I dont remember reading a book from this author before, but I read a lot of books and she gets good reviews
I grabbed it.. So we meet Kayla a struggling young fashion designer who had to deal with the fallout of sexual assault so already I was rooting for her after something like that. She gets a new cell phone number and is getting all these calls for a guy named Justin, and since he was famous decided to cut ties with his former members (yeah I understand that) but ok we have a story. Justin wants Kayla to work for him taking his calls and she would be the in between him and his boy band members. I liked tha kayla wasn't wowed that she was meeting him.. So these two both got out of stressful situation and both are trying to reinvent themselves and now are dealing with each other, I liked Kayla, and Justin was ok he grew on me by the end but I struggled with him for a while he just seemed immature. at first...liked secondary characters, that always is the icing on the cake for me.

I cute premise with likable characters and plenty of heart, A lot of LOL dialogue and situations. Interesting supporting characters.

This story was really interesting and different than I expected. That said I did really enjoy it and the characters. This not purely a romance story, its also about friendship, family and it also has some important issues that the characters are dealing with.

Justin is a rocker who is also branching out into movies. He had a band but now he is going solo and his manager and record company has told him his old bandmates needs to go. However he feels like he cannot abandone him so when his grandmother calls him and gets a wrong number and its this girl he decides to hire her to answer his calls for him.

Kayla is new to town. She had a very bad experience at her last job and now she wants to open her own fashion design company but she gets a call from Justin's grandmother and she decides to do a good deed. That is how she meets Justin and he ends up hiring her to answer his calls.

These two get to know each other first as friends and then romantically but they also have some major issues in their lives they need to face.

This was a fascinating story and I really liked all the main characters. It was a serious story but it also featured a really good romance and story.

Lead Me Back, CD Reiss

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (adult), Romance.

I've read a few of CD Reiss stories, and one, Bombshell, is my favourite., so much so that i've read it three or four times now and still find new things in it. I expected to love this book as much but...I didn't. :-(

I loved Kayla, and loved Justin's gran Louise – I want to be her when I'm her age! Justin though, at first he was such a jerk and I found it took me a while to get past that.

What I really struggled with is that I felt there was so much going on the I was expected to understand but didn't. The band and the separation – I didn't really understand that, likewise it took over half the book before the truth about the last incident with them came out. Kayla and what she was running from, the significance of those bolts of cloth – they kept cropping up but they didn't really mean anything. Even when I found out the backstory I didn't understand really why they played such a big part, when it didn't really go anywhere.
I found Kayla, Justin and others having conversations where I only understood part of what they were talking about – you know, the way long time together couples, friends that are very close – can talk and say so much with just a few words. Kayla and Justin would discuss something, come to a decision and I still didn't follow what they were discussing, never mind where it was going. Justin and his agent, Justin and his band-mates, they'd talk and make decisions and I was in the dark. I just felt lost as to what was happening much of the while.

Sadly that meant I didn't really love this book as I'd hoped, it was a fun read but not one I'll re-read. I wasn't really convinced of the love either, when Justin seemed ready to push her to the background even though she told her what happened, I felt, as with his band, he was putting his career above his friends and lover. I just can't forgive that so easily as Kayla did, she was so spunky, had been through so much that she needed support, not pushing to behind the scenes. Possibly that wasn't what they meant too – it was more of those conversations that I found hard to follow.
I loved the way Kayla finally got justice, and of course that things worked out for her and Justin, but it was a little too slick, too rushed, and I'm not sure that was best for long term happiness.

Stars: Three, for me there was too much unsaid, too much confusion, and Justin went from jerk to justice too quickly for me to really believe in him.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher

3.5 Stars!

"You already own me," I said. "So you might as well just take me."

Lead Me Back follows the story of Kayla and Justin. When we first meet up with Kayla, she's moved out to LA for a fresh start. Kayla even went as far as to change her cell phone number. She had no idea that changing her number would turn her whole world upside down. You see, her new number used to belong to The Justin Beckett. Justin is a former musician, turned actor. He's had a lot of bad press and is looking to reinvent his image. Fate throws Justin and Kayla together in the most unexpected way. Soon Kayla finds herself swept up in Justin's glamours world. Will Kayla get the fresh start that she's looking for or will her past catch up with her? There's only one way to find out...

I thought this book was an ok read. I was hooked on Justin and Kayla's story from the very beginning. I really liked how the two of them were brought together and how they stayed a part of each other's life. Justin needed Kayla's help to deliver messages that she might receive on her phone, so he offers her a job to help her get her feet off of the ground. I liked the banter between the two of them. Kayla was a no nonsense type girl and wasn't afraid to tell Justin no. I really appreciated the way the author dealt with Kayla's past. She made her very real and easy to relate to. And while Justin was cocky and annoying at times, he was really a good guy. Together I thought these two made a nice couple. They had some great banter and interactions. They had a good friendly foundation and a slow burn type of romance. The two of them definitely steamed up the pages together. That being said, I did wish that there was a little more romance and chemistry between Justin and Kayla. Don't get me wrong, I liked them together, I just wanted more feels and to feel more of a connection to them.

Overall, Lead Me Back was a quick and easy read. I was able to finish it in just a single sitting. Even though I wanted a little more from Justin and Kayla in the romance department, I still enjoyed getting swept up in their story.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the prior CD Reiss novels I’ve read so I was excited to dive into Lead Me Back! This hollywood romance had me hooked from the description alone! I love how CD Reiss consistently writes such strong women you want to cheer on in her books! I found the characters extremely relatable and well developed. If you’re looking to add a little sweet, steam, and sass in your summer reading than this is the book for you! As per usual, I am looking forward to reading more from CD Reiss in the near future!

I loved Lead Me Back! If you are a fan of CD Riss then you will love this. And if you’re not, this is a great introduction.

I was excited to get this book from NetGalley since I have heard so much about this author and also, her books generally seem well liked. I even bought a few of her books for my TBR! I have to say though, I was a bit disappointed in this book- I give it a 3.5 stars. The major reason why is that I feel like there is a lack of chemistry between the characters.

It started off pretty well. Kayla changed her mobile number and as a result, she was getting calls meant for the prior owner of the number. Serendipitously, the number used to belong to Justin, a former boy band member and now actor, who, due to some bad press, now has to cut ties with his prior boy band members. (I wasn’t sure I actually understood the rationale- seemed forced.) they keep in touch because he needed her to help him keep in touch with his friends and she needed a job. In his mid 20s, Justin acted and was described in a way that made him he seem way younger. And while i liked the interaction between him and Kayla, it felt more friendly than anything.

There were a few twists as both were dealing with their pasts and had to overcome their feelings about the history to achieve happiness. I thought the story was good- I just felt a lack of romantic connection between the characters.

From the time that Kayla and Justin met until the very last page, Lead Me Back held me in its thrall. It was the best balance of Hollywood and not-Hollywood, of humor and pathos, of romance and plot. Justin was not at all what I expected or expected to like, at all, and Kayla was exactly the type of girl I love and so between the two of them, I was completely hooked. Their individual stories were interesting and the path to their HEA was dynamic and addicting and really hard to put down.

Add to that Reiss’s mix of pared down prose with these really romantic swoony moments that are almost immediately followed with these really punchy spare lines and it all just really worked for me. And I absolutely cannot leave out the fact that she always has secondary characters I would love to see more of—the friends, the attorney, the family—which would selfishly give me another glance at Kayla and Justin.

As I frequently am with my favorite authors, I hated to see this one end and I’m eagerly awaiting what new thing she’s writing next.

I received an ARC of this story from NetGalley.

CD Reiss is a one-click author for me, and while this book was a bit lighter fare from her usual, it did not disappoint!

**I want to thank Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion**

Lead Me Back by CD Reiss is a book that deals with the struggles of an young fashion designer named Kayla, who has to deal with the fallout of accusing her boss of sexual assault. She by chance gets the number of Justin, who is a singer and movie star. Justing convinced Kayla to take the calls that come and leave him messages if they’re for him. At the same time he gets her a job. They keep meeting and the sparks fly high.

Both Justing and Kayla are characters that have so much depth to them. I loved their characters, because they are so human. Their feelings, the way they handle situations. It was all very real. The author writes about the fallout of the MeToo movement and the way that the victims are the ones that actually have to suffer. Making it harder for women to come out and tell their stories. I also loved how Justin supported his friends through everything while getting nothing in return.

Lead Me Back is a very good romance, it’s a slowburn but the story is everything but dragging. I loved the characters and the way they dealt with their issues. I give this book four stars.

-C

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved reading the amazing and engaging romance story. Kayla moves across the United States to Los Angelos to start over and meets the charismatic, handsome, famous Justin Beckett. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and riveting story line hooking the reader from the beginning of the story until the end of the story.
I reviewed a copy of the story through Goodreads.

I actually really enjoyed this book. I read it from start to finish in ONE DAY - so that is saying something!

Normally I'm pretty meh about Hollywood/Rockstar romances and out of the hundred or so I've read, I've <I>loved</i> maybe a handful of them. Lead Me Back can for sure be added to the list!

Justin and Kayla had a lot of chemistry and their story just sucked me in from the very first page. I loved how their personalities just meshed so well together too. The pacing was spot on and the storyline was perfectly executed, definitely 5-star worthy to me.

I thought that this story was a well-developed and strong story.

It was a really enjoyable bad boy turned good romance and even though the plot was a little sketchy in places I thought overall it was a still a great story and this was one that I kept on reading to find out how it would all end.

Lead me Back by CD Reiss a five-star dream of a read. This was so much more than I expected, I am not always a huge fan of Hollywood reads, as they are just so predictable and fake glamour, but this one had more bite to it, there were proper stories and all of the characters belonged, you didn’t feel like they were just there for filler. I adored Kayla and the famous bad boy that is Justin Beckett they just sparked off each other, but I also must mention Weeze as what a woman, she added a great levity to the story and just made me smile every time she popped up. This was a great story and just makes me desperate for more stories from this author, I will be going back to find more of this authors work. Most of all I must say this one did exactly as the author wanted, as my life is confusing and a little bleak at present but this did give me several hours of peace.

I really enjoyed this author and found the book to be a breath of fresh air. I loved the story line, because it was not the typical bad boy meets good girl.
Kayla has moved from NY to LA to start over from a troubled past. When she ends up acquiring a new cell phone number that belongs to a famous boy band player, Justin.
On accident they meet, and for reasons to be known he cannot have access to the old number. He has “requested” she take all his messages for him. They are both strong characters and keep you wanting more!!

I'm generally a fan of CD Reiss, I've read several of her books and enjoyed them, this one was a little bit of a miss for me. I really wanted to love it and I just didn't. It could be my current mental state because of life, or the fact that the previous book I read was so happy, I felt a little disconnected from the story. BUT, I did love the characters, Louise is the grandmother we all wish we had, I wanted to hate Justin and I just couldn't, deep down he was a good guy. I found Kayla to be really relatable in her struggles and baggage. It has great banter and did make me laugh out loud a few times.

Kayla, the heroine in Lead Me Back, is strong, down to earth, and so in touch with who she is that she feels like a real person, one you'd like to become friends with. Justin felt at times like one of the famous Justins, not great in my book, and Kayla had her doubts as well. But, as CD Reiss peeled back the layers of his character, it became more and more evident that he was deserving of Kayla. Extra points for a wonderful cast of characters, Justin's grandmother was something else. To top it all off, the author's dry, witty humor made this book really come together for me. Great, fun read a time when a distraction was much needed.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars!

The one thing I really like about this author is that even though I'm not a particular fan of Hollywood stories, I've learned that her writing always manages to capture my attention and I find myself sucked into the book. I'm not even a big fan of the type of hero she has in this one and I still ended up loving him by the end of the book.

Nothing against Justin, just that he was young and arrogant and I tend to relate to the more mature characters. However, you do see real depth in him as the story unfolds. Behind the arrogance is a really good guy and he completely won me over by the end.

Kayla is a heroine that I adore. She's tough, but not too tough. She didn't fawn all over Justin even though there was that instant attraction. I respected her. I can't say that about many heroines so when I find one it's pure gold for me.

You won't be too surprised by the storyline but I'm going to mention again the fantastic writing this author always delivers and that's what really had me loving this book. In fact, I would love to see some spinoffs. There is some side characters that were pretty interesting.

This book hooked me and didn’t let me go. It’s the best book I’ve read in a while. Many books right now are just not holding my attention. It has a kicka$& heroine and a swoon worthy hero. I want to read more books like this one.


I voluntarily read an early copy.