Come Back to Me (Come Back to Me #1)
by Mila Gray
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: December 8th 2015
In this heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, a young Marine and his best friend’s sister plunge into a forbidden love affair while he’s home on leave.
When a Marine Chaplain knocks on her door, Jessa’s heart breaks—someone she loves is dead. Killed in action, but is it Riley or Kit? Her brother or her boyfriend…
Three months earlier, Marine Kit Ryan finds himself back home on leave and dangerously drawn to his best friend Riley’s sister, Jessa—the one girl he can’t have. Exhausted from fighting his feelings, Kit finally gives in, and Jessa isn’t strong enough to resist diving headfirst into a passionate relationship.
But what was just supposed to be a summer romance develops into something far greater than either of them expected. Jessa’s finally found the man of her dreams and Kit’s finally discovered there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for.
When it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither one is ready to say goodbye. Jessa vows to wait for him and Kit promises to come home to her. No matter what.
But as Jessa stands waiting for the Marine Chaplain to break her heart, she can’t help but feel that Kit has broken his promise…
Riley or Kit? Kit or Riley? Her brother or her boyfriend? Who’s coming home to her?
Jessa is very meek in the beginning of the book. Her father suffers from PTSD so she has come accustomed to walking on eggshells around the house. I felt so angry at Jessa’s mom for not protecting her better. Although I was mad at Jessa’s dad and really disliked him, I had to take a minute and think about his own trials. I think it’s difficult to shake off that stigma that goes with getting help, especially when you're a strong military person. So Jessa doesn’t know what is going to trigger him and has found herself shaping her life and herself around that. It’s sad to watch her recede into herself like that. When she meets Kit everything changes.
Kit is not only a marine but Jessa’s brother, Riley, best friend. So Jessa is supposed to be off limits. Besides the fact that her father hates him for reasons unknown to everyone except Kit’s dad and Jessa’s dad. I love how Kit can be fearless and romantic at the same time. He is the sweetest guy and even though he might have been a player. You can really see how much he cares about Jessa. He brings out the best side of her and makes her try things she wouldn’t normally. She becomes more confident with Kit around and is able to take steps to standing up to her dad. He basically frees her from her prison.
Riley is Jessa’s brother and is in the Marines with Kit. I like how strong of relationship he and Jess have even though she feels a little like he left her with their dad. His girlfriend Jo is another way that the Marines is spotlighted. She has been struggling 3 years in a long term relationship. She loves Riley but you can also see how hard it is on her.
The book starts out with an emotional scene that you have no investment in until you start reading. Jessa finds out someone has been killed in action but she doesn’t know who. How do you choose both losses are heartbreaking. It’s almost torturous as you read the book and get to know the two boys.
I really liked Come Back To Me. The way it interweaves the military and how it affects everyone is brilliant. Your heart really connects to these characters.
Mila Gray is the pen name for Sarah Alderson, author of Hunting Lila, Losing Lila, The Sound, Fated and Out of Control. Originally from London she has lived in Bali for the last four years with her husband and daughter. As well as writing young adult fiction under the name Sarah Alderson and adult fiction under the name Mila Gray, she also writes screenplays. You can find out more at www.milagray.com and on facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahjalderson
WEBSITE | GOODREADS | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
