Bring Me Back... well it didn't BRING ME a five star read BUT I was definitely impressed with this one way more then her first two novels.

B.A. Paris delivers a clever and unique psychological thriller that surrounds Russian dolls. Yes... Russian dolls.. Surprisingly, I actually liked the concept of the dolls. It was different and something that I don't see all the time. The author didn't stump me on the twist... my detective skills don't ever let me down ;).

It's funny because I've seen numerous reviews that have stated that out of all B.A Paris' novels that this was their least favorite. Well.. folks surprise surprise this was MY favorite out of all three.

What I have noticed about B.A Paris' writing style is something I'm not too fond of. I feel like every character has a "paranoia" style. I'm not even sure how to describe it... It's constantly "what if this" or Omg what if this..." This gets on my nerves... a lot.

Let's meet Layla and Finn. Layla and Finn are traveling throughout France when they decide to pull over on the side of the road. Finn goes into the restroom and leaves Laya in the car. Upon Finn's return, Layla is nowhere to be found. An investigation is conducted and she has disappeared. Finn is devastated without the love of his life Layla.

A few years go by and Finn is contacted by Layla's sister Ellen. Soon Finn and Ellen's relationship takes off into a romance. Ellen and Finn are engaged ready to get married... but then all of a sudden Ellen finds a missing Russian doll that she had as a child. Where did this come from? Only three people know about the story with these Russian dolls: Ellen, Finn, and Layla.

Soon... this dark web starts to emerge with Russian dolls everywhere. Finn is starting to get messages from an unknown person that reveals herself to be Layla. After all these years... could it be true?

Well.. people welcome to this sh.t show party of three lol. Ironically, this was actually quite entertaining and it was a super fast read for me!

This wasn't one of my absolute favorite thrillers but it wasn't bad. I'll give it to Paris.

I did feel the ending was a tad rushed which I'm not a fan of at all and left me with some unanswered questions.

Overall... 3.5 stars for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced arc.

Publication date: 6/19/18
Published to GR: 5/13/18

I received this book in return for an honest review and I hate to say it but this was a tough read for me. I wanted to love it as much as behind closed doors but it just did nothing for me.

From the beginning I wasn’t a fan of the MC’s. I disliked them and not in Gone Girls kind of way. The characters in that story were not like able people but I could’t put their story down. This one I couldn’t pick up. It took me forever to read and I found none of the revaluations surprising. Long before the big reveal I was ready for it all to be over.

Outside of the MC’s the supporting characters were not much better. You have the local bar owner who maybe/maybe not be vindictive. You have the rich guy who is always willing to help the MC out of trouble but is treated like trash and is never thanked. Then you have the 2-3 MC’s with plenty of flaws but I failed to see any redeeming qualities or reasons to care. I hate saying that but I just never got into this on.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book to review! It was a quick read for me, but I could NOT put it down! Woosah this was a twisty little mind bender that I thought I had figured out, thought it was predictable actually, and then BOOM, no sir I most certainly did not have it figured out at all! This book was fast paced, it kept me guessing, and even the epilogue had me like huh, didn't see that as the resolution, but I quite liked it.

Brief synopsis (no spoilers, don't worry) - Finn and Layla are in love and on their way back from a mini vacation. He stops late at night at a rest stop to use the bathroom and comes back to the car to find her GONE. 12 years later it is present day, she was never found, and Finn has moved on, and is about to get married, to her SISTER, and then of course, the past comes back..... Because you cannot move onto your MISSING GF's SISTER WITHOUT ANYTHING HAPPENING. Geez. OK, that is all I will say, just get ready to read the book when it comes out in June! So good!

This was my first B.A. Paris book, I have another one in my TBR but haven't gotten to it yet (per usual if you know me and my TBR), but I will be moving it up on my list for sure.

I enjoyed it and wanted to read to the end to find out what happened., but...
It drove me crazy that the author asked so many questions for you, when I felt like that should be left to the reader.
It happened quite a bit throughout the whole book.
I liked Behind Closed Doors so much more.

Excellent. Excellent. Very good. Riveting. Thriller. Suspended my reality for a while. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t want to give any spoilers. I was difficult to put down

I’ve been a huge fan of previous books and this one was no different. The first chapter made me think of so many things and pulled me in. There are so many reveals that you have no idea were coming. On the way home from a trip Layla disappears while Finn is in the bathroom. 12 years later Finn is now with her sister. Strange things start happening. What is going on with the ruissan dolls? Did Finn have something to do with Layla’s disappearance or was it her sister, now his partner? If you are looking for a suspenseful beach read this summer this is the one for you.

A chilling, suspense filled thriller that I found to be both original and yet faithful to the genre as a whole.

I loved the story line, the characters, the mystery & suspense and most of all the ending! What a twist!

This book was so cleverly written and kept me turning pages late into the night. I just could NOT put it down! And, the ending... STUNNED, SHOCKED & IN AWE are the only ways I can describe it!

#BringMeBack #NetGalley

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & St. Martin's Press in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Wow! Yet another endless page turner from this author, I had read her other books, and this book has been by far my favorite. I have lost sleep over this book, needing to know what is going to happen next. The constant rave turning, had me on edge, wanting more and more with every page I turned. This book has left me with my mouth wide open, unable to believe how it has ended.

Sometimes you read an author’s work and realize that you and the author just don’t “click”, that is the case with me and B.A. Paris. I had read “Behind Closed Doors” and did not really enjoy it but I was willing to give this new book a read. This is what I discovered.

The author has a writing style that “tells” rather than “shows” the reader what is going on. It also includes lots and lots of questions for the reader to ruminate on, example “I had put it down to a sensitivity for my feelings--but could her reserve have been for a darker, secret reason? Had Layla somehow made her way back to Lewis after she disappeared from the picnic area? Is that why Ellen has brought me here, why she left the link to CalMac ferries on her computer, because Layla is there?” This is just one example, there are many, many questions addressed to the reader and for me this just doesn’t work in fact the repetitive use of this format is somewhat irritating.

I like strong characters in my books, no matter what genre, and Layla, Ellen and Finn are not well described or developed. We know very little of their lives except what is happening in the present, and even that is questionable since they are unreliable narrators. Harry, Finn’s previous partner and now still a friend and Ruby, Finn’s ex-girlfriend, are very minimally described.

The premise was interesting, “A young British couple are driving through France on holiday when they stop for gas. He runs in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns her car door has been left open, but she's not inside. No one ever sees her again. “

“As more and more questions are raised, their marriage becomes strained. Has his first love somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?”

I could go on but I will just annoy the fans of this book and this author so I will just chalk it up to not enjoying the writing style. The ending was interesting but I was left thinking “really, this is the answer we get”, it just was not plausible. I’m willing to suspend belief for a while, particularly with thrillers, but this was just not worth the effort in the end.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Will post to Amazon upon publication

100 ⭐️ to this book! Serious Psychological Thriller fans will NOT want to miss out on reading this book! B.A. Paris is one of the most talented writers we have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing!
So... this book... not sure if I'm alone here but I spent the first couple of chapters thinking Layla's relationship to Finn & Ellen was something completely different than what I learned it was (notice the careful way that is phrased as not to give spoilers). So like the awesome way Paris delivers twists.. this was no different! From the beginning, we were hooked. You will read furiously through this book! I started one morning, read through the day, and finished at 2:00am. I couldn't put it down! My suspicions about the ending were confirmed but honestly it didn't take away from my love of this book!
This was the twistiest, most suspenseful, thrillingly wonderful story!! We can't wait for more from B.A. Paris!!

B.A Paris has done it again. This book was extremely addictive and I couldn't wait to see what happened. I was invested in the characters and felt the pacing was excellent. I was hyped for this one and it didn't disappoint. Five stars!!

I have read B.A. Paris other two books; one I loved and the other I felt was a very cookie cutter type of thriller/suspense novel. What I liked about this latest book was the fact that I wanted to see how it turned out - if what I thought half way trough was going to be the actual ending. It was with a tiny twist. I really liked the idea behind this book, what I am getting frustrated with is the drawn out approach or disseminating the info to the readers. Being a huge fan of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and their ilk, this new style of mystery thriller I find lacking in the great build up.
So many parts of this book I don't feel true to how a person would react in real life, and that always bothers me. I do like how the author sets up the book in the past and present times, and from the two different characters perspective, I just don't like how those character come across, they were at most times inane conversations, with no depth whatsoever. I can not imagine any couple of friends having the superficial and sparse conversations they all had.
Oh well, the book was a fast read, parts were engaging, many though you just wanted to speed read through to get to something of interest. I like this genre, I just like it better when it is well done.

I really enjoyed this mystery. It was so unlike anything I have ever read before. I really do not know what more to say as I really do not want to spoil anything for anyone. If you like good mysteries and little twists this would be a great choice for you. I felt the finish was perfect for this story although not quite what I expected. I will definitely look for more from B.A. Paris

I enjoyed this BA Paris novel but not as much as their previous books, something was lacking
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Was very excited to read this as I LOVED "Behind Closed Doors" - while I didn't enjoy it as much, I was still eager to keep reading. The story flips back & forth from past to present & from the perspective of different characters. I felt the ending was a little far fetched and so, it was disappointing.

I was really excited to read this book! It was paced just right, with an unexpected ending! Would definitely recommend!

I love B.A. Paris novels. Although this novel is not quite as good as Behind Close Doors. I really liked this book . By the time I was sure I figured it out I was dreading the ending because I knew what was going to happen but I still liked it.

WOW!!! What an emotional roller coaster! One of the best stories I’ve read in some time. Highly recommend!!