I've had to wait a couple of days after finishing the book to write the review because I really couldn't work out what I felt about it! There were things that I really enjoyed about the story and other things that just annoyed me. But despite the annoyances - far too many Russian dolls! and the slow down and repetition in the middle - the story kept me turning the pages right to the end. And although others seem to have spotted the twist, I really didn't. And I couldn't quite believe it. My reaction was - how is that even possible?and kept me puzzling for quite a while. So I think this is a book that will stir up some controversy.

The story revolves around Finn and fiancee Ellen who are perfectly happy until Layla, Finn's first love, reappears. The story is told through Finn and Layla's eyes and although I like this type of narrative, I did feel that a lot of what Layla initially told us what just repeating Finn's narrative. This changed nearer the end when the whole thing speeded up. It's an intriguing premise, but I just can't imagine that's it's really possible! Still, it got me involved enough to be asking questions, so I'm giving it 3.5* rounded up to 4.

3.5 stars rounded down.
Having really loved this author's previous two books, I was very excited when I saw she had a new one out. I was even more excited when I managed to snaffle an early review copy. I cleared some space on my TBR and dove right in. All was going swimmingly and I was really enjoying it until about half way through when I paused and said to my brother that I thought I knew where it was going and that I really hoped I wasn't right. I put it aside and carried on regardless. Sadly I was right and even with the author's explanation which satisfied a few of the niggles I had about the outcome, it just wasn't enough for me to really believe in what I had been reading. In fact, I even called the red herring that the author also slipped it, I was actually hoping that this was going to be the real reveal! Looking at other reviews, I appear to be in the minority and I admit that maybe my early guess may have skewed my later feelings and things could have been very different for me had I not seen it coming. But that's how it was and I have to write my reviews with honesty or I am not being true to myself as a reader/reviewer.
It wasn't all bad though, as I said, I was really enjoying it up until I had my moment of clarity. the characters were working well for me, the story was interesting and kept my attention nicely. Actually, the story kept me interested throughout as, ignoring my feelings about the way the book was going, it was still interesting how we would eventually get there and what would happen when we did. Niggles aside, I though the actual ultimate ending was very well done.
It's hard to write much more about the book without being able to qualify my thoughts and feelings. I have tried to put a few things down but invariably they either don't make sense without further explanation, or hint too much about things that are best left unsaid. I will just end on a positive point though. Everything aside, it was a very readable book. I absolutely flew through it - both before and after my epiphany. So I guess I can't feel too hard done by. It also hasn't skewed my feelings about the author and wouldn't stop me reading any of her future books.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I was disappointed with this book. I bought the whole story was unrealistic, and the pace really dragged around the middle of the book, and the characters were 2 dimensional.. I found it hard to believe that people would really behave like this.

I’d previously read The Breakdown by B A Paris and loved it, giving it a force star rating, so I had high hopes for Bring Me Back.

Bring Me Back certainly did not disappoint me. I read it in a day as from the first chapter I was hooked and drawn in.

The chapters are fairly short so you find yourself thinking I’ll just read one more then he next thing an hour has passed and you don’t want to put it down.

The book begins ten years earlier when a young couple are driving through France back to England. They stop at a petrol station, he leaves her in the car but when he returns she has gone and no one sees her again. Move forward to the present day and he is in a relationship, engaged to be married. But he returns home one day to find his bride to be with something in her hands that causes questions to be raised.

This book is a hundred miles an hour from the beginning. It has twists and turns and reaches a thrilling conclusion. It is probably one of the best books I’ve read this year and I can wait for the author’s next book. If I could score it more than five stars I would.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

This book certainly gripped me from start to finish. The ‘twist’ did seem obvious to me quite some time before it was revealed, but I still found the book suspenseful and a real page-turner. Recommended.

Bring Me Back by @baparisauthor was my 5th book of 2018 and I consumed it within 48 hours, it was so compelling.
Finn is on his way back from a Skiing trip with Layla when they stop at a service area in France, Layla goes missing. The story fast forwards to 12 years later, Layla has never been found and is presumed kidnapped or dead. Finn is now engaged to Layla’s older sister, Ellen. However soon after they announce their engagement, a little Russian doll appears at their cottage which has a connection to the sisters past. Soon after that Finn receives a suspicious email, is it from Layla’s kidnapper, a prankster or could it be Layla?
The story is very fast paced and totally consuming. This is the second BA Paris book I have read and I think the best also. The pace and twists keep you turning pages and before you know it you have finished the book. It made a journey to and from Heathrow on the tube fly by. I thoroughly recommend getting a copy of this book when it is available on 8th March. I received this book as an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review from @netgalley and @hqstories
I give this an easy 5/5

I found this book to be really intriguing and it did make me return back to it to find out more. I liked the characters and I liked the premise for the story but I do think it could have had a little more depth to it and explored the story a little deeper. The end felt a little rushed but I think it's an enjoyable thriller.

A young British couple are driving through Franceon holiday when they stop for gas. He goes in to pay, she stays in the car. When he returns, she is not in the car. No one ever sees her again. Ten years later he's engaged to be married; he's happy, and the past is only a little part of his life now. Until he comes home from work and finds his new wife's-to-be sitting on the sofa, she's holding something that has no worth to anyone else, no one but her sister would know.

This story weaves back and forward from the night Layla disappeared in France. Then Finn starts dating Layla's sister, Ellen, and they get engaged. But then Finn starts to believe Layla is back. Why?, you will have to read the book to find that out. I love the authors style in writing. She certainly knows how to suck you in quickly. There are a few dark secrets and twists but what really surprised me was the ding. I never saw that coming. I'm a huge fab of B. A. Paris and can't wait to read her next book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author B. A. Paris for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finn’s life seems pretty perfect. He has money, a house in the country and a beautiful and caring fiancé. Things probably couldn’t get much better, especially when you think that ten years previously he had been suspected of murdering his then-girlfriend, Layla, while they on vacation.
No body was found though and the evidence there was, was circumstantial. Slowly, he rebuilt his life till he found himself where he was now – happy, or as happy as he thinks he can be, and waiting to get married.
Then he comes home to find his fiancé, Ellen, in a strange mood. She’s found a small Russian doll on the wall outside their house. A doll that looks remarkably like the one she always thought her sister, Layla, stole from her when they were children. Yes, the same Layla that Finn was dating. Do you get the feeling that things might be about to get complicated?
You wouldn’t be wrong. What follows is a tale that twists, turns and doubles-back on itself until you aren’t sure where the truth lies. It could have been terribly confusing but B. A. Paris does a brilliant job of keeping things tight, not letting the lies (and there are so many!) go too far or get too far away from the story itself.
It helped that I loved the characters, enjoying their quirks and even forgiving Finn his wealth (which is something that has started to drive me a bit potty in books – how many lying rich men are there out there?). They were nice and complex and confusing.
Mostly though, I loved the twist at the end, which I didn’t see coming. This is the third book by B. A. Paris I have read, the third time she has managed to keep me completely engrossed in a story from the first page to the last, and the third time I’ve been surprised by the twist in the tale. You really can’t ask for more than that in a book! Highly recommended.

I love a well crafted thriller and was hoping from the books synopsis that this would be full of intrigue as the mystery of what happened to Layla is revealed. Unfortunately the book didn't really live up to my expectations.
There are a lot of really clunky red herrings. Finn might be a murderer, he might even think he is a murderer, or is he? Rose might be a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend, or is she? His friend might be sleeping with his fiancé, or is he? Rose might be in cahoots with Henry, or is she? Layla might be an unstable psychopath, or is she? Rather than adding an element of suspense, it felt as though the author was trying to throw every possible scenario at the plot. It almost felt like one of those 'the reader chooses the outcome' books that were popular in the 80's. I might have felt a bit more interested if it was clear what the actual mystery was supposed to be, or if any of the characters weren't so insignificant. Because of the set up of the book it is obvious that Layla is alive, and there didn't seem to be any reason for her not to just turn up at the house.
When it became obvious how the 'mystery' was going to be resolved, I am sorry to say that I laughed out loud. Really? No-one noticed? Having just read 'Exhibit Alexandra' that played out a similar scenario, it can be done and done well, but not in this book.

Thanks go to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Finn met Layla after her father died and she moved to London. He wanted to take care of her and they became a couple. Layla tells Finn she's had an affair, his rage over comes him on a trip to France and his mind blanks, he doesn't know what he has done or where Layla has gone.
12 years have past and he is now in a relationship with Lyla's sister Ellen. They are engaged to be married. They start receiving and finding Russian dolls that they both know Lyla had a collection of.
Finn starts receiving emails from Layla and is threatened. She wants him to leave Ellen. She wants him to do more that just leave her. Where's the sisterly love gone between the sisters?
Finn worries about what he will do? Will he leave Ellen or do worse to her? Which sister does he really want? Can the Russian dolls lead him back to Layla?

Layla and Finn are travelling back from a break in France when they stop off at a small, basic service station. It is during this stop that life changes big time as Layla vanishes while Finn goes to use the facilities. Twelve years later and there is still no word from Layla, the police have pretty much concluded that Layla is not going to be found alive and Finn has tried to move on with his life and is dating Layla's sister Ellen. All is going well until they announce their engagement, then mysteriously little Russian dolls start appearing in and around their cottage. How are they getting there and who is sending them?
The significance of the dolls would only be known to Layla, Finn and Ellen. Then Finn starts getting anonymous emails which he initially believes are from Layla - but how can that be when Layla is supposed to be dead? His mind does overtime and he works through virtually all his friends and people who knew Layla trying to work out who could have sufficient knowledge to be able to send the messages.
The author has created an excellent background for Finn and Layla with snippets of information which make the reader jump to numerous conclusions as to what happened between Layla and Finn which could have led to her disappearance. You can really relate to Finn's mental state as he tries to piece things together, and the awkwardness created as he almost accuses some of his closest friends of having been involved. Fortunately the bonds of friendship are strong enough for everyone to rally behind Finn in efforts to find out who is behind the mysterious happenings. The characters are just questionable enough to put each of them in the frame and there wasn't really any one of them that I disliked - I just didn't trust any of them 100%.
My only reason for not awarding this book the full five stars was the credibility of the final outcome - I will let you decide whether you agree or not when you read the book for yourself. I ended up with a whole list of questions once I had finished reading, and will be interested to know what other readers think once this one hits the shelves.
A great read which will get your brain buzzing trying to work out who, what, when and why right to the last chapter.
My review will feature on my blog at the beginning of March at www.sandiesbookshelves.blogspot.co.uk

I don’t know how BA Paris does it. Another spite tingling thriller that has you constantly guessing. Throwing you back and forth on a sea of uncertainty. I devoured each page with barely a break Have read everything from this author and will continue to do so. If you like a psycho thriller, this is the book for you.

Bring me Back is a psychological thriller written by two narrators. Kept me hooked and filled with suspense. Slightly disappointed as I did guess the ending so this fell a little flat for me. Also, because of the unreliable narrator, I didn't feel engaged with either character and came away from the story thinking, so what.

Keeps you reading and fits the thriller category well. Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me review this book.

Wow! I read this book in two sittings, and could not rest until I'd finished it. This is the second book I have read by the author and have enjoyed both very much.
Twelve years ago, Finn's girlfriend Layla goes missing in Paris, the book begins with Finn's version of events but we know his account isn't 100% true.
Fast forward and Finn is now in a relationship with Layla's sister Ellen. Although content, Ellen doesn't ignite the fire within him that Layla once did. When Finn begins receiving emails and Russian dolls from someone claiming to be Layla, his whole world is turned upside down. Full of suspense and a twist I didn't see coming.
Would recommend this book and give it 5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

I read this in 24 hours. It is a twisty psychological thriller that keeps the interest. One man falls for two sisters and is forced to choose. That doesn't sound original but there is a twist revealed towards the end. I enjoyed the book and can recommend it.

Brilliant book, this is my second from B A Paris and I loved it just as much as Behind Closed Doors. Full of twists, keeping you hooked and wanting more. I really didn't want this book to end, but loved the ending! Highly recommended.

Great book, hard to put down. The twists and turns caught me unaware and had no idea how it was all going to end.

Edge of the sit writing!

When Finn’s girlfriend, Layla, disappears from a remote rest stop in France he is immediately scrutinised by the French police on suspicion of murder. However, with the absence of a body of motive Finn is released and Layla is assumed missing.

Over a decade later, Finn finds himself living in a quiet village and newly engaged to Ellen, Layla’s sister. When news of their upcoming nuptials is published in a local paper, odd things start to happen. A tiny Russian Doll sits on a wall, a sighting of a red headed woman in a nearby city and a constant stream of emails from someone claiming to be Layla.

Torn between the sisters who have captured his heart, Finn, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery finds himself lying to them both, but at what cost will the truth come?

I requested this book with high hopes, having read nothing but high praise for Paris’ previous work. At first, I was gripped but unfortunately this was to be short lived.

I found the writing soon became unnecessarily long winded with a great deal of repetitiveness, this wasn’t helped by the fact that the outcome was obvious from very early on. I read a lot of books from within this genre and I have come to expect a great deal more suspense and “wow factor”.

The characters were dull and I felt no empathy for anyone. Some of the decisions Finn made and his reactions to certain situations left me somewhat baffled with disbelief, leaving me feeling irritated with him to the point of distraction.

I don’t think I will be picking up another book from this author anytime soon, it appears from recent reviews that each book is getting slightly worse.

The opening chapter really grabbed my attention and I knew this would be a page turner of a book. The author did well in holding my attention as I didn’t really care for Finn and struggled a bit with a repeated element that felt too ‘fictional’. There were enough twists and turns in the plot to keep it interesting and I was kept guessing right to the end.