I like characters with secrets. I’m impressed if a character I’ve come to know closely surprises me late in a novel. I’m really impressed when each member of an entire family does that. It’s a mastery that Emily Smith shows in You Always Come Back.
July Weaver is one of the crazy Weavers. Growing up as one of six children to a delusional father and schizophrenic mother, she’s always been an outsider. But when she discovers that her father is the murderer of local girls, starting with her own sister, July has to get away from her nightmare of a family.
Years later, she’s drawn home to them. Now there’s a new problem. Her father remains in prison, but girls are still disappearing.
Always explosive, July struggles to get past the damage she’s made. Moments from her past that she’s tried to forget become vital clues. Chapters alternate between the summer of the original murders and the present. By the end, when everything came together, I didn’t want to put it down.
Don’t let the cover put you off. On the inside, this book has everything going for it. Five stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance read.

The Pacific Lake Killer was convicted almost a decade ago based on the testimony of July Weaver, who happened to be his daughter. Not only that, but her younger sister was one of his victims. Now she’s coming back to town for the first time since she left because one of her brothers tried to kill himself. She had pledged to watch over him when she left so she feels responsible. Otherwise, she would never choose to return. Once she’s back, it’s just as she imagined – a small town that hasn’t gotten over her father’s incarceration, the same stares and glares she always received. And the same dysfunctional family dynamic between her and her siblings. They had to raise each other, as their father was always working, and their mother was in the throes of schizophrenia.

The situation isn’t any better now as adults and she desperately wants to leave almost as soon as she returns. She agrees to stay through the summer until her brother’s wedding and the longer she is home the more she questions what happened all those years ago. Would her father truly have hurt his own daughter and the other young women that were murdered? If it wasn’t him, would she be able to handle knowing she had him wrongfully convicted? And who else could have committed these horrific crimes? Worst of all, is he coming for her now?

Some parts of the story are a little too cutesy for me, like the children being named after the month they were born. The set of twins put a wrench in that, but April and May are still at least common names. March becoming Mark and December becoming Deck (why include the letter k though? Marc and Dec would be fine) works I guess, but what if subsequent children were all born in the same month? What would you call November or February? I don’t know, it just bothered me. And Mark was way too antagonistic for absolutely no reason. I kept waiting for some tidbit to be revealed about his loathing for July but it never came.

Same with the tree that the house was built around and which then broke through the roof, visible above as it keeps growing. Another touch that tried too hard at showing how weird and quirky their family was. July wasn’t likable to me, either, in an “I’m a badass but I also care deeply below it all’ kind of way. I guess I just didn’t click with the writing style. The ending wasn’t a surprise either, but it was still satisfying. To me, it was less of a mystery/thriller and more of a drama with a focus on family relationships. If that’s what you’re looking for, this story is perfect. I was just hoping for more.

Tremendous effort from Smith about a dysfunctional family whose father went to prison ten years ago as the Pacific Lake Killer. When long lost siblings return to town to help another in trouble, daughter July begins to suspect that dad may not have been guilty after all. What could have been a run of the mill, been there done that story turns out to be a superbly written, highly engrossing study of a family with lots of issues that can't escape the ties that bind. The mystery of the killer's identity is wrapped up nicely, and while not a big surprise, it's nevertheless a satisfying ending to the saga that unfolds slowly but surely. Solid characterizations make this one a cut above the rest of the. I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot here but was pleasantly surprised. First time reading Smith but it won't be my last. 4.5 stars. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of You Always Come Back by Emily Smith is interesting. Nine years ago, July Weaver’s little sister was one of the first victims of the Pacific Lake Killer, a serial killer in Georgia. When other girls began to disappear and were found dead, it was July’s testimony that put her own father into prison for the crimes. After the sentencing, she fled to Nashville to focus on her music career and to try to forget the horrible past. But when her brother tries to kill himself, July is forced to come back home and reunite with her four remaining siblings.

The timelines were hard to follow and got tedious with the back and forth. This was not too much of a thriller as I had wanted or expected.

Just an okay read for me. There were a few good twists that held my interest. I would check out more books by this author.

A 3.75 rating out of 5 (rounded to 4).

#YouAlwaysComeBack #NetGalley @crookedlanebks

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the copy of You Always Come back by Emily Smith. The story started out really good and I liked how the characters were introduced and the exchange between Harry and June. I found the dual timelines hard to keep track of because the past and the present didn't really feel connected and I started to lose interest in the story. The ending was good but Ithink people who read a lot of thrillers won't be really surprised. This wasn’t a bad book and even though it wasn’t for me it might be perfect for you.

July had a tough childhood. She got out of her small hometown in Georgia and was making a name for herself as a song writer In Nashville. When her brother needs help she reluctantly goes home and is forced to face her siblings knowing she was the one to put her serial killer father behind bars. But did she get it wrong? While the story was pretty good I did not enjoy the writing style. I found it kind of choppy and the book was dark.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

I love a good and thrilling murder mystery, and ‘You always come back’, by Emily Smith didn't disappoint.

July’s father is a convicted serial killer. He got convicted because July testified against him after he killed her little sister and almost her.
July moved to Nashville and has a career in songwriting. She said she never would go back to her hometown, but when her brother is in trouble she has no other choice. Soon the question rises: is her father the real murderer or is the Pacific Lake Killer still out there?

I truly liked Emily her writing style. The characters were realistic and I could easily relate to July. The story had enough tension and got me stuck to the pages. I liked the many twists and although I was right pretty early on in the story (not telling about what) I wasn't completely sure, so had to finish it. I truly enjoyed the mystery and the storyline.

This was a very well written story by a debut writer and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

This is my first book by this author and I was wowed! It truly is a great mystery and leaves you wondering who the guilty party is. Highly recommended!

July Weaver is all too familiar with the Pacific Lake Killer. After all, he killed her little sister and almost killed July. She couldn’t believe her father would do these things but he was found guilty and she hasn’t spoken to him since.

Now July has a career in Nashville, writing popular songs for country artists. She left her hometown and vowed to never return. But her brother is in trouble and July is responsible for him. In an effort to save him, July will return to her hometown and face her past.

There are four siblings remaining and July is at odds with all of them. With a disappearance that is eerily similar to that of the Pacific Lake Killer, July starts to question her memory. Did the police convict the right man? If not, will the killer come back to her to finish the job?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 Stars! Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC You Always Come Back. This book was amazing. I was hooked from the prologue. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspenseful book. The author was unreliable when describing the characters and you think one person did it when it was actually the unproblematic one. I can't wait to read more from this author.

The premise of You Always Come Back immediately grabbed my attention. It reminded me of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places, but with a different angle. However, I could not get into the writing. The first chapter, written from the perspective of a child, read very odd (what five-year-old uses the term "takes seed" and refers to her parents by their first names?). The following chapters weren't strong enough to regrab my focus, so this ultimately moved to my DNF pile.

This was a gripping read! The author 's writing style is engaging and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Quite honestly this is one of those storylines that would translate well onto the big screen. It's packed with mystery, intrigue, murder and turbulent family relationships.

I would definitely recommend adding this to your TBR if you enjoy reading books in the Mystery Thriller genre.

Thank you Emily Smith, Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A good read with a good family dynamic. I knew that a twist was coming in the end, but I did not guess what exactly was going to happen.

This book is a story of mystery and intrigue. Realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. Red herrings kept me guessing. This talented author has written a page turner. Even the title is intriguing. July testified against her father years ago. Was he really a murderer or was she wrong? Wow! This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and author.

Wow! That was something else! Great book! It was such a weird tale but it was freaky good! I definitely enjoyed reading this crazy family book! Not that its family oriented lol this book had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, serial killer, gas lighting, a fabulous who done it that was very hard to figure out, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! It is well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was an edge of your seat read in a day thriller. There wasn’t a moment that it lagged and I couldn’t wait to get to the end to put it all together. Make sure you grab this one for your fall weather read!

July Weaver has tried to put her ugly past behind her. She hasn’t been home in years, not since testistfying against her own father and landing him a conviction as a serial killer with July’s own sister as one of his first victims. She’s been focused on her music career in Nashville, but after her brother attempts suicide, she heads back to Georgia to reunite with her siblings. Once there, she’s faced with the horrifying possibility that she got things terribly wrong, that her father is not a serial killer and that the real Pacific Lake killer is still on the loose and is zeroing in on July. Smith presents a thinking person’s thriller with a creepy and plausible plot