I liked the storyline. It was suspenseful, Gripping, and imaginative. It was told through July's point of view which makes it more intense. I couldn't guess the killer till the end. Mental illness has devastating effects on the whole family. The tension in the end was good. Shocking.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this thriller. I really enjoyed this story!

July Weaver and her siblings grew up very untraditionally with an eccentric father and a mother who was often unmedicated and unstable from a mental illness. July is the oldest of six kids and even though she’s a child herself, she and her oldest brother August are really the caretakers. August takes to this role, but she resents it, along with the stigma attached to her family.

That stigma takes a turn when her father is found guilty of killing her eight year old sister, as well as two other women. July bails with her younger brother December, promising to care for him while Auggie cares for their youngest sister and their mother. But, when a family emergency calls all the siblings back to Pacific, GA, July must rethink what really happened that summer her father was found guilty. Especially when there are killings happening again, which can’t be her father since he is still jailed after her testimony put him away.

This story started a little slow, but then it really grabbed my attention. The story alternates between July’s current POV and her childhood, mostly of the summer everything changed. This is a story of family, redemption, love, and all the things that our youth and our family’s do that really form who we are. Definitely worth a read!

Twisted and dark psychological thriller with a family torn apart from losing the youngest daughter. Oh, and dad might be a serial killer. Love me a book where almost everyone is an unreliable narrator. The mystery is strong. The family dynamics very well done. This will be a good pick for mystery book clubs. A lot to unpack here. Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Wow! Absolutely loved this book and finished it in one sitting. What a ride!

July has escaped her hometown and she has no intention of returning. Now living in Nashville as a successful songwriter, she’s changed her name and managed to escape her family’s dark past. Almost.

Lies and the past will always catch up with you and July finds herself back in her hometown where it all started. Where her sister was murdered amongst many other women, and the place that put her father in prison for the rest of his life. What could go wrong?

A must read! This book literally did not bore me at any point, I was gripped!

ARC provided by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the Weaver family through the investigation of a serial killer whose first victim was the youngest sibling, May.

At one point or another I suspected nearly every character in this book of being the killer, however I docked 1 star because when the plot twist did come, it felt very rushed and kind of just tacked onto the end.

Overall a great read! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Being slightly crazy with 8 year old twins myself- this one hurt.
Losing one of mine is terrifying.
The house was divine though; creepy, and detailed, and fun. The perfect place to raise a weird brood of children.
Kathy reminds me of my aunt Cheryl so naturally I love her.
Also I relate to July. I have a mentally ill brother I care for myself. It is a lot of work! The same madness runs in my family, just not the same tragedies.
I was enthralled by this book to say the least.
July is especially relatable. She's a mess and also trying to keep it all together. I love her!

The end though- it is real twisty.

Maybe though five or six serial killer books in a row is an issue.

Write more please emily. I will be waiting Eagerly.

Thank you for the ARC.

This book was full of twists and turns. After a family tragedy the family drifts apart. A series of events has brought them back together. I would recommend this book.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Wow. This was darker than I usually read but very original. I really enjoyed the complicated (understatement!) family dynamics but what set it apart from the usual thriller was the quality of the writing. I also found the concept very unique.

This was a great debut thriller! I was drawn in, freaked out, and along for the ride. The ending surprised me and I loved how atmospheric the setting was. Some parts did seem a bit repetitive but that may have been on purpose from the author to trick us or highlight important pieces. Overall, it didn't bother me and I really enjoyed this!

I received an ARC of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. First, this is quite impressive for a debut novel! Ms. Smith is definitely a talented writer. The prose was beautiful, and the characters very well-developed. The Weaver family is unusual for sure, and some of the details (Father Time???) had me wondering how on earth the author came up with that.

I did not guess the ending - I think it was well-played and sufficiently concealed. However, it seemed like there were just a couple loose ends that could have been tied up to make it better.

One star off because this took me a LONG time to read. There are a lot of portions in the middle where not much happens, and we hear the same back story over and over in different words.

I will definitely keep reading this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! I absolutely love thrillers, but I feel like I can usually repeat the story a million times over and that the characters feel flat - as much as I love the genre I admit that a lot of times it feels like I’m reading the same blank woman in a slightly different story each time lmao.

This book was incredibly refreshing on that end. There’s a lot of history to our characters here, and a cast of all these siblings, who our main has different relationships with - and who have different relationships with each other. There were aspects I thought were predictable (like the killer) but even then, there was enough doubt introduced to have me questioning if maybe I was wrong and the author was pulling a fast one over me. I also like how not every plot point is tied up into a neat bow. It feels more real, that life isn’t perfect but the ending in the book is still great.

I loved this small town mystery starring a very unique family and cannot wait for Emily Smith's next novel!

July Weaver has returned home to assist her family as her younger brother is in the hospital, he mother is battling mental illness and the remaining siblings need help. 9 years ago, her youngest sister was murdered along with several other related killings and her father was incarcerated for the crimes. July did not ever want to come back to the small town but now she has. no choice. She is faced right away with the townspeople she wants to avoid, but more than one person says something that makes her question the narrative of her family.... What happened back then? Why would her father become a serial killer.

This is a super interesting book and I loved meeting the family.
#CrookedLaneBooks #YouAlwaysComeBack #EmilySmith

The secrets of the Weaver family are finally coming back to haunt them. When July, now Jules Thomas, receives a phone call that her youngest brother tried committing suicide, she drops everything to return home. But there’s no warm welcome for her. She was supposed to look after Deck, to take care of him like she promised her eldest brother, Auggie, she would. But not only is Deck worse than ever before, he’s apparently been claiming their father really didn’t murder their youngest sister after all. As wild as it sounds, July can’t help but wonder if it’s true.

While there’s no love lost between her and her father, July still sets out to learn the truth no matter what cost. For her own sanity and the rest of her family’s, as well as her sister’s memory. Once and for all she needs to know who killed May and whether it’s too late to get justice for her.
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What a deep, delicious dark family dynamic I got to sink my teeth into! The Weaver family is a bunch of misfits with lots of skeletons in their closets buried beneath layers of shame, anger, and their unique ideas of perfection. At times this was painfully hard to read but I love Smith’s raw, honest dialogues regarding addiction and mental illness. She also knew how to keep me guessing with every new bit of info July discovered and I couldn’t wait to see how all the pieces came together. I love the build-up to the twist and reveal, and how everything worked out in the end. Absolutely thrilling and enjoyable for those who love super dark family dramas!!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It grabbed my attention right away and kept me hooked until the very end. I ended up reading this book in one night because I needed to know what happened. Thanks NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This page turning gripping thriller was amazing! I was hooked from the start and couldn't put the book down until the end! I loved this! It literally put chills down my spine at times! Love love love this!!!
I just reviewed You Always Come Back by Emily Smith. #YouAlwaysComeBack #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Fantastic book. Kept me guessing throughout and I couldn't put it down. Didn't know what to think or who to believe!

"You Always Come Back" by Emily Smith is a gripping thriller exploring July Weaver's dark past and her troubled family. Her father was convicted and imprisoned for being the Pacific Lake Killer after July's testimony. Years later, she returns home and discovers new evidence that challenges her beliefs. With danger looming, July questions her accusations and the killer's continued presence. The book skillfully alternates between past and present, revealing the intricate dynamics of the Weaver family. While the writing effectively captures the eerie small-town atmosphere, some details and character actions felt rushed. Despite occasional repetition, the book offers suspense and compelling characters. Overall, it is a solid read with potential, suitable for various tastes.

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I must say I struggled the first couple of pages with the Weavers. They all just seem so problematic and I really didn't like their family dynamic. But after the moment they all had to go back to Pacific I started warming up to them. The change between "Then" and "Now" was perfectly placed and you could start to build your own opinion like this.

There were some great characters, villains, culprits and revelations which made this book a real joy to read.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an advanced copy!

This is my first book by this author. The premise is that July found evidence that landed her father in jail for being the Pacific serial killer. She and her brothers have stayed away for years, but they've all come back at the request of her oldest brother, Auggie, who has stayed. Her other brother, Deck tried to throw himself off a bridge. There is a lot of back and forth in this book from childhood to present which was ok. Their mother suffered from Schizophrenia and the kids basically raised themselves. July's little sister, May, disappeared, and it is believed the father killed her. All th kids gather at home and agree to stay on longer for their oldest brother's wedding. July begins to have doubts that her father was the serial killer... it was her evidence that put him away in jail. This is more of a domestic story, than a thriller. The writing was difficult for me at times, and I'm not sure why. The kids were named after the months of the year in which they were born and the parents went by their first names. I liked the book, but didn't love it and wasn't too excited by the ending. I do recommend it as you may enjoy it. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it.