Originally reviewed at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/a-nix-review-bring-me-back-by...

Really 3.5/3.75 Stars

There is something that you should know about me before I delve into this review; I was never a teenage fan girl. There was never a band that I obsessed over or one musician that I idolised; I think that is one of the reasons I struggled with the start of the book. I’ve seen many reviews from bloggers who have those types of memories and they didn’t struggle in the way I did with this book. Remember this before you read on.

The start of this book was difficult as hell for me. You know the premise, so I’m going straight into my thoughts and feelings on the matter. The premise was intriguing and I loved it. The reality, however, was quite difficult for me to engage with. I found Claire to be really quite annoying. She basically acted like a fan-girl for the entire first quarter of the book, even into the beginnings of her relationship with Chris, and it gave him leeway to be an absolute douche. To be honest, I didn’t like either of them at this point as neither of them was acting like a well-rounded person. He was acting like a charming, suave 2D character who basked in the adoration her simpering character gave him. It was tedious but I couldn’t put it down though...I just couldn’t!

The change in the book came when she started to stick up for herself, when she started to call him on his bullshit behaviour. She realised that she was being used and started to demand a little bit more consideration and respect. This created a shift in the whole tone of the book as he had to engage a little more in the relationship and stop expecting her to be happy with the scraps that he gave her. He became less of a cartoon and more of a man and, shock of all shocks, I actually started to like him. His tenderness towards her and her teenage daughter created the persona of a man who valued family and relationships and would have been, in another lifetime, a fantastic family man. The only thing was I still couldn’t see how their relationship would work when it would mean the sacrifice of her career for his. This was bound to create resentment, worsened by the distance between them as his career blossomed, and it just seemed like such an unbalanced way to start a life together.

After this, the book seemed to stray away from dealing with the difficulties of being involved in a relationship with a star, those problems having been dealt with or recognised, and a whole new heap of issues began. I will not mention these but know this; at some points in this book the characters actions were inexplicable to me, leaving me frustrated and blooming angry. Kudos to the author here because these actions could have alienated me from the story and made me refuse to finish this book. They didn’t and were written in such a way that this book became a habit for me. I literally could not put it down; I think I referred to it as “crack” on twitter ‘cos I had to know what the end of their tale would be. I laughed with them, hurt with them and was genuinely unsure of what I wanted the ending to look like. When they were together it was lovely but the amount of external pressures was overpowering and destructive to any relationship they were nurturing. It was frustrating.

The majority of my issues with this book were the characters. Would this have been different if it had been written in third POV instead of first? Who knows, but I do seem to be in minority with the problem with her character. When the shock of his a-list status faded, the story became less about the relationship between a star and his fan and more about the difficulties facing these two individual people who had genuine feelings towards each other. This is where I really started to like the story. The ups were lovely, the downs soul destroying and the tension was attention grabbing. Book crack all-round!!

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Bring Me Back is a story every girl who has ever had a teenage crush on a band member can relate to. Honestly, what girl hasn't dreamed about being an adult and meeting the guy whose posters were all over her bedroom walls? This is the story of what happens when one lucky woman gets to live out her teenage dreams.

Claire Abby is a freelance music writer for various magazines/blogs. Claire’s biggest break to date just fell into her lap. Claire has the opportunity to get an exclusive interview with her teenage heartthrob, Christopher Penman, of the group Banks Forest. If things go well, her interview will land her and Christopher on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Christopher Penman is the former guitarist for the 80s rock band, Banks Forest. Christopher has had a tumultuous private life. He is notorious for being very private about his life and hates the media as much as a shark loves fresh meat. Chris has been burned in the past and no one wants to know what has really happened. Let’s face it, scandal sells magazines and pictures are always worth a thousand words, even when the pictures are misleading and deceiving. Chris is attempting a second solo comeback and needs to get his name out there, but he plans to do it on his own terms.

For Chris, his interview with Claire started out just being vague. He had every intention of just playing around with her and not giving her too much information. But as Chris suddenly feels a connection with Claire, things changed and he shares with Claire things he has NEVER talked about before.

Claire is a single mother to a seventeen-year-old girl. Her love/lust for Chris puts her career in jeopardy. She is powerless to fight the connection she has to Chris. Secrets are revealed that could destroy her relationship with Chris and everything she’s worked so hard for professionally.

Over the course of the book, you’re able to ride along with Claire and Chris on their journey from being adversaries, to their friendship, to their love for each other. Also along the way, you will experience their heartbreak and anguish.

Christopher and Claire are characters that you will immediately fall in love with. Having my own teenage crush, I can totally see myself in Claire’s shoes. Possibly doing all the same things she does. One can only hope that for all of us girls out there who once had the same dreams, that Claire will find her happy ever after and allow us to live vicariously through her.

Source: Blog Tour Host
Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews ( )

Back in 1986, seventeen year old Claire Abby had a teenage crush on Christopher Penmen, lead guitarist of the British rock band Banks Forest. Twenty-two years later, she is now a thirty-nine years old music critic / journalist and single mother of a college bound daughter. Claire is given the chance of a lifetime when she lands a Rolling Stone cover story interview assignment with the legendary British rock star of her teenage dreams. When they meet there is a mutual attraction between them, but Chris is notorious for dodging questions in regard to his past and makes her work to get the coveted story. As their friendship develops into a long-distance relationship, Claire is torn between resuming her normal ordinary life or engaging in Chris' high-profile rock star life. Can Claire and Chris' long-distance relationship survive the challenges and obstacles that come with dating someone famous?

Bring Me Back is a captivating story that takes the reader on a dramatic and emotional roller coaster ride as two very different people explore the possibilities of being in a romantic relationship. Author Karen Booth weaves an entertaining tale that took me back to my teenage years of the 1980's, I definitely could relate with the universal teenage crush and fantasies over favorite famous rock stars. I really enjoyed the depth of the mature romantic storyline between a middle-aged woman and an aging rock star, there was a nice mixture of romance, chemistry, heat, drama and real life reality. This is so much more than just your typical romance story, it is one that has many layers and delves into the dynamics of relationships: Claire's relationship with her father, daughter, and ex-husband; Chris' past history and secrets; and Claire and Chris' long-distance romantic relationship. I was drawn into Claire and Chris' ordinary person/celebrity relationship, the many challenges that affects its chances to survive, and how they could make it work.

With a well-developed cast of characters who are realistic, have flaws and issues, and who are easy to relate to; engaging dialogue and sassy interactions; and an evocative storyline full of steamy romance and dramatic twists and turns, Bring Me Back is a captivating story of the nuance and dynamics of love, friendships, relationships and celebrity.

Bring Me Back is a story that will make you laugh, cry, blush and sigh ... it is a story that will leave you wanting more.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

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