Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

July Weaver’s sister was killed by a serial killer nine years ago. It was July’s testimony that put her father in jail. July hasn’t been home since then but when her brother has a problem, she returns. July questions what happened all those years ago and is her father the killer.

Solid mystery that goes from now to July’s childhood. There are six kids raised by a mentally ill mother and distant father. Lots of history and complicated relationships. Highly recommend.

Excellent narration by Andi Arndt.

Wow, didn't expect that ending.

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. Unable to bear the weight of residing in the same town any longer, July fled to Nashville, seeking solace and a chance to start fresh. For nearly a decade, she successfully avoided looking back. Until a distressing call informed her that one of her brothers had attempted suicide. This news compelled July to confront her past and return home. Little did she know that in doing so, she would stumble upon new evidence related to the Pacific Lake Serial Killer case. Could it be possible that she wrongfully accused her own father? If that's the case, then who is the true perpetrator?

I was certain that I had the story completely figured out, but the author's unexpected twist left me pleasantly surprised and wanting more. This novel is a must-read for anyone in search of an engaging mystery with an unpredictable plot twist. Highly recommend!

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Smith, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I enjoyed this one so much! Incredibly surprised that this is a debut novel. Emily Smith plotted this out wonderfully and had me guessing between different people, over and over! Excellent character development, likeable characters. Always love a Nashville mention. I listened to the audio and the narration was also well executed!! Bravo, Emily Smith! Can’t wait to see what all you come to with next.

Sadly had to DNF this book. I couldn’t get into it at all & it feels like many books I’ve already read.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio arc!

This is a thrilling read full of vibrant characters! Smith does a wonderful job of weaving the past into the present, showing us scenes that jump off the page and form vivid images in the reader's mind. The book is beautifully executed, the story having a satisfying and full circle ending. I truly stayed up too late to finish it, because once you start, you don't want to stop. An easily 5 star read!

When her brother suffers a relapse, and possible suicide attempt, July Weaver returns to her childhood home, and reunites with the siblings she’s been estranged from for almost a decade. Along with trying to repair the damaged relationships she tried to leave behind, she begins looking into the facts surrounding the case of her younger sister, who went missing and was found dead years before.
I would have liked this better if it was just a family drama, instead of the whole murder mystery part. The dysfunctional family story was the best part of the book; the who-done-it weakened it, especially the climactic ending.
Closer to three and a half, because I didn’t care for the finale, but I’m rounding up because I really liked the rest.
Thanks to #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for this #arc of #youalwayscomeback in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut!!! First the narrator matched the main character perfectly!! With tone, annotations, inflection of voice and mannerisms!! Excellent narration!

Second I rate my stars on how much the book had me thinking about it, wishing I was reading/listening and by how much I really don’t want it to end or how much I feel I will think about the book once it’s over. I absolutely loved the realness of the Weaver family, their brokenness, dysfunction, sibling relationships, uniqueness and could relate to each of them in some way. Each character was so well written!! Story is told from oldest sister July and alternates between now and then timeline, now bring current and she goes back to Pacific Georgia her hometown to aid with some family crisis after getting out of there following her dads conviction of being a serial murderer and killing her younger sister. Before being when her sister was missing and leading up to the conviction. Don’t want to give any more away but I LOVED THIS BOOK!! Listen to it!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for my audio version in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!!

Listening to this on audio was probably one of the best decisions i could have made. This book was amazing!!! Emily sure knows how to keep you on your toes. I could not stop listening to this book! Obsessed!

⚡️🎧 𝔸𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕠𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 🎧⚡️

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: You Always Come Back
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Emily Smith
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: Andi Arndt
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: October 10
4⭐️

Thank you so much to @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
Wow guys - this book! I can’t believe this is the author @emilysmithwrites debut! This book will drawl you in and have you hanging on to the words page by page!

July Weaver is the main character of this suspenseful thriller. Nine Years prior, her little sister was a victim of the Pacific Lake Killer, a serial killer. July’s testimony put her father in jail for the crimes! Present day, July’s brother tries to jump off a bridge and July is whisked back to her hometown again to reunite with her remaining 4 siblings and mother.

While in town, July stumbles upon some things that has her questioning if she was right all those years ago on who the killer was..

This book featured a family with extremely complicate dynamics and a shared past trauma that haunted each of them in different ways. The Weaver kids had a way of taking care of themselves and coming together when they needed to, despite their constant bickering. The family dynamics in this book will keep you hooked until the very end. I was questioning if July was wrong on who she thought the killer was and wouldn’t have guessed how this book turned out until it was revealed!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Andi Arndt was the perfect voice for July Weaver. She had grit, a specific hardness to her voice, and a twang that came through. Andi voiced July’s emotions with everything she said and did, and you could feel that come through with all of the side character siblings as well. They’ve had a tough upbringing and I don’t think it could have been voiced any better!

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
⚡️ Family Drama
⚡️ Serial Killer Mysteries
⚡️ Small Town Antics
⚡️ Complicated Family Dynamics

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so interesting and I was kept guessing throughout. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters and how they were intertwined with the current day chapters. This was a good mystery and really kept me guessing as to who the murder was and why May had been killed.

This book had all the necessary components to be a great mystery/suspense book! July Weaver moved away from her family and hometown to escape her past- she was a big reason her dad is in prison after several murders occurred during her childhood, including her little sister May. She is forced to come back home to help her younger brother Dec and after some events occur, she can’t help but think if the Pacific Lake Killer is really her dad, or someone else who has got away scotch free. Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Emily Smith (author), and Andi Arndt (narrator) for an opportunity to listen to an ARC of You Always Come Back in exchange for my honest review!

"You Always Come Back" by Emily Smith is a thriller with a lot of family drama. It has an excellent balance between character development and plot. July is the main character and her parents, Harry and Kathy, and her 3 brothers, August (Aug), March (Marc), December (Dec) and younger sister, April, are the other central characters. We get to know them well in this book. The Mom, Kathy, has schizophrenia. Dec has drug addiction. Aug is the caretaker for April and Kathy. July has been writing country music in Nashville and has gone through alcoholism. She has been trying to help care for Dec and has taken him to rehab more than once.

The book alternates between Then and Now. "Then" was the time July's little sister, May, went missing. She was 8 at the time, as was her twin sister, April. "Now" is nine years later when July is summoned back home by Auggy because Dec tries to kill himself. It turns out that May isn't the only girl who disappears. It's a murder mystery.

I recommend this book for lovers of thrillers. I appreciate the narrator, Andi Arndt for her clear reading, distinct voices for each character, and excellent voice acting!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’m probably going to keep thinking about this book for awhile.

Small town mystery, complicated family dynamics, perceived unreliable characters.

I didn’t see the twist coming so I enjoyed that quite a bit.

The narrator did a great job as well.

I enjoyed this thriller! I didn't guess whodunnit, which kept me on my toes and had me guessing until the very end! I don't know if I actually liked any of the characters, but that didn't deter me from liking the actual story. I did enjoy the narration of the story though! I would recommend to others!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

For July returning home after 9 years away is the most dangerous thing she can do but she can’t help but come back to save her brother. Along the way she hopes to find the closure and the pieces she was missing all along.
This book had so much detail, I loved it. The characters were great and varied in a way that I could easily believe as a family. There was an element of love, but not cheesy or over the top. I’m giving this a solid 4 stars because I really wanted to know what was happening and the ending was soooo good. Thank you NetGalley for the arc!!

A family all named after months. One sister becomes the victim of a serial killer. One father convicted of murder, partly because of the testimony of one of his own children. One family whose kids are now grown and trying to move on. July now lives in Nashville and is making a career of music. Family issues bring her back home. She has to deal with a lot of past trauma and the family is a hot mess. Lots of twists and things as they dredge up the past and try to make peace for their future.

The narration was well done! I enjoyed the flashbacks which helped piece the story together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

You Always Come Back is a debut by Emily Smith and it was so good!! I was able to listen to the audio version of the book. This story is told in the third person with July as the main character and goes from past to present.

July is the oldest daughter of six kids in the Weaver family who live in Georgia. All the girls are named after the month they were born in except for the twins one was named April and one May. The boys are Auggie, Mark, and Declan.

The “Pacific Lake Killer” is on the loose and girls around the town go missing and May is found dead. All fingers point to July’s Dad and her testimony helps put him away.

Flash forward to the present, July now goes by Jules Thomas is a successful musician living in Nashville. She has struggled with substance abuse, but has been clean. Her mother suffers from mental illness and has been in and out of hospitals. Declan’s been battling alcohol and substance abuse and has been in/out of treatment facilities. Mark lives in New York and works on Wall Street. They don’t visit home. Auggie takes care of April and their mom. The events of what happened made them enemies of the town and strangers amongst themselves. The pain of their sisters death, their mothers illness and their fathers arrest was too much for them to bear. Auggie is getting married and called them all back to town and memories start to come back to her. She starts to learn things she never knew. She starts to question everything she thought she knew happened that summer.

This book deals with mental health, alcoholism, drug use, death, murder. The book is also about family and loyalty. There were so many twists and turns in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and blown away that it was her debut novel. I give this 4.5 stars!! Thanks you to Dreamscape Media, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the ARC audio in exchange for my honest review.

This was a decent and fast read. I'll definitely look into more from the author but not sure if buy them.

This book was a LOT! There was so much sadness, anger, and fucked-up-ness going on! I am glad that it ended on a kind of happy note...but getting there was super tense. And her brother (you have to figure out which one) was a total bag of dicks and totally fucked up! This was a wild ride from start to finish and I was totally here for it! This was my 1st book by Emily Smith but I will be keeping my eyes peeled for her next one!

#YouAlwaysComeBack
#NetGalley

While I really enjoyed the premise of this book, I found it to be a little predictable. I immediately guessed what was happening which is kind of a bummer. The other issue I had with the book was the flowery language and the constant memories Jules had that felt completely irrelevant to the plot. I think quite a bit of the story could’ve been cut out and it wouldn’t have distracted from the plot.

The key thing that saved this for me was the narrator. She did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed listening to her. Rating this a 3.5 stars, but rounding up for the author's benefit.