There are certain authors I go to that fit my varying reading needs. B.A. Paris has confirmed with this, her third book that she is someone to ensure is on my bookshelf for when I want a psychological thriller that is fast-moving and totally gripping.

Bring Me Back starts twelve years back in time when Finn on the way back from holiday in France with his girlfriend Layla. He stops at a pretty much deserted layby to use the conveniences and by the time he returns to the car she’s disappeared. Finn was questioned over her disappearance but since he had no motive to harm the woman he intended to marry, and no clues left as to where she could have gone, he is allowed to return to the UK to live his life.

And live his life he does. When we catch up with him Finn is about to get married to Ellen, he’s moved away from the home he shared with Layla and although you never forget something that enormous, he has a good job, a nice home and a future to look forward to. And then, the detective that has been looking for Layla says that a woman matching her description has been spotted near their old home. This is put down to the faulty memory of the elderly neighbour who reported it until a sign is left that the past isn’t staying put. Finn begins to worry that everything is going to come tumbling around his ears.

The skill in this type of psychological novel is to instantly immerse you in the story, to wrap you up in the character’s beliefs so that the reader doesn’t have time to wonder why doesn’t X character do Y etc. And B.A. Paris performs this act swiftly and without fuss. Not for this author endless explanations of this disorder or that objection, we are with Finn and his need to keep things under wraps whilst he sets out on his own personal mission.
Now I’ll confess that I did crack one line of the mystery, perhaps because I’d come across something similar, although not the same, in another recent read, but this didn’t hamper my enjoyment or halt my swift turning of the pages in any way whatsoever. This type of psychological thriller isn’t mystery story, it isn’t just how or who but the whole package that is needed to be unwrapped and the aftermath examined in context of the characters. So, even though I solved one piece, I couldn’t know how the ending would play out, and I’m glad to say the final pages were absolutely perfect for the book that had preceded them.

This is perfect holiday reading, cosy weekend reading or in fact something to gee you up when life seems a bit flat. Read it anywhere or at any time and get swept up in a story that will keep you up all night.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the publishers HQ who allowed me to read an advance copy of Bring Me Back ahead of publication on 8 March 2018. This unbiased review is my thanks to them and the talented author B.A. Paris for keeping me thoroughly entertained.

This is undoubtedly a great holiday read, for when you really have the time to dedicate hours to a book because you just have to find out what the hell happened.

Bring Me Back is a classic psychological thriller full of twists, turns, and unreliable storytelling (Is Finn telling the truth? What really happened to his girlfriend?). There were a few things which didn’t sit that well with me - it was kind of weird that Layla was so young, and her decisions often didn’t really make sense - but overall this was a pretty good read. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

(Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC)

I'm going to start this review by saying that I usually rate highly anything bu this author. Maybe I was expecting too much, but in my opinion this is a meandering story along the he said/she said lines of 'Gone Girl', which, hands up, I didn't like either. No, I didn't guess the twist, but, in a way it was because I didn't care. I just wanted to finish it and read something else. Thank you for my advance copy and I'm sorry I didn't like it.

I devoured this book in one sitting, something I haven’t done for a while.
It was a fast paced story that left me guessing until almost the end.
Finn has had a troubled past, Layla has had a tough upbringing, they meet and fall in love. On the way home from a skiing trip they stop in a service station and Layla disappears. Ten years later Finn has moved on and is happily engaged to be married, but someone has other ideas.

I feel I have lived, ate, slept and breathed this book whilst reading. It really got under my skin and I feel emotionally exhausted!

I recently read a vaguely similar novel which didn't gel with me at all, but B. A. Paris has skilfully conjured a very believable tale which has had my brain working overtime - as any great psychological thriller should. I have been completely absorbed in Finn's life and eager to try and spot the little fibs he alludes to at the beginning, but without success.

This is a mesmerising story, extremely well planned and equally well written. Encompassing love, jealousy, envy, a mystery - or two - and plenty of self-doubt, the author has successfully kept me glued to the pages. And, as with all great reads, I just didn't see the end coming .. and what an ending it was! Definitely a book I recommend without hesitation.

My thanks to publishers HQ Digital for approving my request via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Loved behind closed doors but didn't quite enjoy this book as much. Started out really strong then by the middle it started going downhill. Then there was a good twist at the end. The book is a bit cheesy which put me off it slightly. The character development wasn't quite there with this book and i didn't get a connection with anyone in this book.

Wow! What a fantastic book.
This is a gripping story and I was on the edge of my seat throughout it.
Finn was left devastated when his girlfriend Layla disappeared 12 years ago but gradually he’s moved on with his life and is now in a relationship with her sister, Ellen.
Life is good until they find a small Russian doll outside their house and it has a special significance to Layla and Ellen’s childhood.
Things start to get more intriguing as you learn what really happened the night Layla disappeared all those years ago.
Finn becomes very confused and stressed about what is happening and pushes Ellen away as more and more Russian dolls turn up in their village and in the post.
This is a brilliant story and whilst the concept is fairly simple, it really packs a punch.
I’ve read all of B A Paris’ books and this is definitely my favourite so far.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Having absolutely loved both of B.A. Paris‘ first two novels, I had very high expectations for this third novel. I was, quite simply, incredibly excited and could not wait to dive in. Thus I was very pleased when the wait was actually worth it. I read the book rapidly as it was simply too addictive and intense to put down. I simply had to know what was going on and where everything would eventually lead. It is with great pleasure that I let you all know that B. A. Paris does not disappoint with this gripping, enthralling and ultimately heart-breaking thriller.

It can be so difficult to shock audiences with thrillers these days as we’ve all heard the stories before. Something similar has already happened or if we’re avid thriller readers, we’re waiting for the twist. So I am not going to tell you that the twist in this book was hard to guess. I did, eventually, work out what was happening before the main protagonist does but it is still a very clever and very intriguing twist which I even had a little discussion about with a friend over the plausibility of it. What I will say is that the twist may have been guessable but it doesn’t end the book and that was intensely exciting for me. How it ends took my breath away.

One of the reasons I absolutely love B.A. Paris’ books is that she always manages to create interesting characters for her stories and that is no different with this book. I wasn’t entirely sure that I liked the protagonist of the book but he was definitely compelling. Not to mention, I was just so intrigued about what was happening that it probably would not have mattered if I hated him! She uses the characters in this book in such a unique way that really manages to throw the reader off. I kept guessing what might be happening and then something else would occur that would throw that guess out the water and I really loved that.

In case you’re not sure, I think I should clarify that I very much enjoyed this read. I think I am definitely a B. A. Paris lover and cannot wait to read whatever she writes next. I continuously recommend her previous novels and I will continue to do so with this one too. It is intense, shocking, addictive and heart-breaking. It is a book that will leave you thinking and keep you guessing as well. It is everything I look for in a thriller novel and more. So if you want an entertaining novel that will keep you on your toes, give Bring Me Back a read!

Finn and his girlfriend Layla are travelling back home from a holiday in France, Finn leaves the car for a few minutes and when he returns Layla is gone.  He gives his statement to the police but he doesn't tell them everything that happened.

12 years later and he is now engaged to Ellen, who just happens to be Layla's sister.  Strange things start to happen and Finn is struggling to understand why, has Layla come back and, if so, where has she been all this time and why did she disappear.

This book is very dark, full of secrets & lies and in true BA Paris style, just when you think you have worked it all out she hits you with another twist that sends you reeling and wondering where it's heading next.  I was gripped from the start with this one and read it in less than a day. 

I would like to thank HQ for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

Last year I had heard a lot of hype around B.A Paris and her first book so when The Breakdown came out I made sure to get my hands on it and found myself disappointed. When I heard about Bring Me Back I decided to give it a shot hoping that the outcome would be better than the last one and I'm pleased to say that it was.

I felt like I was thrust straight into the heart of the story and the pace from then on was like an express train, it didn't let up at all. This was helped greatly by how the story was set out, it switched between the present day twelve years after Layla's disappearance and the past, the events that lead up to her disappearance. It gives the events of what happened in a trickle that really starts to build the suspense as you start to wonder what exactly happened between Layla and Finn.

From the beginning I was questioning everyone's stories, Finn's most of all, he is the kind of character that you just can't figure out. You can always tell that he's not being entirely honest and that really helps with the tension in the story, I was never sure if I should feel sorry for him or angry at him.

When I read The Breakdown I figured out what was going on pretty early on which did leave me a bit deflated but with Bring Me Back I felt like I kept predicting something only to find out that I was entirely wrong, and that I have an elaborate imagination. It feels like you are just about to get to the truth of what has happened and that excitement bubbles up only to be given another misdirection which just prolongs that feeling until you're impatient to find out. I would never have guessed that ending!!

 I definitely see what everyone has been raving about with this book and I'm looking forward to the next.

Bring Me Back made me forget about housework and just read, read, read to the end!!!
This is a great read with a lot of twists and turns along the way with a few red herrings thrown in to keep you off the correct track. Finn and his girlfriend, Layla, are driving back from France after a holiday there together, Finn stops in a carpark to go to the toilet but when he gets back Layla is gone leaving just a small Russian doll on the floor.
Twelve years later and Layla has never been found but Finn is happily living with Layla's sister, Ellen, until Finn gets an email from someone claiming to be Layla, he dismisses it as a prank after trying to trace the email address until he and Ellen start to find Russian dolls left outside their house and other places that only Finn and Layla would have known the relevance of.
This is an excellent read that I knew from the first chapter I was going to love. I loved how B.A.Paris completely wrong footed me a few times and seemed to keep the right amount of tension running through the whole book. I swear I didn't breathe at all through the last chapters as I was completely gripped.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous read and my first by this author.. .
It certainly keeps you flipping the pages keeps you wanting to k ow what's haplened. Brilliantly wrong. Totally emersing and what's happens next....
I enjoyed all of the charcters especially that of Finn. Who lives with Ellen. It discusses the early story of her 1st girlfriend and the sister of Ellen who went missing in France many years ago. And then you find what it's all about and because it's split into section such as before. Now. Etc you get the backstory of the backstory and it's sound complicated but it's not. It's fully entertaining and you have to know what's going on. Brilliantly wrote.
Thanks for netgalley giving me this for my own personal review.

A wonderful deep psychological thriller which chilled and thrilled in equal amounts.

BA Paris is an author who is new to me and I was engrossed in this book from the beginning. I will not give any spoilers but it is a deeply disturbing book that thrilled and chilled in equal doses and that kept me awake at night as I eagerly devoured it within a couple of days.

What happens when your girlfriend disappears, you eventually manage to get on with your life and then it seems as though she might have returned ?

Read it and find our for yourself!

Highly recommended.

British couple Finn and Layla are driving through France on holiday when they pull over for a break. Finn dashes off to use the toilet but Layla remains in the car. When Finn returns, there's no sign of Layla anywhere. He frantically searches in the darkness but cannot find her.

Fast-forward twelve years and Layla is still missing, presumed dead. Finn wasn't completely honest about that last fateful night in France but life has moved on. He's now planning his wedding to Ellen, Layla's sister. When items of special importance to Layla start appearing, Finn and Ellen begin to suspect that Layla is back. Their lives are gradually plunged into turmoil and things take a very sinister turn...

Gosh, what an amazing psychological thriller! It was marvelously twisty and superbly tangled. I was convinced I had it figured out three quarters of the way through, but nope, those darn red herrings fooled me again! Yes, it was a little far-fetched but it created a perfect few days' escapism and I really couldn't ask for anything more. The Layla-Finn-Ellen triangle was ingeniously crafted by the author and the gradual feeling of foreboding expertly handled; the feeling that all was not as it seemed.

Well, this kept me reading all day and all night, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! I hugely enjoyed The Breakdown, also by B.A. Paris, so had high hopes for this one too - and it didn't disappoint.

As well as the addictive plot (what really happened to Finn's girlfriend Layla, who really knows what, and how on earth can she still be alive - if indeed, she is?) and the constant feeling of unease around Finn with his questionable temper, I also felt that the fact that I really couldn't being to guess what the outcome would be made this such an addictive read.

The story itself focuses a lot on Finn's life today as he has seemingly moved on, and is happily coupled up with none other than Layla's sister Emma! However there are also flashbacks to that night, and chapters which reveal the thoughts of the person leaving these mysterious Russian dolls - could it be Layla herself, and if so where has she been all this time? I liked the characterisation B.A. Paris provides, making you care about what's happening even though I really didn't like Finn himself. It's obvious he's supposed to be a bit of a questionable character, as the reader never knows if he actually knows a lot more than he let on, and his attitude in general towards both Layla, back when they were together, and in the present day with her sister Emma, jarred with me - particularly his constant comparisons between them. This made me want him to get his comeuppance in some way, whether he did do something awful all those years ago or not! I always like reading about 'questionable' main characters, and here the author has effectively created some truly strange people, and people I really enjoyed reading about!

There's plenty of mystery throughout Bring Me Back, with some red herrings along the way, and although some parts were perhaps a little unbelievable I still raced through it, right until the rather satisfying ending! I feel that this is another riveting read from B.A. Paris and would definitely recommend it.

Quite an enjoyable read of its kind, but sorry, when it came to it, I found the crux of the plot entirely unbelievable. I won't go into why here (so as not to give away the plot), but surely nobody could be hoodwinked like that - hence my (for me) low star rating.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

This was an exciting read that I found hard to put down. Having said that, I did actually guess some of the twists but couldn't quite work out how it would all tie up in the end. It was a truly well written suspenseful story. I recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with twists.

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers this is one for you. It’s fast paced with a good twist at the end that you probably won’t see coming.
Finn is in France with his girlfriend of a year Leyla. She mysteriously disappears when they stop for a break and is never found. Finn reports her missing immediately explaining the circumstances to the police - but not does not tell the whole truth.
Fast forward twelve years and Finn is engaged to Ellen, Layla’s sister. Things become strained between them when things start happening that lead them to believe that Layla may still be alive. Or is she? Their suspicions fall on Ruby, Finn’s ex and Harry, his best friend and work colleague and then back again to Leyla. Finn starts receiving some mysterious emails from Leyla which he withholds from Ellen and the starting increases.

I really struggled with this book unfortunately. The premise is fairly simple - Finn's girlfriend disappears whilst on a trip to France. He gives an account of what happened to the police and seems to be genuinely confused as to where she's gone. However, it soon becomes apparent that Finn hasn't told the complete truth, and that there is more to this case than first meets the eye.
I was disappointed with this book for two reasons: firstly, the middle section of the story seems to go on forever without anything significant happening. I would have liked to have seen more jeopardy in this part of the story, but it goes so slowly, it didn't really keep my interest. Even the characters didn't seem particularly bothered about what was happening to them and seemed quite complacent. Secondly, there are shades of several other books within this story which seemed quite lazy to me. I won't name the other books, because I don't want to give the plot away (and it is VERY similar to another really famous book), but as soon as I reached Part 2, I thought 'oh no, it's exactly like Book X'. This was a huge disappointment for me, as I don't really like reading the same kind of story twice.
If you like psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators, you'll probably like this book. However, there are simply too many of them nowadays and so chances are you've read this type of tale before.