Haunted by a stalker and the ashes of her career, Frankie Rossi travels to Vermont hoping for one last chance—but instead collides with the man she’s never been able to forget.
Once a celebrated suspense novelist, Frankie arrives at a small book convention carrying more secrets than she can bear. The last person she expects to see is Turner Reece—her brother’s best friend, her first love, and the man who still owns her heart…even if he’s engaged to someone else. But Turner has secrets of his own, and their reunion is charged with everything they’ve left unsaid: longing, regret, and a chemistry that refuses to stay buried.
As anonymous gifts turn sinister and a blizzard snows them in with Frankie's stalker, the fragile hope she’s building with Turner is pushed to the edge. Can they finally claim the love they’ve both been running from—or will the darkness shatter their second chance?
From the bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception comes a gripping new novella—available only in audio.
Elena is a Spanish writer, a self confessed hopeless romantic and a proud book hoarder. Now, she's also the author of International bestseller and soon to be adapted to film The Spanish Love Deception; and instant New York Times bestsellers The American Roommate Experiment and The Long Game. Her books are being translated to over 30 languages–which is bananas, if you ask her.
She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.
dnf :/ I really wanted to like this but I didn’t like the fact the Turner was able to fall in love with Frankie’s best friend (“because he couldn’t have Frankie”) and even get engaged to then saying it’s always actually been Frankie… no thanks
Note to self: he wants her, but is warned off by her brother so he instead dates her friend and gets engaged to her friend. Major ick. Why would the heroine ever have interest in him again? 🤢
This was such a cute and short audiobook that I really enjoyed listening to 🎧💞. Frankie and Turner are meant for each other, but since Turner is her brother’s best friend, they never crossed that line… until now 👀 When Frankie runs into him at a book convention after some time apart, Turner makes it clear he’s not leaving until he wins her back 😭. Not even a blizzard ❄️ or a stalker stops him from groveling for her affection.
I rated it 3.5 overall because I wasn’t the biggest fan of Frankie’s voice 😅 Her character is already portrayed as an insecure author whose career hasn’t gone as planned, she’s basically hitting rock bottom 💔 The narrator’s tone made her sound even more “depresso,” and it didn’t help her case for me. There were a few moments when I was rolling my eyes at her inner monologue 🙈. I think if her voice had been different, I would’ve connected with her character more lol.
Besides that THOUGH!, it was fast-paced (which we love) aka why I pick up a novella in the first place! I loved the plot how it introduced a stalker into the mix giving us bits of romance suspense elements. At the end I was basically at the edge of my seat! I do want to say that I am a BIG fan of Turner’s voice; it was husky and perfect 😮💨🔥. This made me very thankful that the audiobook is a duet because it made the experience even better.
ALSO, THE SPICE 🌶️!!! It was SPICING, and I was loving it. Elena really knows how to write those caliente scenes 😏.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, steamy listen that includes groveling, forced proximity, and a man who will do anything to get her back 😭!
Is it a second chance romance if there wasn't even first chance??? IDK but I don't understand the point of this book ..even the title "I'm Gonna Get You Back" get you back to what baby? you weren't even a thing before.. let's not forget you just broke your engagement 3 months ago so you can't tell a girl that you love her and ALWAYS did ! idk but the only thing I liked about this book is the narrator's.
This was.... not good. The FMC Frankie is an emotionally constipated pick me girl. The MMC whats-his-face (I just finished listening and already forgot his name. Trip, Trey, something like that) has been a family friend since they were little - they both love each other but never have the guts to do anything about it, which isn't the worst trope but it is quickly becoming my least favourite if it isn't done well. The MMC says "it's always been you" but he was literally engaged to her best friend (ick). Frankie constantly whines in the first few chapters about how the MMC will never love her and it hurts too much to be near him. Meanwhile, the MMC is absolutely lovesick and pining and wondering how she couldn't know that he loves her but HOW COULD SHE KNOW THAT HE LOVED HER (he literally never told her and she's oblivious af).
Frankie is also a shitty friend. She's in love with the MMC who is engaged to her bff Mia. Frankie then finds out that Mia's dad has cancer and despite this, Frankie decides to move several hours away because she's butt hurt that the MMC doesn't love her. Ummmmm your best friend's dad has literal cancer, pick up your big girl socks and deal with it like an adult! After moving away, Frankie then complains that she has no friends and she's super lonely but she's pushed away every single person in her life.
The stalker storyline was there.... tbh I kept forgetting about it until they brought it up every once in a while. The guy who was stalking her had the stupidest reason for doing it. I don't know how to tag spoilers so SPOILER BELOW:
SPOILER: Frankie is an author and her last book flopped. The guy stalking her is a book editor who is jealous that she didn't use him when she first got published because her writing was SO GOOD that her first book had too many editor options and everyone wanted her. She doesn't even remember who he is, and we never hear about him or the situation until the last 30 minutes of the audiobook.
Note to self: just because the art is good and TikTok recommends it doesn't mean it actually is good.
Audiobook for now. The female voice was okay, not a huge fan. The guy's voice was good I felt like some parts read like a robot, but that could be from the writing.
This is an unrequited/one-sided/its always been you love in my eyes. We have Frankie, who is a writer struggling to be a writer and dealing with a book flop. Being away from her family, and trying to move on from her "one"-sided crush, who happens to be at the mountain book con she's at. Turner, the boy who didn't notice her now notices her? Honestly, it was confusing why it took him this long to open his eyes. The only reason now he's single and now fighting for Frankie is because he's done letting others dreams come before his. Took him long enough. The only reason he dated Frankie's friend is, well, the brother warned him his younger sister is off-limits (she's three years younger), and, I don't know, honestly, he scared off any guy who was interested in her? But he was getting engaged to their friend? Make it make sense. This is why second chances suck.
The whole stalker was a letdown. I thought it would be someone good. Sadly, it wasn't.
Angsty, drama, sexy times, no virgins
Recommend-yes Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heat level-🌶🌶.5
Slowinsta Seperation (1 year) Pinning Groveling Force proximity Praise kink Second chance Sorta unrequited love hea Epilogue
The last Elena Armas book I read was The American Roommate Experiment and I loved that one! When I saw this wintery suspenseful romance was coming out, I knew I would probably like it because that's one of my favorite sub-genres.
- Novella length and while I found our heroine (Frankie) was somewhat annoying, I got past it when I realized how much she was messed up. I can't imagine watching the love of my life in the situations she had to see!!!?? Like I could never unsee that!! - Turner's character is fantastic. No Notes. Just a full-on hottie we can all appreciate in a snowy setting. - Only an audiobook, but I really think she should publish a physical copy!! (Listened on Spotify!)
”That no matter what, I’ll always be his light. And he’ll be mine. That no matter how far my mind escaped sometimes, he’ll always be there to tether me to the beautiful family we’re creating. He won’t let go. Ever. And I won’t either.”
Elena Armas is SO back this novella made me unreasonably emotional, loved them and their messy love story so much!
elena I love you but this was not a necessary story
not enjoying this novella was mostly on my part bc I am not a fan of mutual pining childhood best friends. I think they usually are pathetically in love and angsty in a way that grates on my nerve. and unfortunately the way this was written didn’t help with that
I liked the beginning but as soon as they fucked I lost interest in their couple - when I wasn’t already super involved in them. being in frankie’s mind annoyed me sometimes bc she was a bit too whiny (for the right and wrong reasons) and turner was your typical sexually explicit mullet tattooed man. I just felt like the whole assembled felt forced and stretched to a maximum I didn’t enjoy
the stalker situation was all over the place and the ending… pls….
yeah, I was not convinced by this but I did enjoy the conversations about worth and publishing and my favourite part was the cameos
HELLO ELENA ARMAS WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PUT IN THIS?????? HOW AM SQUEALING, CRYING, SWEATING, AND ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT???????? ALSO HOW DID YOU PLUCK THIS PERFECT MUSTACHED MULLET TATTOOED BREAD MAKER FROM MY DREAMS???? frankie and turner MY LOVES
Very short but very cute second chance romance. I love a good second chance romance, and while this one definitely had some great parts, some were also a bit disappointing. Maybe it would have been better as a full-length novel, then those parts could have been worked out a bit more. I will definitely be checking out Elena Armas's future books.
I wish the conflicts of their relationship would have been explored more in the book rather than bringing some of it up in the epilogue. If the messiness of their past is what kept them apart, then it should have been resolved on the page.
the story also could have done without the stalker aspect imo.
I really wanted this to work for me, but it just…didn’t.
I listened to the audiobook, and while the male narrator was solid, the overall narration felt uneven. Some sections came across a bit flat or robotic, which didn’t help with an already frustrating story.
The biggest issue for me was the romance. The whole “it’s always been you” trope can work, but here it felt completely unearned. Turner has supposedly loved Frankie all along, yet he was literally engaged to her best friend. That alone made it hard to root for them, and the emotional payoff just wasn’t there. On top of that, it was frustrating how long it took for anything to actually happen between them—it felt dragged out without meaningful tension.
Frankie was also a difficult character to connect with. Her choices and reactions often felt immature, and at times she came across as self-centered, especially in how she handled her relationships and friendships. Instead of growing on me, she became harder to understand as the story went on.
The stalker subplot had potential but ended up feeling like an afterthought. It would pop up just enough to remind you it existed, but never in a way that built real suspense. When the reveal finally came, it felt rushed and underwhelming.
Overall, this felt messy, frustrating, and lacking in both emotional depth and payoff. Between the inconsistent pacing, weak romance, and underdeveloped plotlines, this one was a miss for me.
I am kind of angry at the revelation discussion in the hot tub. These mutual pining- friends who never tell each other they like one another annoy me if not done right. Still not even having a Full conversation while having one.
He scared away the German exchange student and her prom date (only those two examples given) because he was basically jealous but it is totally fine to date and get engaged to her friend yeah that tracks. Eyeroll. I know we are supposed to feel how good this man is but I just don’t get it. Trust is too broken but the epilogue definitely helped soften everything.
The love confession again feels hollow to me as he said he let himself fall in love with Mia because he couldn’t have her. Not good enough! he shouldn’t have dated the friend in the first place but your so called love couldn’t be that deep if you were with the friend after just over hearing one conversation????
He was able to date and fall in love with someone else and of course the fmc couldn’t do that even though they gave the typical throw away earlier in the book about her lackluster dating life she tried. Eyeroll. Of course the friend and fmc repaired their relationship somewhat but would be too strange for me with how everything happened. We just didn’t get enough of the history of their relationship to know if you can move on from that.
It was otherwise sweet story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
FIRST FINISHED (AUDIO)BOOK IN WELL OVER A YEAR🗣️‼️ WE’RE SO BACK😛
We been knew that Elena Armas has always had me in a headlock. And us chronically ill girlies appreciate a short audiobook🫡
❄️ Childhood friends/brother's best friend (hey Siri, play Ruin The Friendship by Taylor Swift) ❄️ It’s always been you ❄️ Forced proximity (snowed in) ❄️ Suspense ❄️ Duet narration
🦋“I was down bad. No, scratch that. I was going to marry her. I needed to work out the specifics but yeah, I was going to marry Frankie Rossi. Give her my name. Take hers, I didn’t care. I’d beg, spend a lifetime of grovelling to have her.” (YESSIR)
🦋“I saw a chance and took it.” “Am I the chance?” “My biggest one.”
🦋“I loved you first and I love you now. It’s always been you.”
🦋“I’d even bark if she asked me to.” (this was frying me)
A few notes - I would have preferred if the mmc wasn’t engaged 3 months before… to the fmc’s friend😟. To be frank, that would have been my 13th reason🫶. And the mmc uttering the word “daddy” unironically🤨. The stalker bit was something. Corny but hey, this got me out of my diabolical reading slump😮💨💅 and for that, I’m thankful.
{For my fellow closed door listeners😌👉 ➺ end of chapter 6, middle to end of chapter 7, middle of chapter 11, beginning to middle of chapter 12}
My issues with I’m Gonna Get You Back are almost entirely subjective. The FMC was annoying and the MMC was just pathetic and not at all swoonworthy. The situation was just plain messy.
The FMC was constantly complaining about something. Whether it was her feelings for the MMC, her career, or her estranged best friend (which was entirely her fault. She should have been honest when asked about the MMC).
What do you mean the MMC fell in love then got engaged to the FMC’s best friend when he couldn’t have her?
Also, mullet. No thanks.
The stalker aspect of the novel was decent. I liked the reveal as it made the most sense in this tight context. However, it felt like it was shoehorned in at the last minute in some misguided attempt to manufacture tension.
Overall, I’m Gonna Get You Back was a disappointment. The characters were insufferable and the messy situation was just uncomfortable.
I don’t want to be a hater but dear lord this was terrible. Both main characters are massively shitty people. The melodrama was off the charts it was painful. And the climax of suspense felt like a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment. Sorry but that was a waste of my time.
It could be a good story about friends realizing their feelings. But author chose to write a not self respect woman who are glad to get a guy after he almost married their mutual friend.
First book I’ve read by Elena Armas and I came away with a really good impression.
The writing is super addictive and kept me completely hooked from beginning to end. It’s not exactly an innovative story, but honestly? It still worked!
We follow Frankie, a suspense author trying to rebuild her career while dealing with a stalker… who ends up crossing paths again with Turner her brother’s best friend, her first love, and the one she never truly forgot. Of course, there are unresolved feelings, secrets, and plenty of tension between them.
As increasingly sinister gifts start to appear and a snowstorm leaves them isolated, the story takes on a more intense, almost claustrophobic tone, which hooked me even more.
After two weeks in a reading slump, this was the book that got me out of it… and for that alone, it already gets major points from me!
Not every book needs to be groundbreaking, sometimes we just need one that makes us want to read again.