I found this to be an entertaining read, though I wasn't fond of the main character. The thrills and twists were well weaved, though the page-turning suspense really only lasted through the first half of the book. I must admit that the premise was a bit over-the-top. But overall this is a book I will recommend to fans of mystery and suspense.

Quite honestly, not my favorite. It was a Gone Girl-esque thriller that wasn't very thrilling, and I found the ending to be totally not credible.

3 Stars -- a solid read. I liked the alternating viewpoints. It kept me guessing just enough that even when I was pretty sure I had figured out what was going on, I was never *really* sure. This was a slower paced book than the author's previous books. I thought the middle section (with the countdown) drug a bit. Not my favorite book of summer, but worth the read.

I have read all three of B A Paris' books and find they follow a pretty similar pattern: Intriguing start; slow, repetitious and annoying in the middle; and a surprising, out of left field ending. At least she has had in all her efforts two-thirds of a good book in the making. But to me that's not really enough. When I read a chapter detailing events from one perspective, and then the very same events are recounted from another perspective, the progress of the story stalls out and makes zero headway. Even moreso when characters are on the unlikeable side. My mind starts wandering...and wondering if I should finish.

I finish most things that I start, but here I admit to skimming some of the Russian doll rhetoric and much of the dialog. The Layla and Ellen "transformations" were quite unbelievable in my opinion but I won't say any more than that.

An ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris is a tense and thrilling drama that centers around a missing person and the lies and guilt of the surviving.

"...I turn away, wondering what she would say if I told her that I just found a second Russian doll. If Layla's body had been found, she would put it down to a bizarre coincidence. But her body has never been found. And if there's one thing I don't want, it's Ellen thinking Layla might still be alive.
I'd hate for her to have false hope..."

Finn is in love and ready to ask Layla to marry him. They go on vacation and while they are driving along the highway, Finn stops at a service station and goes to use the restroom. When he comes back out Layla is gone. She is never seen again.

Ten years have passed and Finn is now engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over the loss of Layla has brought them together. But there is something about Ellen that Finn doesn't quite trust. Something about her that he cannot believe in. He needs her to be the one.

As the day approaches for Finn and Ellen, he receives a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla in the home they once shared. Other things begin to occur. Objects from his past with Layla begin to appear. Secret messages and warnings that point to one thing. Layla is alive.

"...I don't remember much about what happened next. I know I leaped out of the car, tore round to your side, wrenched your door open and dragged you out. I remember shaking you, shouting at you, I remember your voice as you screamed at me to stop, I remember the fear in your eyes as I raised my arm. And then I remember being in the toilet block, trying desperately to control the terrible rage that had consumed me. And after-how long after, I don't know-I remember going back to where I'd parked the car and finding you gone.
At first I thought that you were hiding from me, because I could remember dragging you out of the car and shaking you. But I couldn't remember what had happened between the moment I had raised my arm, and finding myself in the toilet block. I started calling you, telling you I was sorry and when you didn't come, I took a torch from the boot and went looking for you, terrified that I'd come across your body, that I'd killed you and hidden your body in the trees that circled the picnic area before blanking the whole thing from my memory. But I couldn't find you, dead or alive..."

Bring Me Back is a strong novel with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the end. The complex character of Finn, his memories and violent tendencies toward women drive this novel. As a reader you question if all the things that are happening are done by someone else or is he in some way doing it himself. Punishing himself for Layla. Or having lost her, finding a way to punish her sister.

The dynamic between Layla and Ellen is a simmering undercurrent to the novel. Is Layla really alive? Does Ellen know more about the disappearance than she is telling. What of their past?

But at the center is Finn and the simple truth that you can't outrun the evil that you do.

A good read.

Not my favorite book by BA Paris

It started strong then just kind of fell flat. I would recommend the other books and I still look forward to reading more by BA Paris. It was a little far fetched and can a guy really be that dumb? I mean, they can but it was just not done in a way that made me care.

I hope this was just a fluke and the future will bring better endings for the books!

I didn't leave a public review for this book, after hesitating for more than a month.
I loved Behind Closed Doors, but this plot felt manipulative and cheesy, and it wasn't too hard to figure out where it was going. I'll look for other books by B.A. Paris in the future, though.

What if you had a second chance with the one that got away? In this dark and twisty thriller, BA Paris paints the worst possible picture of this scenario. Twelve years ago, Finn's girlfriend, Layla, disappears. He has no idea what happened to her. But with more than a decade since she's disappeared past, he's started to move on with his life --- by marrying his presumed-dead girlfriend's sister, Ellen. 

Soon after the engagement is announced in the local paper, strange things start happening that all point to Layla alive. Not only alive, but alive and close by. Old neighbors think they spot her on the street. Russian nesting dolls show up on the porch, in the mail, on his car when he and his fiance visit the local village. And then Finn starts getting e-mails from a strange address he doesn't recognize. Suddenly, everyone in his life is a suspect trying to torture him and ruin his happy, perfect life. 

While being tormented by the truth about his feelings for his Layla and Ellen, Finn is still someone that's difficult to feel sorry for. It's clear from the beginning he wants the reader to see him in a certain light. Yes, he's incredibly wealthy and has a perfect life and, yes, sometimes he has a temper, but everything is under control. In fact, he's pretty sure the local barkeep he had a casual relationship with is the one setting up this whole "Layla is back" business. 

What Paris creates in Finn --- a character that can be argued is incredibly narcissistic ---  is a situation that's not unfamiliar to many women: a man putting himself in a situation where he's trying to decide what he really feels for someone but backs off and wants women to fight over him. Finn doesn't want to have to make a choice between the woman he loves now and the woman he loved before, if she's even really back. 

Bring Me Back is the fast-paced, need-to-read-in-one-day type of book I've come to expect from BA Paris. Both chilling and satisfying, this summer-released thriller is perfect for these cold autumn days.

Twelve years ago Finn’s girlfriend, Layla disappeared. He told the police the truth about that night, he just did not tell them the whole truth. Finn has now moved on but his past will not stay buried.

This is a twisting, absorbing thriller, one that instantly hooked me and I could not get this book out of my head. I was thoroughly enjoying this book and learning the truth about Finn, Layla and his now girlfriend, Ellen, until the middle section. Out of nowhere, this read loses pace in the middle and it becomes a bit dull, if anything the book is probably a little bit too long for what actually happens in the plot which I think is where the boredom comes from.

A major positive aspect for this book is the shocking plot outcome, one that I really did not see coming. It instantly shook me up and ensured I was excited about the remainder of the book. However, with this positive unfortunately comes another negative. Paris hints at the major plot twist but then takes too long to reveal it and again, I thought the book became a bit dull again which was a major shame, I so wanted to love this book but it is really up and down for me.

The characters in this book are phenomenal, they are well written and realistic and I could really imagine what they are going through. Finn and Ellen are really interesting characters and I enjoyed getting to know them and reading about their dynamic. Finn and Ellen really made this book for me.

‘Bring Me Back’ is an up and down thriller read with moments of shock and massive excitement and disappointingly, moments where I lost interest and the plot went stale.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advance copy.

This book started out strong for me, but ended up being just a bit too ridiculous for my taste. The story didn't hold together too well.

I was pretty sure I had figured out what was going on. The main characters weren't very likable, but some of the minor ones I liked and would have liked to have more in the story.

This is my third book by B.A. Paris and let me just say, I am not disappointed.

It has a great start, with an interesting middle and an "OMG! I didn’t see that coming" ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book by an author with a knack for story telling.

Brilliant thriller, full of twists. Love the little Russian doll details. The Title is incredibly fitting. The final twist just stabs in the gut; a shock. And then it lingers with sadness.

I read BA Paris's first book with glee, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. And I was sincerely not disappointed!! Layla goes missing at a service station, never to be found. Her boyfriend tries to find her, but she's gone. Years later he has moved on with his life, but then the past comes back to haunt him.... Recommended, thrilling from beginning to end!

Please no more chanted repeating of one item! This book could be called Russian Dolls. Lots and lots of them. Did I mention frequently? I started to wonder if I was missing a clue. With a suspense feel to the entire book, I read it very quickly. In this case, that wasn't good, it was because the same thing was going on over and over and over with the OVERUSED words. (See, like that!) It's the first book that I've read by this author that I know of, but it misses the mark for me, personally.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

What a mystery! I really liked this one and even when I thought I had guessed the ending, it still threw in another twist that got me!

I liked the way this story started out, but I didn't really become invested in Finn or Layla. I found the book to be a bit predictable.

This book is one creepy read, perfect for the upcoming Halloween season. It’s like a mixture of “Gone Girl” and a ghost story...something I just can’t quite put my finger on. I enjoyed all the twists and turns along the way as we struggle to find out what happened to Layla, a young woman who disappeared 10 years prior, seemingly without a trace.

Finn never found out what happened to his girlfriend, Layla, that night she disappeared, but now he’s moved on with her sister, Ellen, and planning their wedding. Then strange things start happening which make Finn question whether or not Layla really has been dead the entire time, or if she’s not only alive, but back and ready to confront him.

Like I said, there’s some great twists and turns along the way and I was really on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what al was going on throughout the story. The book alternates between times and viewpoints, which slowly fills in the bigger picture as things move along.

I also like the “possibly unreliable narrator” genre - it adds a creepy layer to try to figure out whether the narrator is lying, insane, both, neither, etc. And this book really is a perfect example of this type of book. We don’t know who is “right” and “good,” or who is “bad.” Makes for a very exciting book!

The twists will keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced creepy read this fall!

I am new to the world of the unreliable narrator & I’m not sure what I think yet. I definitely was not a fan of Finn & his disfunctional relationship with Ellen. I did enjoy the mystery & the way the author unraveled it. I had guessed the answer about a quarter of the way through the book but I still had fun on the ride.

I wanted to love this book because I am a die-hard fan of psychological thrillers.
Part 1: I was hooked right from the beginning when Layla disappeared. Was she kidnapped? Did she run away from her boyfriend, Finn? Did Finn kill her? Why did he start dating her sister, Ellen?

Part 2: It dragged on for me. It was enough of a mystery to keep me reading because I wanted to know what happened to Layla, but it was a little too repetitive. Layla leaves Russian dolls for Finn, he questions whether the people in his life are involved or not. He questions whether he really does love Ellen. Repeat.

Part 3: The reader finds out what happened to Layla. The last 20% of the book hooked me again because the mystery is solved.

This is a book that some people will love, I have no doubt, and some people will think it's just okay. I was given this book for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book just like this author's previous works but I found myself not loving this. It still had some thrilling plot twists, I just didn't get invested in the characters and the story. I unfortunately was excited for the end and to move on to my next book. I hope other readers will like this more.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.