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Come Back For Me
The breathtaking new thriller from the author of the Richard and Judy bestseller NOW YOU SEE HER
____________________________
A SHOCKING DISCOVERY.
A COMMUNITY WRAPPED IN SECRETS.
A tiny island community is stunned by the discovery of a long-buried body.
For Stella Harvey the news is doubly shocking. The body has been found in the garden of her childhood home - the home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago.
Now, questioning her past and desperate to unearth the truth, Stella returns to the isolated island. But she quickly finds that the community she left isn’t as welcoming as she remembers – and that people in it will go to any length to protect their secrets.
____________________________
A SHOCKING DISCOVERY.
A COMMUNITY WRAPPED IN SECRETS.
A tiny island community is stunned by the discovery of a long-buried body.
For Stella Harvey the news is doubly shocking. The body has been found in the garden of her childhood home - the home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago.
Now, questioning her past and desperate to unearth the truth, Stella returns to the isolated island. But she quickly finds that the community she left isn’t as welcoming as she remembers – and that people in it will go to any length to protect their secrets.
432 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2019
546 people are currently reading
7675 people want to read
About the author
Heidi Perks
16 books1,435 followersHeidi Perks lives on the south coast, spending her time writing by the sea. She gets all her inspiration for her books from the beautiful towns on the coast, imagining dark things happening in the most prettiest of places. Apart from one all her books are set along the south of England.
Heidi's seventh books, SOMEONE IS LYING is out March 2025. Her other six books include three Sunday Times bestsellers, Now You See Her, Come Back For Me and The Whispers, and two Richard and Judy picks including The Last Resort.
She is currently writing book eight which will be out in 2026.
Heidi's seventh books, SOMEONE IS LYING is out March 2025. Her other six books include three Sunday Times bestsellers, Now You See Her, Come Back For Me and The Whispers, and two Richard and Judy picks including The Last Resort.
She is currently writing book eight which will be out in 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 482 reviews
May 20, 2019
Stella and her family are brought up on a small island of Evergreen where there are only 100 residents. Stella and her siblings Danny and Bonnie live there until Stella is 11 when her parents decide they are leaving the island in the middle of a storm.
Stella is heartbroken at leaving her best friend Jill behind and no matter how much she begs her family to stay they are adamant they need to leave the island immediately!!
The book alternates between 1993 when Stella is growing up and the present time where Stella sees on the news a body has been discovered in the garden of her old house on Evergreen island. Stella is intrigued about who the body is and returns to the island hoping to see her old friend Jill. But someone doesn’t want her snooping around!!
This book had me hooked from the start, slowly you discover the secrets and lies on the island which keeps the tension rising and made this a very addictive read!!
A must read book that will keep you guessing till the end.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
Stella is heartbroken at leaving her best friend Jill behind and no matter how much she begs her family to stay they are adamant they need to leave the island immediately!!
The book alternates between 1993 when Stella is growing up and the present time where Stella sees on the news a body has been discovered in the garden of her old house on Evergreen island. Stella is intrigued about who the body is and returns to the island hoping to see her old friend Jill. But someone doesn’t want her snooping around!!
This book had me hooked from the start, slowly you discover the secrets and lies on the island which keeps the tension rising and made this a very addictive read!!
A must read book that will keep you guessing till the end.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
May 29, 2019
As a child Stella Harvey lived with her family on a small island called Evergreen off the Dorset coast. She loved her life in the close knit community and her freedom to roam the island with her friend Jill. However, one night when she was eleven, her family flee the island in the middle of a storm, never to return. Now twenty five years later, estranged from her father and brother, she hears on the news that a body has been found just next to her old house on the island. Wanting to reconnect with the people on the island and find out why her family left so abruptly she decides to return for a visit. But she soon finds out that not everyone is pleased to see her.
Recounted through Stella's eyes a child on the island and later as an adult trying to find out what happened to make her family leave, this is a very compelling story which starts of slowly but gradually ramps up the tension as the mystery deepens. Long kept family secrets are revealed as the plot twists and turns to its dramatic conclusion. Well written with a good sense of the atmosphere of the isolated island setting and the complex characters Stella knew as a child but now sees through an adult's eyes.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a digital ARC to read
Recounted through Stella's eyes a child on the island and later as an adult trying to find out what happened to make her family leave, this is a very compelling story which starts of slowly but gradually ramps up the tension as the mystery deepens. Long kept family secrets are revealed as the plot twists and turns to its dramatic conclusion. Well written with a good sense of the atmosphere of the isolated island setting and the complex characters Stella knew as a child but now sees through an adult's eyes.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a digital ARC to read
April 24, 2019
Come Back for Me by Heidi Perks was a thriller that had me hooked from the beginning.
Stella was brought up on the small island of Evergreen until she was eleven years old and was devastated when her family left suddenly one night during a storm.
Years later Stella sees a news report that a body has been dug up near her old home and she feels that she has to go back to the Island to find out it her family are involved.
I really enjoyed this book, I found the characters interesting.
The story kept me engaged throughout the tension building with each chapter.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Stella was brought up on the small island of Evergreen until she was eleven years old and was devastated when her family left suddenly one night during a storm.
Years later Stella sees a news report that a body has been dug up near her old home and she feels that she has to go back to the Island to find out it her family are involved.
I really enjoyed this book, I found the characters interesting.
The story kept me engaged throughout the tension building with each chapter.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 20, 2020
Stella Harvey & her family left a small island called Evergreen of the Dorset coast, her father didnt tell them why, then years later Stella reads in the paper that a body was dfound in the house she once lived as a child. She gets in contact with her sister Bonnie & tells her what she has found out, Bonnie cannot believe what Stella is telling her.
Stella & Bonnie are not that close one had problems the other hies a secret that cannot be revealed talk about chalk & cheese both are complete opposites. Bonnie doesn't want to go back but Stella decides too & what she finds out is a small town which hides secrets that they don't want Stella finding out.
As she delves deeper she finds out that her brother Danny is a prime suspect in the murder of Ilona a friend of Stella, the question here is will Stella flight or fight to get to the truth or will the towns folk drive her away!!
MY THOUGHTS
Its hard to describe this book at times i thought it was a slow burn, but as Stella digs further the pace picked up the characters were well written & was told between September 1993 then back to the present, i thought the prose was dragged a bit but did not stop me from finding out the reveals. All in all was an enjoyable read.
Stella & Bonnie are not that close one had problems the other hies a secret that cannot be revealed talk about chalk & cheese both are complete opposites. Bonnie doesn't want to go back but Stella decides too & what she finds out is a small town which hides secrets that they don't want Stella finding out.
As she delves deeper she finds out that her brother Danny is a prime suspect in the murder of Ilona a friend of Stella, the question here is will Stella flight or fight to get to the truth or will the towns folk drive her away!!
MY THOUGHTS
Its hard to describe this book at times i thought it was a slow burn, but as Stella digs further the pace picked up the characters were well written & was told between September 1993 then back to the present, i thought the prose was dragged a bit but did not stop me from finding out the reveals. All in all was an enjoyable read.
June 4, 2019
This was a tough one to rate given that I put it aside 30% of the way through, and read two other books in between. The plot was very slow, and even though things did pick up in the last half, it wasn't by much. I can't deny that the wrap-up was original and clever though, so I've settled on a rating of 3.5.
Stella Harvey had the perfect childhood growing up on Evergreen Island. But in 1993, when she was 11 years-old, it all ended, with her family fleeing the island in the middle of the night, never to return. Stella's family was never the same after and she believes that leaving the island destroyed them, but as an adult has never had the courage to go back. Then a body is discovered buried on the outskirts of the garden of her childhood home. Desperate for the answers, Stella must return to to her beloved Island and discover the truth of what really happened that fateful summer of 1993, twenty-five years ago.
As I mentioned the ending was well done, and completely took me by surprise. There were a couple of times where I was convinced I knew where the plot was heading only to be proved wrong on both occasions. All the gothic elements really worked for me - the secluded Island setting cut off from the mainland, with its tight knit, secretive community, who would go to any lengths to protect their own. The geography of Evergreen, including Stella's house, was intricately described and I could easily picture the layout in my head. The present POV was seen through Stella's eyes in the first person, with the summer of '93 narrated by the rest of the Harvey family (third person) - Stella's mother and father (Maria and David), and her two teenage siblings (Danny and Bonnie).
I'm trying to pinpoint why the book dragged and I think it was due to the fact that little could be revealed about the mystery without giving it away, so there were few instances of clue dropping, and you had characters who obviously knew what had happened but just weren't saying, which quickly became frustrating and did little to advance the plot. Also, I think three to four POV's for every flashback was over the top and repetitive.
This probably bothered me more than it should, but would the police really fire so many questions at Stella and ask for her interpretation of adults behaviour, when she was only 11 years old at the time? I wouldn't have thought an account coming from someone so young would be that reliable?
I'm disappointed because Now You See Her was a 5 star read for me last year and as soon as I read the synopsis for this one I was sure this one would be as well. I think those who don't find it slow will rate it higher. There's no question Heidi Perks can write though, and I'm still looking forward to her next book.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Random House UK – Cornerstone, and Heidi Perks for the e-ARC.
Book Release Date: 11 July, 2019.
Out now on kindle.
Stella Harvey had the perfect childhood growing up on Evergreen Island. But in 1993, when she was 11 years-old, it all ended, with her family fleeing the island in the middle of the night, never to return. Stella's family was never the same after and she believes that leaving the island destroyed them, but as an adult has never had the courage to go back. Then a body is discovered buried on the outskirts of the garden of her childhood home. Desperate for the answers, Stella must return to to her beloved Island and discover the truth of what really happened that fateful summer of 1993, twenty-five years ago.
As I mentioned the ending was well done, and completely took me by surprise. There were a couple of times where I was convinced I knew where the plot was heading only to be proved wrong on both occasions. All the gothic elements really worked for me - the secluded Island setting cut off from the mainland, with its tight knit, secretive community, who would go to any lengths to protect their own. The geography of Evergreen, including Stella's house, was intricately described and I could easily picture the layout in my head. The present POV was seen through Stella's eyes in the first person, with the summer of '93 narrated by the rest of the Harvey family (third person) - Stella's mother and father (Maria and David), and her two teenage siblings (Danny and Bonnie).
I'm trying to pinpoint why the book dragged and I think it was due to the fact that little could be revealed about the mystery without giving it away, so there were few instances of clue dropping, and you had characters who obviously knew what had happened but just weren't saying, which quickly became frustrating and did little to advance the plot. Also, I think three to four POV's for every flashback was over the top and repetitive.
This probably bothered me more than it should, but would the police really fire so many questions at Stella and ask for her interpretation of adults behaviour, when she was only 11 years old at the time? I wouldn't have thought an account coming from someone so young would be that reliable?
I'm disappointed because Now You See Her was a 5 star read for me last year and as soon as I read the synopsis for this one I was sure this one would be as well. I think those who don't find it slow will rate it higher. There's no question Heidi Perks can write though, and I'm still looking forward to her next book.
I'd like to thank Netgalley, Random House UK – Cornerstone, and Heidi Perks for the e-ARC.
Book Release Date: 11 July, 2019.
Out now on kindle.
May 24, 2019
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4
The story goes between the past and present day as we slowly discover the events that happened in the past. Stella is now an adult but she still really misses living on the small island of Evergreen. Her family left one night during a storm. Now, a skeleton has been dug up just outside the boundary of the house Stella and her family used to live. Stella is determined to find out whose the remains are and what happened to them. So she travels back to the island. It's twenty five years since Stella was last on the island and things are not quite as she remembers. The wil lagers are not as friendly and will go to any lengths to keep secrets buried. Some secrets are best kept buried though. This is an emotional roller coaster of areas. I didn't guess where this story was going but the ending did surprise me.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Heidi Perks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story goes between the past and present day as we slowly discover the events that happened in the past. Stella is now an adult but she still really misses living on the small island of Evergreen. Her family left one night during a storm. Now, a skeleton has been dug up just outside the boundary of the house Stella and her family used to live. Stella is determined to find out whose the remains are and what happened to them. So she travels back to the island. It's twenty five years since Stella was last on the island and things are not quite as she remembers. The wil lagers are not as friendly and will go to any lengths to keep secrets buried. Some secrets are best kept buried though. This is an emotional roller coaster of areas. I didn't guess where this story was going but the ending did surprise me.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Heidi Perks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2019
This book had me interested at the offset as its a very dramatic start as we see the family ‘steal away’ in the night from Evergreen, the island, 20 mins from Poole, that they have lived on, they have to leave but at that point we don’t know why
A lot of the book is set on the island after a body is found and secrets of the past are literally unearthed!, I LOVED the descriptions of the island, island life, the gossip that held the 102 islanders together and tore them apart and the author built up a great minds eye vision of what it is like to live on a small island, the good - and the bad
The actual ‘crux’ of the matter takes some time to get to as you are taken from the present to the past and back again and you get to know the family and start to get an inkling of what might be ahead, as say though this does take a time to get to and I was almost getting restless waiting for the action, when it comes its good and believable, quite complex but is explained well and all fits together to make a readable tale
The characters are well portrayed and for me elicited no real strong feelings either way to be honest, I dont think you were meant to love them but equally I don’t think you were meant to dislike them that much either!
The ending was quick and I kept flicking the kindle app to make sure I hadn’t missed an extra page(s), I hadn’t
418 pages is more than ample for this story
Some great research or experience gone into describing island life which I enjoyed more than the actual story
I look forward to this authors next book
7/10 3.5 Stars
March 24, 2019
Come Back For Me was a really engaging and addictive read, about family secrets, a tight knit community and family ties.
Stella as an adult still feels the hurt from having to leave her beloved island home as a child, when one stormy night her entire family crept away under cover of darkness. No explanation was given and Stella never heard from her best friend again. Now a body has been found near her childhood house..and long buried secrets are about to emerge..
We go between past and present, slowly discovering background and events. Heidi Perks keeps you enthralled throughout with some beautiful writing and intelligent plotting.
The setting is both beautiful and claustrophobic, the tension builds towards an emotional finale and our main protagonist Stella faces many difficult and very human choices along the way.
Overall an excellent read – fascinating family drama with more than a hint of psychological thriller.
Recommended.
Stella as an adult still feels the hurt from having to leave her beloved island home as a child, when one stormy night her entire family crept away under cover of darkness. No explanation was given and Stella never heard from her best friend again. Now a body has been found near her childhood house..and long buried secrets are about to emerge..
We go between past and present, slowly discovering background and events. Heidi Perks keeps you enthralled throughout with some beautiful writing and intelligent plotting.
The setting is both beautiful and claustrophobic, the tension builds towards an emotional finale and our main protagonist Stella faces many difficult and very human choices along the way.
Overall an excellent read – fascinating family drama with more than a hint of psychological thriller.
Recommended.
February 29, 2020
The story starts in 1993 as a family is preparing to leave Evergreen Island. Bonnie, the eldest of the three siblings is happy about leaving. Danny, a budding artist and people watcher, leaves in silence which is much the way he does most things. 11 year old Stella is devastated at leaving her beloved island. Maria, their mother, is concerned about leaving in the storm and wants to delay. But her husband David insists it is essential that they leave immediately. It is in the middle of a storm. Why is it imperative that they leave so quickly?
The narrative then moves to the present day when a news item announces that a body has been found on the island just near the family home. For reasons she cannot explain even to herself Stella, now a family counsellor, feels compelled to return to the island the family left twenty five years earlier and uncover its secrets. But not everyone, inside the family and outside it, is happy with her decision. And will Stella be able to cope with the truth if and when she does find it?
A quietly compelling read, it maintains an uneasy tension and suspense. In the process it keeps its secrets well hidden, doling them out a little at a time. Yet, despite it being an interesting read, with well-drawn characters and the mystery concerning what really happened, it seemed to take me forever to get through it. Not sure why. Maybe just me at the moment with limited reading time due to life issues. In the course of the story there are plenty of red herrings thrown out as to who was responsible and what actually happened. The ending did seem a little rushed in some ways and could produce interesting feedback from readers. But overall an intense and engaging read that had me turning the pages. I was glad I read it.
The narrative then moves to the present day when a news item announces that a body has been found on the island just near the family home. For reasons she cannot explain even to herself Stella, now a family counsellor, feels compelled to return to the island the family left twenty five years earlier and uncover its secrets. But not everyone, inside the family and outside it, is happy with her decision. And will Stella be able to cope with the truth if and when she does find it?
A quietly compelling read, it maintains an uneasy tension and suspense. In the process it keeps its secrets well hidden, doling them out a little at a time. Yet, despite it being an interesting read, with well-drawn characters and the mystery concerning what really happened, it seemed to take me forever to get through it. Not sure why. Maybe just me at the moment with limited reading time due to life issues. In the course of the story there are plenty of red herrings thrown out as to who was responsible and what actually happened. The ending did seem a little rushed in some ways and could produce interesting feedback from readers. But overall an intense and engaging read that had me turning the pages. I was glad I read it.
July 18, 2020
This is my first read of a novel by author Heidi Perks and liked it so much I purchased a few more of her books to add to my ever increasing to read list.
The novel starts with eleven year old Stella and her family leaving the family home on Evergreen Island. Stella is upset at leaving but her father insists they need to leave.
Twenty five years later Stella is shocked to see on the news that a body has been found in the garden of her childhood home. The home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago. She wants to know the truth behind their sudden departure from the island and find out the truth to her past. On arriving at Evergreen she is met with hostility and a community who are very guarded and unfriendly. What secrets are they hiding?
This is an exciting read told in a now and then format with excellent characters and a clever plot. The novel starts with a bang and maintains the tension and excitement to the end. The family leaves the island suddenly and then a body is found in their old garden, a coincidence? There are plenty of possible theories and suspects and I considered many of them along the read.
Not an east book to put down due to the intrigue and suspense, well written and recommended for any reader that enjoys psychological thrillers. Bring on the next Heidi Perks novel.
The novel starts with eleven year old Stella and her family leaving the family home on Evergreen Island. Stella is upset at leaving but her father insists they need to leave.
Twenty five years later Stella is shocked to see on the news that a body has been found in the garden of her childhood home. The home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago. She wants to know the truth behind their sudden departure from the island and find out the truth to her past. On arriving at Evergreen she is met with hostility and a community who are very guarded and unfriendly. What secrets are they hiding?
This is an exciting read told in a now and then format with excellent characters and a clever plot. The novel starts with a bang and maintains the tension and excitement to the end. The family leaves the island suddenly and then a body is found in their old garden, a coincidence? There are plenty of possible theories and suspects and I considered many of them along the read.
Not an east book to put down due to the intrigue and suspense, well written and recommended for any reader that enjoys psychological thrillers. Bring on the next Heidi Perks novel.
February 20, 2020
The story opens in 1993, when Stella Harvey is 11 years old and one stormy night is told by her parents that they have to leave her beloved island of Evergreen and everyone she knows behind and move back to the mainland immediately, because her dad has a new job, but since leaving the island she has craved the truth as to why they left in such a hurry in the middle of a storm, what were her parents keeping from her? Twenty five years later, a news report reveals that a body has been found in the forest at the back of the house she used to live in. Stella knows that something isn't right and decides to return to the island and try and meet up with her old friend Jill, but also to uncover the truth of what happened all those years ago, but is she prepared for what she may find and how will it affect her and the lives of the ones she loves?
This book is split between two timelines; 1993 and the present day, and it is evident when Stella returns to the island that the people she thought she knew and trusted are hiding something and she is not welcome. It's a tale of secrets and lies with a couple of well timed twists for good measure.
This book is split between two timelines; 1993 and the present day, and it is evident when Stella returns to the island that the people she thought she knew and trusted are hiding something and she is not welcome. It's a tale of secrets and lies with a couple of well timed twists for good measure.
August 17, 2019
A setting lacking in credibility and an unconvincing plot - drawn out & melodramatic!
For family counsellor and thirty-six-year-old Stella Harvey, her lasting memory is the idyllic childhood she spent on the supposedly isolated fictional island of Evergreen just off the coast of Dorset. Now living in Winchester she remembers vividly the summer of 1993 ahead of her families swift departure in the midst of a freak storm when she was aged eleven, brother Danny was fifteen and older sister Bonnie was seventeen. Twenty-five years later Stella holds the families flight from the island responsible for their breakdown in relations and never was given a reason for their rapid exit in the middle of the night. In contrast to her siblings and parents, Stella longed to return to Evergreen but despite living within commuting distance she has never returned or visited, perhaps due to the niggling memory that the family discord began well before the move to the mainland. When a body is dug up in her childhood back garden Stella is horrified to think that her cherished home of Evergreen harboured far darker secrets and was perhaps not the utopia she imagined.
With her mother now dead, her father remarried and suffering from dementia and her brother having left eighteen-years ago, Stella devotes herself to older sister, Bonnie, and supporting her efforts to stay sober. When Stella suggests returning to the island Bonnie vociferously objects but fails to deter her, and when she arrives she returns to a far from welcoming community and is forced to reconsider past events and her opinions of the people who shaped her childhood. The story unfolds across two timeframes, with the present day, first-person point of view of Stella and across the summer of 1993 in the build up to the Harvey’s leaving the island. The past timeline is narrated in the past tense, third-person by the members of Stella’s family, predominantly mother, Maria, and is heavily reliant on foreshadowing in order to fuel suspicion to the point of overkill.
Although the premise sounds decent enough I had issues with the credibility from the off and found the whole set-up of a supposedly remote island sustaining a population of one hundred and just thirty minutes from Poole Harbour difficult to invest in. The setting never really rang true, not least the numerous questions of practical access to goods and service, no streetlights and a local pub and cafe actually being economical, right through to the lack of mobile network. The family dynamic is also dysfunctional from the start with each of the Harvey children having conflicting memories of their time of the island and adult Bonnie’s continual guilt tripping of her younger sister. The fact that none of them seemed to be honest with each other, even a quarter of a century later, becomes somewhat tedious and Stella and Bonnie’s conversations go round in circles, often making for pages of dialogue where the story makes minimal headway.
In common with the previous book by Heidi Perks that I have read Come Back For Me relied heavily on holding back facts and drip feeding them throughout the story in an attempt to ratchet up suspense. Instead this just made me feel a little cheated, especially when this relies on inconsistent behaviour by characters and a sudden volte-face ten pages later. The writing style is a little too melodramatic for my liking with everyone “snapping” or “gasping” and Stella at times wilfully blind to the obvious. For a family counsellor she is definitely guilty of looking at her own childhood and family dynamic through rose-tinted glasses! I certainly thought the setting needed some work to improve on the plausibility aspect with the story itself proving very drawn out and it often taking repeated instances to illustrate the overt.
All in all I found Come Back For Me underwhelming, far-fetched and a fairly tedious read that needed an injection of pace and the removal of about one hundred pages of padding! The second lightweight and none too intriguing family drama/women’s fiction novel by this author that I have read and more than likely the last.
For family counsellor and thirty-six-year-old Stella Harvey, her lasting memory is the idyllic childhood she spent on the supposedly isolated fictional island of Evergreen just off the coast of Dorset. Now living in Winchester she remembers vividly the summer of 1993 ahead of her families swift departure in the midst of a freak storm when she was aged eleven, brother Danny was fifteen and older sister Bonnie was seventeen. Twenty-five years later Stella holds the families flight from the island responsible for their breakdown in relations and never was given a reason for their rapid exit in the middle of the night. In contrast to her siblings and parents, Stella longed to return to Evergreen but despite living within commuting distance she has never returned or visited, perhaps due to the niggling memory that the family discord began well before the move to the mainland. When a body is dug up in her childhood back garden Stella is horrified to think that her cherished home of Evergreen harboured far darker secrets and was perhaps not the utopia she imagined.
With her mother now dead, her father remarried and suffering from dementia and her brother having left eighteen-years ago, Stella devotes herself to older sister, Bonnie, and supporting her efforts to stay sober. When Stella suggests returning to the island Bonnie vociferously objects but fails to deter her, and when she arrives she returns to a far from welcoming community and is forced to reconsider past events and her opinions of the people who shaped her childhood. The story unfolds across two timeframes, with the present day, first-person point of view of Stella and across the summer of 1993 in the build up to the Harvey’s leaving the island. The past timeline is narrated in the past tense, third-person by the members of Stella’s family, predominantly mother, Maria, and is heavily reliant on foreshadowing in order to fuel suspicion to the point of overkill.
Although the premise sounds decent enough I had issues with the credibility from the off and found the whole set-up of a supposedly remote island sustaining a population of one hundred and just thirty minutes from Poole Harbour difficult to invest in. The setting never really rang true, not least the numerous questions of practical access to goods and service, no streetlights and a local pub and cafe actually being economical, right through to the lack of mobile network. The family dynamic is also dysfunctional from the start with each of the Harvey children having conflicting memories of their time of the island and adult Bonnie’s continual guilt tripping of her younger sister. The fact that none of them seemed to be honest with each other, even a quarter of a century later, becomes somewhat tedious and Stella and Bonnie’s conversations go round in circles, often making for pages of dialogue where the story makes minimal headway.
In common with the previous book by Heidi Perks that I have read Come Back For Me relied heavily on holding back facts and drip feeding them throughout the story in an attempt to ratchet up suspense. Instead this just made me feel a little cheated, especially when this relies on inconsistent behaviour by characters and a sudden volte-face ten pages later. The writing style is a little too melodramatic for my liking with everyone “snapping” or “gasping” and Stella at times wilfully blind to the obvious. For a family counsellor she is definitely guilty of looking at her own childhood and family dynamic through rose-tinted glasses! I certainly thought the setting needed some work to improve on the plausibility aspect with the story itself proving very drawn out and it often taking repeated instances to illustrate the overt.
All in all I found Come Back For Me underwhelming, far-fetched and a fairly tedious read that needed an injection of pace and the removal of about one hundred pages of padding! The second lightweight and none too intriguing family drama/women’s fiction novel by this author that I have read and more than likely the last.
July 13, 2019
It’s fantastic when a book starts off strong, and continues strong to the very end – that’s the case with Come Back For Me! Stella and her family fled the island, a body discovered in the garden of her childhood home – coincidence or not? And then the theories begin to form in your mind, and as you read on those theories evolve and change, new suspects, new connections. Any crime reader will tell you they love a mystery they cannot solve; and that it is a real skill on the author’s part to craft this mystery in a way that keeps you engaged, suspicious, and trying to connect the dots with every page you turn! Perks has achieved this; what at first seems like a ‘kill and run’ turns into a complex mystery. One that questions the morals and decisions of characters; one that has you liking some while fearing others.
At first, Stella seemed like quite a dramatic character to me, a little over the top with her emotions but as the plot progressed, I became more drawn to her, fearing for safety and wellbeing. For when secrets are in the mist of being uncovered, no one is safe! Especially when there a few characters who leave you feeling a bit unsettled.
An isolated island – anyone else love a small-town mystery? The atmosphere created in these close-knit communities is one of my favourite. That simmering feeling that all is about to implode has me flying through the pages, desperate for the reveal and the fallout.
Narrated in a ‘then’ and ‘now’ storyline, as you get new information and pieces of information from the past, you continuously attempt to put the puzzle pieces in place, and that makes for compelling reading. This is my first novel by Perks, but it certainly won’t be my last. If you enjoy your psychological thrillers filled with secrets and lies, and full of family drama, then look no further than Come Back For Me!
*My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book*
At first, Stella seemed like quite a dramatic character to me, a little over the top with her emotions but as the plot progressed, I became more drawn to her, fearing for safety and wellbeing. For when secrets are in the mist of being uncovered, no one is safe! Especially when there a few characters who leave you feeling a bit unsettled.
An isolated island – anyone else love a small-town mystery? The atmosphere created in these close-knit communities is one of my favourite. That simmering feeling that all is about to implode has me flying through the pages, desperate for the reveal and the fallout.
Narrated in a ‘then’ and ‘now’ storyline, as you get new information and pieces of information from the past, you continuously attempt to put the puzzle pieces in place, and that makes for compelling reading. This is my first novel by Perks, but it certainly won’t be my last. If you enjoy your psychological thrillers filled with secrets and lies, and full of family drama, then look no further than Come Back For Me!
*My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book*
July 9, 2019
Ominous, suspenseful, and engrossing!
Come Back For Me is an atmospheric, tortuous, character-driven thriller that takes us into the life of Stella Harvey, a young woman who returns to the island her family hastily left one stormy night when she was a child after a body buried for 25 years is discovered just outside the home she grew up in.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are troubled, consumed, and multilayered. And the plot using a past/present, back-and-forth style unravels and intertwines into a compelling tale full of deception, manipulation, familial drama, swirling emotions, mayhem, violence, and murder.
Overall, Come Back For Me is a well crafted, dark, sophisticated, cunning tale by Perks that highlights the intricate, complex, and dynamic bonds that can exist between family and friends and reminds us that skeletons often find their way to the surface no matter how well they are hidden or buried.
Thank you to Penguin Random House UK - Arrow Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Come Back For Me is an atmospheric, tortuous, character-driven thriller that takes us into the life of Stella Harvey, a young woman who returns to the island her family hastily left one stormy night when she was a child after a body buried for 25 years is discovered just outside the home she grew up in.
The writing is taut and intense. The characters are troubled, consumed, and multilayered. And the plot using a past/present, back-and-forth style unravels and intertwines into a compelling tale full of deception, manipulation, familial drama, swirling emotions, mayhem, violence, and murder.
Overall, Come Back For Me is a well crafted, dark, sophisticated, cunning tale by Perks that highlights the intricate, complex, and dynamic bonds that can exist between family and friends and reminds us that skeletons often find their way to the surface no matter how well they are hidden or buried.
Thank you to Penguin Random House UK - Arrow Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 1, 2019
I wasn't sure whether Ms Perks could live up the bestseller status that over a year later is still present for Now You See Her, but she has crafted another highly addictive and gripping mystery thriller with elements of psychological thriller about secrets families keep and the family ties that seemingly bind us all. Main character Stella still remembers upping sticks in the middle of the night and leaving her childhood home of Evergreen Island without so much as a goodbye to anyone. She has never been told why. Now a body has been found near to the house and dark, long-buried secrets and skeletons in the closet are about to emerge with devastating consequences.
Told in two timelines and two perspectives — past, told from the point of view of Stella's mother, Maria, and present, told from Stella's perspective — means we get a fully rounded story about the events that led up to the family leaving that night. It makes for an engaging and compulsive read with some wickedly clever plotting and a very readable, easy writing style. The remote setting is both stunningly beautiful and intensely claustrophobic. Heidi Perks keeps you enthralled from the get-go and Come Back For Me has great page turn-ability. It's a well crafted, interesting family drama in which the tension builds beautifully until it reaches the emotionally-charged conclusion. Many thanks to Century for an ARC.
Told in two timelines and two perspectives — past, told from the point of view of Stella's mother, Maria, and present, told from Stella's perspective — means we get a fully rounded story about the events that led up to the family leaving that night. It makes for an engaging and compulsive read with some wickedly clever plotting and a very readable, easy writing style. The remote setting is both stunningly beautiful and intensely claustrophobic. Heidi Perks keeps you enthralled from the get-go and Come Back For Me has great page turn-ability. It's a well crafted, interesting family drama in which the tension builds beautifully until it reaches the emotionally-charged conclusion. Many thanks to Century for an ARC.
July 12, 2019
4.5 stars
This book delighted my senses, especially the part of me that longs to up sticks and move to a tiny island.
5 Things I Loved:
Intrigue: I had no clue what direction the book would take, and I love when a book surprises me. What did the family up and leave the island so quickly? So many questions, so many complex answers.
The setting: I adore Island settings, and I loved all descriptions that made me vividly picture the Island. The map was the icing on the cake for me.
The main character - Stella: I really enjoyed how fleshed out she was, and I love when an adult character has to revisit their childhood and try to make sense of it. We get to see the events unfurl when Stella was a child, and also in the present timeline, and tying them together hooked all my attention.
Complex family dynamics: You immediately sense that nothing is straightforward in this family's history and you would be right. Ditto every other family on this island.
Rising Tension: Nothing is uncovered quickly in this book, and I loved the tantalisingly slow reveal as it kept me gripped to the pages.
Overall a great book to keep you entertained and flipping the pages quickly.
This book delighted my senses, especially the part of me that longs to up sticks and move to a tiny island.
5 Things I Loved:
Intrigue: I had no clue what direction the book would take, and I love when a book surprises me. What did the family up and leave the island so quickly? So many questions, so many complex answers.
The setting: I adore Island settings, and I loved all descriptions that made me vividly picture the Island. The map was the icing on the cake for me.
The main character - Stella: I really enjoyed how fleshed out she was, and I love when an adult character has to revisit their childhood and try to make sense of it. We get to see the events unfurl when Stella was a child, and also in the present timeline, and tying them together hooked all my attention.
Complex family dynamics: You immediately sense that nothing is straightforward in this family's history and you would be right. Ditto every other family on this island.
Rising Tension: Nothing is uncovered quickly in this book, and I loved the tantalisingly slow reveal as it kept me gripped to the pages.
Overall a great book to keep you entertained and flipping the pages quickly.
April 3, 2019
Twelve year old Stella and her family leave (the presumably fictional) Evergreen Island, where Stella was born and brought up, amid a raging storm one night in 1993. Stella has never had an adequate explanation as to why.
Years later, the news of the discovery of a body on the island - close to her former family home - spurs Stella to return for the first time since they left. But not everyone is pleased to see her. Long buried secrets are coming to light...
Come Back For Me was a very enjoyable and well written read - the unusual setting of the remote island, where all the inhabitants know each other, added an intriguing and atmospheric dimension. Stella was an engaging character and her relationships with her sister Bonnie, her long-estranged brother Danny, and her father who is now living with dementia, are very well drawn. The mystery felt like a bit of a slow burner, but unfolded satisfyingly.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!
Years later, the news of the discovery of a body on the island - close to her former family home - spurs Stella to return for the first time since they left. But not everyone is pleased to see her. Long buried secrets are coming to light...
Come Back For Me was a very enjoyable and well written read - the unusual setting of the remote island, where all the inhabitants know each other, added an intriguing and atmospheric dimension. Stella was an engaging character and her relationships with her sister Bonnie, her long-estranged brother Danny, and her father who is now living with dementia, are very well drawn. The mystery felt like a bit of a slow burner, but unfolded satisfyingly.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!
August 15, 2019
Heidi Perk’s previous book, Now You See Her, absolutely rocked my socks off so I couldn’t wait to see if her new offering would live up to that one for me.
The story starts off with a bang when eleven year old Stella is forced to leave her childhood home on Evergreen Island in the middle of a storm. Why are her parents so desperate to leave the island in these circumstances? Twenty-five years later, a body is found near Stella’s childhood home. Stella has always wanted to return to the island and this seems like the perfect opportunity. She knows these people after all. But the small community isn’t exactly welcoming and it soon becomes apparent there are a lot of secrets the island residents are keen to protect.
And just like that I was caught up in a murder mystery and the dynamics of a rather dysfunctional family all in one go. Quite clearly, Heidi Perks took a master class in plotting, knowing exactly what to do to keep a reader hooked. With seemingly every chapter ending on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t stop myself from absolutely devouring this book. Every theory I could possibly come up with was blown to pieces and there was no way I was ever going to predict any of the secrets hidden away on this island.
Come Back For Me is immensely atmospheric, compelling and utterly gripping. It’s the kind of book you just can’t put down, that has you flipping the pages faster and faster, desperate to find out what on earth is going on and how all the pieces of the past and the present fit together.
This is the second book I’ve read by Heidi Perks and it went down a treat. Her previous one still remains my favourite by her but she is now firmly on my radar and I absolutely can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. If you enjoy a well-plotted and unpredictable psychological thriller, then this one is most definitely for you!
The story starts off with a bang when eleven year old Stella is forced to leave her childhood home on Evergreen Island in the middle of a storm. Why are her parents so desperate to leave the island in these circumstances? Twenty-five years later, a body is found near Stella’s childhood home. Stella has always wanted to return to the island and this seems like the perfect opportunity. She knows these people after all. But the small community isn’t exactly welcoming and it soon becomes apparent there are a lot of secrets the island residents are keen to protect.
And just like that I was caught up in a murder mystery and the dynamics of a rather dysfunctional family all in one go. Quite clearly, Heidi Perks took a master class in plotting, knowing exactly what to do to keep a reader hooked. With seemingly every chapter ending on a cliffhanger, I couldn’t stop myself from absolutely devouring this book. Every theory I could possibly come up with was blown to pieces and there was no way I was ever going to predict any of the secrets hidden away on this island.
Come Back For Me is immensely atmospheric, compelling and utterly gripping. It’s the kind of book you just can’t put down, that has you flipping the pages faster and faster, desperate to find out what on earth is going on and how all the pieces of the past and the present fit together.
This is the second book I’ve read by Heidi Perks and it went down a treat. Her previous one still remains my favourite by her but she is now firmly on my radar and I absolutely can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. If you enjoy a well-plotted and unpredictable psychological thriller, then this one is most definitely for you!
June 1, 2019
The book stopped me in my tracks!! I was walking with kindle in my hand as I couldn't stop reading the story, and the twist hit me with a BAM and I stopped. (I had to be prodded by my neighbor to walk again which was kinda embarrassing)
Stella, Bonnie, and Danny lived on the island of Evergreen with their parents when suddenly they had to leave their home in the middle of the night with an impending storm. What happened that night which caused them to leave. After 2 decade of life moving on from them, Stella caught the news - a body was found buried in their backyard. She had to go back and get to the truth.
Heidi Perks is absolutely brilliant. I would be her fan forever. She has woven the three twines of mystery, suspense and family secrets, in a thread so strong that none can match up to her. She caused my breath to hitch on a gasp. My heart stopped. I didn't die, but became alive again. The thrill in her book jumpstarted my heart like a shock to my being. The twists spoke to the core of my reader's soul, to say the least.
Stella was a good counselor and a great sister. She had a secret seen which could never be unseen, a secret so dark that she hoped it would be buried with her. Danny had disappeared from their lives long ago, though he did come back with a truth. Bonnie turned alcoholic, went to rehab, started a new life, but would her hidden truth ever remain in the past. All this and more made me never stop reading the book. I went so slow savoring each word, looking at the book with wondrous eyes wondering about the layers it would reveal. What more can one ask from a thriller.
The book simply blew my mind away. I simply loved it, and it loved me back
Stella, Bonnie, and Danny lived on the island of Evergreen with their parents when suddenly they had to leave their home in the middle of the night with an impending storm. What happened that night which caused them to leave. After 2 decade of life moving on from them, Stella caught the news - a body was found buried in their backyard. She had to go back and get to the truth.
Heidi Perks is absolutely brilliant. I would be her fan forever. She has woven the three twines of mystery, suspense and family secrets, in a thread so strong that none can match up to her. She caused my breath to hitch on a gasp. My heart stopped. I didn't die, but became alive again. The thrill in her book jumpstarted my heart like a shock to my being. The twists spoke to the core of my reader's soul, to say the least.
Stella was a good counselor and a great sister. She had a secret seen which could never be unseen, a secret so dark that she hoped it would be buried with her. Danny had disappeared from their lives long ago, though he did come back with a truth. Bonnie turned alcoholic, went to rehab, started a new life, but would her hidden truth ever remain in the past. All this and more made me never stop reading the book. I went so slow savoring each word, looking at the book with wondrous eyes wondering about the layers it would reveal. What more can one ask from a thriller.
The book simply blew my mind away. I simply loved it, and it loved me back
December 30, 2020
5.5 out of 10
It's more a family issue story sold as a thriller and that's the problem. I expected thrills, you know. The book is not bad, but it's kinda... boring? To be honest, the main intrigue was in the style of Sager and I love Sager. The difference in the way how it was developed. I'd recommend Come Back for Me to lovers of slow-burn mysteries within closed communities with just a hint of suspense and much whine. The writing is nice, so if you're in the mood, you'd enjoy it. As to me, I guess different POVs spoiled my interest. Some details were coming out of other characters before the MC learned them. Really, the book should be written in only Stella's point of view, 'cause the other POV added nothing essential to the plot, only spoilers, duh.
May 23, 2019
Heidi Perks is yet another new author for me and I was excited at the prospect of reading such an intriguing mystery in an unusual setting. COME BACK FOR ME is both complex and compelling, and while I struggled to begin with, the story certainly picked up pace and made up for its slow start.
1993:
Born and bred on the remote and sheltered community of Evergreen Island, eleven year old Stella loves her island home and never wants to leave. She has her little circle of friends - her best friend being Jill Taylor. She simply cannot imagine a life beyond Evergreen and is happy there. But she is not silly. She notices things. Her parents; neighbours; other people's strange behaviours - including those of her siblings.
Bonnie is Stella's 17 year old sister and she hated Evergreen. With no friends she felt as though she never fit in...until Iona came to the island as part of her university study. Together they were inseparable. At last Bonnie had someone who understood her. But did Iona have an ulterior motive? Was there a specific reason she befriended Bonnie?
Danny is 15 and Stella's brother. As a middle child, he is quiet, reserved and happy in his own company. He is not comfortable amongst people and whenever he is they only seem to laugh and make fun of him. So he prefers to be on his own with his drawings often hiding in the treehouse that their dad built for them. But then Danny notices Iona. He can't stop watching her, following her with his sketch pad. It irritates Bonnie that he is always there, watching. Why? He may be her brother but he is seriously weird.
Then suddenly one night, Stella and her family left Evergreen amid a raging storm one night in 1993. She'd always been so happy there and could never understand why they had to leave so suddenly...and she was never given an adequate explanation as to why.
2018:
Stella is now in her late thirties and her family has completely fallen apart. Her parents divorced soon after their move from Evergreen. Six years later their brother Danny left without a word and was never seen or heard from again and her 40-something sister Bonnie is an alcoholic. Their mother died some years back and their father had since remarried and now is in the early stages of dementia. What happened on Evergreen all those years ago to destroy the loving family she once had?
Now a body has been found on the island - almost in the backyard of their old house - spurring Stella to return to the island for the first time in 25 years. She is determined to discover answers to the long since buried past and uncover the truth of what really happened to make her family flee their happy home so suddenly. But when she arrives, things have changed and the villagers are not as friendly as she had remembered. There appear to be many secrets hiding beneath the surface of the island and villagers will stop at nothing to keep them hidden.
But secrets have a way of sneaking to the surface as Stella begins to delve into those that have long been buried. But are the island's secrets the same secrets she is trying to uncover? Are they best left unknown? And how will Stella react to learning the truth about these secrets that have been buried for 25 years? Whose body was buried in the garden of her old home? And who killed them?
A dual timeline book (again, my favourite kind), COME BACK FOR ME is a complex, twisted tale that will engage the reader almost from the start right up to its riveting end. It is a slow burner to begin with and often these types have me struggling at the start but usually end up picking up pace with a race to the finish! Which it did. It most certainly did.
There is so much more to COME BACK FOR ME than I have mentioned (which is but a small part) which will keep you engrossed within Stella's world from start to finish. So much about it is riveting, compelling, intriguing and even a little twisted. You won't want to put it down.
I would like to thank #HeidiPerks, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #Cornerstone for an ARC of #ComeBackForMe in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
1993:
Born and bred on the remote and sheltered community of Evergreen Island, eleven year old Stella loves her island home and never wants to leave. She has her little circle of friends - her best friend being Jill Taylor. She simply cannot imagine a life beyond Evergreen and is happy there. But she is not silly. She notices things. Her parents; neighbours; other people's strange behaviours - including those of her siblings.
Bonnie is Stella's 17 year old sister and she hated Evergreen. With no friends she felt as though she never fit in...until Iona came to the island as part of her university study. Together they were inseparable. At last Bonnie had someone who understood her. But did Iona have an ulterior motive? Was there a specific reason she befriended Bonnie?
Danny is 15 and Stella's brother. As a middle child, he is quiet, reserved and happy in his own company. He is not comfortable amongst people and whenever he is they only seem to laugh and make fun of him. So he prefers to be on his own with his drawings often hiding in the treehouse that their dad built for them. But then Danny notices Iona. He can't stop watching her, following her with his sketch pad. It irritates Bonnie that he is always there, watching. Why? He may be her brother but he is seriously weird.
Then suddenly one night, Stella and her family left Evergreen amid a raging storm one night in 1993. She'd always been so happy there and could never understand why they had to leave so suddenly...and she was never given an adequate explanation as to why.
2018:
Stella is now in her late thirties and her family has completely fallen apart. Her parents divorced soon after their move from Evergreen. Six years later their brother Danny left without a word and was never seen or heard from again and her 40-something sister Bonnie is an alcoholic. Their mother died some years back and their father had since remarried and now is in the early stages of dementia. What happened on Evergreen all those years ago to destroy the loving family she once had?
Now a body has been found on the island - almost in the backyard of their old house - spurring Stella to return to the island for the first time in 25 years. She is determined to discover answers to the long since buried past and uncover the truth of what really happened to make her family flee their happy home so suddenly. But when she arrives, things have changed and the villagers are not as friendly as she had remembered. There appear to be many secrets hiding beneath the surface of the island and villagers will stop at nothing to keep them hidden.
But secrets have a way of sneaking to the surface as Stella begins to delve into those that have long been buried. But are the island's secrets the same secrets she is trying to uncover? Are they best left unknown? And how will Stella react to learning the truth about these secrets that have been buried for 25 years? Whose body was buried in the garden of her old home? And who killed them?
A dual timeline book (again, my favourite kind), COME BACK FOR ME is a complex, twisted tale that will engage the reader almost from the start right up to its riveting end. It is a slow burner to begin with and often these types have me struggling at the start but usually end up picking up pace with a race to the finish! Which it did. It most certainly did.
There is so much more to COME BACK FOR ME than I have mentioned (which is but a small part) which will keep you engrossed within Stella's world from start to finish. So much about it is riveting, compelling, intriguing and even a little twisted. You won't want to put it down.
I would like to thank #HeidiPerks, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #Cornerstone for an ARC of #ComeBackForMe in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
July 8, 2022
Stella Harvey had an idyllic childhood growing up on the remote island of Evergreen, near the Dorset coast, with her parents and siblings. But when she was eleven the dream abruptly ended - as their family hurriedly left the island to start afresh, and things were never quite the sane again.
Now, many years later, Evergreen is in the news. A body has been found on the island. Right next to Stella’s old family home. Stella returns to the island to question her past and try and find out exactly what happened there. Unfortunately the community isn’t quite so happy to see her return…
A great mystery, split into two timelines of then and now, both of which kept my interest. There’s a sense of unease creeping through the entire story and it all came together perfectly by the final few chapters. Entertaining and intriguing.
Now, many years later, Evergreen is in the news. A body has been found on the island. Right next to Stella’s old family home. Stella returns to the island to question her past and try and find out exactly what happened there. Unfortunately the community isn’t quite so happy to see her return…
A great mystery, split into two timelines of then and now, both of which kept my interest. There’s a sense of unease creeping through the entire story and it all came together perfectly by the final few chapters. Entertaining and intriguing.
June 3, 2019
Eleven-Year-old Stella, with sister Bonnie and brother Danny live in a small island off the Dorset coast called Evergreen. When one night in a middle of the storm Stella, her parents and her brother and sister leave the island abruptly, with no real explanation.
Twenty-five years later, Stella see a news report on the TV, where a body is found dug up in the garden of her old house in Evergreen. Stella feels that she needs to go back there to see if her family is involved. But when she gets there, she realises that she is not welcome there and things about that night she left immerge. Also secrets about her family that, the residents of Evergreen have kept secret all this time. Her sister Bonnie is not happy for her to return.
They discover that the body is Isla that was a friend of the family. When the police start their investigation her brother Danny is accused of their murder. So, Stella returns to find out who really killed Isla.
Thank you, Random House, for a copy if this book. I have read others from Heidi Perks and I have enjoyed them all. This book is a bit more of a slow burner of a story set in two timelines. As the story enfolds you discover more secrets that keep to gripped to the end. I liked the descriptions of the island it gave an eerie feeling to the story. Thank you 4 stars from me.
Twenty-five years later, Stella see a news report on the TV, where a body is found dug up in the garden of her old house in Evergreen. Stella feels that she needs to go back there to see if her family is involved. But when she gets there, she realises that she is not welcome there and things about that night she left immerge. Also secrets about her family that, the residents of Evergreen have kept secret all this time. Her sister Bonnie is not happy for her to return.
They discover that the body is Isla that was a friend of the family. When the police start their investigation her brother Danny is accused of their murder. So, Stella returns to find out who really killed Isla.
Thank you, Random House, for a copy if this book. I have read others from Heidi Perks and I have enjoyed them all. This book is a bit more of a slow burner of a story set in two timelines. As the story enfolds you discover more secrets that keep to gripped to the end. I liked the descriptions of the island it gave an eerie feeling to the story. Thank you 4 stars from me.
June 12, 2019
4 ⭐️ “A secret is something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others”, but as we all know secrets have a way of surfacing however deeply you think you’ve buried them. Come Back For Me the latest Psychological thriller from Heidi Perks is very much about secrets and the damage they can cause. I do love a mystery where you find yourself constantly trying to second guess the plot, for me it makes a book all the more compelling to read, and there are some dark and dangerous secrets hidden within the addictive pages of Come Back For me.
Stella still hasn’t come to terms with leaving her beloved Evergreen Island, once her childhood home, when one night her entire family crept away under cover of darkness. No explanation was given and and now a body has been found near her childhood house, and long buried secrets are about to emerge. The setting of Evergreen Island is the perfect backdrop for this book, the Island feels claustrophobic with its tight knit community. But when Stella returns to the island searching for the truth behind her family’s sudden disappearance from the island, the once close community begins to fracture under the burden of unspoken secrets.
Narrated across two timelines with two perspectives (Stella and her mother’s) sometimes I can struggle with a book narrated this way, but thankfully the chapters are clearly labelled so there’s no confusion which helps the plot move seamlessly between the past and present. The past chapter focus on the summer of 1993, where we learn about the events that led to Stella’s family leaving the island. From these chapters you gather something terrible happened, it’s here the author has done a fantastic job, she just reveals small titbits, enough to allow the readers imagination to go into overdrive, it goes without saying this adds layer upon layer of tension and suspense. Stella and her dysfunctional family are a strange bunch to say the least, but their present is defined by the past, which explains a lot about the characters they have become. Although I found it difficult to connect to any of the characters on a personal level, I still really enjoyed Come Back To Me.
Heidi Perks deftly unravels the threads of a story that’s central theme is secrets and lies. Come Back To Me as it’s one of those books that’s difficult to second guess, so there were plenty of surprises in store which always heighten my enjoyment of a book. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that’s full of family drama, with lashings of suspense then I would definitely recommend you get yourself a copy, it’s the perfect beach read, it’s not to taxing on the old brain cells but it’s makes for a very entertaining read.
Stella still hasn’t come to terms with leaving her beloved Evergreen Island, once her childhood home, when one night her entire family crept away under cover of darkness. No explanation was given and and now a body has been found near her childhood house, and long buried secrets are about to emerge. The setting of Evergreen Island is the perfect backdrop for this book, the Island feels claustrophobic with its tight knit community. But when Stella returns to the island searching for the truth behind her family’s sudden disappearance from the island, the once close community begins to fracture under the burden of unspoken secrets.
Narrated across two timelines with two perspectives (Stella and her mother’s) sometimes I can struggle with a book narrated this way, but thankfully the chapters are clearly labelled so there’s no confusion which helps the plot move seamlessly between the past and present. The past chapter focus on the summer of 1993, where we learn about the events that led to Stella’s family leaving the island. From these chapters you gather something terrible happened, it’s here the author has done a fantastic job, she just reveals small titbits, enough to allow the readers imagination to go into overdrive, it goes without saying this adds layer upon layer of tension and suspense. Stella and her dysfunctional family are a strange bunch to say the least, but their present is defined by the past, which explains a lot about the characters they have become. Although I found it difficult to connect to any of the characters on a personal level, I still really enjoyed Come Back To Me.
Heidi Perks deftly unravels the threads of a story that’s central theme is secrets and lies. Come Back To Me as it’s one of those books that’s difficult to second guess, so there were plenty of surprises in store which always heighten my enjoyment of a book. If you are looking for a psychological thriller that’s full of family drama, with lashings of suspense then I would definitely recommend you get yourself a copy, it’s the perfect beach read, it’s not to taxing on the old brain cells but it’s makes for a very entertaining read.
June 16, 2019
Stella Harvey had an idyllic childhood, living with her family on the tiny, remote island of Evergreen off the coast of Dorset. Eleven years later this is all came to an end when, during a violent storm, they all pile into a boat and head for the mainland. Flash forward twenty-five years and Stella, now 36, is a counsellor living in Birmingham, her older sister Bonnie (who hated island life) is married and lives close by, and Daniel their brother, who seems to have “issues” has left home 18 years previously and is now living in Winchester. Maria, their mother is dead, and David their father, who had left Maria and taken up with someone else, has Alzheimer’s.
Are you still with me? Good.
Now Stella has never forgotten that perfect childhood and hankered after returning to the island for many years. However when a body, which has been buried for years, is unearthed, Stella feels compelled to go back, because not only is this a dead body, but it has been found in (or jolly near) to their former back garden. So, off she goes, hoping to catch up with an old bestest school friend, Jill, who promised faithfully to write when the Harvey’s had a new address. The fact that Jill has never once contacted her during the past 25 years is irrelevant, as Stella feels confidant that all will be explained when they meet up, and become bestest friends again. . If she was expecting the islanders to greet her with the Welcome Wagon she’s in for a disappointment; some don’t even know who she is, and all are suspicious of her.
I can’t continue with this; I’ve tried to get into it, I really have, but I don’t like any of the characters, especially Stella. My burning question is this – if she loved the island so much, why hasn’t she ever gone back, if only for a short visit? She only lives in Birmingham, for heaven’s sake – it’s not as if it’s a fortnight’s trek through the Amazon. This alone irritated me so much.
The book lacks pace, but the earlier part about Stella’s childhood was so descriptive I really thought I’d get on with the rest of it. Unfortunately I don’t care enough about Stella, who the body is, or who put it there and why.
My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC download
Are you still with me? Good.
Now Stella has never forgotten that perfect childhood and hankered after returning to the island for many years. However when a body, which has been buried for years, is unearthed, Stella feels compelled to go back, because not only is this a dead body, but it has been found in (or jolly near) to their former back garden. So, off she goes, hoping to catch up with an old bestest school friend, Jill, who promised faithfully to write when the Harvey’s had a new address. The fact that Jill has never once contacted her during the past 25 years is irrelevant, as Stella feels confidant that all will be explained when they meet up, and become bestest friends again. . If she was expecting the islanders to greet her with the Welcome Wagon she’s in for a disappointment; some don’t even know who she is, and all are suspicious of her.
I can’t continue with this; I’ve tried to get into it, I really have, but I don’t like any of the characters, especially Stella. My burning question is this – if she loved the island so much, why hasn’t she ever gone back, if only for a short visit? She only lives in Birmingham, for heaven’s sake – it’s not as if it’s a fortnight’s trek through the Amazon. This alone irritated me so much.
The book lacks pace, but the earlier part about Stella’s childhood was so descriptive I really thought I’d get on with the rest of it. Unfortunately I don’t care enough about Stella, who the body is, or who put it there and why.
My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC download
July 10, 2019
Once I started reading it, I couldn't put Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks down. It's a story packed with mysteries and secrets and lies, all wrapped up in an increasingly tense community. A compelling thriller that I couldn't put down.
Ten Thoughts While Reading Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks
1. This cover is gorgeous, I love the shades and the contrast, the way the red pops. Interesting tag line too We all have something to hide.
2. A MAP! There is a map! I love maps! Cute island. I think I'd like to live on an island, although this one is SMALL.
3. Stella is very smart, isn't she? But I wonder what her motives are and what she's hiding, why she made such a drastic change in her life.
4. Oooh here come the secrets and lies! I am so unsure of who to trust right now, I love an unreliable narrator, and Stella's compartmentalising, and her age at the time, means she is definitely unreliable.
5. OK so maybe this island isn't as nice as I thought? I think I'd still like to visit though, it sounds a wee bit idyllic, despite the body.
6. I did NOT see that coming! Poor Stella, she must be heart broken. But now who is it..? Honestly thought that's who it was.
7. OK so I kind of saw that one coming, especially with the focus the narrative was taking. But still. A wee bit shocked at the reveal.
8. I don't believe this is the truth, I think there are still lots of secrets and lies and things that need to come to light.
9. WELL I certainly had suspicions but I wasn't expecting that! What a twist.
10. Right, what other books has this author written? I need them now!
Ten Thoughts While Reading Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks
1. This cover is gorgeous, I love the shades and the contrast, the way the red pops. Interesting tag line too We all have something to hide.
2. A MAP! There is a map! I love maps! Cute island. I think I'd like to live on an island, although this one is SMALL.
3. Stella is very smart, isn't she? But I wonder what her motives are and what she's hiding, why she made such a drastic change in her life.
4. Oooh here come the secrets and lies! I am so unsure of who to trust right now, I love an unreliable narrator, and Stella's compartmentalising, and her age at the time, means she is definitely unreliable.
5. OK so maybe this island isn't as nice as I thought? I think I'd still like to visit though, it sounds a wee bit idyllic, despite the body.
6. I did NOT see that coming! Poor Stella, she must be heart broken. But now who is it..? Honestly thought that's who it was.
7. OK so I kind of saw that one coming, especially with the focus the narrative was taking. But still. A wee bit shocked at the reveal.
8. I don't believe this is the truth, I think there are still lots of secrets and lies and things that need to come to light.
9. WELL I certainly had suspicions but I wasn't expecting that! What a twist.
10. Right, what other books has this author written? I need them now!
June 14, 2019
Another thumping good read from Heidi Perks who is fast becoming a fave new author.
As with her previous novel, this is multi-layered, slowly revealed mystery and secret after secret is uncovered until all that’s left is the shocking truth.
I’d recommend this for anyone who is about to spend a couple of weeks on a sun lounger and wants to lose themselves in a page turner.
Can’t wait to see what Heidi brings us next!
As with her previous novel, this is multi-layered, slowly revealed mystery and secret after secret is uncovered until all that’s left is the shocking truth.
I’d recommend this for anyone who is about to spend a couple of weeks on a sun lounger and wants to lose themselves in a page turner.
Can’t wait to see what Heidi brings us next!
August 21, 2019
I was very disappointed by this book especially as the premise had been so intriguing. The characters were unbelievable and quite annoying, especially stella who was portrayed throughout as having the naivety and innocence of a child despite being a grown woman in her 30s. The book was littered with cliches and in the end I found myself skipping through to see who the killer and victim were.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2018
I haven't read this one ... but the one I read doesn't seem to be on Goodreads "Now You See Her".
February 12, 2020
I was intrigued by the description of this book and it is a clever storyline, but I found the first half rather slow moving.
The ending is good but I felt the book could have been a hundred pages shorter.
There are a lot of characters and at times I found them difficult to keep in mind along with their relationships.
The ending is good but I felt the book could have been a hundred pages shorter.
There are a lot of characters and at times I found them difficult to keep in mind along with their relationships.
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