Stella Harvey's family live on an isolated Island, called Evergreen. Only accessible by Ferry - that her dad runs daily to and from the island. They live a happy life, as far as Stella is concerned, how she remembers her childhood, until one day they leave the island, never to return. She's told it was because her Dad got a new job, and yet, everything seems different. Her older sister Bonnie is happy they left, she hated being there. Danny her brother soon leaves home and her parents separate.

Everything she thought she knew and loved has gone, she writes to her best friend, but never hears back and her, her Mum seems sad to have left and yet understands they needed to.


Then twenty-five years later and Evergreen is on the news, a body has been found, right by Stella's old house and she decides to return, but no one welcomes her, no friendly faces are pleased to see her. Her sister is angry she's gone there. By this time Stella and Bonnie haven't seen Danny for over 20 years and their Mum has died. Their dad has dementia and no one knows the answers to all the questions she has.

No one on the island wants to speak to her to answer any of her questions about why they left. So many secrets and no answers leave Stella trying to uncover the truths.


But perhaps, some truths are left unsaid and kept just as they are, it up to Stella to decide this time, if that's the best way to keep them unsaid or left the truth hurt her family even more.


A great thriller that will keep this page-turner going over in your mind long after you've finished reading it. With characters that have to justify their actions and hide the truth, for fear of revealing even more secrets and the descriptions of windswept cliffs and scenery that leave you almost able to smell the sea air. Yet again Heidi Perks has a produced a truly gripping read in Come Back For Me

WOW! I read this in one evening as I couldn’t put it down. I was sucked in from the very start. Told in two time periods, the 1990s and present day. It had plenty of twists along the way and even though I thought I had it worked out more twists came along to prove me wrong. Fantastic book and I’ll be looking for more Heidi Perks books based on this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This is a great psychological thriller and another fantastic book by Heidi Perks. The setting is remote and the characters are all fairly complex and dark which adds to the intrigue. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout. Overall, it’s a strong 4 stars.

Stella misses her old home on a small island but many years after her family fled the island in the middle of the night a body is found near her old home she starts to question her past.

Come Back For Me is an interesting thriller set on a small island with limited population which makes for a nice, claustrophobic read. The book alternates between Stella in the present day trying to make sense of the body that has been found near her old home and flashback perspectives of her mother, brother and father at the time of the murder in 1993. I have to admit I thought I had this one worked out from the beginning but actually what happened and the themes that are explored in the book surprised me. I must admit the book didn’t really grip me as much as it should have done and I wonder this is because Stella is quite a weak main character that I found hard to engage with than anything to do with the plot.

Overall Come Back For Me is an interesting thriller but didn’t engage me as much as I would have liked. Thank you to NetGalley & RandomHouse UK, Century & Cornerstone for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent psychological thriller. I loved the idea of a claustrophobic island setting where everyone knows everyone’s business - or thinks they do - and it’s hard to escape each other, let alone the past. Tensions among the family and other residents soar as dark secrets threaten to surface. There’ s lots of foreshadowing and clues are dropped in throughout which increases the anticipation as this tangled tale progresses to its breathtaking climax. Highly recommended

Two times, one rhythm. You see, each of Heidi Perks’ books has one rhythm. They change according to the story the author has decided to tell. But underneath the beautifully crafted music, there’s a familiar note, this firm knowledge that you are in good hands. The core of Heidi Perks’ work makes your mind react to an invisible song.

Two times, one family. In 1993, Stella and her family leave the island they have been living on for years, in the middle of a stormy night. These days, Stella is a therapist living in the city. Now, I love therapists. In capable hands, they become the best subjects to analyse. It is fascinating to see how they can fail to understand a situation they find themselves in when they spend their time advising others! The mind works in special ways…

Stella never really came to terms with leaving Evergreen, the tiny island she used to call home. With its 100 inhabitants and remoteness, I first wondered who could live there, and why. Then I began to see it with Stella’s eyes, kids eyes, filled with happy memories. Memories which gave me a picture that would later be distorted. Atmospheric doesn’t even to begin to describe the book. Each description is raw, the cold clashing hard against Stella’s warm recollection of the place, as if Evergreen itself doesn’t want to be disturbed. Too late for that!

When Stella learns that a body has been found at the back of her old house’s garden on the island, curiosity takes the better of her and she can’t stop the nagging feeling she must go back. I admire how the author always hints at where in their life her characters are, and in Come Back For Me, the news of a crime so close to her childhood home comes at the right time for Stella. It acts as a trigger, a sign that some things have been left unsaid, some secrets have hung in the air too long, and that some things need to change. Accompanied by a cold breeze created by the sharp and exquisite pen held by Heidi Perks, I began a journey with Stella, her parents, her sister Bonnie, and her brother Danny.

The thing is, journeys are not always nice and easy. Islanders are not always happy to see new and old faces on their land. The two different timelines gave me the impression to be on a boat, a slave to tormented waves pushing me at times closer to the shore, at times far away towards the horizon.

The past and the present play tug-of-war, revealing bits and pieces slowly, excruciatingly. Heidi Perks did a magnificent job at creating a palpable tension with her narration of the summer of 1993, that fateful summer before the family had to leave. You get the sense something awful has happened, but days go by and I bet you whatever you want that you won’t be able to keep your mind from going crazy with all kinds of scenarios. With a limited list of characters and a really small place for all to be, I was kept on my toes, feeling layers after layers of secrets and lies pile up to create a tide that nothing would ever stop.

The present reveals itself piece by piece too. I had a feeling that that night when everything changed had had tremendous consequences on the family and I was absolutely right, but it was pure delight to discover who each character had become one page after the other. Scars from the past heal but never leave. Dysfunctional, broken in places no glue or tape can fix, this family is the perfect lead in a drama full of shadows. I felt claustrophobic on the island. I felt claustrophobic in Stella’s shoes, past and present. I felt my chest tighten every time I thought I was getting closer to the truth. The behavior from old and new islanders left me puzzled, sad, scared, but always, always wanting for more! It was as if the air itself was trying to speak while the people were stubbornly keeping their mouth shut. Why? Isn’t a dead body a good enough reason to talk? Sometimes, it’s not!

Come Back For Me gave me the chills. It offers me questions and a quest for answers. I am in awe of how the author used an unearthed tragedy to dig up a giant chunk of history. Finding out what happened to the victim is a mean to get to what happened to Stella and her family. I loved how the author intertwined the story of the island with the events that led them away. I don’t know about you, but I don’t mind reading about such settings when they are both beautiful and dark!
Heidi Perks has a unique way to catch your attention. More than another psychological thriller, Come Back For Me is a family masterpiece with a thick coat of intrigue and an amazing understanding of people. This novel is a cry from the past and from a place.

Ominous, suspenseful, and engrossing!

Come Back For Me is an atmospheric, tortuous, character-driven thriller that takes us into the life of Stella Harvey, a young woman who returns to the island her family hastily left one stormy night when she was a child after a body buried for 25 years is discovered just outside the home she grew up in.

The writing is taut and intense. The characters are troubled, consumed, and multilayered. And the plot using a past/present, back-and-forth style unravels and intertwines into a compelling tale full of deception, manipulation, familial drama, swirling emotions, mayhem, violence, and murder.

Overall, Come Back For Me is a well crafted, dark, sophisticated, cunning tale by Perks that highlights the intricate, complex, and dynamic bonds that can exist between family and friends and reminds us that skeletons often find their way to the surface no matter how well they are hidden or buried.

Come back for me was a well written thriller.
A body is found at Stella’s childhood home and she’s drawn to go back and find out what happens.
Set today and 25 years ago on a remote island.
There are lots of twists and turns and really kept me interested.
I like books that go back and forward over 2 timelines also.
Really enjoyed it

What is it about islands? From Wicker Man to And Then There Were None, islands have mystery and dark secrets. Evergreen Island is not an exception. Somewhat larger than Green Island or maybe Furzey Island which possibly inspired the author, Stella an ex-islander is not greeted warmly when she returns as she wants answers to questions which have plagued her life. The discovery of a body buried very close to where she lived on Evergreen Island becomes a catalyst to finding those answers.

Quite an imaginative story but I really don’t think the discovery of the secrets would have caused someone to kill. Furthermore the sudden departure of a family and the ferryman would have caused more suspicion than it did. Did the mother really identify the buried corpse of her daughter twenty five years later?

Come Back For Me was an absolutely cracking read!

This was an incredibly intriguing and gripping psychological thriller, superbly written by Heidi Perks. With many twists and turns, it was a brilliant page-turner that kept me thoroughly engrossed and guessing until the end.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Random House UK, Cornerstone/ Century via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Great book, had me hooked the entire read. Felt the ending was a little abrupt but didnt leave me with a feeling of not knowing. Recommend highly, fantastic story

I enjoyed this book from the first to the last page. Another great story from this author. Interesting premise. Well written. Would definitely recommend this novel. Look forward to her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. Another great story from the author, this thrilling book had me hooked right from the beginning. Would recommend.

Perfect holiday reading. Family drama that unfolds keeping you guessing until the very end. Set on a remote island and its beautifully described and you can picture the houses and characters.
I really enjoyed this book, it's an easy read and I do not hesitate in recommending it.

Having read Now You See Her and loving it, I was really exciting to see what Heidi Perks would bring out next.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and the plot twists that came about were original but unfortunately this book left me feeling indifferent towards it.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters despite them still being interesting and interwoven and this made it harder to enjoy the story and the writing. A lot of the plot felt engineered for plots sake rather than a seemingly natural progression.

Despite not liking this book as much as Now You See Her, I do really like Heidi Perks imagination and writing.

This is the first book I have read by Heidi Perks.
An interesting thriller set on a tiny island, in the present day and 25 years ago.
Not really my type of book as it dragged a bit.Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc.

Absolutely incredible from start to finish. The story had me completely hooked. There was so much drama from the get go, the second it calmed down the very next sentence would reveal a new piece of drama. I absolutely adored this novel and would recommend it to anyone and everyone

Come Back For Me is a novel brimming with mystery and tension which I really enjoyed and found difficult to put down. A story of family, secrets, abuse and kidnap. The story is set between two time frames in the present day and back in 1993. Full of clever twists and turns and red herrings, this kept me guessing right up to the end and has a very satisfying ending.

A real page turner with well written complex characters and a great plot. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. I loved the location of the story - a small island near Poole harbour which added to the atmosphere within the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Stella Harvey leaves the fictional Evergreen Island in the middle of the night with her family, she is distraught. She is young and doesn't understand why they must leave in the middle of a storm, and can't wait at least until the following day.

Twenty Five years later and Stella is watching the evening news disinterestedly when her eye is caught by something familiar ... her childhood home. A body has been discovered on Evergreen, a remote Island, 20 minutes from Poole Harbour on the Mainland, practically in her back garden.

Stella is drawn back to Evergreen and the community that she grew up in, though she cannot say why. She knows it is doubtful that she will have know the murder victim, for the Police are adamant that this is the crime committed, but she still feels a connection with the island she believes she will never lose.

Stella is not entirely welcomed back on to Evergreen as she might have believed that she would be. Locals she knew back when her family inhabited the Island seem keen not to engage with her for some reason, and she is largely treated as as outsider, which to Stella is devastating.

But still, as the murder happened almost literally on her old doorstep, Stella is determined to find out what happened, if she knew the victim, and if unthinkably this could be the reason that her family fled the Island all those years ago.

Come Back For Me ends rather quickly, and rather abruptly, but it does so in keeping with the story, and didn't seem rushed, though I was a little disappointed not to have a slightly more conclusive ending.

Unfortunately this book in my opinion neither lived up to the hype or the blurb. I kept on reading waiting for something to happen. It was so slow. The main character was weak and very annoying and was not believable as she was supposed to be a family counsellor. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more. Just not for me.
I would like to thank the author, Random House UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.