Amazing love story that captures your attention right from the beginning. Gabe and Anna's story was so full of emotions, that it captivates you. The storyline is raw and real. Melissa Wiesner wrote this book showing vulnerability, self growth, acceptance and unbreakable bonds all in one book. Truly moving and motivational. I love it from beginning to end and did not want it to be over. Highly recommend reading.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher, for the advance copy for an honest review.

2.5/5⭐️
Anna is a strong and capable woman, forced to assume adulthood too early. At merely 16 years-old, she's learned to rely on herself alone, which is a problem, because Gabe, her partner in class, wants to do nothing more than protect her and bring her into his family. This book explores their relationship over roughly 15 years as Anna navigates her trauma and learns to trust.

This is my first experience with Melissa Wiesner, and it's clear that she's a tremendous writer. I found myself invested in these characters from practically the first page. By the midway point, I was dying to see how things would unfold. The characters felt real and the dialogue flowed beautifully. I must admit, I have a crush on Gabe, but was truly fond of his entire family.

This book is more dramatic than the types of romances I tend to read, so take my next sentences with a grain of salt, as I might not be the target audience for this subgenre of romance. The trauma just kept on coming, in various forms, until nearly the last page. I was hoping for more resolution than we got. Several plot threads fizzled out instead of giving me the emotional payoff I was hoping for. As the novel went on, behaviors of key characters began to feel tedious. This book's narrative is third person omniscient, so we're treated to Gabe's thoughts as well as Anna's, but I never felt like he was as fleshed out of a character. It felt like he only existed when he was interacting with our heroine, and I would have liked to have known him better.

Bottom Line: This is a compelling novel with characters you can't help but root for. Readers who enjoy light spice and heavy emotional situations will appreciate this book!

Trigger warnings: child neglect, child abandonment, attempted sexual assault, mother addicted to drugs, copious references to drugs/overdoses/prostitution, emotional abuse, physical abuse, contentious relationship with father related to career choice, father experiencing heart attack, references of medical professionals being abducted in war zones, fatal shooting, references to emergency C-section after pregnant mother is shot, pregnant mother being physically/emotionally abused, mother dying of colon cancer

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I absolutely fell in love with Anna and Gabe. This book sucked me into the story, especially Anna's. There was emotion and romance and it pulled me in start to finish. A beautiful friends to lovers trope with a slow burn. Will definitely recommend and will definitely read more from this author!

This book had all the ingredients for a moving, emotional read, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me. The story follows Anna, a college student burdened by a painful past, and Gabe, the kind-hearted classmate who offers her friendship and eventually, love. While the premise is promising—a slow-burn romance layered with trauma, forgiveness, and second chances the execution fell short in my experience.

The pacing was inconsistent, with time jumps that disrupted the emotional flow and made it harder to stay invested in the characters’ journey. Anna’s tendency to push people away, especially Gabe, felt repetitive, and while I understood where she was coming from, her actions became frustrating over time. Gabe, though sweet and dependable, came off a bit too perfect, lacking the complexity that would have made him feel more real.

I also found the plot quite predictable. There were a lot of familiar tropes: hidden trauma, found family, slow-burn romance and while these can be powerful when done well, here they felt somewhat formulaic. Despite the intention to deliver a heart-wrenching story, I never felt fully emotionally engaged. The writing was clean and polished, but the emotional impact just didn’t land for me.

Gabe melted my heart the deeper I got into the story.
Anna was so fiercely independent but I wondered if she would ever let her defenses down.
All Gabe wanted to do was to love her and for years she ran. I was exasperated with her but it finally began to come together.
It’s a good lesson on persistence and consistent love.

Love this author so was thrilled to get a copy of this one. This was a great read and such a beautiful cover. Can't wait to see what she writes next--thanks for the gifted copy!

Melissa Wiesner has a way of creating the most realistic and relatable characters. The investment in the story, the world and the situations she sucks you into are a refreshing change to the influencer and perfect people tropes we often see. These are real characters, with real problems that find real love and relationships.

The drama created in her stories is palpable, yet relatable in a way that you can imagine the stress, the worry, the rationale. In this book, Anna finds solace in her apartment where she can retreat and maintain the facade she has created to separate her "new life" from her "old life" a life that came with trauma and secrets. When Anna meets Gabe in a chance meeting, their two very different worlds collide.

This is a quick read, with fantastic characters in a story that will suck you in and make you feel. There may even be a few tears.

💔✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨💔
It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner

Some books break you a little before they start to heal you — and It All Comes Back to You is one of those rare, beautiful reads. 🥹📖

This story is about missed chances, old wounds, deep love, and the complicated paths we take to forgiveness. It's emotional without being overwhelming, romantic without being predictable, and full of characters that feel achingly real. Every decision, every regret, every "what if" — Melissa Wiesner captures it all so perfectly. 🖤

This isn’t just a love story; it’s a life story. About how sometimes timing is cruel, but hope still finds a way. About how the past never fully lets go until you make peace with it. And about how true love can survive even when everything else falls apart. 🕰️💬

💬 Perfect for readers who love:
💔 Second chances
🕰️ Dual timelines / flashbacks
💬 Emotional, character-driven stories
🌸 Tender but imperfect relationships
🎡 Small town nostalgia and bittersweet memories

5/5 stars. My heart is still sore in the best way.

Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! 💌

#ItAllComesBackToYou #MelissaWiesner #Bookstagram #EmotionalReads #SecondChanceRomance #BittersweetReads #CharacterDriven #NetGalleyReviewer #ARCReview #RomanceReaders #HeartbreakingAndHopeful

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Melissa Wiesner has done it again and this book has so much heart to it. It's like she truly pours SO much emotion into her books and this was no exception. Anna and Gabe are absolutely beautiful together - their friendship, their history, their behavior to each other was simply beautiful.

Anna has struggled and it shows. She's struggled and done her absolute best to never speak about her family until it all comes back. I really loved the lesson on trust and how to trust one another - that really gave me a lot to think about. I also love how she really dug in deep with helping Gabe and Anna learn to truly communicate - through the hard stuff, not just superficial things and that was truly so beautiful.

This was such a well-written story. This book follows various of years with a girl who’s trying to escape from her life and a guy who tries to save her. This book was so well thought out and I loved the way Wiesner brought this story to life. It was very heart-felting as the characters had to go through so much, especially the FMC. I loved the setting, the pacing, and the storyline. The storyline was well crafted with three parts that take place over many years. The povs are of Anna and Gabe.

Anna is the FMC who goes to college and has a job to keep tight ends met. Then there is Gabe who’s rid and the top of his class. Both become friends but secrets keep them apart. I loved each of their stories but mostly saw their relationship grow. They were so well written and I loved how much they cared about each other as they are different social classes. The side characters were also great and I really loved Gabe’s family in this book. The romance is age gap, best friends to lovers, second chance, and more. As much as I loved their relationship, I did hate the fact that Gabe kept calling Anna a kid knowing their relationship might go somewhere.

The ending was well done and I loved the happily ever after we got. The story was so well written and I read this book fairly quickly. This book is truly perfect for fans of Lucy Score and Carley Fortune. I totally recommend checking it out because it’s worth the read.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I really enjoyed this book;. It follows Anna and Gabe. Anna is a high school student that is taking college courses because her goal is to be a doctor. She has no money and her mom is never around. Gabe is a senior in college that comes from a fairly wealthy family and his dad is a doctor. Anna and Gabe are assigned a project together in their class. Over time Gabe's family treats Anna as one of their own and they develop a strong friendship. This book follows them throughout their years, their ups and downs, betrayals and secrets. Gabe and Anna at times go years without talking to each other but when tragedy brings them back together, it's as if they fall back into where they left off. This book was a rollercoaster and the things that Anna has to go through to try to better herself and get to where she wants with little to no support is emotional. This book has some pretty heavy topics of drug addiction, and child neglect.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


I want to start out with saying as a Pittsburgh native I had a very special and dear connection to this book. Rarely does our city get to be the primary setting in a novel, so I absolutely loved that.

Now to the story- I absolutely loved the story. It was so beautifully written. Anna was such a heartbreaking and realistic portrayal of a child who has been abused and lived a life full of trauma. Gabe was the perfect golden retriever, who did this to you MMC. The Weatherall family was a beautiful example of a loving and accepting family. Anna’s relationship with each member was very endearing. The slow burn of Anna and Gabe’s beautiful friendship blossoming into unrequited love and then finally a fleshed out relationship was perfection- I truly felt the longing and anguish from both sides. My heart and stomach did flips many times throughout waiting for them to finally get together!

The mystery of Anna’s mom was horrendous and no child should ever have to endure what she did but it is very realistic to what many go through (did have to suspend some disbelief of her surviving on her own for over a year- but I am sure there are true life examples of this very thing happening)


All in all this book was heartbreakingly beautiful and I am so glad I was given an ARC by the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!


Tropes:
Found Family
Slow Burn
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Age Gap
Everyone Can See It
Mutual Pining
Who Did This To You

Melissa Wiesner has very quickly become and auto buy/read author for me. I couldn’t you this one down.

A love story spanning years of sadness and turmoil. Anna and Gabe are paired as project partners and develop a fast friendship. Lacking family structure, Anna clings to Gabe and his family as we learn about her troubled past.

I enjoyed this story and it was a very fast read for me. I loved the family dynamics of the Weatheralls.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read an eARC ahead of the paperback release in March 2025.

Finally, a book that took me out of my reading funk. I couldn’t put this one down once I started it and in less than 24 hours, I was finished. The story draws you in. I could relate so much to the main character of this book and her story. There were so many pieces of it that reminded me of my childhood and my goodness, it was heart wrenching. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book before it was published. This book took me forever to finish. I found it very boring, nothing interesting, so much useless info, not enough romance at all..just didn’t do it for me. Also the jump of years between the chapters was annoying. I did not enjoy it !

WOW just WOW....

This book put me through it!!!! I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions—anger, heartbreak, hope, and love. This story was beautifully written and had me hooked from the first page.

Anna’s journey is one of resilience, trauma, and healing. I was constantly rooting for her, feeling her struggles, and wanting nothing but happiness for her. And Gabe? Oh, Gabe!!! I absolutely fell in love with him and his entire family. Their warmth, their love—it all just felt so real. The contrast between Anna’s lonely, guarded world and Gabe’s open, welcoming one made their connection even more powerful!

I have major book hangover after this one!

After this book, I realized I am a Melissa Wiesner person 🤚 This was the third ARC/book I read by her. She so kindly gifted me The Second Chance Year and now I want to get my hands on It All Comes Back To You and Wish I Were Here

The storytelling was so nice. The plot was so unique I haven’t read anything like it tbh. It was such a beautiful slow burn I loved it. When they were kids, they acted as kids, and when they grew up, they acted like it and that’s when the feelings started to form and I was all in for it. Nothing was rushed, my girl Melissa took her time with this one and I’m so glad she did

Everything between Anna and Gabe felt so natural. Everything was just genuinely flowing between these two. There was a lot of character development and I like how they both allowed space for growth

Even with Gabe’s family involvement, it was really endearing to read. Anna annoyed me a bit with how she kept pushing Gabe away and not listening to him when he was just trying to help her or explain himself, but again I do understand her POV. Gabe’s grandmother was a big pivotal point in Anna’s life. I love how protective of Anna, Gabe’s parents were. Anna was one and the same as their kids and it was so cute

I also really liked the medical journey she went on. It was really interesting for me to read about. It’s a field I would be interested in perusing after my master’s. So in that sense I related to her

Gabe is such an understanding human. Always in her corner since day one. Their friendship was so amiable. These two were meant to be in each other’s lives. This story was what I needed. OH AND I was reading it when I was traveling around Europe with my man who’s also my bestest best friend so I loved that even more🤍

This is my 3rd Melissa Wiesner book & I have loved them all! 🥰 there is something about the way she tells these amazing heartfelt stories that just draw you in & you don’t want to put the book down.

An unforgettable and heart-wrenching romance about a woman haunted by her past and the man who could never let her go. It All Comes Back to You has friends to lovers, slow burn, found family, heart breaking moments & heart warming moments that will have you crying happy & sad tears.

Anna Campbell is just a 16 year old trying to get by in life & secure a full ride to college. She’s taking college classes in high school to speed up the process & that’s where she meets Gabe Weatherall. These two couldn’t be more opposite. Gabe has a big, loving family & Anna doesn’t have anything close to that. The two get partnered up for a class project & butt heads right away. Gabe is a senior in college & doesn’t want to work with a high school student. But as the two of them start to work on their project, Gabe notices things about Anna’s life that don’t seem safe. As Gabe pries deeper into Anna’s life, she wants to run away to keep all her secrets hidden. He slowly breaks down those walls & invites her into his family. These two continue to grow up as the best of friends as they navigate life, but they both have secrets they are keeping from the other. As they start to see each other as more than friends, the secrets start to come out.

I loved this story of Anna & Gabe! I really enjoyed how the story starts in the present & then flashes back to the very beginning & you get to see not only their story unfold, but Anna’s as well. She did not have an easy upbringing & it was hard to see what she went through & how it affected her thought process through life thinking she had to do it all on her own. Gabe is an absolute sweetheart! He had the best intentions & always cared for Anna. The found family in this book brought tears to my eyes, especially at the end!🥹

If you haven’t read a Melissa Wiesner book yet, you definitely need to pick one up! 🩷

Thank you to Melissa Wiesner & Booked with the Emily’s for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was beautiful! Melissa really brings your attention to the storyline by adding a little suspense to the plot. Which I loved. The ending had me almost sobbing with how beautifully it was written! 😅🥰