Sometimes, you find a book that immediately speaks to you. This was the case for me with It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner. I only heard about this novel when the Dutch translation was announced, even though it has been out for a while. Was it indeed my cup of tea?

About the book

It All Comes Back to You by Melissa Wiesner
Published by Independently published on August 27, 2018
Pages: 294
ISBN: 9780578448831
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction

An absolutely unforgettable and heart-shattering romance, perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, Lucy Score and Carley Fortune, that asks: does keeping secrets destroy true love?

Anna works two jobs to get herself through college and never, ever talks about her family. It’s easier to keep her distance from everyone until she can finally leave her old life behind. That is, until chance throws her together with Gabe…

Gabe is top of the class, in a fancy fraternity, and has a big, perfect, warm-hearted family. He is everything Anna is not. Their connection is undeniable. His silver-blue eyes pierce right through her, and he makes her laugh in ways she never thought possible. But Anna would do anything to stop Gabe from discovering her darkest secret, and the real reason she goes home every night to a cold, silent apartment…

When Gabe and his family get close to the truth, Anna runs, vowing to never see them again. But forever is a long time…

Years later. Tragedy brings Anna back to the town she grew up in—a place she escaped a decade ago. When Gabe wraps his strong arms around her, it’s like finally finding home.

But when the truth comes out after all these years, will both their worlds come crashing down? Gabe is the one person Anna trusts most: but what if he has secrets, too? And how much pain can two hearts endure, before they are torn apart forever?

It All Comes Back to You will make you laugh, cry with both joy and pain, and hold your loved ones tight.

My review

Expectations beforehand

Melissa Wiesner is a new-to-me author, so it’s quite unfair to have sky high expectations. However, I did have some expectations. Judging the blurb, I got the impression that this would be a highly emotional story where some serious and heavy themes are discussed. I also expected this book to be character driven with lots of character development and maybe a hint of romance.

Synopsis

Wehn Anna and Gabe meet, they are paired for a project in college. Anna was participating in a programm for clever kids and has high ambitions. However, she never ever talks about her family. Overtime, Anna and Gabe develop a friendship, but secrets stand in their way. Life seperates them, but when a tragedy forces Anna to return home, Gabe is her safe haven. Is this all they could be for eachother or are there more possibilities?

Characters

Anna and Gabe are from a totally different background. Gabe comes from a wealthy family, while Anna struggles to get by every single day. As the author uses a dual POV narration to tell this story, these contradictions become visible immediately. However, this narration helps to get to know the characters as much as possible. They are introduced at surface level, their character arcs aren’t explored as deeply as I’d hoped for and expected. For this novel, it’s sufficient, albeit quite distant. It’s hard to feel connected to them because of the distance the author creates. This suits Anna though as she keeps her guard up for like 95% of the story. Once the novel progresses, we learn why. Gabe continues to try break her walls down, but he has secrets of his own. Therefore, he leaves a guarded impression as well. Throughout this book, we see them both evolve as characters, especially Anna. However, this development feels quite rushed at the end.

Atmosphere

Much of this book has a pretty tense atmosphere. Anna deals with a lot and it remains a mystery for a long time with what exactly. However, her time spent with Gabe brings her much needed joy and this leads to a more lighthearted and hopeful atmosphere. It’s quite a mix actually, but the dark and mysterious atmosphere dominates.

Writing and plot

The writing was good, albeit different than expected. This book is written in third person and I expected it to be first person because of the themes that are discussed. Whereas it fits the distance I have been feeling, I still found it a pity. Especially because there are a lot of themes approached, such as trauma, grief and (mis)trust. Even though these are serious themes, it never felt too heavy. However, this book still intrigued me and I was curious to know how this story would progress. I even put it aside for a bit, otherwise I would have finished it in no time.

Final thoughts

It All Comes Back to You was a lovely introduction to books by Melissa Wiesner. The story discusses serious and heavy themes without getting to tense. However, we only get to know the characters on surface level and I expected some more depth into them. It still fits their behaviour though, but I was just hoping for more emotions et cetera. This book is written well though and I was intrigued by the story nonetheless. Will I pick up other books by this author in the future? Maybe. This one was good, but didn’t leave me hungry for more.