Name: Bring Me Back
ISBN: 9780008244880

B.A. Paris

The million-copy bestselling author B A Paris returns with a breathtaking thriller. ‘We’re in a new golden age of suspense writing now, because of amazing books like Bring Me Back’ Lee Child ‘Made me stay up way beyond my bedtime!’ Jane Corry

Bring Me Back

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. 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.

A Novel

Denaiir

** spoiler alert **
           OH my god, that final twist was so awful!!!
I was hesitating between a 1-star and 3-stars until the end, the final twist, and it was the biggest disppointment from a thriller in YEARS!
How can Ellen be Layla, and Finn does not notice at all, when the only changes were her skin tone and her makeup??? I'm flabbergasted, it's just unbelievable that an editor would have accepted to publish this rubbish ending. 
For example, one line that made me laugh so hard (remember, Layla is VERY scared of dogs, and she reveals the following):
"...you invited me to Simonsbridge for the weekend, to meet Peggy, because I'd told you how much I love dogs. And Peggy was so easy to love that I lost Layla's fear of them." 
Loved it, I think we should tell the world that overcoming a fear of dogs is that easy. I can't even, it's just so bad! That was just one sentence, but that whole twist was completely unrealistic, and the rest of the book was meh, so I definitely won't be picking up any more of B.A. Paris' books.

Levena Banda

Wasn’t easy to get into bc the first chapters were kinda boring but believe me it gets better in the final chapters. 
Most of the book was mid and I was gonna give this book 3 stars bc I didn’t really care for any of the characters. I don’t think they were developed well, the other chick was two-dimensional and really had no value as a character other than her relationship to the main fmc. Finn was a jerk from the get go and I couldn’t fathom why they both wanted him so bad but I digress. 
The twist at the end is what really kicked this book up a notch. I thought it was fun. I, personally, have never read anything like it. I was in shock and I stared at the wall in disbelief for like 10 minutes. I reckon if you’re fairly new to thriller (like me) you’ll like this otherwise I can understand why most don’t/wouldn’t.
Is it worth the read? I wouldn’t say so.

Toni Scola

Lacy W

A super special thank you goes out to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press (my favorite publishing company ever!) for allowing me to read this eARC early. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Nobody touch me right now. I cannot even begin to fathom what on earth I have just read. I literally held my Kindle for a solid two minutes because I couldn't even begin to wrap my head around everything. I am completely just blown away. I did not expect the twist. Not by a longshot. 

The way this book was written made the mystery that much more intense. It was split into three parts. We have Finn's narration, the before time and a super special narration that I'm not going to disclose. There was this huuuuuuuuuge amount of foreboding and dread the minute I started reading this book. It kept me hooked!

Finn was an unreliable narrator. He lied all the time along with lying to himself and to others he loved. But I liked that. His constant inner monologues were a tiny bit too much at times but overall I enjoyed Finn as a narrator. I could feel myself losing sanity as he slowly began to lose his. And I also enjoyed the extra special nattor. They were pretty great too. 

Overall, this book was great. The thrill of finding out what really happened to Layla kept me on the edge the whole time. The level of foreboding and dread I felt was awesome and I can't wait to feel it again. I can't wait to read more of this author's work.

Sarahi Flores

As how much a psychological thriller goes, this took a bit of warming up to get there.

If you want to read more of my review, check it out: www.readergalcom.wordpress.com

Shirley Jones 

Strongly

Having read both BA Paris books, I was so excited to be accepted to read and review Bring Me Back, I was absolutely blown away by the brilliant put-together storyline, it was such an addictive read, and have no doubt that Bring Me Back will be a bestseller.

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. 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

Madhuri Sridhara

1.25: What the actual f*** was that? Paris's debut novel, "Behind Closed Doors" was an amazing book filled with themes and characters that was deserving of its 5 stars. Her second book, not so much. But this was utterly stupid. 

Somewhere the plot became clear to me but I kept reading because the author knows how to keep you turning the pages. But did she seriously put these horribly unlikable people, a completely unbelievable (even for this genre) plot and expect us to be happy with it? According to most of the reviews, the answer is yes. 

*SPOILERS* 
Horrible human being falls obsessively in "love" with young girl and and she turns out to be crazy too.

Don't bother reading.

Skye Sherman

Okay, giving it 4 stars because I do have to say, Paris kept me guessing to the very last page! Never saw that ending coming. However, subtracting a star because I never saw that ending coming because, well... it’s totally unbelievable. Like, I don’t buy it at all. I just don’t see how it could be possible. Just feels a little ridiculous... I can suspend my disbelief for a good fiction read, but not THAT much. So, kinda not jiving with it, but also it was a decent thriller that keeps you turning pages and a quick read. So, 4 stars it is.

Maria🧸

I randomly grabbed this book at a local bookstore without having really looked into it. The explainer on the back cover was brief and vague, but interesting enough that I just had to get it. I'm SO glad that I did. 

"Finn and Layla are young, in love and on vacation. They're driving along the highway when Finn stops at a service station to use the restroom. When he returns, Layla is gone — never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told the police. But it's not the whole story. 10 years later Finn is engaged to Layla's sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close. But still, there's something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. 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. If Layla is alive — and on Finn's trail — what does she want? And how much does she know?"

This book is just twist after twist after twist. After the first chapter, I was hooked and could not put it down. The p lot and characters just draw you in and don't let go. It's suspenseful enough to keep you up at night. I often found myself theorizing and trying to solve the mystery myself, but I quickly found that no matter how many theories I came up with, I was never right. Each scene is just so unexpected.

This psychological thriller is so suspenseful and original. It will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I simply can't recommend this book enough.



Michelle Muller

I was a huge fan of the first two books by this author, but sadly, this one was a miss for me. At the beginning I was really interested, you get sucked into a story that won't be fully explained till the very end. However, I lost interest very quickly. The book became cheesy, something a 15 year old could have written on wattpad. There was a lot of potential here, it just wasn't executed very well in my opinion. The twist at the end really made me feel like I just wasted 9 hours of my life. It's such a shame, without that twist it could have been so good!!

Shanelle M.

10/10 would recommend 
I can't believe what happened, thought I knew what the ending was gonna be-i was wrong! And I loved it! Lol 

Melody Izard

It was a page turner. I figured it out - but it was still an interesting plot.

Samantha

Layla is on her way home with her boyfriend Finn when she disappears. Everyone automatically thinks he had something to do with it, but did he?
Finn has since moved on with Ellen, Layla's sister (W H Y) and all seems to be going great for them.
Well, unlike little Russian dolls and emails start appearing, hinting that there might be something more to Layla's disappearance.

The story alternates between the past and present, which I generally love for thrillers and was done well here. I even enjoyed the twist, however I predicted it fairly early on and I read another book just before that did it a lot better.
I have BA Paris's other two books sitting in my bookcase so I look forward to reading them in the future.

THE 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. 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.

Nash

Holy crap!!!
My head is spinning after finishing this book. 
The amount of twists is incredible. 
Don’t trust anything; don’t speculate anything. 

I thought I had the whole thing figured out… oh boy, I was so wrong. 

Everyone in this book is crazy as f**k. Honestly, I wanted to slap them all. 
Finn is a backstabbing SOB that has trust issues and who also cannot be trusted. He has so many ideal and expectations but don’t you dare expect anything from him because he cannot handle it and he will freakout. 
If Ellen was a spice, she would be flour. This poor girl has nothing going on for her. She is supposed to be an illustrator but it is mentioned only like three times. 
Ellen is hiding something big and Finn knows it, but he can’t figure it out. 
His friends are way too involved in his life and have too many opinions regarding EVERYTHING. 
Layla is batshit crazy. I’m not joking. The girl needs GOD. As soon as she shows up, you can tell that she is not right in the head. 
This freaking book is so good. The story was creepy as hell to me. It kept me turning pages with Sonic speed. I just needed to know what was going to happen next. I wanted more. The way it ended it was what the book needed. It was perfect in every sense of the word. I just need everyone to read it. A great introduction to B.A. Paris if you haven’t read anything from her yet. I’ll be reading Behind Closed Doors very very soon!

Megan Leprich

Ever since reading B.A. Paris' book The Breakdown I have been beyond excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. Thanks to NetGalley, that became possible! This book was addictive just like every book she has written. A great mystery that will throw you for a loop in the end.

This book is about Finn and his girlfriend Layla who are traveling on holiday through France when he stops at a roadside truck stop to use the bathroom, leaving Layla alone in the car. When he returns to the car her door is ajar and she's nowhere to be found. No one ever sees or hears from her again. Fast forward ten years he's engaged to be married and happy with good friends that have been there for him through his rough times. Everything seems to be perfect until something from his lost girlfriend's past mysteriously shows up at his cottage that only him, Layla, and his now fiancee (his lost girlfriend's sister by the way) know about. Weird things start happening that make him question if Layla is back or is someone playing games with him. 

This was a great book that I could not put down and I'm sure no one will be prepared for the ending. B.A. Paris once again crafts an amazing novel of mystery that will have you guessing till the end.