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kagedbooks's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
You Always Come Back by Emily Smith
First this is honestly a solid title for a thriller it works on multiple levels.
July Weaver hasn’t been home in the nine years since she helped to testify against her father for the murder of her sister (and others), but when her brother faces some serious mental health issues she sees it as her responsibility to come back home and help him.
During her time away she changed her name and experiences a mild level of success in the music industry.
She expected balancing being back in this place of tragedy, being there for her brother, and trying to keep her lives separate to be hard. What she didn’t expect was uncovering new evidence that makes her question all that happened those years ago, and if maybe her father is an innocent man.
Is the killer still out there?
This debut novel doesn’t do anything overly inspiring in the thriller field but I did enjoy it along the way.
It explores themes of: Family Loyalty, Trauma, and the Unreliability of Memory.
The story is told in two timelines which is an approach which I really enjoy. When done right like in this story it helps characters feel more three dimensional and gives some insight to their current disposition.
I’d put the pacing somewhere between medium and fast but it was a really natural flow for the story.
For me the weakness point is a common one among thrillers in that a lot could be resolved with some communication between characters.
But don’t let that stop you from giving this one a shot.
Andi Arndt provides a well done narration for this novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book early; I received this ALC in exchange for review, however this does not affect the outcome of my review in any way.
karlyo83's review
3.0
My Rating: 3.5 rounded down to 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ - this is a worthy three stars definitely worth the read, gets the job done and entertaining!!!
The Weaver’s are a strange family all the children named after month’s of the year, a schizophrenic mother who rarely takes her medication, a father with pie in the sky ideas and a weird habit of disappearing, and a brood of children who are just trying to survive, take care of each other and themselves.
Nine years earlier, July Weaver’s 8 year old sister May, was taken from her bed and became known as the first victim of the Pacific Lake Killer. When other girls begin to disappear and are found dead in the small town in Georgia, everyone begins to look at each other with more suspicion none come under more scrutiny than the Weaver’s.
July’s testimony was the key factor in locking her father up as a serial killer and after sentencing she flees to build a new life with a new name as a country music songwriter in Nashville, taking just one of her siblings with her after striking a deal with her oldest brother August.
When her family are in trouble July reluctantly comes ‘home’ to a place she never wanted to return to, with traumatic memories - but things are never as they seem and July is left questioning everything she thought she knew about that time almost a decade before… does she really know what happened back then??
This kind of story is right up my alley, it has small town vibes, it has a really messed up family (so messed up) and it has a serial killer so really I am sold immediately. I would like to start off by saying that while this is not a 5 star review this book was solid. I really enjoyed it, however it was just not 5 star calibre. I do think the author has it in her though…and I would absolutely read another book by her so I look forward to more of her work… I think she nails the creepy family vibe.
For me where this worked was the writing, it is a little flowery but it isn’t so much so you know the exact colour palette of a butterfly… but she uses words to paint a really nice picture which is just what you need. The lake is basically a character all on its own… it is ominous and a sense of both joy and dread which I really liked.
The story is told from July’s POV but in the Then and Now… which I always really like especially when we are only getting one POV the timeline switch is a sure fire way to get me to read just one more chapter so I can go back or forward depending on the cliff you left me hanging off. The author did a great job of building suspense and I was teetering on the edge quite a few times.
I think the characters were well written and thought out and the dynamics of the family depicted the pariah status of them in town, the ups and downs in the household and also how they so viciously banded together when they needed to… and didn’t.
I can see you thinking… hmmm Karly why the 3.5 that all sounds great… well it was great and while I did guess the ending - I wasn’t sure how it was going to be executed but that wasn’t why I rated it down.
I wanted MORE. More creepy vibes, more ominous small town grimy feels and I think while most of the characters were well developed there was some missing information about the father (I mean he was the serial killer right??) and also some of the actions of the characters are a bit WTF when you get to the twist it felt a bit rushed.
Another down side for me was that this was quite repetitive I understand why the author kept rehashing things but it did go into a bit of - ok I’ve read that enough now - territory but it didn’t ruin it.
I read another review that said this is quite dark… I disagree - well to a point it is dark… but (if you see the books I read) for me it wasn’t Dark Thriller. I do believe it belongs in the thriller / domestic suspense genre though.
Overall: would I recommend - definitely this one will suit people of all tastes. If you are a hardcore thriller fan who loves gore… it might be a mid range rating for you but still enjoyable and if you are a light touch thriller fan this one might be a 5 star. So yeah I reckon get into it… give it a go and I hope you like it.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and Emily Smith for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.
The Weaver’s are a strange family all the children named after month’s of the year, a schizophrenic mother who rarely takes her medication, a father with pie in the sky ideas and a weird habit of disappearing, and a brood of children who are just trying to survive, take care of each other and themselves.
Nine years earlier, July Weaver’s 8 year old sister May, was taken from her bed and became known as the first victim of the Pacific Lake Killer. When other girls begin to disappear and are found dead in the small town in Georgia, everyone begins to look at each other with more suspicion none come under more scrutiny than the Weaver’s.
July’s testimony was the key factor in locking her father up as a serial killer and after sentencing she flees to build a new life with a new name as a country music songwriter in Nashville, taking just one of her siblings with her after striking a deal with her oldest brother August.
When her family are in trouble July reluctantly comes ‘home’ to a place she never wanted to return to, with traumatic memories - but things are never as they seem and July is left questioning everything she thought she knew about that time almost a decade before… does she really know what happened back then??
This kind of story is right up my alley, it has small town vibes, it has a really messed up family (so messed up) and it has a serial killer so really I am sold immediately. I would like to start off by saying that while this is not a 5 star review this book was solid. I really enjoyed it, however it was just not 5 star calibre. I do think the author has it in her though…and I would absolutely read another book by her so I look forward to more of her work… I think she nails the creepy family vibe.
For me where this worked was the writing, it is a little flowery but it isn’t so much so you know the exact colour palette of a butterfly… but she uses words to paint a really nice picture which is just what you need. The lake is basically a character all on its own… it is ominous and a sense of both joy and dread which I really liked.
The story is told from July’s POV but in the Then and Now… which I always really like especially when we are only getting one POV the timeline switch is a sure fire way to get me to read just one more chapter so I can go back or forward depending on the cliff you left me hanging off. The author did a great job of building suspense and I was teetering on the edge quite a few times.
I think the characters were well written and thought out and the dynamics of the family depicted the pariah status of them in town, the ups and downs in the household and also how they so viciously banded together when they needed to… and didn’t.
I can see you thinking… hmmm Karly why the 3.5 that all sounds great… well it was great and while I did guess the ending - I wasn’t sure how it was going to be executed but that wasn’t why I rated it down.
I wanted MORE. More creepy vibes, more ominous small town grimy feels and I think while most of the characters were well developed there was some missing information about the father (I mean he was the serial killer right??) and also some of the actions of the characters are a bit WTF when you get to the twist it felt a bit rushed.
Another down side for me was that this was quite repetitive I understand why the author kept rehashing things but it did go into a bit of - ok I’ve read that enough now - territory but it didn’t ruin it.
I read another review that said this is quite dark… I disagree - well to a point it is dark… but (if you see the books I read) for me it wasn’t Dark Thriller. I do believe it belongs in the thriller / domestic suspense genre though.
Overall: would I recommend - definitely this one will suit people of all tastes. If you are a hardcore thriller fan who loves gore… it might be a mid range rating for you but still enjoyable and if you are a light touch thriller fan this one might be a 5 star. So yeah I reckon get into it… give it a go and I hope you like it.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and Emily Smith for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.
phoenixlovesbooks's review against another edition
Might come back to this, but the audio book is a little boring for me right now
ordinarypickle's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kmontcrieff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I finished this book in less than 24 hours. Although I guessed the big twist, I still really enjoyed this book. If this is the author's debut, I'm excited to read their future work!
honestlyyours77's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Overall I enjoyed the book but I did keep putting it down to read others. It was easy to figure out the ending pretty early on as well as the other “secrets” that were dangled throughout the prose.
I will say that one part was straight out of New Moon. I won’t say more as not to give spoilers.
I will say that one part was straight out of New Moon. I won’t say more as not to give spoilers.
chelseabree's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
marisazane's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
When 8-year-old May Weaver goes missing, her whole family spirals. Mom Kathy sinks deeper into mental illness; dad Harry is absent, following leads in hopes of finding a connected case; and the middle Weaver teens are acting out. Oldest brother Auggie is trying to hold the family together. Then two more girls go missing, 18-year-old July Weaver is attacked, and Harry is quickly convicted of three murders. July splits, hoping to never return to her small Georgia hometown. It’s been almost 10 years, and she gets a call from Auggie that brother Mark is in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Auggie convinces July to come back and stay the summer. Being back under the same roof as her siblings and mother is the disaster she expected. The summer goes on, and July uncovers evidence that her dad is innocent, and the actual killer is hiding in plain sight.
—
I had a hard time getting into the story because character in this book was an absolute wreck and that was their only dimension. No one had any self awareness or ever thought about any of their actions. This book had good pacing, but it was not a hit for me because I was rolling my eyes at every character all the time.
⭐️⭐️
—
I had a hard time getting into the story because character in this book was an absolute wreck and that was their only dimension. No one had any self awareness or ever thought about any of their actions. This book had good pacing, but it was not a hit for me because I was rolling my eyes at every character all the time.
⭐️⭐️
jordieq's review
4.0
This book was full of twists and turns. After a family tragedy the family drifts apart. A series of events has brought them back together. I would recommend this book.
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I liked this one, though I don't think it will particularly stick with me. The answer was fairly predictable, but the ride was exciting and the atmosphere was on point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Mental illness