When You Come Back To Me by Emma Scott

At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys…

Holden Parish survived his parents’ horrific attempts to make him “the perfect son.” After a year’s stint in a Swiss sanitarium to recover, he has vowed to never let anything–or anyone–trap him again. Brilliant but broken, he seeks refuge behind alcohol, meaningless sex, and uses his wicked sense of humor to keep people away. He only has to ride out one year in the coastal town of Santa Cruz with his aunt and uncle before he inherits his billions and can make his escape. Disappear.

Falling in love is not in the plans.

River Whitmore. Star quarterback of the Central High football team, Prom King, Mr. Popular, ladies’ man. He leads the perfect life…except it’s all a lie. His father has River’s future in the NFL all planned out, while River’s dream is to run the family business in the town that he loves. But his mother’s illness is tearing the family apart and River is becoming the glue that holds them together. How can he break his father’s heart when it’s already shattering?

River’s carefully-crafted façade explodes when he meets Holden Parish. A guy who dresses in coats and scarves year-round, drinks expensive vodka, and spends his free time breaking into houses for the fun of it. They’re complete opposites. River seeks a quiet life, away from the spotlight. Holden would rather have dental surgery than settle down.

Holden’s demons and River’s responsibilities threaten to keep them apart, while their undeniable attraction crashes them together again and again, growing into something deep and real no matter how they resist.

Until one terrible night changes everything.

I always love an Emma Scott book, so when I was kindly offered a review copy of this one I snapped it up, I’ve lost count on how many Emma Scott books I’ve read now, but it’s almost every single one she’s written, and they are always just as amazing as the last!

When You Come Back To Me is an M/M romance, something I have definitely not read enough and always on the lookout for.

The story focuses on Holden and River, who we first met in The Girl In The Love Song, the first part of this series, so make sure you’ve read that first as there are spoilers in this book! I adored both characters in the first book, I was so thrilled when I heard they were getting their own story!

It isn’t a cute, happy romance however, these characters have already been through a lot, and go through even more throughout the book, a few triggers warnings for conversion therapy, mental health issues and cancer as they all are mentioned within the book, however Emma has done some a brilliant job with tactfully and gracefully writing about these hard subjects, her writing is always so full of emotion and depth, I always get sucker in straight away and with most of her books I read them in one or two sittings.

Holden is a brilliant character, he appears cocky, and arrogant with not a care, but we can see how much he is struggling and battling so many demons that he’s built so many walls around himself and is so reluctant to let anyone in, then comes River, a closeted football player who doesn’t really understand his sexuality until he meets Holden, but even then it’s hard, trying to figure out his feelings while also trying to understand Holden and what’s he’s gone through and is dealing with.

River also has a lot on his plate, football pressure and his family almost breaking down, but he holds himself together so well, I think River is one of my favourite characters Emma has ever written, he’s so caring and loving, with a sense of humour and a responsibility for his family.

The two together created such a love story, which wasn’t always going to plan, so many ups and downs, and mistakes that had me almost screaming through the pages to try and get through to them, it really was an epic story, a different one from many romance novels that I’ve read, a fresh idea of love.

I loved all the side characters too, especially the one that Holden let niggle into his life and become a sort of mashed up family, it was lovely.

I adored the ending, I won’t spoil it but I think it was perfect for them.

I can’t wait for the third Lost Boys instalment, The first two have been utterly brilliant and I can’t recommend them enough, or any of Emma’s books, if you like heartbreaking romance then this is the author for you, but it’s not all heartbreak, I promise!