THE NEW TWISTY, GRIPPING READ FROM B. A. PARIS, THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING NOVELS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS AND THE BREAKDOWN “We’re in a new Golden Age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back, and I for one am loving it.” –Lee Child “[An] outstanding Hitchcockian thriller.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review) She went missing. … thriller.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
She went missing. He moved on. A whole world of secrets remained–until now.
Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They’re driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone–never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story.
Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him…even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her.
Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla–hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla’s past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen’s house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive–and on Finn’s trail–what does she want? And how much does she know?
A tour de force of psychological suspense, Bring Me Back will have you questioning everything and everyone until its stunning climax.
more
You won’t see this ending coming!
Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris is an unusual mystery, a physiological thriller full of twists. Wonderful characters, strange relationships, and distorted thinking. B. A. Paris pulls you into her story, never letting you go as you almost live the story with her characters. I‘ve enjoyed all of her books and now anxiously await another book.
This was a great, quick read. A true page turner in the same style as the author’s previous books. My attention was hooked from the first chapter and I found it impossible to put down. As much as I thought the story was going to be predictable, I really wasn’t sure if I had figured out the twist or not until the very last page. This story is a true psychological thriller, leaving the reader unsure of who to trust, what’s real or not, and leaves us feeling as uncomfortable as our main character Finn. Without giving away too much, I truly appreciate the story line the author created when one looks further into the depth of domestic assault and what the side effects can be as well. An entertaining read that will hold your attention, late into the night. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
3.5 Stars
I’m finding myself drawn more and more to relationship thrillers. They don’t tend to have the happiest of couples and more often then not if they are, they won’t be for long. LOL I’m not quite sure what this says about me but I chalk it up to watching a horrible car crash. As awful as it is, I can’t not look. And maybe a small part of me, relishes reading about a relationship with far more problems than my own.
I’m torn on my feelings for this book. Both main characters are not very likable and though I have no need for my characters to be redeemable, I do need to have some trait to latch on to. These two had nothing that spoke to me enough for me to really care about how things would end for them. I did, however find the story interesting enough to keep me going and while not shocking, the big twist was a surprise. I had been circling around the answer without really landing right on it.
I wouldn’t classify this as an edge of your seat thriller, either. It’s more of a slow, steady and methodical. It’s hard to love a book with unsympathetic characters and an interesting but not particularly gripping story line. I did appreciate it enough to pick up another by this author.
So far, every B.A. Paris book I’ve read, and I just may well have read all of them she’s written thus far…she’s onto something. She’s pretty good. It’s like a good movie, only better, since it’s a book, you know. Don’t read this one too fast, just read it word for word and let it take you where it leads. You’ll follow right along and get it and be wowed, I’d say.
I did listen to this book on Audible and the readers were exceptional. The story was intriguing and had me guessing until the end.
This book could have been better. I usually enjoy this author’s books. This one was somewhat predictable. Once you figure it out, it makes the book move slow.
I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of gone girl.
B.A. Paris did it again with her third book. Don’t know when since Stephen King have I waited impatiently for another book by a favorite author to come out. The characters in Bring Me Back were sometimes confusing and a little over dramatic, but it all makes sense in the end. The complex story of what is a love triangle that didn’t really exist will keep any reader engrossed until the very end. Kudos to Paris!
“At the time I’d been happy for her to have Finn. But now it was time to give him back.”
* * *
I REALLY enjoyed this one! I will admit that I basically saw the Big Reveal coming (not in its exact detail, but the gist) from about the mid-point, but that did nothing to lessen the enjoyment I found in watching things play out. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this particular plot contrivance at work, but it was managed well and so I didn’t mind – the book was engaging, and even when the characters were behaving bizarrely or things seemed a little too coincidental or pat, the writing kept me enough in the story to keep rapidly flipping pages to see what would happen next.
In the post-Gone Girl era, this type of thriller is starting to get more predictable – there are, after all, only so many ways secrets can unfold and only so many twists that are even remotely plausible… But in the hands of a talented writer, I don’t think that matters. It’s like horror – you basically know what’s coming, but the twists and turns are no less horrifying because you know they’ll involve blood and guts. So too, I think, a Secrets Thriller. B.A. Paris has a knack for balancing the pacing to keep you slightly off-kilter; it keeps things interesting and fresh-feeling, because you’re never quite sure where anyone/anything stands.
Sometimes it’s fun to read books that don’t have to be analyzed – to just fall into a story that keeps you turning pages, half-afraid of what will happen next but dying to see it happen nevertheless. This was that kind of book for me. It didn’t change my life, but it was a very entertaining and enjoyable read and I’ll definitely look for more from Paris…
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
/ 5 rounded up.
Hmmm, Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris was one interesting book with a twist that I did not see coming.
I don’t really want to say a whole lot about the plot of Bring Me Back because I think it is best to go into this book with zero expectations and let it take you where it will. I will say that the basic idea of the plot is that Layla and Finn are a young couple in love when Finn stops to use a restroom at a service station while they are on vacation in France. He goes in and when he comes back out Layla has vanished without a trace. However, the story he tells the police is not the complete truth. 12 years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister Ellen when he starts getting clues and hints that Layla may still be alive. If she is, the question becomes where has she been for the last 12 years and why is she back now?
There are lots of divided reviews for this book, a lot of them being issues with the ending. Some people figured out what was going on, but as usual I had no idea what was happening. I began to think it was something similar to a book I had read before, but it was and it wasn’t all at once. Now is the ending really all that believable? No not really, and it makes our main character Finn seem like a complete idiot. However, I just can’t get past how completely readable this book was for me and how FAST I was able to read it. Under 3.5 hours which I think is a new record for me.
The book jumps around between now and before; before being his past with Layla and now is his current life with Ellen. The chapters were super short, and the book itself is short at under 250 pages. These are probably all factors that helped me read it very quickly, plus the fact that it really sucked me in and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. It was all very mysterious and confusing to me.
Final Thought: I know there are going to be a lot of people that won’t be able to get over the ending and while I did have a problem with it, I didn’t HATE it like some people. If you are one of those people who can’t stand irrational endings then you definitely shouldn’t be reading this book. However, if you are ok with endings that can be fairly… out there, you just might like like it. I just love how it sucks you in and how quickly those pages turn. That is what makes this a winner instead of a loser to me. Plus, I feel that B.A. Paris is very quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I will read anything she puts out and probably not hate it, just saying.
A spooky, can’t-put-down, thriller! Paris uses a seemingly harmless prop to elicit spine-tingling fear. Twists and turns ensure the reader a roller-coaster ride of intrigue. I will definitely be reading more from author, B.A. Paris! Fans of Shari LaPena and Emily Carpenter will enjoy this book!
B.A. Paris does not disappoint in this new psychological thriller Bring Me Back.
This book slowly builds and you cannot help but read faster and faster looking
forward to what the next page brings. Bring Me Back has an ending you will
never see coming. A Must Read! Thank you St Martin’s Press for an ARC of
this book and this is my honest review.
Meet Layla and Finn, young in love and then Layla shares something with Finn that sets him off. Finn goes to the bathroom only to find his girlfriend is gone without a trace when he comes out. Did he kill her or did someone abduct her from the lonely restroom stop where they just argued minutes before she disappeared. You will carry on with Finn as the book goes back and forth from past to present finally settling in the present. Where is Layla? Enter Layla’s sister Ellen, the opposite of Layla’s personality and soon to become the new girlfriend in Finn’s life. Yet, there are unanswered questions and then things start to happen to Ellen and also Finn. A powerful suspense that will keep you guessing and then wondering just who friend or foe is.
Bring Me Back by B. A. Paris is an amazing new thriller. From the start you are drawn into the lives of these characters. Who can you trust? What Really Happened? How did this come to pass? But the Author keepsyou on your toes. Just as you think you know the truth everything shifts and you’re searching for answers again. This book frustrated me, enthralled me and made me question everything. What a Twisting, Turning path it takes you down. Well worth reading and thoroughly mezmerising! I loved it, I hated it, I’m so glad I read this!!
I don’t know how this author does it, book after book, but Bring Me Back is another unbelievable, psychological thriller that made me dizzy with all the twists and turns in the story. I was guessing and then second-guessing myself, thinking I had it all figured out. And then when the end came, I was totally wrong on my guesses. I love when that happens. What an amazing story!
I had a hard time at first getting into this book. But once it started it was good. It’s a story of lost and found love. Lost and found family. Anger, pain, fear, heartbreak and death. Some years of happiness in there too.
Finn was very much in love with Layla. He would have done almost anything for her. Until she betrayed him. Then he lost it and she was to afraid to stay and see if things would work out. She had already been through enough abuse to last a good long while and was not going to go through it with Finn. So she ran.
Layla was an abused girl. Abused by her father who for some reason hated her. Her sister Ellen was older and took care of her and their father after their mother died. Eventually Layla left and that is when she met Finn. Finn was quite a bit older than Layla but they fell hard for each other.
On a drive from a ski trip they got into a big fight and that is when Layla disappeared. For 12 long years Finn wondered if she was alive, dead, being held by someone who was abusing her. He was engaged to her sister, Ellen, at this point and very happy. Until the dolls started to appear. Then the emails.
As things start to fall apart Finn does not know what to believe. Is Layla alive. Is Ellen lying to him?
I had part of this book figured out early on but it was still a pretty good story. I gave it 4 stars because it did keep me wanting to turn the pages and read more. It was kind of predictable but still good. I was very disappointed in the ending in many ways but also understood why it had to end the way it did.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #St Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book.
Bring Me Back is one of those books you won’t be able to put down! While on the way home from a skiing trip with his girlfriend Layla, Finn pulls into a service area to use the bathroom. When he returns to the car Layla is missing….vanished into thin air. Years pass and Finn has finally moved on with his life and has fallen in love with Ellen…Layla’s sister. When odd things keep happening he begins to wonder who could be playing these tricks on him. Who would want to keep Layla’s memory alive? Well written with twists and turns you won’t see coming. I highly recommend it!
This is the first book by this author that I’ve had the pleasure of reading and now I’m wondering what else I’ve missed out on!! It took me a little while to really get into it but once I found the groove I was hooked. It was nail biting and exciting. And the twist & turns really kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing what was going to happen next. And even when I thought I had everything figured out….BOOM!! The truth is revealed and I’m floored!!
*Slow clap* Yet another book from B.A. Paris that I thoroughly enjoyed. I want to start off by saying, she is the QUEEN of making you rethink everything you know over and over again from start to finish.
This book had me on my toes from the get go. First, I really had no clue what was happening. As the story picked up, I was excited to see exactly where it went. While reading it, I had suspicions, then she would crush them one at a time. I always seems to get a mental whiplash when reading her books. I love every second of it.
That ending. I will be honest, I had the thought a few different times. And looking back on it now, I see even more signs than I saw while reading it. Some might not like how things ended up being, but I can’t say I am disappointed. I can’t find a scenario for the ending that I wouldn’t have been okay with.