Our Way Back

by Kyla Faye

Coming back to my hometown was supposed to bring me peace and save the pitiful excuse called my marriage crumbling at my feet, but a lot can happen in eleven years.

People grow up, find new love, and even lose people they never expected. The one thing I never anticipated though, just walked through my door as the architect assigned to design my company’s new building.

Dean Jameson.

He was the perfect boy next door, my first love, and the one who got away.

Now, he’s nothing more than the husband to my only friend in town, and the man I know I can’t have.

We aren’t who we used to be. We’ve lost, we’ve married other people, and we’ve moved on.

Too bad my heart says otherwise though. His presence alone is only fanning the flames of the destructive fire in me and making me question everything around me.

He and I can’t work–I know that–but the truth is, I never stopped loving him, and perhaps I never will.

Genres: Romance, Second Chance, Friends To Lovers, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Forbidden Love

458 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

Kyla Faye is a twenty-something author of dark, adult erotic, and contemporary romance. When she’s not reading about romance, she’s writing about it, trying to give a voice to the characters that live inside her head. She has a caffeine addiction and always has a candle burning.

You can find her on social media.

Instagram.com/authorkylafaye
Tiktok.com/@authorkylafaye

Reviews

[Vi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I fully went in expecting cheating...this was a LOT. Like yes Camille and Dean have the magic pull to be together as they are each other's One True Love™️ but for heaven's sake let go of your spouse! Felt so dirty that they would consistently and numerously cheat without second thoughts for the spouse at hand. Even when Dean's wife ends up preggo (a plot twist you could see coming from a mile away) he's still actively cheating on her...until he cold turkey dumps Camille. I can't even ~

OH and this ends on a cliffhanger. Argh 😤

[Brielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

No offense to the writer... But a story can be angsty, without having the mindset of the 1700s

[Carla Aultman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good as far as plot goes-but too much on the sex scenes.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 45%, couldn’t stand the heroine for one more second. What a spiteful, deceitful, immature character. Right off the bat she was a massive bitch, judging people she didn’t even know. Yeah Karina turned out to be a bit bitchy herself, but at the start she was innocent and just wanted a friend.

Yuck.

Even the hero gave me the ick, thinking about someone else while fucking your wife? No thanks.

Sad because the writing style was smooth and flowed nicely, the concept was there but the execution was not.

Sorry.

[Whispering Chapters · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars | I loved the story and it had so much potential, but I found the dialogue to be juvenile and like there wasn't ever a difference between how the characters would talk when they were younger to them being adults. Because of this, it was hard for me to enjoy the story as I know I would have otherwise. I even liked the ending the author gave these characters! It was just their dialogue that made it so hard for me.

[Tiyasa Tikadar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬. 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞." — 𝑲𝒚𝒍𝒂 𝑭𝒂𝒚𝒆, 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑾𝒂𝒚 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌 (𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑶𝒇 𝑴𝒆, #1)

★★★★☆

beautiful. heart-wrenching. sensual. tragic.

if someone asks me to describe dean and camille's story, this is how i will describe them. because these words scream "them" and their love story.

cam and d, both of them are one of the most beautifully flawed characters i have ever read about. they're strong, they're broken, they're confused, they're in pain and they're in love with each other, even when they're are tied to someone not them. cam, my baby, you deserve to be flourished with hugs and kisses. my strong lady 🥺 and dean, you're a literal a**hole, but you're someone who's in turmoil. i love you with all my heart. you deserve the entire f**king world.

cam and dean's dynamic was legit out of the world. from their very first meeting when they were kid to their very first kiss to growing up and losing contact with each other, to them being married to someone else while still being in love with each other, everything was perfectly captured in words and structured in the book. and those steamy scenes 🥵✋🏼 kyla never fails to amaze me with her s** scenes 🤤

honestly, a tiny part of me thought that i'd be turned off by their affair but hey, illicit affair is my guilty pleasure trope 😳🤫

overall i thoroughly enjoyed this book. it's raw, emotional, steamy and what not. there were a few pages where i almost teared up. definitely a book that would make you cry like a baby 😭 also the ending >>>> i actually love the ending, which i didn't expect to. it's absolutely perfect for them ❤️‍🩹

while this book is not for everyone, but if you're looking for some emotionally dark and fucked up love story, then i beg you to try this one. it will pull at your heart strings from the very beginning, winky promise :)

thank you kyla for sending me an arc of this book. can't wait to read more from you <3

[Ruthie Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. 0/5 stars to be honest. The writing felt like a toddler’s and the plot is just ridiculous. The author expects us to believe that a senior in high school having a relationship with a preteen is normal because they are neighbors…. Like what? She is a child in middle school!! Also the characters are so outrageous. You mean to tell me that a girl in the suburbs of Seattle gets married to a rock star while she is rich from creating a lingerie brand and her neighbor is a world famous architect… Like this is so far fetched. Also the amount of times a characters gets pregnant and then impregnated again is insane.

[Annica ⚡️ annica_reads_books ⚡️]

Annica, for your future self, you added this to your TBR because it has the cheating trope in it.

[Shia · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of trauma!

There were TONS of moments of trauma, loss and suffering from both MCs. I love the representation of such hard issues especially the issue of depression and how it can fester for years without you knowing.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞. “

Oh wow, I knew the moment I finished the prologue that this book was going to put my heart through a whole lot.

Dean and Camille have been best friend from the moment they met, making promises they were certain they would be able to keep in the future.

Life doesn’t always work how you want it to.

Now it’s years later since they last seen one another, both having lives of their own, with spouses they are married to.. but sometimes that isn’t enough to make you stay away from your first love.

"𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞," 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫.

I wanted to punch Dean, countless times. Yet, he also melted my heart and had me feeling bad for him. I already can’t wait for his story to come out. I need more of him and his life. I need more depth to this thoughts.

Camille, oh that precious girl, who has been through way more than a person should have to go through.

Declan, my heart goes out to that man, his character developement and the way he’s by Camille’s side at the end…🥹🥹
Precious man. Although, at time I have also wanted to punch him.

This story was so beautiful, captivating and raw. Everything topic mentioned in this one is so real, so many people go through and struggle with these issues on the daily.
They were captured so well, it will really reel you into the story like no other.
It’s been awhile since i’ve read a story like this one.

Kyla, this was absolutely wonderful. Thank you soso much for the ARC.
(Even though I regret starting this one at work..🥲)


What to expect;
🥀 Tragedy
🥀 Boy next door
🥀 Marriage in trouble
🥀 A forbidden affair
🥀 Steamy and emotional rollercoaster

TW; miscarriages, cheating, infertility.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me crying in the first two chapters. Being a mother (especially a mother of a four year old) I felt so many emotions. I loved the pull between Camille and Dean. I was ready to give this book 5 stars until the end. I feel like it ended too abruptly. We needed an epilogue or two, showing their true happily ever after. Ugh I still love it though. And I can't wait to read Declan's story. ALSO, what happened to Dallas! I was really confident his and Spencer's book would be next.

[Evelyz aka Evy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reviews were so mixed on this read but this is why experiencing the literature piece for yourself is important. I know the idea of reading about an affair is daunting; however, don’t write this book off due to this concept. The story is so much more and it is layered with complex characters with each of their stories tugging at you, leaving you wanting more. I can’t wait for part 2!

[Wolf (Alpha) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I loved how they reconnect so suddenly. I hate that both of them have awful relationships with their significant others. I feel bad for her and everything she’s gone though with losing a child and her husband. I hate Deans wife and how obsessed she is with having everything perfect. She ends up being a real b*tch when she finds out Dean has been seeing his childhood love. I love how they end up together after so long. It’s pretty cool that he ends up designing her building for her business just like he promised he would when they were children. Absolutely amazing and would definitely read again.

[Laura Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided for the author in exchange for an honest review

Before I start I have to say that I don't usually read books about chaeting, but when it came to a story by Kyla Faye the decision was really easy, especially after how amazing it was her debut with Dollhouse:, and as expected Our Way Back was a real emotional roller coaster, Kyla touched on many important topics, and while it's true that you have to keep an open mind to enjoy the story, it's also true that the author says many things with this book that need to be told, so despite how much it made me suffer, I think it is a story that is so worth it, and I'll recommend whenever I can.

Camille & Dean have a totally disastrous history, but not because they are not good for each other, on the contrary, from the first time they see each other, when they are both children, they have a very nice chemistry, and when they meet again 11 years later everything is still there: the unconditional love they have for each other, the constant support they have always given each other and the desire to help the other fulfill their dreams, but if something their relationship has is the bad timing to let themselves be carried away by what they feel, so the level of anguish in their love story was higher.

But not only because they are both married, but also because they have experienced recent tragedies that have left them a little, or very, destroyed and have irreparably damaged their marriages, and precisely for that reason I couldn't be objective with this book: from the beginning to the end I felt the need to side with Camille, to protect her and not let her go so that she would not continue to suffer, because although Dean & Declan, her husband, they also have a hard time, I think she's the one who is most lost, and every time Dean fails her, says something hurtful to her or recriminates their past, my heart broke with her, and I think that's why I couldn't fully love Dean, who is not a bad person, but he finds himself in a difficult personal situation, which becomes even more complicated when Camille reappears in his life and everything he felt returns with more force.

Fortunately, it wasn't all suffering since Kyla told the story of these two, letting us see how it all started between them, how beautiful their friendship was, how important they were to each other, how they planned their future together and how much they both wanted to help each other to fulfill their dreams, and although I already knew how everything was going to end, it was inevitable fell in love with their story. And I think that was one of the things that I loved the most about this book: that the author alternated past and present in Camille & Dean's lives to make everything much more understandable, entertaining and to make it impossible for me to leave the book until finished.

And even though I can't believe I'm saying this myself, I absolutely LOVED the ending!! I think as Kyla mentions it, it was the right thing for both characters, especially for Camiile, and although I do hope to see more of them later, I liked that their story was totally different from what I expected from start to finish.

🌹Camille: 5/5
🌹Dean: 3.5/5
🌹Plot: 5/5
🌹Love story: 5/5
🌹Cover: 5/5
🌶️: 3/5

🇪🇸
ARC amablemente proporcionada por la autora a cambio de una reseña honesta

Antes de empezar tengo que decir que yo no suelo leer libros sobre infidelidad, pero tratándose de una historia de Kyla Faye la decisión fue realmente fácil, sobre todo después de lo maravilloso que fue su debut con Dollhouse:, y tal como esperaba Our Way Back fue una verdadera montaña rusa emocional, Kyla trató muchos temas importantes, y aunque es cierto que hay que mantener una mente abierta para disfrutar de la historia, también es cierto que la autora dice muchas cosas con este libro que es necesario contar, así que a pesar de lo mucho que me hizo sufrir creo que es un libro que vale mucho la pena y que voy a recomendar siempre que pueda.

Camille & Dean tienen una historia totalmente desastrosa, pero no porque no sean buenos el uno para el otro, al contrario, desde la primera vez que se ven, cuando ambos son unos niños, tienen una química muy linda, y cuando se reencuentran 11 años después todo sigue estando ahí: el amor incondicional que tienen por el otro, el apoyo constante que siempre se han dado y las ganas de ayudarse a cumplir sus sueños, pero si algo tiene su relación es que SIEMPRE están en un muy mal momento para dejarse llevar por lo que siente, por lo que el nivel de angustia en su historia de amor fue superior.

Pero no solo porque ambos están casados, si no que también han vivido tragedias recientes que los han dejado un poco, o muy, destruidos y que han dañado sus matrimonios irreparablemente, y justamente por esa razón yo no pude ser objetiva con esta historia: desde el principio hasta el final sentí la necesidad de ponerme del lado de Camille, de protegerla y no soltarla para que no siguiera sufriendo, porque aunque Dean & Declan, su esposo, también la pasan mal, creo que es ella quien más perdida está, y cada vez que Dean le falla, le dice algo hiriente o le recrimina su pasado mi corazón se rompió con ella, y creo que por eso no pude amar del todo a Dean, quien no es una mala persona, pero se encuentra en una situación personal difícil, que se complica todavía más cuando Camille reaparece en su vida y todo lo que sentía cuando eran pequeños regresa con más fuerza.

Afortunadamente no todo fue sufrimiento ya que Kyla contó la historia de estos dos dejándonos ver cómo empezó todo entre ambos, la linda que era su amistad, lo importantes que eran el uno para el otro, como planeaban su futuro juntos y lo mucho que ambos deseaban ayudarse a cumplir sus sueños, y aunque ya sabía como iba a terminar todo, fue inevitable enamorarme de su historia. Y creo que esa fue una de las cosas que más amé de este libro: que la autora alternara pasado y presente en las vidas de Camille & Dean para hacer todo mucho más comprensible, entretenido y para hacerme imposible dejar el libro hasta terminarlo.

Y aunque ni yo mismo puedo creer que esté diciendo esto, AMÉ por completo el final!! Creo que tal y como Kyla lo menciona, fue lo correcto para ambos personajes, especialmente para Camiile, y aunque si espero seguir viendo más de ellos más adelante, me gustó que su historia fuera totalmente diferente a lo que esperaba de principio a fin.

🌹Camille: 5/5
🌹Dean: 3.5/5
🌹Trama: 5/5
🌹Historia de amor: 5/5
🌹Portada: 5/5
🌶️: 3/5

[Deborah G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Camille & Dean were childhood best friends, next door neighbours, fell in love & devised a plan to reunite after he completed university in the U.K. Well, life rarely goes as planned.

The story was written with each chapter reverting from past to present. I don't mind this but young Camille was, in my opinion, a selfish, childish & demanding brat. Dean, three years older & mostly the calm one, would constantly be the one trying to appease her. Can't lie, it was draining. Also, there was so much repetition, things being rehashed from one chapter to another.

Years later, when Dean moves back home, their attraction & electric pull is still as strong as ever. However, major caveats prevent them from jumping right back in to where they left things.

First, please heed trigger warnings as there are many. The first few chapters had me sobbing, such tragedies always cut me deeply. The remainder of the book had me shaking my head with confusion, frustration & my hands were aching to give someone a good smack. Loving someone doesn't guarantee that the relationship will not be toxic. And there were a few toxic relationships here.

Secrets, lies, avoidance are in abundance here & are major pet peeves for me. Both MC's needed to grow a backbone & tell the truth already! Some chapters toward the end have so much sex, there's very little dialogue, so if you enjoy that...bonus!

Even though a few characters gnawed on my nerves, I did enjoy the story. Be prepared, you won't get the ending you might be expecting.

[Brittany selken · Rating 4 out of 5]

So before I started reading this book I’m going to guess what this book is about by the way I never do this so here it goes. Just base off the cover I’m going to say this is going to be a love story and somebody is coming back into someone life just don’t know how yet. So, let the reading begin. So, Camille lost her little boy in a bad car accident that is so sad my heart is breaking as I’m reading this story. She meet a girl named Karina at a support group so I don’t know much about her yet only that she move from London with her hubby and she having miscarriage my heart is going to break during this book I can already tell. So, there a guy name Dean and he use to be best friends or a little more with Camille this just got interesting. So, Declan is Camille hubby but is getting out from somewhere I don’t know where he been but I guess I’m about to find out. The childhood story of Dean and Camilla had me laughing so hard. Finish the book I’m glad they got out their marriage after everything that had happened. I’m glad she took time to get help and took a step back from dating and just clear her head. I’m glad that almost everybody can still remain friends.

[Aiste · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is horrible.

Everytime Dean though or said “like a good girl she is” I wanted to vomit.
This book is demeaning to woman, Camille has no respect for herself and the whole relationship between her, and anyone really is just Toxic.
And don’t get me started on endless sex scienes, she was unhappy in her marriage because all they had with Declan was sex, but she calls him her bestfriend? Okay. And then what more do they have with the toxic, no-balls Dean?

I cannot believe the whole: he treats you like shit, but sure I love him, he knows me, he loves me. That’s how the toxic relationships form jn the real world, when the girls with weaker mentality reads those kind of books and thinks that this is normal and this is love. Again, this is bullshit.

Wow, this book had some potential at the begging, but ended up to be such trash with no purpose.

[MiSsE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed Is an Understatement

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this story, it started off so good and then towards the end it just tanked. It was all over the place. Then the weird bathroom smex scene after not seeing each other for 6 plus months, nor talking, like what? Made zero sense.

Then after all they’ve been through the author decides to NOT give them a HEA but rushes the ending and gives them a HFN type of ending? Such a disappointing and rushed ending. There should be something that states the FMC and MMC don’t get their HEA. Felt like I wasted my time reading this book because of that. There was no end game for the main characters, no epilogue, no nothing.

[Jessica Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, the trauma and strength of the characters makes the book more interesting. My only disconnect with the book was the cheating but it won't stop me from finishing the series.

[Nicole (all_bookedup) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You jump, I jump. We're in this together."

5 Stars
3.5 Chili peppers

Tropes:

Friends to Lovers
Boy Next Door
Troubled Marriage
Forbidden Affair
Soulmates

Dual POV
Past and present storylines

Please check trigger warnings.

This is the first book of Kyla's that I have read, but it definitely will not be my last. This book exceeded my expectations. I will admit, that I do not like the cheating trope. I avoid books where that is a focus, but something pulled me to this book and I am so glad that it did. Also, can we take a minute to appreciate how amazing the cover is?!!

The prologue broke my heart. I did not expect that at all. From there the book gets even better. Dean and his family move next door to Camille and her family when he is 11 and Cam is 8. Cam is so sassy. I loved it. I laughed so many times at the things that she said.

"The loser boy better watch the heck out because he's going to get a knuckle sandwich when he least expects it."

Throughout the years, Dean and Cam become inseparable, until Dean goes away to college. He makes her promise to live her life, and that is what she does. 11 years later after a tragedy, she moves back to Seattle. That is when she sees Dean again.

"No matter how often you fantasize about your future or how many times you plan. life always has its own plans for you, and things don't always turn out as expected."

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I cried, I got angry. The love between these two characters can be felt off the page. That's how strong it is. The banter was amazing. And the spicy! The spice was so damn good. I mean Chapter 25!!! I definitely blushed reading that!!! Also, I will never look at watermelon pop rocks the same way again!

"His kiss is heaven and hell wrapped into one. It's both magic and sin."

I can honestly say that I did not want this book to end. I felt so connected to both Dean and Cam. Even though there were times when I wanted to smack Dean and tell him to wake up and see what was right in front of him. Even the side characters, I loved. Except for one or two. Yes, Sadie, I am looking at you. The growth that I witnessed among these characters was amazing.

I do have a couple of questions that I wanted answers to and we didn't get. One of those is, what truly happened between Spencer and Dallas? I hope that we get to find out in a future book.

Thank you Kyla for this ARC and for letting me experience this amazing book. I will forever be grateful.

[Anushka Samadder · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️


And boy, what a trainwreck that was...

Firstly, I have to give it to Camille for being such a strong ass woman. While she wasn't a saint or the most perfect character out there, I loved her to bits because of how realistic she was and not to mention the way the author was able to portray her raw emotions so brilliantly.

As for Dean motherfucker Jones, I'm sorry to the Dean-Whatever-His-Last-Name-Was fans out there, but I hated this guy. The only part where I agreed with him in the entire book was where he says that Camille deserves better because she does. Period.

I tried loving Dean, and I really did. But I just couldn't :') While Declan had his shit and his truck-load of flaws, I was able to love him, but Dean? Dude, wtf


🤡 Bro didn't stand up for Cam when Sadie hit her

🤡 Bro watched Karina tearing Cam and her dead son. Did nothing effective to shut that b*tch's mouth

🤡 Bro ghosted Camille instead of being a man to tell her about Karina's pregnancy, etc

The list just fucking goes on 💀. The only thing I'll praise Dean for is keeping up with that batsh*t crazy wife of his for as long as he did. Salute, man. But even then, Camille deserved BETTER

But apart from all these, I loved Spencer and Camille's relationship. I loved their sisterly bond and how she supported him throughout. While my HEA lover heart wanted the book to end with Camille and Dean being together, I'm content with how it ended nonetheless and for Camille choosing herself.
And lastly, a huge thanks and a bouquet full of praises to the author. There are very few number of books that had my pulse raised to a thousand per second, and this book was certainly one of them. It's astoundingly shocking to me the way I was at the edge of my seat at every turn in the book.
God bless Kyla's writing talent, cuz girl, you rocked me to the next Sunday.

[Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬. 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.

Camille & Dean have been best friends from the moment they met. Camille a sassy eight year old and Dean finding himself at eleven. Inseparable until they had to separate when life happens. But when your meant to be you find your way back right? They planned it all. College, reconnecting.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧.

Down the line their paths change course. So much happens and it’s so.. I don’t think I even have a word to describe. This whole story made me FEEL from the get go. I connected to Camille so much. Everything she went through, how she reacted, how she didn’t react. I loved her.

𝐈 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.
𝐈 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.
𝐈 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

Dean, I don’t even know where to start. It’s a story I will never be able to explain & you have to read and feel it yourself to know. There are so many time he melted me. Yet there were also times I wanted to punch him and shake some sense into him.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐠𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝.

This story is just heartbreaking, beautiful, raw and captivating. I can’t even explain the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on. So many topics and areas that are so real and true for people that it makes you relate and feel that vulnerability.

𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭.

My biggest shoutout is to Declan. Honestly I can’t express how my heart felt with him. But I will let you find all that out and fall in love with him yourself 🖤

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.

Kyla 👏🏼 as always. Truly beautiful. A story that couldn’t of been written differently.

. 🥀

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★.25

[Jessica's Book Review · Rating 2 out of 5]

Our Way Back (Part of Me #1) by Kyla Faye started off really strong but fell flat..

This is a good example of where sometimes author try too hard when they didn’t need to.

Our Way Back started off with a bang and I was fully invested. We meet Dean & Camille. They met as young children, growing up next door to one another and were each other’s first loves, first lovers. Their relationship was so sweet and special. I loved the flashback chapters of their friendship turned sweet romance. They promised their forevers but we knew heartache was coming because from the beginning you know Camille is married to someone else and so is Dean.

Camille has suffered the ultimate loss. She lost her 4 year old son in an accident and is grieving and struggling. She loves her husband but isn’t in love with her husband. She returns to where she grew up and runs into Dean. He is also married but unhappy. They both still love each other.

Okay. So the story was strong and I couldn’t wait for these two to have this hot steamy affair. They loved each other and never got the closure they needed. I felt Camille’s pain and I was mourning with her…. But it was quickly ruined. The writing style changed and out went this emotional story to sex. It was all sex and not even written well. I felt the last 50% of the book was written for shock value because the writing changed dramatically. I was skimming the pages just to see how it ended.

I was not at all shocked at the twist. I ended up not liking any of the characters at the end. I wish the writer would have kept the emotional storyline going and make the sex more sweet/loving instead of shocking and not very loving…. Ugh. What a disappointment.


I give Our Way Back (Part of Me #1) by Kyla Faye 2 stars.

[Destiny’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️ 3.75🌶

TW: Child death, Substance abuse, Affairs

“Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it’s not enough, and you’re not meant to be. No matter how badly you want to be together, it’s not possible.”

Let me just say, this book absolutely missed me off and I'd love to say I still enjoyed it and it gave me joy to finish it, but it didn't. For a while, I was stuck on finishing it because 53% through their story I just could not get past it. I'm not even sure if it's because of the relationship, (yes it is, that's the main issue I had) or if it was just the characters together or what it was.

I had such an issue with Dean for starters, I understand the concept of childhood friends to lovers, but the age gap of being 15 and 19 did not seal the case very cutesy for me, and then getting mad over a certain circumstance towards the end of the story, you've gotta be joking.

This whole book was the ugly sides of love and while yes I know, love can have an ugly rearing head, the main issue I had was instead of talking through or you know, actually communicating, they resulted to sex for everything. Yes I love a good romance as much as the other but there can't be any growth if all that's going on is the tent in his pants and the amount of over the top noises from her.

Maybe I'm hating on it too much, after so much she went through Maybe she deserved to live that life but I just I don't enjoy the trope as much and it just seemed too everywhere for me. No hate to the next person on this book, but lord. Not not not for me.

[1derfulreviews]

Won't be giving a star rating since I dropped it at 10%, but this for me if I somehow get bamboozled by tiktok again to read this book because the snippet gives me the angst i love.

Going in, I knew there would be cheating, but God lord, I didn't even get to the cheating part yet, and I couldn't stand the h. While getting a glimpse of how Camille ends up back home was heartbreaking because no parent should go through that, I just couldn't get a good glimpse of who she is besides coming off as a selfish person. How do you meet your ex's wife at a group meeting for people who have lost children -and then i understand she felt weird about Karina since she was a bit pushing(nosy for someone you just met) and trying to hard to make friends -then fully dislike the woman and call her obnoxious because you then find out she's married to your ex. The inner dialog from the h came off as the ow. The author wrote her main character like the ow who just couldn't let go of the past and like she had a claim over the H because they had deep history. I read some reviews and saw that Karina wasn't necessarily a saint however I'm just utterly put off by the fact that these two characters did not give a fuck about their significant other who also lost a child and decided to have an affair. if your wife was crazy divorce her and then fuck your ex girl not to mention that ppl said this doesn't have a hea but a hfn which honestly I think is a good idea because I couldn't stand anyone one of these characters.

[Marissa Baney · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off where do I even start.. I feel like I am not okay and that this book has truly change me and will stick with me for awhile.

It definitely took my on an emotional rollercoaster and there were quite a few twists that I really didn’t see coming at all. Some we’re more shocking then others. Some truly broke my heart and I almost didn’t want to read on but I had to know what was going to happen next.

Dean and Camille grew up as childhood best friends they are a few years apart in age. The lived next door to each other and their parents went to college together.

Dean goes off to college to peruse his dream of being an architect. He tells Camille to wait for him but to have her own life experiences.

The steamy moments between Camille and Dean are whooo boy very very steamy 🥵.. They both know each other’s bodies very well 😜! Ohh boy do I like Dean’s dirty mouth 👅.

Please be warned that if someone having an affair who is married triggers you then you shouldn’t read this book.

I applaud the author for how the book ended though of course I was a little shocked at first but I can’t understand why it ended that way.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐ Okay, I read this book bc it showed up on my Instagram FYP, of course I didn't know what I was expecting but I bawled during the end lol. Camille was unbearable during the first chapters, but as it went on I can't really blame her for acting the way she did (loss of her son, failed marriage, drug-addict husband). Dean and Camille wanted to pick up from where they left off 11 years ago, but it meant hurting innocent people in the process (Declan and Karina). However, I appreciate how Kyla Faye had Declan and Camille terminate their marriage in a healthy way. They recognized they weren't good for each other but remained friends. As for Dean and Karina, I'd say their marriage was always unhealthy. I don't defend Dean for having an affair with Camille, but I understand his reasons for doing so. He wanted the emotions, feelings, and excitement of a happy relationship which was something he only felt with Camille. Towards the end, I disliked Dean's approach of being a coward and cutting all ties with Camille without any explanation. But in conclusion, I like how Kyla Faye wrote this in a way that made it real bc these are things that happen irl to anyone.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book! The only reason I’m giving it a 4 is because I wasn’t happy with the ending even though I do understand it, it felt rushed. Im not going to lie, this book was REALLY tough for me to get through, not because of anything bad but because it was so emotionally devastating. I can’t tell you how many times I cried or how many times I had to set the book down to compose myself but I loved it. It was raw passion and emotions, real life type story not just a HEA and call it a day. Both Dean and Cam had A LOT of unresolved problems and they were 10000% toxic and it was amazing to see how their mental health was placed as the main priority at the end and all the issues weren’t swept under a rug just because they love each other. This book depicts true life struggles and situations between the characters in such a heart wrenching beautiful way. Im happy I was able to finish the story and I cannot wait to read about Declan, he was honestly the sweetest character and my heart broke for him as much as it did for Dean and Cam.

[•Cici• Theory of A Dreamer Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - 4.25 Stars!!

Having read Ms.Faye's debut last year, i couldn't wait to pick up more of her work! From the moment i stumbled across a post for this book, i knew i had to read it! I picked it up and got right into the Part Of Me world! I so enjoyed this read!

Going into this book, i didn't know what all to expect and that got me into it even more so! I was pulled in by this story and it's characters.

I loved the realness that poured off of the pages. It wasn't easy. I wasn't sure how things would be tackled and that had me turning the pages even more. I went through such a range of emotions from start to finish!

With Our Way Back, Ms.Faye has created a great read that had me feeling so dang much! Her writing has a way of staying on my mind. I can't wait for more from her!

This story touches on certain subjects, Be sure to read the author's note. ❤


*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from the author*

[AK · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the worst thing about this book would be the 'on-page affair' as the author warned us, but goodness, it was the characters. Neither Camille nor Dean stuck to decisions that they made. It was a torture to sit through their oscillating personalities. They were constantly ghosting each other because 'cheating' is wrong and then proceed to emotionally cheat on their partners and have sex when they saw each other next. It was wrong for them to get together as teenagers with the age disparity. It was stupid to listen to Dean say that he came back for Camille six years later. I'm sorry, but if she is the love of your life, and you want to have your college experiences, I'm sure you can afford to talk to each other once in a while. Dean had random epiphanies to be there for his wife and then the next chapter, he would say that that was a mistake and Camille was the only one for him. I have a longer list of complaints but I just don't want to get into it.