Review: Come Back To Me by Mila Gray

Published: June 19^th, 2014

Pages: 373

Rating: 4/5

Source: e-ARC from author 

 Goodreads ~ Amazon 

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. (Description from Goodreads) 

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

First things first: I don’t normally read New Adult. It’s just a genre that I haven’t really jumped into yet, and in the past, I’ve even swore myself off of it (in a post on this blog!). Problem is, I’m getting old(er), and I’ve found it a little difficult at times to relate to YA characters. NA characters are more my age; thus I relate better to them. I’m (slowly) making my way into reading more NA, but I just wanted to put that out there.

That being said, Come Back To Me was the perfect introduction into NA. I was hooked from the start; heck, I was hooked just knowing that the book was a “military love story.” Basically two of my favorite things. I have a weird thing for books with a military aspect…and I kinda have a thing for military men, too, but that’s a different blog post. I’m pretty sure I was certifiably addicted to this book. I even cried a little at some parts (because there’s some legit heavy stuff). GUYS, WATER CAME OUT OF MY EYES, and all because of this book (that doesn’t happen…ever). I don’t get emotional over books or movies, aside from the Book Thief film; it had me sobbing. Come Back To Me is such a sweet, passionate, emotional roller coaster that all I want to do is ride again.

The story is told from both characters POV, which was a good move on the author’s part. Seeing Kit’s side of the story really added a lot to the story, and I think that’s something that helped keep my attention throughout the book. I love reading male perspectives on falling in love- it’s like getting inside a guy’s head. And who doesn’t love to do that?! Let me also say that Kit’s perspective made some of the love scenes a whoooooole lot hotter. *saucy wink*

 Kit’s just come back from serving overseas to find Jessa all grown up. She’s not the little kid who followed Riley and him around before they enlisted. Kit holds a playboy reputation, but he’s leaving all that behind. After dreaming about Jessa for a year now, Kit’s ready for her to be his. I felt that this, as well as other parts of the story, was a tad cliché. Kit can have almost any woman he wants, but he chooses the one he can’t have. Some parts were predictable, like which character dies in action (can you guess?). But most love stories are a little predictable, simply because they are overdone. I feel like that didn’t distract me from the story, though, and I still managed to really enjoy the love story.

Let me tell you one thing that was totally unpredictable, something I loved about the story: When Kit comes home after the tragedy, he doesn’t immediately fall into Jessa’s waiting arms. They don’t cry on each other’s shoulders. They don’t mourn together. THAT would be predictable. The truth is that they stay painfully separated. And that really played with my emotions, because I wanted them to be together, just like they wanted to be together, but this awful, intangible thing was keeping them apart. It’s all so poetic and beautiful that I almost want to go find a couch to swoon on. 

Come Back To Me is a bittersweet love story that will (hopefully) tug at your heart as much as it did mine. You’ll fall for Kit, and squeal at how perfect Jessa and Kit are together, and even maybe cry a little (it’s very possible). I highly recommend this book to mature teen and adult readers.

*Reviewer Note: This being a New Adult title, there is sexual material included in this book, some of which is graphic/explicit. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend this title to anyone under 18.*