July Weaver's little sister, May, was the first victim of the Pacific Lake Serial Killer. Nine years ago, she helped put her father behind bars for the being that serial killer.
July has come home to help her family through their little brother's attempted suicide. The Weaver family has been estranged for most of the nine years since the murder of her sister and her father's subsequent arrest. But new evidence seems to pop up all over Hazel, GA, and July must face the fact that she may have convicted the wrong person.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

It is actually 3.5 stars but I am rounding down to 3 only because I felt like I am missing something. Don't get me wrong it was a book I enjoyed and I found myself wanting to go back to it to see where all the things are leading up to and if my theory was right (I was only 50% right which isn't bad) but still i felt i was missing something.

Maybe another POV? Maybe a bit more about the life of the siblings ? Just something.

Do i suggest the book to others? Yeah. It was a good one and an easy read.

Thank you to Dreamscape, NetGalley and the author for providing the copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the review copy of this audiobook.

LOVED this one! I already am a fan of the narrator, Andi Arndt. Great character development. Great twists. This will be a re-read for me for sure.

July's little sister was one of the first victim's of the Pacific Lake serial killer. Ultimately July's own personal attack and testimony put her own father behind bars. But did she get it right? Or is the killer still out there?

Good character development, but I felt the plot was lacking a little. This was still a good story, but I feel like it had potential for more.

I read this as an ARC audiobook and it was a great read/listen! It was twisty and I didn’t see the ending coming! I will definitely be reading more of the books by the author.

**4.5-stars**

Nine years ago, July Weaver's younger sister, May, was the first victim of a serial killer in rural Georgia, dubbed the Pacific Lake Killer. After July's own testimony puts her father away for the crimes, she decides she's had enough. She flees her family home to try to make it on her own in Nashville.

Struggling with addiction and not necessarily achieving all her dreams career-wise, July finds herself in a bit of a rut. Then she gets a call from her family. Ughhh, just when you think things can't get any worse...

It appears her younger brother, Dec, who also struggles with substance abuse, has had a major setback and may even have tried to take his own life. It's one of her older brothers who reaches out to her and he insists that July comes home. They need to fix this as a family. Begrudgingly, she agrees and heads home for the first time in nine long years.

July heads home expecting an uncomfortable family reunion, what she's not expecting is to discover new evidence that will make her question everything; her Dad, her choices and her sister's death. Is it possible the wrong man went away for the crimes? Is the Pacific Lake Killer still out there? And if they are, is there any way for July to make it right?

You Always Come Back was such a delightful surprise. I had no idea what to expect going into this debut, as far as quality goes, and I'll tell you, I'm tickled pink. I listened to the audiobook and recommend that as a format for people who have access to it. The narration brought this story to life and drew me in immediately.

I loved the overall tone of the story. It brought to mind a sort of hillbilly noir quality that I always enjoy. Fans of The Familiar Dark and Out of the Ashes should sit up and pay attention. This one is good!

I really enjoyed the way Smith told this story. The back-and-forth between past and present, as a way to develop the family dynamics and history, was so intriguing. I found both perspectives equally fascinating and for me, the pace never slowed down once July got back home. I do adore the trope of an MC returning to their hometown after many years away, looking into a mystery, or digging into something they have questions about. In that regard, this story fit my tastes to a tee.

In addition to that though, I just feel like this is great storytelling, start-to-finish. Interesting characters, an intriguing mystery and some unsettling atmosphere. What more can you want? I am so happy to have read this and to have a new Mystery/Suspense author to fangirl over. I'm looking forward to reading Smith's next novel!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. This one exceeded all my expectations!

The narrator, Andi Arndt, did a very good job reading the book, the pace was good and the voice changes were done well. I have to say that because the story was back and forth in time it was difficult to listen for short spurts. The story was hard to follow audio unless you had the time to listen in long segments. I had to keep going back and relisten several times because I didn't have long periods to devote to it. The story by Emily Smith was well worth the time but I think I'd. I'm reading it book form more.
The story is about a missing girl and the trials of the family left behind dealing with suspicion and loss. The stigma of people thinking the mother, father, or one of the brothers were a serial killer followed them daily. The chance that one of them could be the killer if the sister was dead, and could they be next?
I liked the story just would recommend listening for long periods or reading the book. Thank you NetGalley and publishers Dreamscape Media for this ARC this is my honest opinion.

You Always Come Back by Emily Smith is a twisted tale of family. July and her siblings come from an unconventional family that is at the heart of small town gossip. Nine years ago July's sister was a victim of a serial killer and July herself helped put the person behind bars. After that summer she moved away to create a lucrative song writing career and refused to come home until the younger brother she promised she would look out for is admitted to the hospital. She returns to her dysfunctional family to help care for her brother, December, and the longer she is at home, the more she realizes she had the facts of the summer nine years ago wrong, and might have put the wrong person in jail. The story has a few twists and the narrator helps to bring the story to life. Thank you, NetGalley, for the copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own. #EmilySmith #YouAlwaysComeBack #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia

Alright, after reading several disappointing southern thrillers I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed You Always Come Back by Emily Smith. This was my first book by the author and I can't wait to see what she writes next. I don't want to give much about the plot away but I will say this was a slow paced but incredibly engaging story. The characters in this book were all so real and I really enjoyed their development throughout the story. I think the only thing holding me back from giving this five stars was that I was able to guess the big twist from the beginning. I still really enjoyed the book though and would definitely recommend for fans of murder mysteries, family secrets, and southern gothic vibes.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

July doesn't want to come back home and face her family again. But when her brother tries to kill himself and it seems a killer is out there hunting her, she takes it upon herself to investigate. I had high hopes for this book. The narration was decent but the story did feel like it was dragging a bit throughout. I did like the ending though and was happy with the way the story wrapped up.

So I thought that I recognized this authors name from previous books, but as I’m going to write my review, I see this is a debut novel! So I am wrong!

Anyway, kudos to Emily Smith! Great job on book #1!

That being said, I really did like this one!
BUT, I felt like I read one very similar recently…which is weird in itself!
Absolutely NOT the same storyline, but the same type of ending. Which I thought was kind of strange…but then again, I read a lot…

The Weaver Family is an ODD BUNCH…to say the least.
Mom (Kathy) has schizophrenia, and so we find her doing some very odd things (eg…charging the silverware out on the front lawn…I kid you not!) 😮

Dad, on the other hand, is a total dreamer…but is not around much.
They have several children…all named for the month they were born…
(Are you getting the STRANGE vibes yet??!!??) And, Mom has a hard time trying to take care of ALL of them… hence, they take care of each other.

And then, one of the youngest, a twin, goes missing…
And then bodies start turning up…
And they seem to have a serial killer in the area.

I absolutely do not want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that people go to prison, and the town starts to feel safer…

July, who is a big sister to the girl who was taken, actually moves away to MOVE ON with her life. She begins to write songs, and totally recreates herself.

Until one day she gets a call, that brings it all crashing down… and she needs to return to small town Georgia, with her family, to try to help them all heal! But, that’s just the beginning!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which releases today, 10/10/23…so look for it on shelves now!

#YouAlwaysComeBack by #EmilySmith with excellent narration by #AndiArndt.

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

Follow me on Instagram at BookReviews_with_emsr. And let me know your thought on this one when you read it!
Thanks!!

You Always Come Back by Emily Smith

Thank you to @netgalley, @crookedlanebooks, and @emilysmithwrites for the opportunity to read this #advancedreadercopy in exchange for my #honestbookreview! Happy Pub Day to this book! ❤️

July Weaver lost her little sister nine years ago to a brutal serial killer. After years of chasing the pain away in Nashville with alcohol, affairs, and songwriting she is forced back home when her brother survives an attempt at death. The last thing she expects is to uncover new evidence that the wrong man may have been put behind bars. Will July put the proper pieces in place before it is too late?

Wow; this was stressful! The beginning had a good build up to get you invested in the characters and then it was zero to sixty with suspense. A strong lesson in never being able to know who you
can twist and who has your best interest at heart. I highly recommend for those who enjoy a small town mystery and thriller.

TW: r@pe, underage relationships, alcohol @buse, framing, animal brutality

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.25/5

I liked this one, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent! The mystery was intriguing and I was captivated right away. I listened to this whole book over the course of a day and didn’t want to stop! I loved the author’s writing style and look forward to reading more by her in the future.

Emily Smith's debut, YOU ALWAYS COME BACK, takes her protagonist back to a small town in rural Georgia, where her younger sister was the first Pacific Lake serial killer's victim.

The past and present collide in this haunting, gripping psychological suspense of family, deception, loyalty, and murder.

July Weaver left her Georgia hometown years ago and has never looked back. The Pacific Lake Killer murdered her younger sister and other women. July's testimony put her father, Harry, in prison.

She now lives in Nashville, focusing on her music career and trying to put her dysfunctional family and the horrors of the past. She cannot face the lake that killed her sister and the other dead girls.

The Weaver family includes six siblings (two/twins), all named for the month they were born. Auggie and April are home with their mother, Kathy.

Kathy, the mother, has a long history of mental illness. However, her brother Mark calls her to come home regarding the youngest brother, Deck, who has attempted suicide and is detoxing in the psych ward.

July, the protagonist, is the eldest. From past to present, we learn about her sister May and the events of the murder and other women.

However, there is new evidence, and now she is questioning that possibly her dad did not commit the murders. If she was wrong, the real killer is still out there.

Who will be next? They all are in danger.

YOU ALWAYS COME BACK explores family relationships, loyalty, good vs. evil, complex family dysfunction, and mental health where no one seems to be as they appear—a chilling tale of buried sins and dark family secrets.

If you enjoy atmospheric, Southern twisty small-town family dynamics, crime, and mystery with a twist of Gothic, this is for you. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next!

I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Andi Arndt for a captivating experience.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for an ALC and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC via NetGalley for an honest opinion.

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Oct 10, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Oct 2023 Must-Read Books

You Always Come Back is a pageturner that leaves the reader guessing who in the Weaver family is responsible for the deaths of women in their small town. I loved this book! Fast paced, compelling characters, and a heart-racing storyline.

I loved following July as she retraced her steps to find out just who killed her younger sister, and who could be next. This was a gritty mystery full of red herrings, highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I love a great small town where everyone thinks they know everything. This book had be hooked from the beginning! Definitely a great thriller.

I got this audio from NetGalley and had very high hopes I’d enjoy it. I’m definitely in the minority here since others loved it and gave it high ratings. Maybe it’s just not my “cup of tea”? I just thought it was ok. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release.

This was such a great psychological thriller! I loved the dual timelines which told the story of solving the murder of one of the youngest siblings as well as other women in the small town 9 years ago and how the main character, July, was not so sure it was solved correctly today. It was interesting to see how all the siblings were effected from the fallout of the murder, and I honestly would have loved if the author went into more detail with this! I feel like we got a good description of July, but I would have loved to know more about the other siblings too. This thriller kept me guessing and on my toes though, and I truly enjoyed it! Perfect read for this spooky season!
I also really loved the narrator and can't say enough wonderful things!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’m thoroughly impressed with Smith’s debut novel. It was well written and I was able to follow the story line well. It’s in the then-and-now format. The narrator’s voice can really make or break an audiobook and Andi Arndt really made this book one you didn’t want to put down. Normally, I would leave audiobooks for the car and work, but I just needed to know the ending of this one, so I kept listening at home. I did predict the ending, but that honestly didn’t take away from the book at all. I really liked the main character and how honest she was. She was a flawed character and I really like it when authors don’t make the characters perfect. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a new author.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the ARC #YouAlwaysComeBack by #EmilySmith. This book is phenomenal. I felt like I was right along side the Weaver family and was totally shocked with the ending. I have just become an Emily Smith fan.