An enjoyable read that manages to weave two timeframes into the story with ease.  A good ending too, not one I expected.

What a great twisty thriller, which will keep you hooked until the very end.

Stella grew up on a small island called Evergreen. She absolutely loved her childhood but then at the age of eleven her parents moved her and her siblings away from the island and they never went back.  Twenty five years later a body is discovered on the island, next to Stella’s old family home.  She can’t resist returning to the island, something is pulling her back but not everyone is pleased to see her.

There are plenty of secrets being kept within the island community, but will Stella discover them before it’s to late ? Does she really want to unearth the secrets that have been kept for so long ?

This is a great psychological thriller and I loved the concept of the small island community and sticking together until things start to unravel.  This really is a book you need to add to your reading list !!

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I was hooked by this book, from the sudden departure of the family  from the island in a raging storm through all the twists and turns of the story. The end is not predictable. Loved it, a great read.

From the outset you are caught up in the strange and rapid departure of Stella and her family from the island, made very real by the fact that Stella, the main voice of the story, has no idea why they are doing the midnight flit.
The book moves between the present and the early 1990's when Stella was a child living on Evergreen island. The island characters are well portrayed in their isolation, unwilling to accept incomers without due suspicion and examination and really not fond of the tourists, highlighted by the B&B not wanting guests!
As the story unfolds an explanation for the rapid departure becomes apparent, although this is still not the whole story.
The author teases out the details of the island life, the departure, the aftermath and the motives bit by bit as Stella herself uncovers them, frustrated by the death of her mother and her fathers descent into dementia preventing her from getting immediate answers, keeping you reading late into the night!

I found Come Back For Me a really engaging read, which hooked me in from the beginning 

This is the first book I have read by Heidi Perks and I wasn't disappointed. I am now going to read her others. 

Stella and her family had to suddenly flee from their family home 25 years ago. Now Stella as an adult still feels the hurt from having to leave her beloved home and best friend without any explanation. Now a body has been found in the garden of her childhood house. Searching for the truth, Stella returns to the isolated island to find answers to questions she holds.

We go between past and present, slowly discovering background and events. The way Stella's story is told is very personal and well thought through. There is lots of tension and emotions running throughout the story. 

I would highly recommend Come back for me.

Thank you net galley for providing me with this book.

A family leave their island home on very stormy night. Why leave in such conditions, in such a hurry? An event causes the youngest sibling to return to the island 25 years later. Deep family and community secrets are steadily unraveled.

An atmospheric page turning mystery. I found Stella, the main character to be well drawn and sympathetic, her elder sister Bonnie deeply unsympathetic.

Another gripping read from Heidi Perks - I wanted to read it in one go, and was most put out when I was interrupted .

As usual with my reviews, I will not reiterate any of the plot line (plenty of that type of review around if that's what you're looking for!) but will just record my own opinions and feelings.

This is essentially something of a time-shift novel, switching between the island childhood and mainland present day lives of three siblings and their family, and exploring the backstory behind the gruesome discovery of a body near their former home.

There are some likeable characters, some less so - but all are well-drawn.  Nothing is quite as it seems at first, and we eventually uncover the truth.  I have to admit that I guessed the twist, but that's probably because I've read so many books in this genre.

Looking forward to the next novel from Heidi Perks.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

The book begins on a stormy night when Stella the child tells us about leaving the island; the rush, the secrecy, the feeling of dread, of uncertainty. And from then on flips between Stella’s  childhood and now. It’s a little bit of a mystery a little bit crime and a little bit family saga. The family dynamic unfolds throughout the book as Stella searches for the truth after a body was found on the island they left 25 years ago

An enjoyable read

The beginning of this book throws the reader immediately into a situation of crisis. Parents with three young children are on a perilous mission to escape their island home by boat during a raging storm. It would appear that undisclosed recent events forced the expediency of speed to overrule all health and safety concerns.  The remote island, Evergreen, much loved birth home of our protagonist Stella aged eleven,, is intrinsic to both the family and the storyline which then takes us forward 25 years. A largely tragic and dysfunctional family, never fully understanding or overcoming the mystery of their childhood now discover through the media that a body has been discovered adjacent to the garden of their old island home. The book is written in alternate chapters, present day through the thoughts and actions of Stella, the much loved younger daughter and twenty five years earlier through the perspective of  her mother, intent on protecting her children and salvaging an outward facade of respectability no matter how dark the secrets that surround the inhabitants of their seemingly idyllic island. The book, largely of the mystery genre now moves into nerve racking thriller where nothing is as it seems and no one is free of hidden secrets and actions. To resolve the mystery the story takes the reader on a nail biting journey into the early marriage of the parents in Birmingham, decisions taken without due diligence on the long term results for all concerned, and then ultimately back to Evergreen where all is revealed and a battle of life and death ensues to prevent the disclosure which will ultimately ruin lives. A cliff hanger five star read that I voraciously enjoyed in two sittings. Grateful to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this hugely well written and complex story resulting in a first class book.

Set across two timelines, the present and in 1993, we learn of a body found in (or not in, as we are repeatedly told) a garden of a house formerly belonging to the Harvey family on a secluded island. The story pings back and forth as we find out who was responsible and why. 

I didn’t find myself really “liking” Stella and felt that parts of the story were missing and parts were padding out the book when they seemed to have no relevance. 

OK read. The first half of the book seemed to drag on and on. The second half felt rushed and didn’t tie up all the loose ends. There seemed to be a lot of surface storyline but not much depth that allowed me to become invested and by the end I was like “OK what do I read next” instead of strong feelings either way. It passed the time but will be easily forgotten. 

Also, one note for the author, Iona apparently googled the family back in 1993... this wouldn’t have been possible. 

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fairly quick and easy read with many twists and turns.  On the whole a good story although I didn't really take to the main character towards the end finding her beginning to irritate. Somewhat unlikely plot, yet parts very believable. Many unexpected secrets in a tight community plus others that rippled beneath the surface but never materialised.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, well drawn-characters and a great psychological thriller with just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Highly recommended.

Come back for me, was quite a slow read for me but I felt I needed to persevere to find out what happened in the end.  I think the main issue for me is that I didn't connect with Stella the main protagonist.  Island life sounded idilic but not with those living on the island.

One stormy night, aged only 11, Stella is devastated when her family leave their home and small close-knit community on Evergreen Island, off the Dorset Coast, with a haste that her parents can’t seem to justify.  Now an adult, Stella has never returned to the island, nor has she ever heard again from her best friend from her childhood on Evergreen.  She has lost touch with her brother Danny, who behaved strangely at the best of times, and her sister Bonnie hated the island and wants nothing to rekindle memories of those days.  But then she catches a news story on the television: a body has been found on the island – and not just on the island, but at the end of what was Stella’s family’s garden!

An emotional roller coaster of a ride begins as the author shifts between past and present and it seems not only is there a buried body but many many buried secrets that touch on Stella and her family and everything she has believed was true about them and other once-beloved people on the island.  We get insights into the joys-but-sometimes-claustrophobia of living in a small tight-knit community, an atmosphere artfully conjured up by author Heidi Perks, and as Stella finally decides to return there to find the truth for herself, we are on the edge of our seats, fearing for Stella’s own safety.  What happened to her childhood friend?  Who has been buried in their garden?  Why were they killed and who is the killer?  Who can she trust, even in her own family?

Superb psychological thriller and family drama.

Plot was very back and forth. Some parts are wrote brilliantly, others are lackin pace and seems to add random parts to keep it going. I guessed who it was before it was revealed so I was kind of hoping the ending was a bit better.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC.

I thought this to be an 'OK', but for the most part, a rather pedestrian read, with a convoluted and unlikely plot-line.
Evergreen Island off the Dorset coast is where Stella Harvey was born, but 11 yrs later her family are fleeing the island during a storm and she has no idea why.
Twenty-five years on she catches a news bulletin about a body being found on the edge of their previous home on the island.
Stella lives not far from her elder sister Bonnie - their brother Danny having left the family's new home in Winchester 18 yrs previously. Her mother, Marie died some years ago after her father David had left her for Olivier.  David now has Alzheimer's.
Told between 2 periods - 1993 from Marie's recollections, and present day by Stella, the lead-up to their sudden departure to the mainland is gradually revealed.  However, Stella presently just has to find out whose body they had found and gradually, also, her experiences of her family and the island are also revealed.
The story does come together albeit rather frenetically at the end after Stella insists on returning to the community she once adored - only to find she is not universally welcomed..
When you have secrets to what lengths will you go to protect your family?

A strong 4 star thriller with a pacey plot and enough intrigue to keep you guessing.

This is the second book I've read by Perks and I look forward to her next.

Thanks to NetGalley, Heidi Perks and Random House for my ARC in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this book was gripped from beginning to end i didnt know what to expect but realy didnt expect that so glad that meg rurned up when she did and would like to hear more about stella maybe see a relationship with meg and see everything come out about what happened while still maintaing aa relationship with bonnie maybe she cpuld help her find her mum and get answers also would like to see her realtionship with danny grow..

Quite an interesting plot but found it slightly hard going towards the end. Perhaps not quite my cup of tea.

I’d like to thank Random House UK/Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Come Back For Me’ by Heidi Perks in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

On a stormy night Stella Harvey’s family pack up and leave Evergreen Island in a hurry, and twenty-five years later a body is discovered buried at the edge of the garden once owned by them.  Stella’s estranged brother Danny goes to the police to claim responsibility but Stella doesn’t believe him.  She returns to Evergreen Island to find out whose body it is and to meet her childhood friends again, especially Jill to whom she wrote several letters but who never replied.  

‘Come Back For Me’ is an intriguing thriller telling the events that happened from 1993 to the present time.  It has an exciting and well-written plot with twists and turns and interesting characters, although I did become a little confused at times trying to remember who they all were and where they fitted in.  The manner in which the story is written made me think that Evergreen Island is an actual place and as I live in the Bournemouth area I googled it to find out if it actually exists so that I can visit it, which to me is proof of Heidi Perks’ considerable ability to write a believable story.  This is an enjoyable read that I can definitely recommend.