Finn loved Layla who he met completely by chance in an underground station. When they took a trip to France, Layla mysteriously disappeared from the rest area where they stopped for a break. Twelve years later Finn is engaged to Ellen, Layla’s sister when he starts to get mysterious messages from an unknown source and tiny Russian dolls keep appearing- the significance of which only he, Ellen and a friend know about. Who is contacting him and why? B.A Paris has done it again. Drawn me into a book that I really didn’t want to put down (and wouldn’t have done had real life not got in the way). Characters that are three dimensional and a talent for making them live on the page. Short snappy chapters that keep the pace and entice you to turn that “just one more chapter”.... and then its hours later than you thought. A skill a talent, a story to keep you on your toes. One wonderful, brilliant read.
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First let me say thank to you to the publishers, author and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review. I have really enjoyed the other books by B.A. Paris and this book lived up to what I have come to expect from her. This book is a gripping, fast read. I devoured it. It is very much a plot driven story. I didn’t care much for the characters but the plot kept me reading at a rapid pace. The story alternates between the past and present as well as different POVs. Finn’s girlfriend, Layla, disappearspp and twelve years have passed and he is engaged to her sister. Then events make Finn begin to wonder-is she back? Where has she been? Why now? My advice is to read it when you have no other obligations because you won’t be able to put it down.

After having read “Behind Closed Doors”, I was anxious to read another BA Paris book. Love the writing style and attention to detail without too many. “Bring Me Back” is sure to be another fan favorite from BA Paris. A suspenseful love story right to the end and the story grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let go. Finn, Layla, Ellen, Harry and Ruby, believable characters whose lives intertwine with details of each relationship that are as relatable as they are interesting.
A true page turner that kept me up late.
Cannot wait for the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an advanced read in exchange for this review. I have liked B.A. Paris' other works and was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me.

Finn's girlfriend, Layla, disappeared a decade ago while she remained in the car when they stopped at a rest stop. Not a single lead has surfaced.

Finn is now engaged to be married to Ellen, Layla's sister. He's moved on and is happy with his life. One day he goes home, and Ellen is holding something in her hand. It's something that only Layla would understand.

At first, this book was interesting. There's some questions surrounding Layla's disappearance as Finn reveals to the reader that he wasn't honest regarding what happened prior to Layla disappearing. More and more surprises began to pop up, and Finn and Ellen believe that Layla is alive. There seemed to be a lot of promise in the book, but then details and story line fell flat. Finn is terrible, and don't expect to feel any sympathy for him as he wonders if Layla is back or not. Also, he's quite dumb as he goes to places thinking a serial killer/kidnapper is going to be there, and he goes anyway! Finn and Ellen are tormented that Layla is back, but the dialogue is unintentionally humorous. Lot's of eye rolling for me! At one point I wanted to give up, but I persevered. Now I will reward myself with a donut.

This was an excellent book! Plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, just as I thought I had it all figured out. Fascinating conclusion that kept me thinking about the book long after I had turned the final page.

I was so excited to read this book and there were some serious squeals when I received an early reader’s copy of this book! I love B.A. Paris books! Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley.

Now for my thoughts on the book. B.A. Paris has a way of pulling you in to her books immediately. It opens with Finn’s police statement when his girlfriend, Layla, goes missing. It then jumps to twelve later. With Layla still missing, Finn is now engaged Layla’s sister, Ellen. Then a tiny Russian doll shows up at their door that makes Finn and Ellen wonder if Layla is still alive. Or is whoever took Layla trying to taunt them?

I was guessing the entire book and continuously changing my mind about who was sending the dolls to Finn and Ellen. I finally thought I knew what was going on and thought it was so obvious. In the end, I was wrong which made me like this book more. Some of the emails to Finn were a little dramatic but made sense at the end.

I’d definitely recommend this book! Another good page-turner from B.A. Paris!

You don't know what's going on... at first. But with the writer leaving plenty of clues over the course of the book, it's possible to figure out what's going on before the rest of the characters do. Two narrators, both reliable, yet missing (or concealing?) enough information that it's not initially certain what we can know to be true. It's satisfying seeing the hints and solving the mystery. I enjoyed this only slightly less than Behind Closed Doors, which means I still had a fun time reading it.

B.A. Paris’s previous novels, The Breakdown and Behind Closed doors are two of my favorite books so I could not wait to devour her newest. I read it in 1 day, I couldn't put it down. The story is told in 3 parts and from the point of view of the 2 main characters and it will keep you guessing! I kept thinking I figured it out, but was never 100% sure until the very end. It's a page turner and a binge worthy read! on a side note, if you haven't read her first two novels make sure you mark them to read!

#BringMeBack #NetGalley

Thank you to #NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC copy of this book.

This was a great psychological thriller. Finn and his girlfriend Layla stop at a rest area while vacationing in France. Layla waits in the car while Finn goes inside, when he returns Layla is gone. There is no trace of her. Her body is never found and years later she is declared dead.

Twelve years later Finn is engaged to Layla's sister Ellen. As their wedding date approaches Finn and Ellen start receiving Russian dolls. Finn starts receiving emails from someone claiming to be Layla. She wants Finn back and wants him to get rid of Ellen.

If this mysterious person is really Layla she seems to be mentally unstable and possibly dangerous. I had many ideas as to who was behind the dolls and emails and each time I was wrong. This was definitely a edge of your seat page turner. All I can say about the ending is WOW!!! Didn't see that coming and days later I am still thinking about it! Loved this book! Will definitely read more by B.A. Paris!

NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press have graciously provided me with this book. I’ve freely chosen to write a review, and my thoughts and opinions have not been influenced by receiving this book.

If you’ve read of B. A. Paris’ earlier books, you know she is notoriously good at setting the scene where every character is suspect from the outset, and she delivers nothing less in her third novel. Unlike the first two books, we’re now trained to question everything from the start in her writing. So, being on guard for any clues right from the first page, Bring Me Back sets out to form up the mystery in the first few pages. We meet Finn and his girlfriend Layla when they’re returning home from a weekend away, and she disappears along the way home. We then meet her sister Ellen who has moved into Finn’s life and start to examine the mystery surrounding Layla’s disappearance.

Several parts of the storyline worked well in building the tension, but I must admit that Paris’ first book, Behind Closed Doors, is by far my favorite. Bring Me Back’s plot twists are done so well, and where she takes her characters mentally is always entertaining (love those deep ends they talk themselves into). Lots of deception happening in this book, and the psychological teasing will keep you reading.

9 March 2018 - This review has now been posted on Amazon.co.uk : https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R7NK8JGBNE9Z1/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

“What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
…..When your old man had let you down.
Like a fool, I fell in love with you,
Turned my whole world upside down.”

I’m not sure if these lyrics to the song ‘Layla’ were in any way an inspiration to the author but there is a thread running through them that did strike a chord (!).

This is a tale of love that endured over many years despite or perhaps because of tragic circumstances. Told from a number of different perspectives the book never fails to retain the interest of the reader and, whilst shocking, the conclusion provides a fitting closure.

I have to say that I found the book hard to put down as the story unfolded. Highly recommended.

An advance copy of this book was supplied by the publisher in return for an honest review.

"...love makes us behave out of character...it drives us to do things we never thought we'd do."

Finn McQuaid and his girlfriend, Layla, are driving back home to St. Mary's (in Devon) after skiing in Megeve when they pulled off the motorway into a picnic area at Fonches. It's not a service station, its main appeal is that it has a toilet. When Finn returns to the car after using the facilities, Layla is gone. Over the next 12 years he exhausts various methods looking for her, but never finds a trace. Was she kidnapped, is she dead? Finn has no clue.

Though she was the love of his life, he has finally managed to move on and has become involved in a serious relationship -- with Layla's sister, Ellen. They are to be married and Finn is happy enough. Soon after the wedding announcement, Finn starts to receive some creepy indications that perhaps Layla is still alive. Or is someone just messing with his head not wanting him to finally have some happiness. Has she finally come back to him and what in the world is he to do about Ellen?

Creepy is a good word to describe this novel of psychological drama. It will become clear to the reader quite quickly that something weird is going on here, but NO SPOILERS. There are many clues and the astute reader will see where it's leading fairly quickly though the author makes a valiant effort to throw in many red herrings to divert away to other conclusions. It was hard to really get into the true nature of the characters and I didn't find myself identifying with any of them except I could feel the tension and frustration that Finn experienced. The believablity factor also comes into play so you have to allow for the fact that you'd probably do things a bit differently to Finn as events spiral out of control. The writing was good and the pacing was appropriate to the story. I think I can say that the overall feeling I came away with was just sadness.

I've read both other novels and still think that Behind Closed Doors was the best of the 3, but I enjoyed this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book ARC to read and review. B.A. Paris is still on my "to-read" list.

Another great psychological thriller by B.A. Paris! This novel was fast paced and packed with suspense. Throughout, it is definitely clear that something is off, however, it's not immediately obvious which aspect of Layla's disappearance is not quite right. The eeriness of the Russian Dolls definitely added to the suspense and overall, I was blown away by the ending. I highly recommend to psychological thriller fans!

I devoured this book while alternately thinking this is so good/this is going nowhere. It was a weird read.

Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book captured my interest from the first page and never let up until it ended. Finn's volatile temper coupled with his girlfriend history makes for an interesting read after one of his girlfriend's goes missing and he begins a relationship with her sister. There are lots of twists and turns to the plot with a shocking ending. I really enjoyed this book.

I am a big fan of B.A. Paris' work, so I couldn't wait to get stuck in to Paris' latest offering. 'Bring Me Back' concerns Finn and Layla who are in a fairly new relationship. On holiday, they stop at a service station, at which point Finn stops to use the restroom. On his return, girlfriend Layla is gone. 12 years later we are taken to the present, where Finn is in a romantic relationship with Layla's sister Ellen, and Layla is still missing.

Shortly before Finn and Ellen are due to get married, he receives a phone call which leads him to believe that Layla is still alive. Now, if you're an avid reader of psychological thrillers like me, you'll no doubt have predicted the plot twist from reading the book synopsis alone.

I find Paris' books to be well-written, with just enough suspense and not too much unnecessary detail, as can frustratingly be the case with others books within this genre. However, I felt the middle part of the book dragged and dragged, I was fairly sure I knew what the outcome was going to be (and from reading other reviews it seems plenty of others sussed it out too), and couldn't wait to reach the end. The twist, when it came, was far too predictable. I was pretty disappointed in this book, given that Paris' previous works are of such high quality.

What I hated about this book was that I had to suspend belief WAY too much for this book to be at all relatable, that it was verging on the ridiculous. I'm afraid this book isn't one I'll be recommending.

Another one hit right out of the park! Interesting set-up but a bit more predictable than the author's previous stories. Still, I enjoyed it and the build up was exciting and satisfying.

I received this book "Bring Me Back" from Netgalley for my honest review.
What happened to Layla? She disappeared on the way back from a holiday. No one really knows for sure. The book was interesting and a page turner because you really want to know what is happening. I did find the characters interesting. The end was unexpected.

I'm shocked at how much I disliked this, given how much I enjoyed Paris' other books. This felt... plodding, for lack of a better word.

While I was intrigued by the premise at first, I quickly grew weary with all three of the main characters, and especially Layla and Finn, the two 'main' voices of the tale. There was no suspense, or build. Just cheesy one-liners and constant repetition (honestly, how many times can one person read the words 'Russian doll' without going insane?). The editing was sorely lacking - the book was way too long, and every chapter seemed to take the same path:

Finn gets up.and thinks about what food he'll eat that day
Finn worries.
Finn receives a Russian doll.
Finn and Ellen have a lackluster, boring conversation, during which Finn compares her unfavourably to Layla ad nauseum. Finn is unlikable.
Layla emails an 'ominous' note to Finn that is laugh-out-loud cartoon-villain in its tone.
DUN DUN DUN

Generally, this book was just not up to Paris' standards. While her other books were electric and thrilling in their dives into the quagmire of evil minds, this was boring, and I guessed the 'twist' about 20% of the way in. I will still read Paris' next novel, as I dearly hope this was a one-off mistake - perhaps trying to get the next book out too quickly?

Thank you for the opportunity to read and provide honest feedback.

Ahh I'm quite disappointed, I absolutely love B.A Paris having read the break down which was a fantastic gripping read. I was really looking forward to this one after reading some great reviews and the blurb sounded right up my street. The first opening pages is of Layla and Finn on a holiday in France, Finn stops at a remote location to use the toilet leaving Layla who is asleep in the car, when he returns he finds Layla is no where to be seen which concerns him immediately as Layla is afraid of the dark and wouldn't just wonder away of her own accord, immediately I was gripped wanting to find out what had happened to Layla and who had more importantly taken her?! ... sadly after this opening chapter I found the now in 2018 twelve years later a bit boring! I found it quite slow paced and sadly didn't hold my attention as the opening had, I skipped ahead to find out what the twist was and I found that a bit disappointing and also unrealistic to, I was really looking forward to this book and disappointed I didn't enjoy as much as B.A Paris previous books.