Review: Come Back To Me

By Rachel
Come Back To Me by Mila Gray Book Cover

Come Back To Me by Mila Gray (Sarah Alderson), published and available to purchase.

Read: August 2014
Genre: New Adult/Romance/Contemporary/Military
Source: Purchased – eBook
#Pages: 352
Get It Now: Wordery

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Goodreads Synopsis: Come back to me. That was the very last thing I said to him. Always. The very last thing he said to me.

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.

I did a buddy-read with this one, so myself and Brandie from Brandie is a Book Junkie are bringing you a joint-review today. Be warned – this post contains spoilers!

The Story

R – Starting with the main storyline – it definitely was a slow-burner for me until around 20-25% of the way into the eBook. Overall though, I thought it was a really good book. From around the 45% mark, I struggled to put it down. For me there was the slightly obvious cheese-factor that comes with a romance, but it was kept to a minimum, it wasn’t overly cringe-worthy, and many aspects of it felt “real” – like they could happen in real life. The storyline outside of the romance was strong too, with good character development throughout the novel, and not just with the MCs.

I also really liked the structure. There is practically a cliff-hanger in the first few pages and then we go back to discover what happened during the build-up. I have zero real-life military experience or family-in-the-military experience, but I have read a few books that feature it, and this was definitely one of my preferred ones, and the fact there was an action scene in there, it was really good.

B – I agree. The book started off slow for me as well. I think I was more like 40% into it before I had any interest in finishing. My major issue in the beginning was I did feel like there was a cheese-factor that I couldn’t get past. The writing style had me rolling my eyes a bit. BUT!! I got over it! The story sucked me in from that point on and all of my issues faded away – and it was enough to pull me in and give it 4 stars. So, that’s saying a lot – I would recommend readers not to give up on this book if you start feeling the urge. It’s worth pushing through!

I loved how the book started off with such a major cliffhanger. That is a seriously perfect way of getting a reader hooked. I really enjoyed the military storyline. I have a brother in the military (and I miss him terribly), so I’m a little familiar with how hard it is on a family. I don’t think I could ever fully understand the depth of loneliness and fear a spouse or significant other feels when their loved one is in the military, because I haven’t lived that aspect, but the author seemed well educated on the subject and made me feel for the characters. 

The Feels

R – Which leads us on nicely to the feels in the book. Either the author has first-hand experience of long-distance relationships, or she researched it really well, because there were parts of this story that definitely tugged on my heartstrings, and there were parts that were both heart-breaking and frustrating. I normally wouldn’t like the frustrating parts, because we’re all reading romance novels for those happy ever afters, right? But aspects of this story were integral to it, and had to be included for the book to be so good, but still, it was just unfair.
B – Yes, I agree, there has to be some unfairness in a book to give us the suspense we need to continue reading. Sometimes frustrating can be good, when the story is done well, and I think it was. When it comes to feels for characters – I really loved Kit. He won me over immediately. His patience was incredible, but just the way he treated Jessa was so sweet. And the fact that he stuck with her despite the unfairness of how her dad treated him. And I won’t lie – I got teary eyed when the cliffhanger portion of the book came full circle. That was intense and heartbreaking.
R – It definitely was, and as a reader I started feeling guilty weighing up the pros and cons of each outcome. Feeling the pain and then the relief.

The Characters

R – I really liked that the “adults” and their stories are included in this novel, they weren’t just an afterthought thrown in there for good measure, and I had feelings and opinions on most of them. Jessa’s father definitely underwent the biggest transformation, and I went from loathing him, to beginning to understand his character.

B – I agree about Jessa’s dad. By the end of the book, I just felt sorry for him. He wasn’t the monster he started out as in the beginning – just a man with serious issues who needed help. I loved Jessa’s brother, too. Who doesn’t love a protective brother?! And I adored Kit’s dad. He was so likeable.

The Romance

R – I still need some time to get my thoughts together on this one. Kit is just yum.

B – Kit IS yum! Lol. What made him so wonderful was how patient and considerate he was, IMO. He wanted Jessa, but only on her terms without putting any pressure on her. He adored her and it was obvious and so sweet. By the time their relationship heated up, I was completely invested in their love story and had butterflies in my stomach every time they were together.

R – I think this novel nicely avoids the insta-love trope. It felt insta-lovey at the start, and I think that’s what put me off a little too. But then it fell nicely into the “falling-in-love-with-your-brother’s-best-friend” trope, and I actually enjoy that one. You can see their relationship develop and Kit does just come across as a great guy. Yes, mistakes are made along the way but I really liked his character – and I definitely got the butterflies too!

The Ending

R – I really enjoyed the ending of this book, though I have to say the epilogue was just slightly off-putting for me. I can’t remember what the time lapse was, but it felt just a smidge too “happy-ever-after” and it lost a bit of it’s realism for me.

B – Totally agree with you. I prefer a HEA that’s a bit more realistic. Although, at least there was a HEA, because I would not be a happy reader if there weren’t! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m glad we read it!

Quotables

“What about you? Are you doing what you love?’ He looks across at me before turning back to the road. ‘I was,’ he says. ‘And now?’ I ask in a whisper, because that’s all I can manage. ‘Now, I have to leave you.”

“I mean… Fuck, Jessa. If you ask me do I want you to be waiting for me the day I get off the plane? Yes. Do I want to talk to you every night on the phone and know that you’re my girl and that I’m coming home to you? Yes. Am I going to be thinking of you every single moment while I’m gone – yes. But it’s not fair on you asking you to wait.”

Final Rating

4/5 

About Rachel

Avid reader & #bookblogger. Lover of all things business. A fan of drinks & dancing. Ever optimistic. Feminist.

19 Responses

    1. Rachel

      It was really good! I think for the next one I’m gonna tweet you updates more often! I’m struggling to get into books at the minute, so I can see TOG happening sooner rather than later!! R x

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      2. Rachel

        I’m picking books up and putting them on hold all the time at the minute, should we give TOG a go and see how we get on?? I’l probably start it on Wed.

        R x

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  3. SarahAlderson

    This is so awesome. Thanks for the thoughtful analysis – it’s always really helpful to read reviews like this (especially as I just started writing my second Mila Gray book).

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Rachel

      Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It’s great to know authors actually get to see our reviews – looking forward to your next Mila Gray book! 🙂 R x

      Liked by 1 person

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