Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Bring Me Back

Finn and Ellen have put the past behind them—namely that Layla vanished without a trace ten years ago. Layla was Finn’s former girlfriend and he was madly in love with her. Layla was also Ellen’s sister. Through Layla’s disappearance, and ultimately her suspected death, Finn and Ellen found strength in one another. Now they’re engaged to be wed.

All is well until Russian dolls, mysterious emails, and sightings of Layla start appearing. Is Layla still out there or is someone messing with them?

The book started out strong. It was suspenseful, it had me guessing, but then part two came along. The twist was a bit too obvious, too implausible. I was able to guess the ending, which is normally fun! But this one had me asking, “really?”

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ TW: Domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism, murder and mental illness ⚠️
This book follows Finn and Layla who are wildly young and in love and are planning their happily ever after together until one night when they are driving back from a holiday in France everything changes when Layla vanishes from a service station never to be seen again. Or at least that's the story told to police. And fast forward 12 years when Finn has moved on with Ellen, Layla's sister, small things start to happen to make everyone wonder what really happened in France and did Layla ever disappear. This book is filled with suspense as well as being incredibly clever and addictive to read and omg I did not see the twist coming at the end! 😱 B.A.Paris is one of my favourite domestic thriller authors and she knows how to use the art of the perfect slow burn to really keep your attention throughout while making you think of a thousand different potential endings before proving you wrong with one hell of a twist. The only reasons I've marked this one down is because I'm not sure how I felt about the use of mental illness being this villianised thing in this book and I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Overall, it was a really good read and I'd definitely read it again and recommend it.

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ashley_books_cats_judo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sheryl_macca's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is my second Paris book and I wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a genuine thriller with lots of suspense, twists, dilemmas and dark psychology.

The cast of characters is small and we have two opposite points of view throughout which both increase the intensity. The settings are a contrast to the plot. Leafy Cheltenham and surrounding rural villages are jarring. They offer a welcome discomfort that suits and adds to the plot.

I couldn't read it quickly enough, I was kept guessing and there were surprises right up to the very end.

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