3.5 rounded up
July's father is a murderer. He has killed plenty of girls. He almost tried to kill her as well. She has plenty of brothers and sisters. One of them came up missing when they were 9 yrs old
July made a pact with her brothers that she would make sure she always looked after the younger siblings. Now she has to return home to do so. To fulfill the promise she made so long ago
But when July gets there, she discovers more women are missing. This can't be possible since her father has been locked up for over a decade. July doesn't want to be back home, around her crazy mother and a town full of people that hate her and her entire family, but she is determined to make sure her siblings are safe before she heads back
She is also determined to find out if there is a copy cat killer on the loose as well

Nine years ago, July Weaver's younger sister fell victim to the Pacific Lake Serial Killer. Shockingly, their own father emerged as the primary suspect, and it was July's testimony that ultimately sealed his fate, sending him to prison.

July couldn't stay in that town there family was know to be the strange family even before the murder. She fled for Nashville and became a song writer with a stage name until one day her younger brother tried to kill himself and she's summed home. While home new evidence and clues come up about the crime and a similar crime just happen. But her dads in prison.... is there a copy cat or did the wrong person go down for the crimes?

There are a lot of twist and turns and I did figure out the big twist BUT it did feel like it came out of nowhere! Which is what you want from any Thrillers and the story goes back in time and present time line to help the reader try to solve it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio-arc in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLs5wW9M/

You Always Come Back by Emily Smith

First this is honestly a solid title for a thriller it works on multiple levels.

July Weaver hasn’t been home in the nine years since she helped to testify against her father for the murder of her sister (and others), but when her brother faces some serious mental health issues she sees it as her responsibility to come back home and help him.

During her time away she changed her name and experiences a mild level of success in the music industry.

She expected balancing being back in this place of tragedy, being there for her brother, and trying to keep her lives separate to be hard. What she didn’t expect was uncovering new evidence that makes her question all that happened those years ago, and if maybe her father is an innocent man.

Is the killer still out there?

This debut novel doesn’t do anything overly inspiring in the thriller field but I did enjoy it along the way.

It explores themes of: Family Loyalty, Trauma, and the Unreliability of Memory.

The story is told in two timelines which is an approach which I really enjoy. When done right like in this story it helps characters feel more three dimensional and gives some insight to their current disposition.

I’d put the pacing somewhere between medium and fast but it was a really natural flow for the story.

For me the weakness point is a common one among thrillers in that a lot could be resolved with some communication between characters.

But don’t let that stop you from giving this one a shot.

Andi Arndt provides a well done narration for this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book early; I received this ALC in exchange for review, however this does not affect the outcome of my review in any way.

that was a interesting book. It did take eme some time to get into it, but I enjoyed the plot and the writing style. I will read more from SMith

A very dysfunctional family struggles through their past and present to find out the real killer that has been murdering women and girls for the last decade.

July has always disliked her weird family but tried to get along with them. It all changed when she turned 18 and discovered her father is the one that's been killing the women in the area, but was he really the murderer? Told in two timelines July tries to piece together her family's history and save the family from the terrible past they lived.

The audiobook is done well for the most part, but it doesn't do a great job of separating the timelines, so it would get confusing trying to piece together which timeline I was listening to. Also, all the kids were named after the month they were born in, but they also have nicknames they go by, and the author used them interchangeably which also added to the confusion. The ending was okay, but there was so many red herrings that the killer really could have only been one person. An interesting tale of dysfunction and family struggles, and how to make a name for yourself outside of the stigma of your past.

6 siblings growing up in an unconventional family in a small lake town in Georgia. All named after the month they were born in, except April and May who are twins. When May disappears along with some other local girls, their father goes on a mission to find the killer. But when May's body is found in the lake, the father ends up being the main suspect, mainly due to July's testimony. July moves away to Nashville to escape the crazy family but is called home by August when December tries to kill himself. A weirdly compelling story with a number of twists and a good portroyal of small town Georgia.

Oooh this is a great debut from Smith! Definitely pick this one up and keep your eye out for more from this author.

This is a return-to-hometown thriller. July is the oldest in the family of six siblings, and returns to rural Georgia when her youngest brother Deck attempts suicide and is placed on a psych ward. Her previous testimony put her father in prison, and her return causes her to reevaluate her testimony and second guess what she believed was true.

This is told in past and present, which really works well for this book. Please note the content warnings for this one, as there’s quite a bit going on! I absolutely recommend this if you’re a fan of domestic, small town trillers, dysfunctional families, serial killer thrillers, and twists and turns.

I love the character names (all named after the month they were born) and the narrator did a great job. I was not expecting the ending and I will definitely keep my eye out for more from this author.

I really enjoyed this thriller that kept my attention till the very end. Such a fun read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ARC.

This was probably one of my favorite mystery/thrillers I have read in a while. I wish there had been a bit more police involvement, I do love a good police procedural. Would have been nice to learn more about the hunt for the killer and maybe a bit more about the victims. However, I knew who the killer was very early on by his reactions towards July. Family thrillers always make me sad, though, because it's usually more than one family member that ends up dead/gone, which leaves everyone else in shambles.

Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel from Emily Smith. The Weaver’s are a strange family all the children named after month’s of the year, a schizophrenic mother who rarely takes her medication, a father with pie in the sky ideas and a weird habit of disappearing, and a brood of children who are just trying to survive, take care of each other and themselves.

Nine years earlier, July Weaver’s 8 year old sister May, was taken from her bed and became known as the first victim of the Pacific Lake Killer. When other girls begin to disappear and are found dead in the small town in Georgia, everyone begins to look at each other with more suspicion none come under more scrutiny than the Weaver’s.

If you're looking for a book that has a serial killer, a mystery, a damaged family and twists - this is it. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher, Emily Smith & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This mystery thriller was just ok for me!
Nine years ago, July's sister was the first victim of the Pacific Lake Killer. With other victims disappearing and found dead, it was her testimony that put her father in prison for the crimes. She fled to Nashville and pursued her music career to try and forget the past. Then her brother attempts to kill himself and she is forced to go back to her hometown and reunite with her siblings. She doesn't expect to uncover new evidence that makes her question everything that happened nine years ago.
ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review. Thanks

This was a phenomenal debut novel and definitely had me gasping when the end came. The plot was lively and engaging, the characters were dynamic, and the action drove us forward through the story. Finally, the author did a fantastic job of making us feel for the characters and the trauma they endured and continued to suffer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

You Always Come Back
By Emily Smith

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook.

July loves living in Nashville. She swore she would never go back home to Georgia where her little sister was Pacific Lake Killer’s first victim. She sleeps better knowing that she helped put the killer in jail. After her brothers attempted suicide, July is forced to go back home. While back at home she starts to wonder if she was correct in accusing the killer that she did.
This is a great story to listen to, I enjoyed listening to it.
Again, thank you for the ARC.

Murder, confusion, deceit, blame, forgiveness, protection, relationship, building, true drama.

July Weaver’s nine-year-old sister was the first of the Pacific Lake killer victims in Georgia. July put her dad in prison for her sister’s death, believing that he was guilty. Her brother then tries to kill himself. There are four siblings in the family. Was the killer targeting the wrong person?

The Weaver children are well known in the community by names. Based on the month they were born and the questionable killing of the mother and son. The father takes the blame for the death, secretly believing that his daughter July did it. But he does not tell her. The family splits apart for many years. However, due to the attempt of suicide by one of the brothers, the three other siblings return home only to relive the past. The thrill takes you through leaps and bounds as you puzzle your way through who the natural killer is, how to prove it, and how they can put life back together.

The narrator, Arndt, provided a smooth, calming voice. There was excellent tonality, especially during the character drama. Character depiction was unique, and fluency rate and ease of understanding what was brilliant.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be one of my favorites. I will reread it.

I recommend this book to general adult fiction, thriller, and mystery lovers.

I want to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Emily Smith for providing a free copy to read/listen to in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own. to thank: NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Emily Smith for providing a free copy to read/listen to in exchange for my review. My opinions are my own.

From start to finish this book was intriguing to me. At times it scared me and at other times it engulfed me and I couldn't put the book down. Highly suggest reading this incredible suspenseful novel.

This twisted serial killer mystery will have you on you on edge of your seat.

Jules hasn't been back home for reasons that stem from her messed up family. So when the one person she promised she'd take care of requests she come home she sees no other choices. Thrown together in a town she'd do anything to forget about, in a family full of secrets and a dark past Jules is counting down the days when she can be free of the stigma of being a Weaver.

Emily Smith has weaved a thrilling story of the Weaver family and the serial killer that haunts them.

Amazing debut novel. Good characters and story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Take a quirky family with an eccentric father and mentally unstable mother that name all of their children after the month they were born and tell the story of their upbringing and when everything went wrong in Flashbacks and you'll have a decent serial killer mystery to get through, All the main players have flaws so it keeps you guessing who the killer is. Expertly narrated by Andi Arndt the book is well paced and I enjoyed and appreciate Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this Audio Book

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying the narrator of this audiobook was superb. No complaints here!

I always love a good story of a family of grown siblings whose lives have gone all over the place after past, shared trauma blasted them apart. Especially once they're forced to come back together and deal with it.

A happy family wrecked by the murder of one sibling, a sister (as well as other local girls), is compounded by the arrest and incarceration of their father for the murders. Their mother is a psychological mess and the family is destroyed.

It seems quite cut and dry what happened, until a decade later when Dad is still in jail but oddly similar murders start up again.

As the siblings attempt to figure out the truth, your brain will get twisted abs turned many times as you absolutely figure it all out then find out you're wrong again!

This was a great book.

I loved this audiobook. The narrator’s voice made the story come alive. The story kept me guessing until the very end. It’s a heartbreaking story of a family whose daughter went missing and the father was the prime suspect. The family is not the picture perfect family but their dysfunctional traits make them a family.