Bring Me Back is a thriller from start to finish! I loved this story and the way it was written, separated into the before and after of the disappearance of Layla; Finn McQuaid's girlfriend and now, it seems, tormentor.

Years ago, Finn and Layla went on a trip and Layla disappeared at a rest stop. Finn gives his account of what happened to the cops, though not all of what happened. He fears the truth will make it look like he murdered her.

Later, Finn meets Ellen, Layla's older sister. He slowly falls in love with Ellen and they begin to talk marriage. Ellen even puts a message in the paper about their upcoming nuptials. That is when everything starts to fall apart.

It seems that Layla really is not dead. Whoever is contacting wants Finn to do something for first, but that would mean hurting Ellen. Finn struggles with knowing that if he does what is asked of him, he can see Layla again, but that could irreparably hurt Ellen. But if this really is a head game and Layla is dead, then he would hurt Ellen for no reason.

While this story did have a neat premise, I figured it out halfway through the book. Though to be fair, the author leaves a ton of clues so it's kind of hard not to get it. Still, this was a fun read and I really enjoyed myself!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.

This is a good modern thriller. It's different than the usual and I found the story really interesting. There were plenty of twists and turns right to the end.

Entertaining. I read it all.

Finn is a douche. Why is the rich white boy with an anger problem that gets bailed out of everything the main protagonist? He's not clever or funny. He's not someone to sympathize with or care about. I can't even properly root against him, he's so unseasoned. Who fucking cares? Not me!

All the tug of war whining and conjecture was annoying. Especially coming from Finn.

It's not a unique twist. I did see it as a possibility but kept thinking no way because all the characters could be THAT dumb, right? Wrong. They were. And I'm insulted that Paris though I'd be *shocked* and *awed* by it.

It's so silly and unbelievable. As in not fucking possible. And that throwaway line trying to be deep at the end *eyeroll*

Haven't read B.A. Paris's previous work. Don't plan on reading anything else by her.


Spoiler Shit: See Goodreads review.

I struggled to finish this book. Though the overall idea was good the writing didn't grab me and keep my attention. I can't say if the writing was uneven or too drawn out or too predictable but my brain kept saying put it down.

Another fantastic book by B.A. Paris.
Absolutely loved this, I was hooked within the first few pages. So many twists and turns, and I was so surprised by the ending! Absolutely loved it. Will definitely recommend.

Bring Me Back is a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing from page one. I thought I had figured out what happened and where the dolls were coming from then flip! Perfect read for a summer day relaxing! Thanks to St Martin’s and Netgalley for my free ebook for review.

A rollercoaster psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns, a great read! Would recommend for fans for this genre,

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A suspense novel with a few twists at the end.

I am starting off this review with the simple fact. B.A. Paris is an amazing writer who has the ability to create twisted and tense narratives which will keep you guessing until the end. In her previous two novels, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS and THE BREAKDOWN, I was captivated by the characters and pulled into the stories by building suspense as each page went by. So...now onto BRING ME BACK.

Unlike some of the reviews I was seeing, I didn't hate BRING ME BACK and here is why. The fast paced nature allowed me to devour it all in one sitting which may be why I liked it. The characters were interesting enough, but the context and plot of the story is where I started getting interested in the book. Reading how the author unraveled the layers of lies and secrets to get to the conclusion is where it shined for me. Could there have been more malice or tension? Sure. However, I question why the author didn't do it. We all know she can, so maybe there is more to be said about why she told the story this way.

Bottom line. Is it as good as Paris' first two books? No. Does it have an interesting premise with few twists and turns at the end? Yes. I believe that readers who are looking for what the author brought us in the past may not be happy with this novel. However, I do think it has merit. This one would be for readers who are looking for a lighter psychological thriller with an unusual ending.

I am still a fan of the author's and will continue to read her books. I cannot wait to see what she gives us next.

i don't usually like these kinds of thrillers but this one had me hooked. It's a real page turner. A man's fiancée disappears; ten years later he has a new life a new fiancée, when his missing fiancée's things start appearing around his house. Chilling! Terrifying! Not fabulous writing, yet I could not put this book down, Thanks #netgalley for the advance copy.

I became a B.A. Paris fan after reading her debut novel Behind Closed Doors. So, I decided to add her to my auto check author list. Her next book, The Breakdown, was okay, but not what I expected. So, I was hoping to get a good story from Ms. Paris with Bring Me Back, but this one just did not make the mark for me.
I was fully enthralled with “Part One” of the story, dark creepy night, they stop at a rest stop so Finn can take a bathroom break and when he returns, Layla is missing. The story is told from alternating viewpoints which I usually don’t have a problem with, but I found it difficult with this story. It just did not keep my interest. I even put the book down for a few days so I could come back hoping to see things differently. I discovered the plot twist a few chapters and was desperately hoping for something that would WOW me or cause me say “I did not see that coming,” but to no avail.
I still appreciate Ms. Paris’ writing style and will continue to buy her books, but I hope she gets back to her Behind Closed Doors type of book.

3.5 stars Paris has done it again! She’s managed to write yet another suspenseful novel that keeps the reader guessing until the last chapter! Once I started reading this book, I was immediately captivated and in for the ride.

Bring Me Back combines deceit and obsessive love with a twist of psychedelic mystery. Layla and Finn have been dating just over a year when she inexplicably disappears from their car during a pit stop on their way home from a ski trip. Finn leaves Layla in the car to use the restroom and when he comes back she is gone....vanished into thin air. The police can’t find her and so she is considered a missing person - most likely abducted at the rest stop. 12 years later Finn has tried to move on despite his uncertainty of what happened that fateful night. He is now dating Layla’s sister Ellen and has recently proposed to her after being together just over a year. This is when strange things start to happen to Finn that may indicate Layla is alive. Finn, caught in the middle of wanting to know the truth versus his loyalty to Ellen, starts to unravel and so the story continues....

The start of this book was fantastic. It is one of those well written thrillers that hijacks the reader immediately. As the plot progresses, there is an anxious uncertainty as to what is going to happen next. As anticipation builds, we are given scenarios that may be somewhat farfetched and hard to believe; however, if one is able to enjoy the twists as they come and suspend reality to a degree, it is easy to succumb to the plot. And wow! I did not personally see that ending coming! Unpredictable endings is one of Paris’ strengths!!

In all, it is a thriller that will most likely capture your attention and keep you on your toes. A fast read that is great for the summer.

A gracious thank you to B A Paris & St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book. Bring Me Back is now available.

This was such a great book. I definitely did not see all the twists that the book would have in store and it ended in such a surprising way that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is definitely a book I would recommend! I can’t wait to read more by this author!

I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review.

Finn's wife disappears during a road trip. Now, ten years later he is engaged to his wife's sister. Weeks before the wedding, Finn receives a call that his wife has been seen. He starts to receive warnings and mysterious messages from his wife. Is she really back, and if so, what does she want?

This is my first read by B.A. Paris and it has encouraged me to read some of her other books that are on my to be read shelf. If they have as many horrific descriptions, and told in multiple views by like real characters.

Twisty-turny, gripping and downright heart pounding. I loved this booked. It was everything that I want in this genre! I have found a new favorite author.

This is my first book from this author. I thought it was ok. The writing was good and it was suspenseful but the story moved along slowly and was drawn out. Also the characters were underdeveloped and unlikable. There was a big twist at the end but it was unbelievable. Luckily this was an easy and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of B.A. Paris' "Bring Me Back" in exchange of an honest review.

After recovering from the disappearance of the woman he loved, a man begins to receive messages that indicate she might have returned. The man is trying to move on with his life but becomes more and more convinced that someone has other plans. Author B.A. Paris returns with another thriller that will leave readers unsatisfied and shaking their heads in dismay with Bring Me Back.

It’s been 12 years since Finn McQuaid’s fiancé, Layla, went missing. Not a week goes by that he hasn’t thought of the mysterious way she slipped away from his life. On the way home from a skiing trip, Finn stopped at a picnic area to use the restroom. When he came back to the car, Layla was no longer in it.

More than a decade later, Finn still can’t shake his unease about the situation. Still, he’s moved on, including meeting someone new. Ironically, even that normal act won’t let him forget Layla, because the person he’s now engaged to is her sister, Ellen.

By most accounts, the relationship developed through a natural series of events. The two met in the aftermath of Layla’s disappearance, became friends, then lovers, and now live together. Finn proposed to Ellen because he cares for her, but he also doesn’t want Ellen to compare herself to Layla or feel he doesn’t love her the same way he did her sister.

For the most part, Finn and Ellen are happy. Then Finn receives a call from the police detective who worked on Layla’s case. A former neighbor claims to have spotted Layla in town.

Finn tries to brush off his suspicions and even the budding hope that Layla has returned. A part of him has always loved her, and even though he had nothing to do with her disappearance he feels guilty for the way they fought not long before she went missing. Could it be that she left of her own will and now wants to give their relationship another chance?

He starts getting cryptic emails claiming to be from Layla, and Finn finds himself trapped between his current life and his former one. Other messages follow, and Finn begins lying to Ellen as well as his friends. He decides the only way to make peace with his past and Layla is to solve the mystery himself.

Author B.A. Paris’ third book outdoes the incredulity of her previous two novels. Smart readers will figure out about halfway through this latest thriller what’s actually going on and why Layla chooses to stay hidden instead of meeting Finn face to face. The “mysterious” emails become tedious as do the Russian dolls meant to be a key plot device. Readers will get impatient with Finn and Layla, and as the story unfolds that impatience is sure to give way to eyerolling.

Problematic, too, is Ellen’s passivity during the entire story until the climax. It’s only believable up to a certain point that she would remain so patient with Finn’s increasing aloofness toward her, and astute readers will question early on why she’s content to let Finn’s bizarre behavior fly without comment. In the world of thrillers, her lethargy in this scenario can only mean one of a few things. Paris reveals too much, most likely without intention, by her choices in Ellen’s characterization.

Readers wanting a quick-fix thriller in between more substantial, meaty books might like this one; otherwise, I recommend readers Bypass Bring Me Back.

I am afraid I was disappointed by this author's third novel, after really enjoying "Behind Closed Doors" and liking "The Breakdown." It was not a gripping read. The development of the central female character in this story was especially lacking, like I was being "told" what she was like, rather than watching her develop throughout the narrative. Similarly with the central male character, we were told about main personality traits (important to the story), rather than shown, beyond a few cursory ways. I found the premise of the story really interesting, but the development fell flat soon after it started. 3/5.

Twelve years ago, Finn's girlfriend disappeared while they were vacationing in France. Finn told the police that while stopped at a service station, Layla simply vanished. That was basically the truth....but not the whole truth. Now years later he is engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. But someone is sending strange emails and leaving things for both Ellen and Finn to find.....things that hint Layla might not be dead. If Layla is alive, what does she want? And if she's dead.....who is stalking them?

All I can say is.....wow. As I read this book, I thought I knew what the ending was going to be. I had it all mapped out in my head. But, the story managed to wallop me with a complete surprise. I love it when that happens!

Bring Me Back is a psychological thriller. Most of the story is told from Finn's point of view, with a few chapters from Layla's perspective. The whole situation is completely screwed up....Layla gone for 12 years, Finn getting ready to marry her sister, Finn never telling the truth about what happened. Then Russian nesting dolls start showing up everywhere. Layla and her sister both loved those dolls as a child. Now dolls show up on their backyard fence, on the windshield of their car, tucked in with their bill at a restaurant.... Seriously creepy. Not to mention the emails. Someone hinting that Layla isn't dead. Slowly, the story unfolds and Finn tells the truth.....but the whole story doesn't come into focus until the last few pages. The epilogue....the very last page of the book....brings it all full circle. Chilling, creepy and awesome!

This is the first book by B.A. Paris that I have read. I'm definitely coming back for more!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Finn’s first engagement ended painfully when his fiancée, Layla, went missing at a rest stop in France. Initially accused of having something do with her disappearance, he retreated into a small community and built a life for himself. Years later, his fiancée assumed dead, he meets her sister Ellen for the first time at a memorial for Layla and they unexpectedly connect. Now they are living together and engaged when some odd things begin to happen, things that lead him to believe Layla may be alive after all, returned for some reason, and playing some sort of game with him. Fearful that he won’t be believed, he keeps the strange messages to himself, until he can’t anymore. Could Layla really be alive? If so, why return now, after all these years? Why play these games rather than show herself? Why contact him and not her sister? If it isn’t her, who is doing this to him and why?

Bring Me Back is my second read of B.A. Paris’s work, and so far, my favorite. Though it had one shortcoming that cost it a star, 4 stars is still an excellent rating in my book! In the beginning, there are so many questions about what really happened at that rest stop, and the truth is revealed in small snippets throughout the story. Just when you think you know what’s happening, new information comes to light to flip the story around, until you no longer trust your instincts. In the end, one of my suspicions was confirmed, though the details were a bit questionable. In fact, my one issue with the story hangs on that particular detail, as it was my sole argument for why what I was thinking couldn’t be true. That concern was not addressed properly, and my logical brain just can’t let it go.

If you liked The Breakdown, I suspect you’ll enjoy Bring Me Back even more. The conflict resolution, though questionable, is also uncommon, making this particular story wholly original.

3.5 stars, This was a super fast read, I briefly thought I figured it out then doubted myself the rest of the way through with other theories, but then was completely wrong anyway. There was a point midway when I thought okay move it along now , so that's why it didn't get the 4 star rating.