Member Reviews
Do you want to cry because you are so happy?
Then you NEED this book. In fact this should be required reading for anyone who loves a good love story that expands decades of time. Reading the progression of Gabe and Anna's love story was innocent, endearing, passionate and a slow burn that ends with a flood of all kinds of a emotions. This is going to be the book I reccommend to people who say, "I want a book that makes me cry, laugh and fall in love"
This was my first time reading Melissa Wisner, and I have immediately added her back list to my never ending TBR list. Her writing tumbled off the page and was such a natural flow. It required no effort. I couldn't believe when I looked down at my progress in the book, I was at 70% and didn't even realize I had spent that much time reading.
If there ever was a literary couple I would love to see more of, Gabe and Anna are it! In fact I NEED a sequel, (Usually I highly recommend no sequel, but I want more of them together.)
Gabe is my new book husband! I LOVED every bit of him!
What I loved about this was how their relationship started when they were young and blossomed into a beautiful story.
Thank you net galley for this advanced copy read. I was not influenced or paid for this honest review.
Thank you to Bookouture Audio, NetGalley and Melissa Weisner for giving me something to keep me company on my long drives back and forth to work, short drives to and from the grocery and everywhere else in between.
I loved this story, a lot. If you really read it or in my case listen to it, there is quite a message to be found.
Like Anna, we often find ourselves quickly judging those who are in better situations than we are. Their lives have been so much easier so how could they ever understand the hardships? Whatever social class you may be in, it seems we automatically have predetermined ideas of what others are like before we ever get the chance to meet them and really know them. Anna reminded me that we don't always know why some thing or some one is as they are.
Then comes Gabe and his family, and I'm reminded that good people do still exist and they may be more understanding and less judgmental than we realize and they really do want to help but we have to give them the chance.
Both have secrets that could change the way they feel about each other but if they just open their hearts and their minds and listen and love what they can find in each other is amazing.
If only we could ALL open our hearts and our minds, listen and love we may just find something pretty amazing.
🎧Audio Book Review🎧
It All Comes Back To You
Melissa Wiesner
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Oh my goodness! This was such an emotional read from start to finish! I honestly think I felt every single emotion whilst reading this!
When Gabe and Anna get paired together for a college project, neither was prepared for what was to follow and what they would become to each other over the years.
This was not just a friends to lovers or a second (or third, fourth or fifth) chance romance - the story that followed spanned over the next 15 years and really takes us on a journey of ups and downs, will they - won't they and so much more.
I absolutely adored Gabe and the whole family. A real wholesome, rounded and comfortable family which was so full of compassion and love.
Anna's situation was so, so different and it was so lovely to see how the relationships developed through the book, between all the characters.
Apart from the obvious love of Gabe and Anna's development, the relationship between Anna and Gabe's grandma really was beautiful.
I am absolutely not touching on anything to do with the overall plot because there is so much in this that I couldn't fit it all into the review and definitely don't want to give anything away. There were so many side stories rolling on underneath Gabe and Anna's friendship story, each one as touching as the last and all beautifully interwoven and everything flowing perfectly together.
I was absolutely rooting for Gabe and Anna for the entirety of this book and so many times I thought, 'yes, this is it!' only to be sent off on a tangent - this totally messed with my heart and I went from feeling joy to being heartbroken so many times. But the ending was totally worth it all and I cannot wait for book 2 already ....
💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕
It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner, an audiobook narrated by Kate Handford is a totally emotional page-turner. It's an absolutely beautiful love story! What I loved about this book was the message that the rich can be caring without necessarily saving but providing support. That 16 years old can be strongly independent and dedicated reach success. That friendship is more valuable than a short romance. That if it is meant to be it will happen!
Gabe and Anna are put together to work on a college project. Gabe invites Anna to his house and true friendship is formed. Anna is loved by Gabe's family but they never met Anna's mum. Anna doesn't like to talk about her family. Anna is keeping her life in secret as much as she can and she has a good reason for that. Is it possible that a good friendship can survive the challenges and grow into deeper feelings? Can Anna trust Gabe? Can they manage to overcome challenges as they are coming from different worlds? How long they will need to wait for their forever after? Will it happen at all?
This is a beautiful and emotional love story but most important this is a story about good friendship! About dedication and never giving up.
Kate Handford did an amazing job with narration, her voice was so suitable for this book! The speech was clear and emotional when needed. Definitely added extra emotions to the story!
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advance copy! I enjoyed it a lot.
#BookoutureAudio #ItAllComesBacktoYou #NetGalley
First, I would like to thank the author & NetGalley for the eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is voluntary & honest
This was such a heartgribbing story,
It pulled me in immediately..
There is so much heart put into this story.
This book touches on learning to trust, overcoming obstacles, finding your family, and learning to accept what life gives you.
This book will break your heart but also help heal it back together, such as an emotional roller coaster.
I loved how the plot progressed and the characters grew.
Keep your tissues close. It's easily one of the best books I've read this year.
There’s also some darker themes of abuse, abandonment, and homelessness.
Friends to Lovers
Family found
Secrets and lies
Heartbreak
a slow-burn romance
second chances
This book was absolutely heart gripping from the first page. I could not get enough. The book features Gabe and Anna who meet as teens doing a school project together and follows them throughout all the turmoil and happiness in their lives as they grow up. I enjoyed all the family togetherness and love in this book. The book did skip years otherwise it would have been super long and I do feel like it may have been drawn out a bit much with the secrets and lack of trust issues between the two main characters but otherwise a great book
ARC audiobook review. Thank you netgalley, bookouture and Melissa Wiesner for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.
Anna is a 16 year old high school student taking an advanced college course where she meets Gabe. Gabe is a frat boy who is nothing like her. Throughout the story, their friendship turns into something more. Meanwhile, both have deep secrets. Will they ever find the courage to share?
This novel was so beautiful written. From Anna’s dark and troubling past to the beautiful future she has ahead. She concord every hurtle thrown her way. Strong, intelligent and independent woman.
The love story was predictable but yet so captivating because you wanted it to happen sooner than it did. Gabe was always her number one by her side. Including all his family that had fell in love with her.
This is definitely worth a read!
Ugh. I really wanted a book to tug at my heartstrings, but this one just wasn't it. It felt very contrived, and like it was trying to hard, but still managed to be utterly dull, uninteresting, and predictable.
Rounded up from 3.5
When Anna, high-schooler, is paired with Gabe in a special program class in college, she realizes he is everything she is not. When his perfect family gets too close to figure out her secrets, she runs away. Years later, a tragedy brings her back in town, and when Gabe hugs her, she fells like home. But when the truth comes out, can they weather the storm?
This is a friends to lovers romance. I was first drawn to this book because of the cover. Then I read it was a heart-shattering romance. Then I read it was perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score and Carley Fortune. Sign. Me. Up! However, I'm not sure this book delivered. The story did not go as deep and heartbreaking as the aforementioned authors' stories go. Everything is drawn out at first, and then the pace picks up in the second half, but I felt the story was mostly shallow while the time passes and we go through the time jumps, only skimming big events that I would've liked to dive deeper in. It also felt redundant at times, and Anna is the queen of overreaction and immaturity. Her "big secret" is not a big surprise, nor was it as horrible as it was presented to be, and frankly it felt anticlimactic. Also, the ending was very abrupt, it would've been nice to get an epilogue. With all that being said, it was a quick read, and I really liked Gabe and his family. The audio book narration was great.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Thanks so much for the arc!
First off- the cover is stunning! Sold me immediately! Throw in a story about best friends to lovers and I’m all set!
I love listening to this story. I couldn’t stop! I breezed through this in two days.
It All Comes Back to You was so well done. (Swoony title too!) Anna is a 16 year old taking a college course. She gets paired with a popular frat boy, Gabe, for a huge project. They both have a lot riding on the success of their work. He a ticket to college, her a ticket out of the life she’s fallen into.
At first they’re at each others throats. But he brings her home to his family and they seem to really take to Anna. So does Gabe. They’re together often- and innocently as she’s still in high school. Gabe starts to pick up on things that Anna says which makes him curious about her story. He figures out her mother is never home and she lives in a project-like neighborhood with a disgusting landlord.
His family swoops in and saves her a bit- even though nothing makes her more mad. The friendship between Anna & Gabe is so beautiful. They go through a lot of ups and downs until they realize maybe there’s more to their loyalty. Of course they’re both still hiding some things which complicates life.
Such a charming, heartwarming read that also tackles some heavy topics. Great read!
Just going to start by saying this... I know this is like the formula, but it irks me when everyone has a secret that it made to be this huge thing the plot revolves around and is on the cover to lure you in but really after you read the whole story the big secret doesn't matter anymore. This is what happened here and why I took the star off.
As far as the rest goes, I really liked it!
Anna and Gabe were great characters. Their character growth, both individually and together, was interesting and sweet. It was easy to get invested. Gabe's family as the supporting cast were amazing. I also enjoyed how the story unfolded over years and that the author didn't waste time on Anna and Gabe's individual stories but really kept the focus on the story that revolved around them being together, both in friendship and love. For me the cover and the "secrets" made me think there was going to be more suspenseful then it was, but in the end it was just a love story that had a dramatic history.
Great writing and narration by Kate Handford. Would recommend and looking forward to reading more from Melissa Wiesner.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the arc.
🎧 Audio Review 🎧
I am giving this audiobook 4.5 Stars! I really enjoyed this emotional saga. I love a story than spans over many years, the author gives you time to get to know the characters and get enthralled in their story when you get 10+ years of their lives. I wasn't actually sure about this book when I first started because I am not a big fan of third person writing, especially in Romance but after a chapter or two I completely forgot about that and just got lost in the story. I also thought the secrets went on a little too long but I always think that ;)
I think my favorite thing about this book was the growth in the characters. To see a girl who is in the worst possible situation grow and become everything she always wanted to be and even the emotional growth was a long time coming but she finally gets there in the end was everything to this story. My one dislike was there is no epilogue, I want an epilogue... to i want a quick 5 or 10 years later since the entire story is building up to this ending I want to see how great things are now that they finally get there.
The narration was good, I did feel like she sounded a bit too old for a 16 year old girl but since the story spans many years she was perfect for older Anna. I thought she did a great job on the emotions and pace was great but she especially did a good job at giving everyone their own voice.
#ItAllComesBacktoYou #NetGalley
A rollercoaster of emotions but it’s so good…
Gabe is top of the class, in a fancy fraternity, and has a big, perfect, warm-hearted family. He is everything Anna is not.
Their connection is undeniable. His silver-blue eyes pierce right through her, and he makes her laugh in ways she never thought possible. But Anna would do anything to stop Gabe from discovering her darkest secret, and the real reason she goes home every night to a cold, silent apartment... When Gabe and his family get close to the truth, Anna runs, vowing to never see them again.
- Slow Burn
- Friends to lovers
- Gripping plot
- Authentic characters
- Heart wrenching
My thoughts
It All Comes Back To You…. Oh my gosh this book.. is so realistic and heart wrenching that I love it.
What to say without giving things away… sigh…
Wow just wow… this book is beautiful written. The relationship between Anna and Gabe is a rollercoaster.
Anna and Gabe meet when she was young, naive and stubborn. She was closed off and distant and wouldn’t give up her story, her truth… but the closer they get the more he learns the more he becomes closer to her truth.
Anna would bolt… she was good at being alone.
I love Gabe’s family dynamic and their relationships. All the characters are amazing and authentic.
This story really pulls at your heart strings. The love, sadness, and the past… makes for a gripping plot.
Not only is this book beautifully written but it gives you a lot to think about and messages. Learning to let go. Second chances. Achieving your dreams no matter life’s circumstances.
It’s a must read. Add to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to be an ARC reader.
I had a hard time with the initial relationship between the junior in hs and senior. It was hard for me to get beyond that know the eventual goal was for them to be lovers. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thanks for the opportunity to listen.
I've listened nonstop for a day to finish this and it's really good! I'm not familiar with the author but will be looking for other works in the future. This definitely kept my interest and the narrator was great.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review in advance.
ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.
Kate Handford does a terrific job with the narration of this book! I always knew which character was talking and I honestly thought there were at least two narrators because she changes her voice so well! The story really held my attention and captivated me. Not so much because you don’t know the direction it’s headed, but for the beautiful journey it takes you on. It made me feel all the best emotions and I’ll definitely be recommending this to anyone who likes slow burn romance!
I loved the premise of this book— a young, struggling, lonely girl is embraced by a large tightknit family. But the pacing just felt off for me. Some of the things that should’ve been keeping up the exciting tension were bogged down and drawn out.
I think there was a decent amount of chemistry and history between Anna and Gabe to get the reader to care about them, but there was definitely room for more. More silly situations they find themselves in, more romantic experiences, etc.
Overall, a decent romance, but not extremely memorable.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
The storyline isn’t unlike many other storylines I’ve read and it’s easy to see where it’s going but I suppose it’s all about the journey that those characters go on and the obstacles along the way that keeps the readers attention. It is a bit of a slow burn and for me it lacked spice in the way of something different. I did enjoy it but I suppose I was hoping there might be a few surprises along the way. I really loved all the characters especially Gabe’s big welcoming family. Anna I found to be a strong character and Gabe was such a lovable character that anyone would love to have in their corner. The narration was engaging and held my attention. It was a little repetitive at times and the ending a little abrupt but if childhood friendships that last a lifetime are your thing then this one is for you.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #ItAllComesBackToYou
I am too salty for this one. A teen girl (16) is attending college and she is doing a group project with a dumb college senior. He is hot and she "mousy." Why this man needs to look at ta child and assess her attractiveness, I do not know.
Anyway, Gabe is a real jerk.
Don't worry they don't have romance until she's a grown up but as woman who dated older men as a means of survival, and now a mom, I did not like how that felt.
It icked me out. Again, because of my past.
The narration is perfection.
I actually kind of liked after I stopped being a weirdo.
Captivating from the very first first chapter. This is definitely a book that will stick with me. 5 stars