Thursday, August 28, 2014

Review: Come Back to Me by Mila Gray

Title: Come Back to Me
Author: Mila Grey (aka Sarah Alderson)
Published: June 19th 2014 Pan Macmillan
Read: July 20th to 22nd, 2014
Add It: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository

Home on leave in sunny California, Marine and local lothario Kit Ryan finds himself dangerously drawn to his best friend's sister, Jessa - the one girl he can't have.

But Kit's not about to let a few obstacles stand in his way and soon Jessa's falling for his irresistible charms.
What starts out as a summer romance of secret hook-ups and magical first times quickly develops into a passionate love affair that turns both their worlds upside down.

When summer's over and it's time for Kit to redeploy, neither Kit nor Jessa are ready to say goodbye. Jessa's finally following her dreams and Kit's discovered there's someone he'd sacrifice everything for.

Jessa's prepared to wait for Kit no matter what. But when something more than distance and time rips them apart they're forced to decide whether what they have is really worth fighting for.

A breathtaking, scorchingly hot story about love, friendship, family and finding your way back from the edge of heartbreak.

So you should all know by now that my lovely Jazzy is obsessed with all things Sarah Alderson. I’ve been meaning to read something by her for the longest time since Jasprit can’t shut up about the magic that is Sarah Alderson. And for a good reason too, let me tell you! When Sarah published Come Back to Me under her pseudonym Mila Gray, all of my friends’ blogs blew up with praise and that was honestly where I lost my patience (in a good way). Reading it almost right after Thrive (which I knew would create the biggest bookish hangover) was a risky move, but I just knew that Come Back to Me was something I couldn’t simply ignore.

"When you get a chance for happiness, you have to seize it before it's snatched away."

Come Back to Me opens with a brutal scene and we know immediately that something bad has happened. It’s all painted out for us, but we don’t know the final detail yet. But you can guess! I guessed right (it’s not hard to). However, knowing what the first half of the novel is going to lead to? It’s not easy to force yourself to continue. I DARE YOU TO try though! Why? Well, it’s one of the most adorable, enjoyable romances ever and makes you feel all the feels. I had a constant smile painted on my face, butterflies taking flight in the pit of my stomach and I really didn’t want this story to end.

Jessa is a wonderful young girl whose growth is inspiring. She starts out as a shy, delicate girl and develops into a gorgeous young woman who knows her worth, isn’t afraid to speak her mind or reach for her dreams. Kit is there to help her reach that point and honestly? It felt so horrible to see it all being ripped away with mere words that Jessa hears one day. Don’t worry though! By the end of the novel, she’s still very much the girl we fell in love with and couldn't help but root for. And where do I even begin to describe the amazingness that is Kit? I can’t ever do justice to what I feel for him; to what he portrays in this story. I knew immediately that I was going to fall for these characters and I fell hard, you guys! Their struggles, passion and positive emotions—they all make you feel the feels. I can promise you that.

I loved this novel as you can probably already tell, but it wasn’t without flaws for me. First of all, the reveal about the reasons behind the feud between Kit and Jessa’s dads? It was timed well inside the story, but to me..? I had already figured it out beforehand, so drawing the reveal out didn’t really suit me. But I was still happy to be right! Also, while I loved loved loved the adorable romance between Jessa and Kit, I wanted the first chapter and its aftermath to arrive a tad sooner. It doesn’t arrive until 70% of the book is through and it felt as though the final third of the book was a little underdeveloped thanks to it. I still very much enjoyed how the aftermath was dealt with; just wish it had been explored a little more in depth.

To conclude this overload of “I loved *insert X*” sentences, I truly did adore this novel. So much that it’s a repeat of Five Ways to Fall and I’m going to get myself a paperback so I can re-read it all over again (though may skip all the teary parts for the sake of my sanity) and mark my favorite passages; cuddle and pet this pretty. If you’re a fan of NA, character-growth, amazing romance or just enjoy an inspirational and well-written book, well.. This is me telling you that you should pick Come Back to Me up right now and devour it asap!

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Stars: ★★★★

Meet the author

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21 comments:

  1. I think it's a testament to this book's goodness that even though you figured everything out before the reveal, you still enjoyed it immensely. And Siiri, what is up with you and NA?! You know I'm not much of an NA person but every time I come here there's another good NA book dangling right on my face, begging to be read. Someday, I'm going to be an NA addict and you're the only one to blame. Lovely review as always, birthday girl! *winks*

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  2. I'm so glad you loved this book too, Siiri. I know everyone else who has read it has loved it, so I seriously need to put on my big girl panties on, get some tissues and a huge can of nutella and just read the book because I'm obviously missing out on a lot of feels here. I'm 100% sure I already know what's going to happen too, but I still want to read it, especially to experience the romance.
    Lovely review, Siiri! :)

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  3. I WAN TO FEEL ALL THE FEELS SIIRI!!! I love Sarah Alderson something fierce as Jasprit does, so I can't believe I haven't picked this one up yet! *slaps own wrist* I really can't wait to meet Kit, he's clearly book boyfriend material:) I'm a little bummed it takes all the way to the 70% mark for things to really develop between them, but given you still gave this one such a high rating, that didn't detract from your enjoyment too much. MUST READ!

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  4. Oh Sirii I actually haven't read anything by Sarah Anderson before (or Mila Grey if you'd like) but i'm kinda interested! Like you sometime I can guess an ending or an unexpected turn but that doesn't all make me dislike the book or ruin my reading experience, if anything i end up enjoying the book even more if even with an expected twist i still enjoyed it! Am I making sense? I hope i'm making sense! LOL

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  5. 4.5? You just couldn't resist that extra .5 could ya? You're so indecisive ;)

    Have I read Sarah Anderson before? I can't even remember. I'm thinking no. But then, we both know I have fish brain so . . . maybe? I need to stalk my own GR to find out. That's so bad haha.

    Hey, don't blame the book because you're such a smarty pants and figured out the reveal. PSYCHIC SIIRI CANNOT BLAME LE AUTHOR ;)

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  6. We told you sooooo. :')

    I am glad you really enjoyed this one, Siiri!

    And you're right on point. I knew I was right right away about what I thought would come and it just made it infinitely harder to get through the book without my mind dwelling on what was to come. It broke my heart over and over again and when we finally got to the reveal, no matter how much I had prepared myself, it hadn't been enough. It really did tear my heart out to read that scene and I still try not to think too much of it.

    I totally agree about the reveal behind the feud. I loved how around the time it was finally revealed, Jessa's dad stopped being such a douchebag but to be honest, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the reasons in general because two words, BRO CODE. GODDAMNIT! *shakes fist*

    Oh but personally, I never felt that the last 30% was underdeveloped because of how late we found out who it was. I felt like it was actually a smart move on Sarah's part to give us more time to get to know a certain character so as to pack a strong emotional punch and that also meant there wasn't too much angst near the end which is important, amirite??? :DD

    Lovely review, hon <33

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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  7. Jessa sounds like a character that I could relate with and love her character arc and growth

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  8. I had no idea that Sarah is behind this! I know how much Jasprit loves Sarah's books so I'm really glad you did too. This sounds like a wonderful story and I love it when we get to see character grow. It really makes me love her more and connect with her better. Not to mention all the feelings here. It's just what I always look for in contemporary reads - feels and this one seems so have plenty of it. Also there that amazing boy. It's not we would ever go against some nice and lovable boys ;)

    Amazing review, girl :)

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  9. Hooray that you ended up loving this book too Siiri. Oh my gosh I was left heartbroken so many times over this book, but Mila did such a great job with this story. You know how I feel about NA books, so I was super glad that I ended up loving this. Also hahah at you calling me Jazzy in your review! :)

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  10. I think it's really hard to read a book about the past and what led to the bad thing that's revealed in the beginning. I would have a pit in my stomach as well. Probably for the entire book. I'd rather not know what's coming and have it play out as it happened to the present day. Glad to see you enjoyed it so much in spite of that, Siiri! Wonderful review! :)

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  11. I'm glad to see that you loved this one a lot, Siiri! I've really yet to read books like this O_O Okay, save for that one time when I read Deveraux's Knight in Shining Armor I don't think I've read a romance book since then. Hopefully I'll love this one as much as you and Rashika did when I get to it! For some reason, the cover reminds me a lot of The Notebook...

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  12. If anything, your review made me really eager to read Five Ways to Fall - I've heard that for some people, it's their favourite of the series! And I've loved the rest of the series so far (except for the book that shall not be named). I love the sound of the character development for Jessa, And oh Kit! He sounds like someone I'd like to get to know ;)

    I'm glad to hear you loved it - I've heard a lot about it but wondered whether it's for me. I love discovering new books from your blog Siiri! xoxo

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  13. Oh Siiri. Ive been so curious about this book, but also very wary. I have a feeling I know what the brutal event is, and I soooo hope I'm wrong. I'm not even sure I can read it unless I find out! I know that's cheating. ;-)
    Anyway, maybe one of these days I'll suck it up -I like Nick's plan- and read this. Lovely review!

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  14. So happy to see you liked this one, it was so sad. Is it bad that I was hoping the dad was death???
    I really liked this one too :)

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  15. The romance does seem adorable heh :D LOL for the pen name. I think it's kinda annoying when authors do that even if I can understand the motifs. I've heard of this book but forgot to put it in my TBR, ouups. Thanks for the heads up, Siiri. Awesome review and I dare to try it. ;)

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  16. I'm not going to lie, I love the "hero falls for best friend's sister" scenarios! Most of the time there's already some history there and watching it develop into love is wonderful. I haven't heard or read a book by Sarah Alderson, but this will be my first! You know how I love character development in my reads. Great review! :)

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  17. Character growth and swoon worthy romance are two elements that rank high on my list of things I look for in a good book. Any novel that is worthy of being purchased in multiple formats, and makes you want to give it a great big hug is a must for all bookworms. Thanks for sharing your thoughts; what a lovely review!

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  18. Ooo I am glad you finally caved and it turned out to be so good. Now I have to add both her author names to my tbr pile!

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  19. I'm so happy you loved this one, hon! All the feels, yes. Kit and Jess'a relationship is just so adorable. I love how much time we get to spend with them as an actual couple. And despite the "forbidden" aspect, there's very little angst! But, sobs, I loved Jessa's brother too. :(

    Things do happen toward the end rather quickly, but I'm glad the book at least doesn't drag.

    Great review, lady! <3

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  20. I loved this one too!! :)

    And I love the new pretty blog design. Very nice!

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  21. YESSS to this! And I agree that the book wrapped way too fast after the Big Break/drama happened. I wanted to see a little more before it was over. But overall, a GREAT story - and it's a HUGE deal that you were able to love it reading it after your most favorite series. That gives it major points.

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