Publication: June 19, 2018, by HQ
Genre: Adult Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating:
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.
My Thoughts:
Bring Me Back was honestly the best book I've ever read. Before picking this up, I classified B.A. Paris' other two books, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown as my ultimate favourites, but this time around, this has stolen the prize. This was a book that kept me guessing and intrigued for the entire ride. It's the type of the book that leaves you making hundreds of predictions to find that you were completely wrong. Whatever I thought would occur did not. If it did, then I definitely would not be raving this much about the novel. I instantly fell in love with the book after the twentieth page or so, and felt that I wouldn't be able to put it down. I read this in a few sittings, but in the same day, from morning to night.
This isn't your typical missing persons case story. In fact, there's nothing typical about B.A. Paris' ideas and books; everything is as original as it can be. The story revolves around Finn, Layla, and Ellen, our three protagonists. Finn and Layla were together, in love, and on vacation skiing in France, and as they were returning back to England, they made a rest stop. Layla stayed in the car, and when Finn returned, she was gone. Ten years later, Finn is engaged to Ellen, Layla's sister, and Finn still struggles to let go of the past and the love he had for Layla. Suddenly, Finn gets a phone call from someone in his past saying that they saw Layla, and weird occurrences begin to escalate.
Basically, the main questions surrounding this story were: is Layla alive? Is she back? Will Finn choose her over Ellen? Forget about that; there were millions of questions surrounding this complex story. I cannot even imagine how much work was put into deriving this story; there are so many clues and hints that all make sense in the end when everything is cleared up. Well, actually, the magic of B.A. Paris' stories is that everything is never perfectly cleared up. She always leaves readers off wanting more from the last few pages of suspense.
Although I mentioned that there are three main protagonists, Finn is the most prevalent in the story. We constantly learn almost everything from his perspective, and we as readers get to see what he was like ten years prior with Layla and in the present with Ellen. It sounds impossible, but even he, the character telling everything from his perspective, is hiding secrets. I was so shocked in how everything was revealed at the perfect moment. He was both a likeable and unlikeable character, depending on the moment and decision he made. But this was not a flaw whatsoever; it's important for thrillers to have characters who are the best of both worlds, if you know what I mean.
This was just such a complex story. The most complex I've ever read. There's a grand importance to every hint, secret and symbol laid out by Paris; when you read about some scenes or moments in the story, you may view them as unimportant, but surely they hold a great importance; every single word, sentence and moment in this story is important, which really shows that B.A. Paris is the master of psychological thriller writing. In fact, she is the master of modern day literature and entertainment. I really am eager to see films sprout from her fantastic story.
If I could possibly rate books with a ten-thousand star rating, this would be the only book to deserve all of those stars. Bring Me Back shocked me, especially with that UNBELIEVABLE ENDING I will never forget about, and with all of those mini shocks and revelations shown throughout the story. Every psychological thriller writer should look at these stories and see how it's done. And every single psychological thriller reader and lover such as myself should grab this instantly.
This isn't your typical missing persons case story. In fact, there's nothing typical about B.A. Paris' ideas and books; everything is as original as it can be. The story revolves around Finn, Layla, and Ellen, our three protagonists. Finn and Layla were together, in love, and on vacation skiing in France, and as they were returning back to England, they made a rest stop. Layla stayed in the car, and when Finn returned, she was gone. Ten years later, Finn is engaged to Ellen, Layla's sister, and Finn still struggles to let go of the past and the love he had for Layla. Suddenly, Finn gets a phone call from someone in his past saying that they saw Layla, and weird occurrences begin to escalate.
Basically, the main questions surrounding this story were: is Layla alive? Is she back? Will Finn choose her over Ellen? Forget about that; there were millions of questions surrounding this complex story. I cannot even imagine how much work was put into deriving this story; there are so many clues and hints that all make sense in the end when everything is cleared up. Well, actually, the magic of B.A. Paris' stories is that everything is never perfectly cleared up. She always leaves readers off wanting more from the last few pages of suspense.
Although I mentioned that there are three main protagonists, Finn is the most prevalent in the story. We constantly learn almost everything from his perspective, and we as readers get to see what he was like ten years prior with Layla and in the present with Ellen. It sounds impossible, but even he, the character telling everything from his perspective, is hiding secrets. I was so shocked in how everything was revealed at the perfect moment. He was both a likeable and unlikeable character, depending on the moment and decision he made. But this was not a flaw whatsoever; it's important for thrillers to have characters who are the best of both worlds, if you know what I mean.
This was just such a complex story. The most complex I've ever read. There's a grand importance to every hint, secret and symbol laid out by Paris; when you read about some scenes or moments in the story, you may view them as unimportant, but surely they hold a great importance; every single word, sentence and moment in this story is important, which really shows that B.A. Paris is the master of psychological thriller writing. In fact, she is the master of modern day literature and entertainment. I really am eager to see films sprout from her fantastic story.
If I could possibly rate books with a ten-thousand star rating, this would be the only book to deserve all of those stars. Bring Me Back shocked me, especially with that UNBELIEVABLE ENDING I will never forget about, and with all of those mini shocks and revelations shown throughout the story. Every psychological thriller writer should look at these stories and see how it's done. And every single psychological thriller reader and lover such as myself should grab this instantly.
What is the SINGLE best book you've ever read?
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