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A review by brynnlee
Come Back to Me by Trilina Pucci
2.0
This was a freebie I stumbled across on a list of book deals. I’ve been obsessed with amnesia storylines lately so when this popped up I decided to give it a try. It turned out to be one of the craziest, most ridiculous and confusing stories that I’ve read in a long time. It’s a slightly dark, over the top soap opera. I know two stars looks bad, but the text with that rating is “it was ok” which I think is accurate. I didn’t exactly like it, and yet I was oddly fascinated and I thought the storyline had potential.
In the very first chapter our narrator, Mia, is mugged. She’s rescued by a guy who looks familiar, but she faints before she can figure out who he is. Then she almost catches an intruder in her apartment, and discovers she may have a stalker. The main suspect is a man who tried to rape her 18 months ago. Mia tracks down her rescuer wanting to know why he looks familiar. She is instantly attracted to Cole, but she thinks he’s hiding things from her. She’s also already in a hot and cold relationship with a guy named Jack, but it is overshadowed by her intense feelings for Cole.
Then Mia has a flashback to the night she was almost raped. That’s when her family finally tells her that she has amnesia. She knew she had blocked out the attack, but she didn’t realize she actually lost the previous two months as well. The doctors advised her family to let her try to regain her memories on her own, and they are now starting to come back. The rest of the book focuses on Mia’s struggle to regain her memories, her complicated relationships with Cole and Jack, and the mystery of her stalker.
There were so many things about this book that confused me. For example, I didn’t realize Mia was unaware of her memory loss. I kept wondering why it wasn’t mentioned by anyone, why she wasn’t questioning certain things. I’m kind of amazed that she never figured it out on her own. I also think it’s crazy that it was kept from her. I get that she was traumatized, but she forgot some really important things. How long were they going to keep everything from her? I thought the story was difficult to follow since the narrator was unreliable. I get that we were meant to be in the dark like Mia, but I didn’t feel like it paid off. Mia doesn’t actually figure anything out on her own.
I thought the relationship between Cole and Mia had potential, but I didn’t always like Cole. He’s possessive and at times domineering which doesn’t appeal to me at all. He’s also extremely violent at times. Mia thought it was hot when he beat a guy up, but it was a major turn off for me. I did like how he stayed loyal to her and believed in their relationship so that’s a plus. As for Mia, she kind of baffled me. She wants to break up with Jack at the beginning because she thinks he cheated on her, then she’s clinging to him and calling him her boyfriend, then pushing him away again. Admittedly he’s as hot and cold as she is, and she has been traumatized, but I could never figure her out.
One other thing that turned me off was the awkward, stilted and at times cheesy dialogue. Especially at the beginning I found it distracting. It doesn’t always flow very well, and I’d find myself reading passages multiple times as a result.
As I said at the beginning, this book is like a soap opera. I mean it’s completely ridiculous the number of times Mia is attacked and it’s incredibly convenient that she completely forgets a romantic relationship. It’s one of those books where you keep reading to see just how much crazier it can get. I couldn’t help but be intrigued trying to figure out just what was going on, but I was a little disappointed in the answers. I also had high hopes for Cole and Mia until I actually got to know them. The book does end on a little bit of a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t enough to inspire me to read the sequel. I kind of wish I could find someone to spoil it for me though. I’m pretty sure I could guess the entire plotline and it would be nice to know if I’m right.
In the very first chapter our narrator, Mia, is mugged. She’s rescued by a guy who looks familiar, but she faints before she can figure out who he is. Then she almost catches an intruder in her apartment, and discovers she may have a stalker. The main suspect is a man who tried to rape her 18 months ago. Mia tracks down her rescuer wanting to know why he looks familiar. She is instantly attracted to Cole, but she thinks he’s hiding things from her. She’s also already in a hot and cold relationship with a guy named Jack, but it is overshadowed by her intense feelings for Cole.
Then Mia has a flashback to the night she was almost raped. That’s when her family finally tells her that she has amnesia. She knew she had blocked out the attack, but she didn’t realize she actually lost the previous two months as well. The doctors advised her family to let her try to regain her memories on her own, and they are now starting to come back. The rest of the book focuses on Mia’s struggle to regain her memories, her complicated relationships with Cole and Jack, and the mystery of her stalker.
There were so many things about this book that confused me. For example, I didn’t realize Mia was unaware of her memory loss. I kept wondering why it wasn’t mentioned by anyone, why she wasn’t questioning certain things. I’m kind of amazed that she never figured it out on her own. I also think it’s crazy that it was kept from her. I get that she was traumatized, but she forgot some really important things. How long were they going to keep everything from her? I thought the story was difficult to follow since the narrator was unreliable. I get that we were meant to be in the dark like Mia, but I didn’t feel like it paid off. Mia doesn’t actually figure anything out on her own.
I thought the relationship between Cole and Mia had potential, but I didn’t always like Cole. He’s possessive and at times domineering which doesn’t appeal to me at all. He’s also extremely violent at times. Mia thought it was hot when he beat a guy up, but it was a major turn off for me. I did like how he stayed loyal to her and believed in their relationship so that’s a plus. As for Mia, she kind of baffled me. She wants to break up with Jack at the beginning because she thinks he cheated on her, then she’s clinging to him and calling him her boyfriend, then pushing him away again. Admittedly he’s as hot and cold as she is, and she has been traumatized, but I could never figure her out.
One other thing that turned me off was the awkward, stilted and at times cheesy dialogue. Especially at the beginning I found it distracting. It doesn’t always flow very well, and I’d find myself reading passages multiple times as a result.
As I said at the beginning, this book is like a soap opera. I mean it’s completely ridiculous the number of times Mia is attacked and it’s incredibly convenient that she completely forgets a romantic relationship. It’s one of those books where you keep reading to see just how much crazier it can get. I couldn’t help but be intrigued trying to figure out just what was going on, but I was a little disappointed in the answers. I also had high hopes for Cole and Mia until I actually got to know them. The book does end on a little bit of a cliffhanger, but it wasn’t enough to inspire me to read the sequel. I kind of wish I could find someone to spoil it for me though. I’m pretty sure I could guess the entire plotline and it would be nice to know if I’m right.