Helpful Score: 1
I can't believe I even finished this book. I was really excited to read this since I had read other books by this author that I really loved, but this one left me shaking my head. The story line was so absurd that I laughed at it a few times. I guess maybe that's why I bothered finishing it as I just had to know how this craziness would end. Unfortunately I'm sad that I spent money to buy this one. It was definitely not one I could recommend, but I will still give this author another chance.
After being falsely accused of involvement in the disappearance of last girlfriend Layla, fund manager and inexplicably rich guy Finn has moved on and has a new fiance. The new fiance, Ellen, is the sister of Layla. The relationship is a little creepy, but not nearly as creepy as the tiny Russian dolls that start appearing in various places Finn goes. There is a backstory involving Ellen, Layla and Russian dolls, so their appearances lead Finn and Ellen to believe that Layla may not be dead afterall.
The possibility that Layla is alive drives an understandable wedge between Ellen (who seems neurotically insecure) and Finn (who seems to have no problem lying and an occasional violent streak). Those darn Russian dolls keep popping up, leading up to what is supposed to be a shocking finale.
I really enjoyed reading Behind Closed Doors, and thought The Breakdown was good but not great. Bring Me Back sticks to the same formula that keeps the reader turning the pages, though in this case I wanted to see what happens although I didn't particularly care. My biggest annoyance was the constant (and I do mean constant!) mention of the Russian dolls. Yes, I understand that they are a key to unraveling the mystery of what happened to Layla, but the words "Russian doll" must have appeared on every page. Almost more often than "the."
The quality of B.A. Paris' books is trending slowly downward. Hopefully the next book will return to the fine form of Behind Closed Doors.
I received a free egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The possibility that Layla is alive drives an understandable wedge between Ellen (who seems neurotically insecure) and Finn (who seems to have no problem lying and an occasional violent streak). Those darn Russian dolls keep popping up, leading up to what is supposed to be a shocking finale.
I really enjoyed reading Behind Closed Doors, and thought The Breakdown was good but not great. Bring Me Back sticks to the same formula that keeps the reader turning the pages, though in this case I wanted to see what happens although I didn't particularly care. My biggest annoyance was the constant (and I do mean constant!) mention of the Russian dolls. Yes, I understand that they are a key to unraveling the mystery of what happened to Layla, but the words "Russian doll" must have appeared on every page. Almost more often than "the."
The quality of B.A. Paris' books is trending slowly downward. Hopefully the next book will return to the fine form of Behind Closed Doors.
I received a free egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've enjoyed previous B.A.Paris stories, but this one was not a favorite. I should have followed my rule of 50 pages in, don't like it, don't waste time on it. The premise of a missing wife and different suspects sounded promising. As the drama dragged on, I ended up skipping entire paragraphs. Not to say I won't read more from this author, I will. This one was lacking.
I can't believe I didn't put this book down when I was half way through. I was bored and tired of the back and forth chapters between the main characters and the constant mention of Russian dolls! Enough was enough, I got to hate those dolls!!
Something kept me reading though and I was blown way by the conclusion, never expecting the outcome. Thus three stars but I really disliked this book.
Something kept me reading though and I was blown way by the conclusion, never expecting the outcome. Thus three stars but I really disliked this book.
Her first book 'Behind closed doors' was a 5* book, her second book went down hill to only 3* for me, and now this one? yuk! this one was so boring, slow slow slow, and the mention of Russian dolls on every page and sometimes more than once was just annoying
I was so excited to see our library had gotten this book but now I'm very skeptical about anymore books by Paris, her first book was great but now she's on a downhill spiral of terrible writing, slow and boring
I was so excited to see our library had gotten this book but now I'm very skeptical about anymore books by Paris, her first book was great but now she's on a downhill spiral of terrible writing, slow and boring
Marilyn M. (IndulgeYourself) -
I won a copy of this through Net Galley. This is a great psychological thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the very end. I highly recommend.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
I have enjoyed all of Paris' books. I think "thriller" is a perfect description for her books. She keeps me turning pages and there are always some surprises and/or twists that make the journey worth it. Even though I did consider the actual person behind the sinister events that were happening I would never have imagined how they all played out. I look forward to whatever Paris comes up with next.
Started out fabulous, got better in the middle, but the ending required a real leap of faith, not wanting to spoil anything, but really? It was a twist, but a hard one to really believe.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
B.A. Paris has hit a home-run again! I read her first two novels, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown, and enjoyed them very much. This one kept me guessing until the very end.
Layla and Finn are driving back to England from a ski trip in France. They pull into a rest stop and when Finn returns to the car after using the restroom, he finds the car door is wide open but Layla is missing.
Ten years later, Layla is presumed dead and Finn is about to marry Layla's sister, Ellen. Suddenly tiny dolls from a set of Russian stack dolls start appearing. Only Layla, Ellen and Finn are aware of the significance of these dolls. Finn starts receiving emails from Layla which leads him to believe that Layla is not dead. Has Layla somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?
The story keeps switching bank and forth from 2006 when Finn first met Layla to the present 2018 and is told in the first person point of view by the main characters; Finn, Layla and Ellen. I was hooked from the very beginning and found the book hard to put down as I needed to know what was going to happen next. After many twists and turns, I found the ending to be cleverly crafted and a total surprise to me. I am now looking forward to Paris' next book and I would highly recommend this book to those who love psychological thrillers. I also would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the book for my honest review.
Layla and Finn are driving back to England from a ski trip in France. They pull into a rest stop and when Finn returns to the car after using the restroom, he finds the car door is wide open but Layla is missing.
Ten years later, Layla is presumed dead and Finn is about to marry Layla's sister, Ellen. Suddenly tiny dolls from a set of Russian stack dolls start appearing. Only Layla, Ellen and Finn are aware of the significance of these dolls. Finn starts receiving emails from Layla which leads him to believe that Layla is not dead. Has Layla somehow come back to him after all this time? Or is the person who took her playing games with his mind?
The story keeps switching bank and forth from 2006 when Finn first met Layla to the present 2018 and is told in the first person point of view by the main characters; Finn, Layla and Ellen. I was hooked from the very beginning and found the book hard to put down as I needed to know what was going to happen next. After many twists and turns, I found the ending to be cleverly crafted and a total surprise to me. I am now looking forward to Paris' next book and I would highly recommend this book to those who love psychological thrillers. I also would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the book for my honest review.
