn't for me. I prefer thrillers with a more clever twist, but new fans of the thriller/suspense genre will probably enjoy this book.

I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review. I love psychological thrillers and this fit the bill. The story grabs you from the first page, and the chapters rotate between "Now" and "Then". You keep thinking you've solved it and then there's another twist to the story. I found myself dreading having to return to the daily responsibilities of life, which required me to put the book down! I highly recommend reading this and I plan to pick up some of the author's other works.

Finn and Layla are returning from vacation when they pull into a rest area. Finn leaves to go to the restroom, locks the car, but when he returns Layla is gone. Now 12 years later Finn is in a relationship with Layla’s sister, Ellen. Russian dolls begin to appear and Finn gets e mails claiming to be from Layla saying she is alive. She wants something from him before she will appear in person. Is it really Layla or someone playing a diabolical game. Finn doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust.

This was a really diabolical plot. It seems like every time I turned a page there was another twist to the story. This book will keep you engrossed til the very end trying to figure out where it’s going next. This book is written in the first person, not my favorite style but it wasn’t long before I was so engrossed I didn’t even notice. I highly recommend this psychological thriller. Thank you to net galley for an advanced review copy of this book.

I received a free e-copy of Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris from NetGalley for my honest review.
This book started out strong, and then for me, just fizzled out. I felt that a lot of it was unbelievable and I did not care for the end at all.
We have Finn whose girlfriend, Layla, goes missing at a rest stop never to be heard from again, fast forward ten plus years later and Finn has a new girlfriend Ellen who happens to be Layla’s sister. Finn starts receiving emails that hint that Layla might be alive. And here goes the quest for Finn to find out who is behind these emails and hints and if Layla is truly alive. This is about where I decided that it was a little silly, some of Finn’s actions were farfetched. Come on ya bloke don’t be dense!
The ending was solid three stars. This was the first time I have read anything from this author and I would give her other two “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Breakdown” a whirl since they seem to be popular but this book didn’t do much for me.

How well do you really know someone??

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book. I think because I loved Behind Closed Doors so much, that this book and The Breakdown had some big shoes to fill. I was a little disappointed in both books.

This one was a little slow to get into, there were some good twists and turns I never saw coming but it was not the page turner Behind Closed Doors was for me.

Loved this book! The twists and turns keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Every time I was convinced I knew who Layla was, I was wrong. This is a must read to learn the story of Finn, Layla and Ellen.

This is my first book by B.A. Paris and I was very excited to get notified that I would be getting an ARC of the book through Netgalley. I have been seeing this book talked about all over social media and with suspense being a category I have recently been bingeing on, I was excited to dig in.

Starting right off with Finn telling us (the reader) what happened the night that Layla disappeared, I settled in and couldn't wait to see where this story took us. I highlighted a lot of passages along the way, just knowing it was a clue of some sort. Since I haven't read any of Ms. Paris' other books, I had no idea what her writing style was, so I didn't really know if things I thought could be a clue or hint of some sort would end up really being one, but that's half the fun of reading a new to me author.

Finn and Ellen are together now, having connected at a memorial service held for her sister Layla. They are set to be married, but Finn drops little hints along the way that he doesn't feel the same way about Ellen that he did for Layla. But life has to go on, right? It isn't healthy to stay buried in the past, and Ellen loves him so that's good enough for him.

But both Finn and Ellen are holding on to a huge amount of secrets, and as the story unfolds, we find out in alternating points of view just what secrets Finn and Ellen are keeping. I have to admit that after looking at a couple of the passages I highlighted as clues, I formulated a theory as to what was really going on, and it turns out my theory was correct, which really never happens.

I did enjoy the way Ms. Paris twisted and turned this story, and used a couple of key side characters as diversions to what was really going on. I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game that Finn was playing, or was he being played? You'll have to read to find out.

The book was a little slow in the beginning, but once the momentum built and the suspense ratcheted up, I couldn't put it down, just needing to know if my theory was correct and how Finn was going to handle that bombshell? Even though I guessed correctly as to what was going on, I did not guess that ending at all, and I have to say Ms. Paris did surprise and shock me with that. I am anxious to look at her catalog of other books to see what else she has published in this genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This book was certainly a page-turner. With short chapters that alternate between time frames and characters, you're enticed to plow ahead to find out what happens next.

The book also has an intriguing premise and an interesting (although maybe a wee bit overused) plot device of Russian nesting dolls. In many ways the book matches those dolls with layer upon layer of mystery being revealed to the reader.

However, for me, the book fell a little flat on two counts...

First, Finn spends a lot of time processing his many theories about what's happening to him and why. For the reader this means you're reading long paragraphs composed of open ended questions. ("Did Layla mean THIS? If so, what does that mean? If I do that, then what do I tell my fiancé? And what if she doesn't believe me? Should I talk to someone else?") I think you get my point. Basically there's a lot of stretches with just one character thinking and not engaged in a whole lot doing, and that felt a little boring at times.

My second issue (and the much bigger one) was with the ending. Suffice it to say, I DID NOT BUY IT. At all. In many respects the ending made most of what came before it (which was a solid mystery, in my opinion) seem pretty silly. The only plus is that it has made for highly entertaining discussions I've had post-read with different sets of sisters. (They didn't buy the plausibility of that twist either.)

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, avoid any and all spoilers before you read this book. Avoid plot summaries and synopses, just read it and read it soon. And don’t you dare jump to the last page, the final sentence will hit you had.
In my opinion, this is far and away B. A. Paris’s best book to date, and is the early front runner for my vote for any book of the year lists. The writing is tight and fast paced, the narration is authentic and the plot is a page turner.
Anyone who likes a psychological thriller that plays with your mind as much as it does the characters’ minds, anyone who just likes good writing, and anyone who enjoys a book that keeps them from doing anything else until it’s finished should put this on their must read list. I know I’ll read it again, I just wish I could read it again for the first time!

Finn and Layla are on vacation when he stops at a rest stop and Layla disappears while he is inside. Fast forward 10 years and although he has never stopped loving and missing Layla, he is now engaged to Layla's sister Ellen. He doesn't love her with the same passion he loved Layla, but no sign of Layla was ever found so he has to assume Layla is dead. Out of the blue strange things begin happening, leaving Finn and Ellen to believe Layla may be alive after all.
I could not put this book down. There are so many twist and turns that kept me turning the pages, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book!

This review was provided in exchange for early access to Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris through NetGalley. I had high hopes for this book, but was somewhat disappointed. It begins with Finn and Layla who appear to be madly in love, then Layla goes missing on a trip to France. There is considerable speculation and mystery surrounding her disappearance. She never turns up, but her sister Ellen enters the picture when she and Finn have a memorial for Lalya months later. Ellen and Finn start a relationship, but the past rears her beautiful red head and the twists and turns begin.

The first 30% of the book focused on the development and background stories of six main characters as they related to the main storyline. As the book moved on the focus was on the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of Finn and Layla as the story unfolded. It moved along at a snails pace, but the author consistently fed you bread crumbs to keep you reading. It finally got pretty interesting around the 70% mark. Overall, the story was ok and it was well written, yet it was a bit predictable and the ending was a let down - I wanted more for the characters. If you are a fan of Gone Girl, then this is a book for you!