Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

A friend of mine mentioned that she enjoyed Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris quite a bit ago, and I put another author on my to-read list (It never seems to get any shorter😳). However, this author's newest book came in at work, and I picked it up. The synopsis caught my eye, and I'll be honest, I began thinking of what happened that night Layla went missing. Interested, and with Angie's recommendation in mind, I checked the book out over break. 

I read it in a day. 

From beginning to end, I wanted to know what was happening and if Layla was dead. Who had done it? I speculated on it, and as the book began to come to a close, I started to piece together the clues before those in the book figured it out. Surprisingly, I didn't know how I felt about this ending. It was a twist I happened to see coming, but at the same time, was completely unexpected. 

B.A. Paris has written four books, all psychological thrillers and well-received from her fandom. This author is originally from England but has spent a large amount of her adulthood in France. Over the last few years, her books have acquired a loyal following and sold around the world in 38 territories. She's become a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. 

You can follow Paris on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Amazon for a start. However, if you want another reader's opinion on how well her newest book, Bring Me Back, captured attention and interest, look no further. I've got you covered, and if I have to mention that spoilers might be ahead, then you haven't read enough of my blog reviews.😉

Numeric Breakdown:

1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing

1. Writing Style: 3/5

Author B.A. Paris takes her narrative twist into the realm of first person dialogue to share the main character's story. The communication of the story is told from a standard first person pov but delves into the past every few chapters with a weird narration that borders between first person/narrator and limited third person, where the narrator tells what's happening in terms of "Do you remember when you did this" type of reminiscence. This style is a bit startling at times when it switches the viewpoint every other chapter. I suppose, in a sense, it's a unique way to utilize pov and hook the reader's attention. However, I didn't find that I loved it. 

The contrast didn't necessarily detract from the overall story, and again, it was a distinctive voice change to use throughout the book, but it wasn't one that I would normally enjoy. However, the conflict is increased between the use of the past and present chapters and slowly building to the climax and resolution through the revelation of the main character's relationship with his missing girlfriend. 

Another twist in the narrative came from changing character point of view. The author is consistent on showing Finn's personality, setting, and drama through the first half of the book. It's his voice you have throughout those back and forth chapters into first and limited third person description. Then, you get to hear from Layla. Her voice makes a breakout and adds to the storyline. The writing styles utilized in this book definitely add presence and tension to the plot and the character's perspectives.  

2. Overall Content: 4/5

As I read, I invested in the storyline being shared. We start one day twelve years in the past when Layla first went missing. Finn McQuaid is a police suspect, and he's sharing his story of the drive back home to their cottage in St. Mary's in Devon. On the way, something horrible happens. Layla, his girlfriend, comes up missing. While he tells his story, he describes the night in question. 

On the way back from their skiing trip. in Megève, Finn stops at a picnic area in Fonches to use the restroom. After being gone for only a few minutes, he returns to his car to find his girlfriend gone. She's disappeared, and the only thing left is a small Russian doll, that belonged to her, on the ground. No one seems to have seen anything, and no one knows what became of Layla Gray.

Speed forward twelve years, and Layla still hasn't been found, but Finn has become engaged to her sister, Ellen. That's when the weird stuff starts to happen. Little Russian dolls are showing up at their house, on the wall of their street, and the only people who know about those dolls and their significance are Finn, Layla, and Ellen. Next, Ellen thinks she's seen Layla in town, and Finn begins receiving emails from his ex-girlfriend. 

Yet, Finn doesn't think Layla can be alive. Each documented adventure from the past, his and Layla's, is revealed with an indication at the end that tells the reader, Finn believe Layla is dead. He has secrets, and he believes those secrets are about to be found out. Slowly, the story unravels, and we find Finn hasn't told the truth about what happened the night Layla disappears. We also find out that Ellen hasn't been completely honest either. 

The back and forth between each chapter and each narrator gives us a clearer understanding of what happened between both characters, but they also lead to more questions. The build-up, revelations, misunderstandings, and creepy messages give the audience several different ideas about what occurred in the past and what is going on in the present. The answers lead to a creepy conclusion.  

To give you the complete and unfiltered details, Finn finds out Layla isn't kidnapped and/or dead. She's alive and well and living in his own house. *SPOILER* Layla is actually Ellen. The Ellen who is supposed to have taken care of their abusive father and got to know Finn after Layla went missing. 

In fact, the real Ellen was murdered by their father before Layla took off to the big city, where Finn meets her. Layla escaped that night at the picnic area after Finn loses his temper and scares her. He heads to the bathroom, not quite remembering what he'd done, and leaves it to find Layla missing. Layla, in the meantime, has awoken from a faint and runs away with a woman how had also stopped at the same area.

Layla returns home to find her father is still alive, blind, dying from cancer, and thinks that she is Ellen. As if he completely forgot he killed her and buried her in the backyard. Layla takes over being Ellen, cares for her father, and when the police come to investigate Layla's disappearance, she continues to pretend to be her sister. It's only later, when her father dies and Finn holds a memorial service for Layla, that Ellen begins to get to know Finn under this new guise. 

When Finn and Ellen get engaged, Layla's personality begins to come back to the surface. She wants to know if Finn loves Ellen as much as he once loved her. The psychological aspects of this case are thrilling and shocking. The ending is unexpected, sad, and somehow honest. I won't describe what happens, but I'll allow you to read it and find out. 

3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 4/5
The addition of Layla's voice to the narrative mix was surprising. It helped the reader to learn her part of the story and gave readers a new hook to process. I think it was a unique way to turn the story over. At first, you might suspect that Layla is dead, and when you find out she isn't, her viewpoint becomes even more important. You want to know her side of the story. Paris's use of past and present as well as dual character points of view carry the story along to its dramatic conclusion. 

4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 4/5
Paris does a great job of creating a psychological thriller that you don't see coming. Her characters, setting, and narrative are direct, contemplative, and distinctive. She gives her own twist to an old tale. 

I'm always excited to read a new mystery, and this certainly held my attention, kept me guessing, and gave me a new appreciation for an unusual plot. I liked the change of pace, character switch-ups, and psychosomatic perplexity explored within the book.


5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 4/5
My admiration for this story starts with how the author took a typical girlfriend goes missing after she and boyfriend go on purported romantic holiday into something more. Her use of the unknown is highlighted throughout the chapters first represented and recited by Finn. You know something isn't adding up as hints and clues are dropped, but you're unsure if you want to commit to the thought-process that the boyfriend did it. 

While suspecting that Finn might have had more to do with Layla's disappearance than you first wish to invest in, you see that this might be a diversionary tactic taken by the author to lead you astray. After all, those red herrings with take you down. I like how she gives enough details, uncertainty within the main character's dialogue, and the unknown to steer you in one obvious direction. 

When you realize the author is doing what you suspected from the beginning, even as you hold onto the possibility that Finn is guilty and Layla is dead, you start to wonder where your hypothesis has gone wrong. Layla's voice shows up in the book, and at first, you wonder if she's there to share how she died. You consider she might have been kidnapped, as Finn perpetuated throughout his own narrative, and maybe she escaped. Yet, you never fully guess what has really taken place until the end. 

For me, I guessed right as "Ellen" seems to be taken over by Layla. There's that chapter where she begins to have everything go dark, and I just knew she and Layla were one and the same. Why she disappeared, I still haven't deduced. She had Finn. Both of her personalities had him; so, why run away and back to her unhappy home? I'm unsure why that was the first place she went when she first left Finn as well. I suppose there could be the argument that she was unstable and didn't have control over all of her actions, but I'm unsure if this would satisfy my need for answers on this front. 

In the end, Finn finds her, but he doesn't get the happily ever after. I definitely feel for him with how the story ended. There's a part of me feeling satisfied with the ending, as if Finn did get what he deserved in a way. On the other hand, there's another part of me which feels bad for him and understands his feelings and attitude within the story. Either way, it's a tragic ending and quite unexpected. I give kudos to the author for sharing a more realistic ending, even if the overall plot stretched the imagination a bit.


6. Overall Story Rating: 4/5

I have to say, when all is said and done, this book was very well written, sinister, and twisted. It wasn't hardcore, ghoulish, or petrifying, but it did have its spine-tingling moments, and I enjoyed the distorted perspective it tried to convey while unraveling the truth. The main reason I gave this book a 4/5 and not a 5/5 was because of a few reasons. 

First, I wasn't keen on the point of view changes. I think it was well-done, but for me as a reader, it kinda interrupted my flow. Second, I found it very hard to believe that in twelve years, Finn never guessed or suspected that Ellen was Layla. I mean, he claimed to love Layla, was obsessed with her, and spent a lot of one-on-one time with her. I'm sure her disguise and makeover into Ellen was convincing, but really? It took twelve years for Layla's prominent personality to filter into the background and not make a peep? 

Layla's parts of the story and Finn's description and relaying of events make it sound as though she's a really dominant personality. Ellen seems to be a more sincere, calm, and introverted personality. How Layla allowed herself to be dominated by this less controlling personality was confusing. I'm not quite sure I buy into that formula. If it had been reversed, where Ellen's personality was overtaken by Layla's, I might be able to suspend my disbelief a little more thoroughly. 

So, overall, it was a fascinating new read. I enjoyed the characters and different character viewpoints. I liked the whodunit aspect of the story and the doubt cast over Finn's story. I appreciated the slow reveal of everything. It was a solid story, but it had those small portions that remained too vague for me to feel convinced in rating it higher than a 4/5. 

Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!

~Rebecca Reddell