Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This book started with a bang and got straight into the action, which I enjoyed, but despite being gripped at the start, my concentration waned later on. The plot didn't go as I expected (although there was some typical thriller predictability!) and whilst it was a good concept, I'm not entirely sure how it all came together.

This book is well written and keeps you interested all the way to the end. I instantly connected with Stella who believes her childhood on a remote island was perfect until something happened and they had to leave. Being only 11 at the time she has no idea what made her parents move. Fast forward twenty odd years and as a body is found, Stella returns to the island. Her presence is not welcome by all but as the story unfolds you realise they have a lot to loose. This book makes you want more.
Many thanks to Heidi Perks and Netgalley for the early e book copy.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4

The story goes between the past and present day as we slowly discover the events that happened in the past. Stella is now an adult but she still really misses living on the small island of Evergreen. Her family left one night during a storm. Now, a skeleton has been dug up just outside the boundary of the house that Stella and her family used to live. Stella is determined to find out whose body the skeleton belongs to and what happened to them. So she travels back to the island. It's twenty five years since Stella was Alston the island and things are not quite as she remembers. The villagers are not as friendly and will go to any lengths to keep secrets buried. Some secrets are best kept buried though. This is an emotional roller coaster of a read. I didn't guess where this story was going but the ending did surprise me.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK.Cornerstone and the author Heidi Perks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another tantalising thriller from Heidi Perks who wrote the brilliant Now You See Her.

I’ll be honest, it is quite difficult to review this novel without spilling all the beans! The narrative shifts between 1993 and the present day and opens, in dramatic style, with Stella and her family fleeing the island of Evergreen, at night, in the middle of a violent storm. Stella is eleven years old and loves her life on the island. She is bewildered and heartbroken by the family’s sudden and urgent departure.

Fast forward to the present day and a body has been discovered on the island just outside the garden of the house in which the family used to live. Stella is drawn back to Evergreen to try and discover what implications this find might have for herself, her sister Bonnie and her brother Danny. She soon finds that she is less than welcome at the place she used to call home. As Stella begins to dig into the lives of islanders she uncovers some shocking actions and events.

There is a clever plot and a well written narrative, much of which is based on the uneasy relationship between Stella and her elder sister, Bonnie. I’m itching to say more but it would really spoil the story you uncover as you read this intriguing novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eleven-Year-old Stella, with sister Bonnie and brother Danny live in a small island off the Dorset coast called Evergreen. When one night in a middle of the storm Stella, her parents and her brother and sister leave the island abruptly, with no real explanation.
Twenty-five years later, Stella see a news report on the TV, where a body is found dug up in the garden of her old house in Evergreen. Stella feels that she needs to go back there to see if her family is involved. But when she gets there, she realises that she is not welcome there and things about that night she left immerge. Also secrets about her family that, the residents of Evergreen have kept secret all this time. Her sister Bonnie is not happy for her to return.
They discover that the body is Isla that was a friend of the family. When the police start their investigation her brother Danny is accused of their murder. So, Stella returns to find out who really killed Isla.
Thank you, Random House, for a copy if this book. I have read others from Heidi Perks and I have enjoyed them all. This book is a bit more of a slow burner of a story set in two timelines. As the story enfolds you discover more secrets that keep to gripped to the end. I liked the descriptions of the island it gave an eerie feeling to the story. Thank you 4 stars from me.

This is a good read about family secrets. I thought though that it was a bit long and drawn out in places. It would have held my interest better if it had been shorter. I also did not find it completely believable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Come back for me – Heidi Perks

This is the second novel written by Heidi Perks and I found it a little bit of a slow burn to begin with and some things just didn’t click with me but as the story gathered pace I spent the afternoon curled up totally immersed in it. I did find that as I was reading my mind had lots of questions some of which were answered but others not so much

There are a few main characters to take note of most of who have issues and are hiding something. Stella Harvey is the youngest child of Rob and Maria Harvey along with siblings Bonnie and Danny. It seemed to Stella as if they had it all growing up on Evergreen Island off the English coast with a population of 100 people. Bonnie absolutely hated it and couldn’t wait to leave, Danny with his chronic shyness (but he was good with his hands) and Stella never wanted to leave. My, this was most definitely a dysfunctional family by any means of the words.

Moving forward twenty five years the family are back living or should I say existing on the mainland Bonnie is married with a family and a drink problem, Stella lives alone and works as a counsellor and no one knows where Danny may be. A body discovered just outside their old home on the island opens old memories and wounds for the girls. Watching the news Stella realises that she must go back she needs to get answers to all the questions she had as a child, like why they left in the dead of night in the middle of a storm….

Arriving home on the island Stella is staying in a B&B where she’s not welcome by either the owner or the natives. She wasn’t expecting a ceremonial welcome but nor was she expecting the frostiness she received. Hoping that if nothing else she might at least be able to catch up with her childhood friend Jill, sadly that was not to be.

On discovering the identity of the body the locals close ranks absolutely determined to protect themselves by saying nothing. Attempting to question the locals and try to figure out the secrets and lies on the island
causing her to wonder if she really wanted answers. Did she need the answers badly enough to blow her family even further apart? Could Bonnie deal with the fallout? How about Danny, would he be able to cope?


Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone Century

Heidi Perks is yet another new author for me and I was excited at the prospect of reading such an intriguing mystery in an unusual setting. COME BACK FOR ME is both complex and compelling, and while I struggled to begin with, the story certainly picked up pace and made up for its slow start.

1993:
Born and bred on the remote and sheltered community of Evergreen Island, eleven year old Stella loves her island home and never wants to leave. She has her little circle of friends - her best friend being Jill Taylor. She simply cannot imagine a life beyond Evergreen and is happy there. But she is not silly. She notices things. Her parents; neighbours; other people's strange behaviours - including those of her siblings.

Bonnie is Stella's 17 year old sister and she hated Evergreen. With no friends she felt as though she never fit in...until Iona came to the island as part of her university study. Together they were inseparable. At last Bonnie had someone who understood her. But did Iona have an ulterior motive? Was there a specific reason she befriended Bonnie?

Danny is 15 and Stella's brother. As a middle child, he is quiet, reserved and happy in his own company. He is not comfortable amongst people and whenever he is they only seem to laugh and make fun of him. So he prefers to be on his own with his drawings often hiding in the treehouse that their dad built for them. But then Danny notices Iona. He can't stop watching her, following her with his sketch pad. It irritates Bonnie that he is always there, watching. Why? He may be her brother but he is seriously weird.

Then suddenly one night, Stella and her family left Evergreen amid a raging storm one night in 1993. She'd always been so happy there and could never understand why they had to leave so suddenly...and she was never given an adequate explanation as to why.

2018:
Stella is now in her late thirties and her family has completely fallen apart. Her parents divorced soon after their move from Evergreen. Six years later their brother Danny left without a word and was never seen or heard from again and her 40-something sister Bonnie is an alcoholic. Their mother died some years back and their father had since remarried and now is in the early stages of dementia. What happened on Evergreen all those years ago to destroy the loving family she once had?

Now a body has been found on the island - almost in the backyard of their old house - spurring Stella to return to the island for the first time in 25 years. She is determined to discover answers to the long since buried past and uncover the truth of what really happened to make her family flee their happy home so suddenly. But when she arrives, things have changed and the villagers are not as friendly as she had remembered. There appear to be many secrets hiding beneath the surface of the island and villagers will stop at nothing to keep them hidden.

But secrets have a way of sneaking to the surface as Stella begins to delve into those that have long been buried. But are the island's secrets the same secrets she is trying to uncover? Are they best left unknown? And how will Stella react to learning the truth about these secrets that have been buried for 25 years? Whose body was buried in the garden of her old home? And who killed them?

A dual timeline book (again, my favourite kind), COME BACK FOR ME is a complex, twisted tale that will engage the reader almost from the start right up to its riveting end. It is a slow burner to begin with and often these types have me struggling at the start but usually end up picking up pace with a race to the finish! Which it did. It most certainly did.

There is so much more to COME BACK FOR ME than I have mentioned (which is but a small part) which will keep you engrossed within Stella's world from start to finish. So much about it is riveting, compelling, intriguing and even a little twisted. You won't want to put it down.

I would like to thank #HeidiPerks, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #Cornerstone for an ARC of #ComeBackForMe in exchange for an honest review.

A ripping read full of family drama, thrills and a good mystery. I have enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommended! #NetGalley#ComeBackForMe

A very intriguing read, kept me hooked from the first page to the last, a twisty turny story that kept me guessing until the end, a really cracking read

Wonderful tale of secrets and betrayal. Exhilarating read with great twists and turns. Superbly crafted and an excellent read. I wound highly recommend this thrilling tale.

Very much enjoyed this thriller which sweeps to a satisfying and unexpected conclusion. Well written family dynamics and characters and a complex story line. Would recommend.

A really excellent novel full of twists and turns .along the way Stella and her family live on an island but one night her father force's them to leave their home for good without any explanation Years later after hearing news about a tragedy unfolding near their former home a series of events come to light which could bring heartache for many people and sometimes the truth is best left in the past but what happens makes this book a real page turner A great read

Stella and her family are brought up on a small island of Evergreen where there are only 100 residents. Stella and her siblings Danny and Bonnie live there until Stella is 11 when her parents decide they are leaving the island in the middle of a storm.

Stella is heartbroken at leaving her best friend Jill behind and no matter how much she begs her family to stay they are adamant they need to leave the island immediately!!

The book alternates between 1993 when Stella is growing up and the present time where Stella sees on the news a body has been discovered in the garden of her old house on Evergreen island. Stella is intrigued about who the body is and returns to the island hoping to see her old friend Jill. But someone doesn’t want her snooping around!!

This book had me hooked from the start, slowly you discover the secrets and lies on the island which keeps the tension rising and made this a very addictive read!!

A must read book that will keep you guessing till the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

it took me a long time to get into this book and the chraracters, but in the end I enjoyed the twisty plot and the relationships between the Islanders and those who had left.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book

Stella was born on the Island of evergreen just off the coast of Dorset. She loved living there unlike her older sister Bonnie who has always felt unsettled. Brother Danny seems to have social problems and doesn't like communicating with people.
One night when Stella is eleven years old her family leave the island in the middle of a storm. Her father and mother insist they have to go even in such dangerous conditions for sailing that night. It is never spoken of again.

Twenty five years later a skeleton is discovered just outside the back garden of Stella's old house in the garden. Stella has always wanted to return to Evergreen, to her best friend,her mum's best friend and to Annie who was like a second mother to her.
It might not be the best time to return but Stella is pulled back to the island and into mystery and intrigue and danger as someone makes it known she's not welcome.

I found myself saying,"Don't go back Stella" "Don't do this Stella!" but she didn't listen.
I was drawn right into the story of this family as so many things seemed wrong,so many secrets. Some of the islanders seemed a bit strange and like Stella I didn't know who to trust and who not to. I feared for Stella.

The story went from present day to twenty five years ago and Stella's life on the island. I liked both timelines. I was kept on my toes reading this book, never knowing what was coming next.
I thought the police investigation to be a bit slow. I don't think they even asked the question to Stella of why she had decided at this particular time to visit the Island when she hadn't been there for 25 yrs. I would have thought that a bit suspicious.
That's the only slight concern I had in what turned out to be a cracking good read.
This is a new author for me but after reading this one I will try her other books.

This review will be posted on my book blog on publication day
www.bookswithwineandchocolate.blogspot.com

From the third sentence I was hooked. Of course if your father insists it is vital you all leave the island that night then naturally you should trust him, but in the heart of such a ferocious and dangerous storm? This is a taunting enough puzzle for our main character and, when a body is discovered on the island many years later, she is inevitably drawn back to the island in her quest for answers.
Perks uses the main character to account for the present and then her mother to retell the events as they occurred in the past.takes the reader between the present and that time in the past to tell the story.
The main character not only struggles with the whole concept of unravelling the mysterious events from her childhood but she also finds her mission complicated by the anxieties of, and implications for the members of her family and other inhabitants of the island.
Even with the past becoming clearer there is further danger and betrayal at the end, ensuring this doesn't just fizzle out predictably.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone Century for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was very complicated story and well written. The tension is high all the way through. One of those stories where you need to find out the truth but might not like what that is. Thoroughly enjoyable read with a good conclusion.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this gripping novel

the skeleton remains are found just outside a garden on an island
the locals are keeping to themselves

stella and her family use to live there years ago, but on a dark night during a storm they left and never went back to the island again...

there are so many questions that stella wants answers to and nobody around to ask, that she decided on a whim to visit her childhood home and see if she can find out why her family moved as suddenly as they did and maybe catch up with her childhood friends
but all is not as it seems, and then the identity of the body is revealed and the shocks just keep coming

what follows next is quite a gripping story, no spoilers from me but its worth you wont be disappointed..

On a stormy night 25 years ago, Stella's family left their island home in a rush. Stella has never found out why the move had to happen so quickly, throwing her world into disarray as she loved her life there. Then she sees a news broadcast telling of the discovery of a body on the island. A body that was found very close to her old house. She's stunned and shocked and rather worried. Could this discovery be connected to their night time flit? She starts to ask herself questions, tries to remember the events leading up to that night. Determined to find the truth, she travels back to her childhood home to try to uncover the truth. Shunned by the majority of the islanders who appear determined to dissuade her endeavours, even to the point of being threatened, can she get to the truth once and for all? And will she like what she finds?
This book is told in two timelines. The present, narrated by Stella, and the past told from the pov of her mother, Maria. The two weave around each other, the past injecting colour and information into the present day narrative at exactly the right times. I felt so much for Stella as she struggled to understand her own past. Especially as the lid started to come off the can of worms and she struggled with the possible truths that lay within. Truths that were indeed shocking!
It started off as a bit of a slow burner. Understandable as there was quite a bit of scene setting foundation to lay initially. But, when that was all done, the story really started taking off as the layers of the secrets and lies were peeled back and the truth started to peek through. And I never thought we were going there! I had a few theories, mostly rubbish as it turned out, but the twists and turns held me rapt throughout, and when it was all revealed it left me a bit gobsmacked. And very shocked!
I absolutely loved the concept of a small island community and it gave the author the perfect platform to spin her tale. People are tight and keep each others' secrets as well as their own. Closing ranks when invaded by first the police and then the media and finally Stella when she starts to dig. Even though she was one of their own, she's very much treated as an outsider on her return.
All in all, a cracking read that kept my attention nicely throughout and left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.