Who'd have thought Russian Stacking Dolls could be nefarious? Turns out, they are when they suddenly start appearing on the fence outside your house, on your car, in the mail, and even with the check at a restaurant.

Twelve years after Finn's girlfriend, Layla, disappeared while they were holidaying in France, Finn has moved on and is engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. We're immediately pulled into the intrigue of what happened to Layla, what Finn knows, and more importantly, what he had to do with it. The only thing we know for sure is that Finn lied to the police and that he is one of those problematic and unlikeable characters that I, personally, love.

Suddenly, Finn is told that a neighbor saw Layla outside their cottage in St Marys. Then, little Russian dolls start appearing, and Ellen becomes convinced that Layla is alive. Finn thinks someone else is harassing them, especially once emails start arriving from someone wanting to buy the cottage, casting doubt on almost everything. He becomes paranoid and secretive, especially with Ellen, and when he's asked to make a choice between past and present, things start to spiral even further out of control.

Bring Me Back is a bit of a slow burn, told in three parts and two voices. While I had figured out the likeliest scenario about halfway through the book, there was enough clever misdirection and other problematic characters for it to still keep me second-guessing. Even once I had figured it out for sure, there were still a couple of surprises. The conclusion is both tragic and satisfying at the same time.

While I haven't read any of Ms Paris' previous works, I'm told this one is a little different. Don't let that put you off. It's definitely a good, quick read.

Ahhhhhh... I have such mixed feelings about this book. I don't know where to start or how to properly review without giving away spoilers, but I just had such high hopes throughout the first half of this story and then... meh.

This was my first B.A. Paris book. I've heard great things about the author and this book in particular, the buzz was deafening, but for me it just fell flat.

Don't get me wrong, the premise was so intriguing and I jumped right in with all the whodunit questions. I jumped from character to character with the turn of every page, not knowing who knew what, who did what, and these are EXACTLY the style of books I love. Unfortunately, I had major suspicions about 50% through, and I was pretty much correct - but the execution just made me more or less angry. It's like those books where you're so dumbfounded, you have no idea whats going to happen, you're so excited for those super fun twisty turny clues and then everything starts falling into place. But this was not the case with Bring Me Back. It felt like a cop-out at the end. It was like - the whole story was questions, and then you get all the answers in one final chapter and you're like... ummm what? I dunno - it felt lazy at the end, unconnected a bit, and pretty unbelievable.

The basic story is that Finn meets Layla, they fall in love and then one night, as they're stopped at a gas station rest stop, Finn returns from the restroom and Layla is gone. Did she leave, was she forced or kidnapped? Ten years later, Finn is about to marry someone else, and clues begin to appear raising questions as to if Layla is alive, and if so, where is she?

Without spoiling anything, I WILL say It was a fun idea, and the writing is top notch. I loved how stories were interwoven and little clues popping up everywhere. But again, the end just fell flat for me. I'll definitely be checking out some of B.A. Paris's other books for sure though after reading this. I really enjoyed the writing style and MOST of the book!

The story unfolds with a young man and woman at a rest area; when the young man returns from ablutions, the lady is gone without much of a trace. After initial suspicion, he is cleared of any wrongdoing and attempts to move on with his life. Jump to twelve years later and he is engaged to the elder sister of his missing girlfriend. They begin to receive items that are significant only to the three of them, and the mystery of her disappearance deepens.

I found this book somewhat slow and didn't find myself connecting to any of the characters. It was well-written, and I did enjoy the ending, however.

So I absolutely LOVED the other two books from B.A. Paris but this one I only LIKED. I kept waiting for something to happen and when the mystery was finally revealed, it felt a little improbable. One thing Paris definitely has a knack for creating a frenzied main character who has trouble trusting everyone around them as the mystery unfolds.

Why can’t we rate books in sections yet you guys?! I am struggling so hardcore with my rating/feelings about this book, I loved the first half and the last half was annoying and totally unbelievable. Sigh. I guess I will do my best to explain what did or did not work for me and hope I give you guys enough information to decide for yourselves whether this is a book for you.

One thing that I want to make very clear is that Paris is one heck of an author with a style that I absolutely adore. I’ve been drawn into all three of her books, she crafts compelling premises that have that awesome sense of doubt, mistrust and dread emanating from the pages. She never really creates the most likable characters but I don’t care about that, I love their unreliability and paranoia and overall lack of scruples. The pacing is relentlessly fast and furious, you really can’t say anything but that it’s unputdownable, so why am I so torn???

My main problem was the big twist was so unbelievable. Listen, I have no problem suspending disbelief whatsoever, I do it all of the time with no issues but I just could not get past the improbability of this reveal. You guys know that I won’t spoil anything for you, but I just kept thinking, no way in hell could this really happen. Never.

Here’s the bottom line, if you’re a fan of Paris you should probably read this book for yourself and draw your own conclusions. If you’ve never read her work her two previous novels are insanely awesome and come highly recommended by me. If you don’t mind out there twists and unbelievable resolutions then you might love this one, but for me I just can’t say that I did. I liked it though, and no matter what I’ll definitely be reading whatever Paris comes up with next because no one does compelling page turners as well as she does.

I thought this started out well, but had some clunky writing at the beginning. The plot was good - I wasn't sure if Layla was killed at the rest stop or not. The story of the missing Russian doll started off being interesting, but eventually the whole thing got too redundant (how many Russian dolls have to be given to make the point?). About half way through I started skimming and "read" the last 1/3 in less than an hour. It got my attention, but couldn't keep it.

This is more of a 2-2 1/2 star book. It wasn't bad, but it kind of made me roll my eyes. Maybe because I read a lot of mystery/thrillers. Maybe it just wasn't that good. I could see the twist coming maybe halfway through the book so I just wanted to get to the end. It wasn't a long book and it was an easy read. Also, sort of cheesy.

This was not my favorite BA Paris book. I was so intrigued at the beginning of the book. I was caught up in the suspense of trying to figure out if Layla was still alive. Did she run away? Was she kidnapped? Murdered? Did her husband, Finn, do it? Now he's engaged to be married to Ellen, Layla's sister. Suddenly, mysterious messages and sightings of Layla begin to appear. Has Layla returned? What will happen now? This book really does keep you guessing. However, I was disappointed by the ending. I thought it was not believable and have seen this type of ending a few too many times to find it original and satisfying.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

I finished this book in one sitting of about 4 hours. I could not put it down. A bomb could have gone off in the kitchen, and I still would have been sitting in my couch reading.

Bring Me Back is a suspense at its very best. Every theory I had was proven wrong time and time again. The plot twist was huge, and the very last line is everything.

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of this amazing book!

This book kept me guessing until the end. This was my first B.A. Paris book, and I loved the plot pacing. The plot moved forward consistently, and I changed my guess about what what going on several time. It was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more by B.A. Paris.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’d have to give it 3 1/2 stars. It’s not my favorite book by this author but it did keep me intrigued. It lacked the suspense that her prior books had so I kept waiting for that but it never really came.
Good for an easy weekend read, though :-)

Bring Me Back was an amazing book! Thoroughly enjoyed the read. I was drawn in from the beginning. Loved the surprises and twists. Characters were well developed and made it impossible to decide who to cheer for. I love it when a book ending surprises me! BA Paris has outdone herself. Do yourself a favor and jump right into this book! You will not be disappointed!

Was so excited to be able to receive this advance copy from the publishers and Netgalley, for my honest review. I have read two other titles by this author and loved them. This one not as much, i did read in a couple of sittings but found it a bit predictable, half way i had guessed the ending. I didnt care for any of the main characters, which probably is why i didnt enjoy as much. However, i do look forward to reading more by this author ***

After being falsely accused of involvement in the disappearance of last girlfriend Layla, fund manager and inexplicably rich guy Finn has moved on and has a new fiance. The new fiance, Ellen, is the sister of Layla. The relationship is a little creepy, but not nearly as creepy as the tiny Russian dolls that start appearing in various places Finn goes. There is a backstory involving Ellen, Layla and Russian dolls, so their appearances lead Finn and Ellen to believe that Layla may not be dead afterall.

The possibility that Layla is alive drives an understandable wedge between Ellen (who seems neurotically insecure) and Finn (who seems to have no problem lying and an occasional violent streak). Those darn Russian dolls keep popping up, leading up to what is supposed to be a shocking finale.

I really enjoyed reading Behind Closed Doors, and thought The Breakdown was good but not great. Bring Me Back sticks to the same formula that keeps the reader turning the pages, though in this case I wanted to see what happens although I didn't particularly care. My biggest annoyance was the constant (and I do mean constant!) mention of the Russian dolls. Yes, I understand that they are a key to unraveling the mystery of what happened to Layla, but the words "Russian doll" must have appeared on every page. Almost more often than "the."

The quality of B.A. Paris' books is trending slowly downward. Hopefully the next book will return to the fine form of Behind Closed Doors.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley for free, although this doesn't influence my review in any way.
I loved Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown. When NetGalley approved me to read an advanced copy of Bring Me Back I did a little dance. While I enjoyed the story and the twist was executed well, I just felt that it wasn't near her last two books.

The story starts off with Finn and Layla on holiday, when suddenly Layla vanishes. We time jump 12 years and Finn has moved on, but Layla is still missing. He is now in a relationship with Layla's sister Ellen. For all intents and purposed their life is happy. That is until Finn starts finding little Russian dolls and strange emails from someone claiming Layla is alive and well.

In the beginning, the book is told from past and present viewpoints and then switches to different points of view. While I enjoyed the cast of characters and the intensity, I felt the story overall was a bit predictable. A solid 4 stars from me.

I enjoy B.A. Paris writing style and will not hesitate to pick up any of her books in the future. I want to thank B.A. Paris, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for being so gracious in letting me read an early copy of this book.

I was hooked on this story from page 1. I loved the way the story was rolled out using the two different voices. There were a lot of unanswered questions from the very beginning until near the very end. At some point I had an idea the twist was going to involve the sisters, Ellen and Layla, but I never figured it out.

The atmosphere was great—creepy, scary, gripping—and I admit to wondering repeatedly if Finn was to be believed.

Great read!

Bring Me Back was a fun mystery/thriller style book that was a fast read. The author of Behind Closed Doors has created another twisty story with characters who are hiding some of their fundamental personalities from nearly everyone in their lives. Readers will be turning the pages faster and faster as the book draws to a close to understand where Layla has gone, and what it will take to bring her back.

I absolutely loved and devoured this book. I first read a B. A. Paris book, Behind Closed Doors, last spring. I've been unable to get ahold of The Breakdown to read, but when I saw this was on here, I jumped so hard at the chance to read it. B. A. Paris has a way with words and sure brought them back with this story about a woman who goes missing and whose husband is a prime suspect. Similar to a Gone Girl feel, I enjoyed and sped through this book and loved every minute of it.

When you are down to the last 20 pages and not sure how this one’s going to end? You’ve got a good suspense! B.A. Paris once again writes a page turner that keeps you guessing till the very end.
In Bring Me Back she has created a complex love triangle between Finn, Ellen and her sister, Laya. Layla, who has been missing over 12 years after an argument with Finn. Has Layla suddenly decided to show up now that Finn has proposed to Ellen? If so where has she been all these years? And why the games.....
I highly recommend this one!

Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the chance to read this book! For me it started and ended strong, but the middle was a bit too drawn out with the Russian dolls and the emails. I like that the author comes up with very different plots in her books, including this one. I liked the twist and the not so tidy wrap up. If you like psychological thrillers, check this one out. Let me know what you think. I'm curious.




***********SPOILER ALERT***************



About half way in, I decided Layla and Ellen were the same person. However I thought they were Ellen. So, I was quite surprised with how it turned out.