You may like this book, or dislike it. It's not a bad book, but the plot tends to drag in places, and the lead Finn comes across as the worst boyfriend/person in many early parts that you may be put off by him. The plot is interesting: a guy marrying his missing girlfriend's sister who starts to think his original girlfriend may be alive. If this were real life, I feel like Finn would be in prison for murdering Layla years ago. He leaves a detailed note in his abandoned home detailing his anger issues, and acts suspicious and angry all the time. He isolates his current fiancee while investigating her sister's possible appearance, and has an extremely fishy story for when Layla disappeared that he admits to the reader was concocted to sound better to the cops. Telling the cops that you recently proposed and now your fiancee is missing will not clear you of suspicion, but deepen it, especially when you move in with your missing fiancee's sister.
Finn aside, the plot was decent, and if it moved faster, I would have rated this higher. It's a relatively light read for the subject matter, and not too suspenseful if you want a light intro into the genre.

This novel begins well enough. There is a flashback to twelve years earlier when narrator Finn loses his girlfriend Layla at one of those middle-of-nowhere, surrounded by woods, picnic stops at the side of a French motorway. And it’s night time, and he’s had an argument with her, hinted at in the last sentence of this chapter through the tantalising, ‘But not quite the whole truth.’ when he reflects on his statement to the French police. Move to present day and, rather weirdly, Finn is now living with Ellen, Layla’s sister, the sibling never having been found. Happy enough, they are looking forward to their wedding and living a smug life in the country. It appears that Layla and Ellen could not be more unalike: whilst the former was a feisty redhead, the latter is a compliant sweetheart!
But, of course, this being a psychological thriller, a mundane existence isn’t going to be depicted for very long. Tiny Russian dolls begin to surface, left on the garden wall, in the pub, on Finn’s car and through the post. Ellen finds one and is certain that it is the very doll that Layla stole from her in their youth. They appear to signify that Layla is back! Unbeknownst to Ellen, Finn also begins to receive mysterious emails, increasingly threatening and unhinged, which lead him to the conclusion that Layla is alive and kicking – hard!
I was curious to see where the plot was leading for the first half of ‘Bring Me Back’ and how the characters would cope with their strange situation but the second half of the novel was a huge disappointment. It isn’t difficult to decipher what is actually going on by this point – although it does stretch credibility mightily! – and because Finn is such a self-pitying narcissist, I really wouldn’t have cared if he’d come to a grisly end. In fact, putting a stop to his dreary stream of rhetorical questions would have been a relief!
A novel of two halves: B A Paris had me hooked, but not for long!

Wow! Great book! Well written, very clever, very twisty and really unpredictable. I could not read it fast enough, kept me guessing til the very end. I can't recommend it enough. Thanks so much to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.

Janel

1 1/2 stars. I swear I gave it my best shot. I really wanted to love this book. Paris' Behind Closed Doors kept me on the edge of my seat, but her sophomore novel The Breakdown bored me, so I figured two out of three ain't bad, right? Sorry, it's a Meat Loaf kinda morning.

But this book is so CHEESY.

I'll give it an extra half star for keeping me reading despite rolling my eyes every few pages, but that's the most enthusiasm I can muster for it. The twist/reveal of the book may be shocking to new mystery readers, but it's actually been used by too many authors for me not to see it coming at this point. And many of those authors have made it more convincing than Paris managed here.

Bring Me Back alternates between the past, in which Finn (the narrator) and his girlfriend Layla take a holiday in France and she disappears; the present, in which we find ourselves ten years later with Finn about to marry Layla's sister Ellen; and first person accounts from Layla, where she mostly talks like a comic book villain, figuratively twirling her mustache. Muahaha.

Most of the book takes place in the present. Despite believing Layla is gone for good, signs start popping up that she may be alive. Her beloved Russian dolls start appearing everywhere, and when Finn receives emails from a mysterious source who seems to know too much, it becomes obvious something nefarious is going on.

Problem is, it's all a bit like a slightly comical (though unintentionally so) B-movie. Every chapter ends with some really cheesy line that is supposed to be ominous. Like:

"I don't ever want you to be scared of me," I say.
Not like Layla was, that night, I silently add.
***
So I log on to my emails and find one from Layla.
YOU HAVE TEN DAYS


It was just so ridiculous I wanted to laugh. The narrative reminds me of the criminologist from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, raising his eyebrow at the camera and saying "Or had they?"

And it was difficult to become invested in any of the characters' stories. Finn seems like a dick from the get-go, Ellen and the secondary characters are bland and one-dimensional, and don't even get me started on Layla. There was no hook; no exciting questions. The middle dragged as I was forced to ponder what exactly I was supposed to be caring about - are we supposed to be afraid of Layla? Are we supposed to care about the romantic relationships and who Finn will choose?

In general, I prefer more carefully-crafted plots with more complex characters than Paris offers up here, but I can definitely enjoy pulpy, nasty thrillers like her Behind Closed Doors. Unfortunately, though, I don't think this book was particularly clever OR fast-paced and enjoyable. I guess her first book might have been a one-off for me.

What a story! Absolutely loved it! Found myself unable to stop reading - so good! The mystery and suspense of what happened to Layla was gripping - I was on the edge of my seat and loved every minute!

Dragged a little in some places but overall enjoyable. I feel a little disappointed by the big reveal about the sisters but I guess not everything can be as good as Behind Closed Doors.

The cover is great. The synopsis is intriguing. However the content gave me conflicting feelings. I wanted to keep reading as I was curious and if I could jump into a book to throttle someone, Finn would be first on my hit list!

Bring me back isn’t a patch on her previous two books but it’s a worth a read anyway.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks a lot for Netgalley to provide this book's online version { e-book } for honest review.

First of all, I have read "Behind the closed doors" and I have become a big fan of B. A. Paris's books.

I enjoyed this book too. Well, it keeps you on toes and you can not keep the book the down till you (almost) finish it.

Finn is planning(!!) to get married to his once upon a time girlfriend's sister. But that girlfriend is kind of vanished/disappeared/kidnapped/abducted 12 years ago. After Finn's marriage news, things started appearing suddenly and he starts to ask himself which sister he really loves? and then story takes you on thriller-ride :)

Although, I did not like the end very much, the whole book together is very interesting. I hope, we will get to read such novels from Paris again and again.

B.A. Paris does it again.

I read this book in one sitting, as I could not figure out how everything was going to end! Finn and Layla are young and in love. On the way home from a ski trip, they stop at a rest stop in the middle of night. Finn gets out to use the bathroom while Layla stays asleep in the car. When Finn comes back, Layla is gone.

Was she taken? Did she run? Does someone know something?

The book is broken up into three parts and it is written from the perspective of a few key characters. Finn, the narrator weaves the story in part 1 and the maddening part is, he knows something he is not sharing. The other characters and you as the reader are in the dark, but Finn alludes to having secrets of his own about that night Layla disappeared.

Bring Me Back kept me guessing throughout the book! And when I got to the conclusion, I wanted to read it all over again. I would highly recommend this suspenseful domestic drama!

As much as I enjoy B.A. Paris' first 2 books, I have to say I was a little disappointed in this one, , It was a nice read, but I didn't fill the page turning thrill that I felt with her other books,, I had it figured out before the book ended. I do enjoy Ms. Paris wrings so I will lo forward to her next book, (or at least I hope there will be more books to come).

Finn and Layla are returning from a trip when Layla disappears after a rest area stop. Twelve years later Finn is happily engaged to her sister Ellen but clues emerge suggesting Layla has returned. And she wants Finn. But does he want her? And how does he keep this information from Ellen, even though she may be ecstatic her sister is still alive? Despite Finn's prickly moods when it's difficult to muster up any sympathy for his plight, this cat-and-mouse thriller is compulsive reading and readers are warned not to start just before bedtime.

This is perfect for fans of Paris' previous book, THE BREAKDOWN (a 5-star read for me), and other domestic thrillers such as Catherine McKenzie's FRACTURED, Claire Mackintosh's I LET YOU GO, and the latest literary juggernaut, A. J. Finn's WOMAN IN THE WINDOW.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I have to leave a middle of the charts rating for this book because it was intriguing and boring at the same time. Layla goes missing 12 years ago and Finn has moved on with Ellen (her sister). Finn has never found closure from Layla's disappearance and wonders if she may still be alive. When Finn gets engaged to Ellen mysterious dolls start to show up and he questions if Layla is alive and what he would do if she comes back. Would he choose Layla or Ellen? At one point in time I had the ending right but I thought it was so far fetched that it wasn't actually the truth. This book will definitely keep you guessing and the ending will probably surprise you. I found the middle parts of the book to be a little bit boring and wanted more to happen. There was a lot of what should I tell Ellen and secret keeping that went on throughout what seemed like 20 chapters. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely read more. Give this one a chance and it could surprise you!

This is the third out of three highly original and enjoyable novels that I have read by this author. I was so pleased when my copy was delivered to me after my request to NetGalley and publisher HQ for an ARC e-copy of ‘Bring Me Back’ to review. I was not disappointed at all. It was full of intrigue, fast paced and one narrator was hugely unreliable. It was just the sort of off-the-wall mystery stories that I love most of all. In short I lapped it up and never once guessed what the ending would be. It was a tense and puzzling psychological thriller where lies abounded and several characters fitted the bill for the perpetrator of the tense and worrying crime, if indeed there was one. I loved the storytelling and the varying contributions that the skilfully crafted characters made to the story. Their involvement was an enigma to me, as I’m sure the author intended.
Finn and his girlfriend Layla were returning from their skiing holiday and were passing through France on their way home. Taking a toilet break at a roadside public toilet, Finn is terrified when he returns to their car to find Layla is nowhere to be seen. The night is pitch black, but never-the-less he starts searching for her to no avail. He notices scuff marks by their car and then finds the tiniest Russian doll discarded on the rough ground near the car. It’s Layla’s, he knows that, but it is very dear to her and she would never have left it behind voluntarily unless as a sign to him that she had been made to leave. He has no mobile signal at all, so he journeys on to raise the alarm, but despite exhaustive searches both sides of the channel, Layla is not found. Eventually Finn accepts that she must be dead and organises a memorial service for her and this is when he meets her sister Ellen.
Years go by and more than a decade later Ellen and Finn get together. They decide to marry and place an engagement notice in the newspaper. This is the point that Ellen and Finn’s worst nightmares begin. Someone places a tiny Russian doll on their wall. Ellen is convinced they exactly match the one that Layla had lost when she disappeared. She cannot believe anything but that Layla has returned. They talk about it together but suddenly things take a turn for the worse…..
I was totally invested in this novel even more than that I couldn’t bear to put it down. I made various predictions as the story developed, but I was miles wide of the mark. I was suspicious of everyone until I reached the very end, and then I was totally incredulous, surprised and shocked by the final few pages. It was an incredible solution to the story, but I did not like it one iota, although others will. It is a good job we are all different. It’s a well deserved 4* review from me and I was well and truly taken in.

Oh wow where do I begin? BA Paris is a go to author for me and every book gets better if that is even possible!? This story keeps you biting your nails and flipping pages until you realize you stayed up all night reading!! I absolutely love a good suspense novel and this one has enough scary twists that I actually read some parts with my eyes half closed because I was terrified to see what was going to come next! So good, the writing is flawless, the book makes you really wonder if you’re going mad and you can’t stop reading until it’s over! I’ll never look at a Russian nesting doll the same again!

I read this book in one sitting! I love how B A Paris keeps the tension through her short yet powerful chapters. It keeps the pages turning into the wee hours of the night! I also loved all the twists and turns, the minute I thought I figured out the plot....I was wrong! Definitely a handsell for me, especially because I want someone to talk about it with!!!

I was SO EXCITED to get a copy of this one from Netgalley. And I'd just finished a novel so I was eager to start this book. I've really enjoyed both of B.A. Paris's other novels and I just knew that I was going to love this one.

However, this one missed the mark for me, unfortunately. I read a lot of this genre, and so I can say with confidence that this one may be polarizing. This book differs from Ms. Paris's other two books as the main character is male this time. Perhaps that was the difference? I'm not sure. I realize that in this genre, a lot of times there are unlikable characters, that comes with the territory. But usually it's overlooked because they have something going for them, or the story does or something. I just didn't like anyone. Finn comes across as a limp dishrag, as does Ellen. The secondary characters merely exist as red herrings or to move the plot along, they add no real redeeming qualities to the story.

I hope that this book does well, and I'd love for someone else whose opinion I respect to read this one also, because it appears that I may be an outlier as almost all of these reviews on Goodreads are terrific.

I *really* wanted to like this book. But I just didn't. Gotta be honest.

I would like to thank St Martins Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Bring Me Back’ by B A Paris in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
In 2006 Finn and his girlfriend Layla are in France on a skiing holiday. On their way home to England Layla disappears and although the police believe Finn is responsible no trace of her is ever found.
Twelve years later Finn has moved on with his life and is now living with Layla’s sister Ellen. A small Russian doll is found outside the gate of their home which has great significance to Ellen, then Finn starts getting emails, supposedly from Layla. Has Layla returned or is it somebody pretending to be her?
B A Paris has written yet another gripping psychological thriller with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep me on the edge of my seat. As the chapters progress between Finn and Layla, the tension mounts until I have to remind myself to breathe. The conclusion is shocking and totally unexpected. ‘Bring Me Back’ is unbelievably chilling and I can guarantee that once started the reader will be unable to put it down.

This is the third novel by B.A. Paris. She's one of those authors that I don't even have to read the blurb because I already know it's going to be good no matter what. The first two were really good, but this one is really, really good! My advice is to start this book when you have a few hours to spare because you won't want to put it down! A young British couple are on their way back home after a vacation. Finn leaves the car for a few minutes and when he returns Layla is gone, never to be seen again. That was over a decade ago now. Finn is happy, he's getting married. But then his relationship starts to go awry because of a little Russian Nesting Doll. This book started off good. I was taking my time getting to know Finn before, during and after his relationship with Layla. But there was one part early on that made me think "oh my God" and I couldn't stand not knowing what happened to her. It's like B.A Paris is a race car driver and she threw me in there with her and sped to the finish line. I couldn't read fast enough. I loved the ending. The whole book was intense.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

I’ve learned once I start any B.A. Paris book nothing else matters until I’ve reached the end. Bring Me Back was another page turner from start to finish and I couldn’t put it down. Finn and Layla are in love until she mysteriously disappears never to be found again. After twelve years of searching and wondering Finn is given a second chance at happiness when he falls in love with Ellen, Layla’s sister. I don’t want to give anymore of the plot away, so I’ll just say, start it and you won’t stop until the last page.