Bring Me Back

by Amy Oliveira

Hot, sweet and swoony!

“He was taller than me, stronger than me, older than me. And at times, it felt like we were one.”

Hallie Delos Santos left the small town of Bluehaven at the first opportunity she had.

Five years later, she’s back.

After years of bullying, walking again in the halls of her old school isn’t easy, but Hallie knows her best chance to survive is if she leaves the past behind.

Ignoring her demons. Not listening to gossip. Forgetting about everything that happened five years ago isn’t that easy when the demons can’t seem to forget her.

Daniel Miller is lost since his divorce. Drifting, trying to find a purpose, he goes from project to project, trying to fill his days.

But a reason to be lands on his lap in the shape of a woman fifteen years younger and full of secrets.

He’s the woodwork teacher, and she’s the costume designer.

He’s smiles, and she’s the silence.

He’s determinate, and she’s his.

*Fifteen years age gap, a quiet heroine and a small town full of gossip. Dark at times, honest, but mostly hopeful.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, High School, Contemporary, Slow Burn

267 pages, ebook

First published March 15, 2022

About the author

Amy Oliveira is a romance author dedicated to write about the two things you shouldn't skip: therapy and smut.
Amy's leads are strong, flawed, and very open about their mental health struggles. And her heros are understanding, lovable, and often pierced.
The combination results in a delicious slow burn with a lot of heart and a lot of heat.

Reviews

[Rellim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The Problem with Dating Sebastian Riggs earlier this month, I’ve been eager to dive into Amy Oliveira’s back list. I love age gap tropes, so this one immediately piqued my interest. I started this late last night intending to finish it over the next few days. Nope – I was immediately intrigued by Hallie’s quiet and secretive nature combined with Dan’s determination to learn more about her and stayed up into early morning to finish their story.

While Dan (36) is a teacher and was one when Hallie (22) was in high school – they never interacted before her return to Bluehaven as an adult. I like how they meet working on sets & costuming for a school play. It gives them lots of time to talk (or shrug) and get to know one another. Not only was this a slow burn romance, but also packed with small town drama. While there’s fun interactions and delicious anticipation between Dan & Hallie, there’s also a lot of pain and healing for both of them. My heart ached for all they went through.

I just love this couple. I adored the grand gesture, HEA, and sweet epilogue.

CW (spoilers):
Hallie experienced extreme bullying in high school including an assault.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
2.25/5 🌶

Tropes:
- small town romance
- age gap (15yrs)
- quiet heroine
- virgin heroine
- past trauma
- groveling
- slow burn

POV: first person - dual

Type: stand-alone

Five years after the “incident”, Hallie is back in Bluehaven to fight the shadows the forsaken town left her. When she volunteers to make costumes for the theater department she finds herself an ally within Daniel, the woodwork teacher helping with props. Daniel is determined to get Hallie talking but it’s all fun in games until the truth of those involved that day destroys what they were starting to build.

Ohhhhh this was sooo GOOD. It was honest and oh so swoony! Didn’t expect to cry but wow this was amazing. 100% recommend!!

[Athanasia ♥︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this story very much. To be honest, there were many instances that made me cringe especially when the mmc learn that the fmc is a virgin. His reaction also made the age gap feel tabooish... The characters felt also flat but worse the plot seemed illogical...

Tags:
Contemporary Romance🗽🤠🇺🇸
Miscommunication😵‍💫⚠️
Virgin FMC 🌮💦👅
Angst😐😑😬
Mitual pinning ❤️‍🩹💔
Slow burn 🕯🪔 🧯
Grief❤️‍🔥💔
HEA🔔👰🏼🌠

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Bullied in HS and yet she returns to the school years later.. I could never. Props to her!

Hallie was bullied growing up, eventually so bad that she left home right after graduating high school. Being back in the same school with some of the same people, and her bullies' younger siblings isn't something she imagined for herself but she loves the theater. Dan has never been so curious in someone who speaks so little. He knows she went through something and he's willing to do whatever he can to gain her trust and secrets.

I've never related more to a character. I didn't go through exactly what Hallie did but I felt everything with her. High school girls can be the absolute worst and the fact that she conquered her fears and stood up for herself.. I've never been more proud. The growth in Hallie is so beautiful to witness. Dan really helps bring her out of her shell. And the way he grovels.. I LOVED this!

I do wish we saw something, anything, happen to Katie and Ryan. Smh, what douche bags.

Only CON: Needs editing. Lot's of grammar issues that had me re-reading.

[Victoria Arrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a really cute story but the ebook needs to be proofread. In two different place an entire scene is repeated in a different part of the book. I didn’t want to feedback via Amazon because they punish authors for errors and it is a vital income source for many. Hoping the author sees this and can fix the duplications.

[Denim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts soooooo slow really nothing keeps me readin this even after like chapter 10 ....

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book focuses on Hallie I liked her personality in the book. Hallie is back in her home town, doing some work in the costume department. She does not have fond memories of her home town. Daniel is the woodwork teacher, he is going through a divorce. I liked how the relationship developed throughout the book.

[Nineette · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book that I read from this writer. It is a slow-burn between the main characters, but it is all worth the wait. There will be spots in the book you need a Kleenex for. Not only a girl bullied Hallie, but pretty much the town she was raised in bullied her while she was a minor. It shows you some people don’t grow up regardless on how old they get. There are people that are deserve forgiveness.

[Skye Yanovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastatingly Beautiful Story

Have you ever finished a book and just sat there wondering if you should cry? And you don’t know if the tears will be happy tears or devastated tears? That’s how I feel about this book. This book destroyed me…it’s honestly a story I felt I had never read before but I needed to read. It’s so layered and complex on so many levels while wrapped in this beautiful slow burn romance. I just finished and honestly my hands are shaking as I type because this story has rocked me to my core. I LOVE stories that just make me feel everything (happiness, sadness, despair, joy, anger and love) and this is one of them. I honestly say RUN and read this book.

[Marcela · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing first: is the tenth book of the author and I’ve read them all and highly recommend this one as well. I was a little unsure about the main character Hallie when I began reading, but she won me over big time with her quietness and her story. The plot goes like this: Hallie is back in her home town, the same one that didn’t make her childhood- as specially her teenage years - easy or nice, and she begins to do some work in the costume department of the school theater. Daniel is the woodwork teacher, fifteen years older, doing some extra work for the set design of the theater school and finally getting ready to move on from his divorce. Their games, private jokes and the development of their relationship made me fall in love with them and cheer for them the entire time. Plus the whole part in the theater and the Midsummer’s night dream play is a bonus! The amazing thing about this book is that it treats about bullying in a very unique way, and about the effects of it on the people, and the ways people overcome their struggles. Just go read it!

[Jacqueline Bourg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very sweet story

I was in a book slump and said what the heck to this book...I'm SO glad I did. Loved the ending and REALLY loved both the fmc and the mc.

[Cherill Fannin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved his book

This book was so well written. What a heart breaking life Hallie had. Losing her mom so young and dealing with the bullies in her teen years. It wasn’t until Dan took the time to know Hallie that she started to blossom.

[Andrea Wimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful!

Heartbreaking and relatable in many ways. This story was so beautiful, hopeful, full of healing and incredibly romantic! Dan Miller is definitely now my favorite hero from Amy’s books!

[jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t think i have ever been as obsessed with a FMC as i am with Hallie. my heart BROKE for her and what she had been through but then was also pieced back together because of her.

my heart goes out to her and what she has been through and to anyone that has also been in her shoes (myself included) 🖤

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was me, not the book.

safety

-Age gap: h 22/ H 36
- virgin h
-No OM
-OW: H is divorced. He dated a woman after, who turned out to be h's bully (For a few months).
-HEA: Yes, married and a daughter.


TW Bullying (h's bully took naked photos of h, there were other people in the room)

[Pabla is petty ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start this review off by noting I really enjoyed Bring me Back because I have a soft spot for contemporary romances with heroines that aren't always loud, snarky, and assertive. They're typically more relatable for me. Maybe it's because of the other tropes I enjoy, but I don't feel like heroines like that are common.

Silence and quiet action over yelling is deafening, and Hallie's subtle approach to conflicts was often that. Severe bullying by peers during her teen years led her to flee her hometown, but five years post, she returned. She didn't come back vindictive, cunning, or bitter. She returned resolute, determined to find closure in the fact that one's past, no matter how traumatic, doesn't define the rest of their lives.

While I did enjoy this book, I wished the author would have delved deeper into Hallie's experiences with her bullies. I felt readers were often told that her bullies were cruel, but shown very few examples. That took me out of the story a bit. I wanted to feel more hurt and heartbreak, to see Hallie's past.

I also found that Bring me Back and Aggro by Coralee June and Carrie Gray have similar heroines. If you enjoyed BMB and haven't read Aggro, or have read Aggro but not BMB, I recommend them both, especially Aggro!!

“Why are you so quiet, Hallie?” I asked again, my voice barely above a whisper. “Because I can,” she finally replied.— page 31 of BMB

“Cricket, in a room full of people, it’s you who I hear the loudest.”— page 256 of BMB

“Violet Jones was like a scream. Loud. Piercing. You couldn't help but hear her. But you know what, Breeze? I started to like this whisper of a girl. Calm. She flows like the air. Understated but powerful. Potent. Precious. She’s beautiful. And it’s so wrong..."— page 136 of Aggro **Little Whisper :'3**

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It has a lot of emotion and heart in it which I was not expecting.

The heroine reminded me of Melinda from Speak. She is a quiet character with a ton of feelings and pain but also great strength that most people around her struggle to understand. What made the romance, so sweet was how the Hero wanted to understand her and communicate.

The event in the past thats alluded to was terrible and explained why the heroine acted and became the way she was. I have read many books where an event or secret keeps getting referenced that changed the Heroine or relationship ever since, but it turns out to be something minor or mild that makes no sense, but this one was not the case. For those who want to know before reading, the event is Hallie is constantly bullied by this one upperclassman all during school and forced to change hobbies or classes constantly because of her. The bully corners Hallie in the locker room while she was naked with a group of boys and girls, they laugh and take pictures of her while pointing out all her "flaws". They spread the photos across school where she eventually gets blamed for it and accused of spreading the photos herself. The principal never calls her dad or attempts to figure out what happened even though Hallie was a minor and the bully was a coach assistant for the school at the time.

Daniel was a sweet hero but also had quite the dirty imagination when it comes to Hallie. There is a third act conflict that changed my view of him a bit, like Hallie, but he ends up proving himself to be the sweetheart and romantic that he is.

Both Hallie and Daniel go through their own revelations and growth. They are complicated people but perfect for each other.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pacing of this book was… weird. It didn’t really flow like a movie in my head and because of that I struggled to really get into it. Eventually I got used to it and it was more enjoyable. Hallie moved back home after being away for 5 years. Before she left she was bullied and because of that her confidence was way down. Now that she’s back people are recognizing her and still aren’t the nicest to her but she handles it way better than before. Hallie meets Daniel who is quite a bit older than her and just so happens to be her dad’s friend. If you know me you know I love a good age gap story. Hallie is 22 and Daniel is 36. Daniel instantly is drawn to Hallie and they eventually start working together. I loved how patient Daniel was with her and really helped her open up. He was easy to talk to and Hallie enjoyed being around him. It’s a total slow burn situation and at times I felt like it was too slow burn for such a short book. There is a little twist in the book that I didn’t see coming but if I was looking for a twist I’m sure I would have. The book was good and the characters were likable.

[Michele Uratani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que romance bom! De uma autora desconhecida para mim e com a agradável surpresa dela ser brasileira.
É um romance leve que aborda temas sérios como bulling, aceitação, descoberta e introspecção. Gostei demais como a autora abordou os temas, as personalidades dos personagens e suas interações.
Acho que ela conseguiu sair do lugar comum do romance, mostrando uma personagem principal introvertida, um pouco perdida na vida adulta, mas com muita paixão e muita vontade de crescimento pessoal e superação de trauma do passado. Ela é tudo isso e achei o máximo que não houve uma narrativa de mudar sua principal característica (o fato de ser introvertida), apenas de "melhorar" certos aspectos de seu jeito de ser.
Adorei a interação do casal, da química entre eles e da evolução do romance. A trama é simples com bastante nuances, escrita de forma super fluida e com a trama bem desenvolvida, gostei em especial da solução para o arco final.
Recomendo muito essa leitura e com certeza procurarei ler outros livros da autora.

[tensiondiffuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

tropes: small town romance, slowburn, first time everything, age gap, grovel ‼️‼️🫶😭🤭

hallie went back to the town which took everything from her. preferred to stay silent, she kept her secrets at heart and the only thing the town knew about her past were from the words of mouth. she met dan whilst volunteering at her former hs theatre and from there she found a friend in him who was eager to make her talk and learn more about what made hallie hallie. of course, drama happens and there’s grovel (‼️‼️🤭🔥🫶; it was good grovelling according to me)

“you were so busy trying to take the words out of me you forgot you had to give something back”

anyw, the story resonates strongly w me and bless hallie and her heart bc i wouldn’t have gone back to that damn town

[Tiffani Is Reading Obsessively · Rating 3 out of 5]

  I like the nonverbal communications, Hallie and Dan quickly fall into their own language. Something neither their age gap or being surrounded by high schoolers can deter.
    I had a lit of qualms with this book but a Dan wasn't one. 
    My biggest complaint is the editing errors, of which there are many. It stopped the flow of the book repeatedly for me.
    So many connected with this book, I just didn't. I didn't feel it the main character often seemed contradicting and the plot to drive them a part just didn't seem worthy.


But. Seriously. Daniel.
"I was hungry for everything she had to give. First her words, then her laughs and truths. It was endless, took me apart as much as it put me back together. Thirty-six years old and sometimes I felt brand new."

[Gia Violetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this isn't love, what is?

Once I started reading "Bring me Back" it was nearly impossible for me to put it down, I loved every part of it, even when some of them really broke my heart.

Hallie, our quiet heroine went through so much I couldn't help but to admire her resilience, she had my heart in the palm of my hand right away.

Daniel, the man who worked so hard to get words out of her, was absolutely sweet, protective... Amazing, no words.

This age gap, slow burn romance has everything to get you to love the characters, the development of their relationship and the unique way of communicating with one another was just perfect!!

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ this was a beautifully written book. I identified with many things Hallie went through. I wasn’t picked on, teased, and in her case bullied they was she was, but the teasing ever at almost 45 I still struggle with self esteem and wondering if when I say or do something will I get teased for those thoughts. It’s not with everyone. In any case it was a really good emotional book, I had to stop several times not because it was hitting me emotionally. Daniel was an imperfect perfect hero who is protective and had to do some groveling.

[Isla Cornish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve given this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 star read

I loved this standalone book!
Genre: Romance
Age Gap, Past trauma, Slow burn (this is a nice tension burn!) Miss communication, First times, Small Town Romance

She’s a small town girl early twenties and she’s arrived back in town 5 years after leaving from getting bullied. He’s her old school teacher late 30s and her dad’s friend. Their close proximity builds their slow burn and the tension I really liked.

If you like, small town romance & it does have bully reference in it. Definitely recommend this to read!

[Larks Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked from the Start

Loved, loved this story. It had been sitting in my TBR for awhile and I’m so glad I read it.
Hallie our FMC returns home to face her past demons while falling for the wood shop teacher Dan. Dan is the man, as he continues to try and support Hallie and draw out her personality, addicted to learning bits and pieces of her.
The twist at the ending, I knew something was gonna happen but I was so caught in the story I totally didn’t see it coming.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been so good. Great premise, interesting characters, engaging dialogue. But the book is set in the U.S. and needed to have some editing to keep the language consistent, it was distracting and I almost DNF because of it. Also - what happened in the end? There was no mention of what became of the OW and what happened with the school situation. We, the readers, were all left up in the air.

[Chloe98 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really heartwarming book, that touches on overcoming a parental loss, bullying and a broken marriage.

I loved the MC's in this, Hallie is incredibly strong and I definitely feel like she is a relatable character.
Dan is caring and full of charisma. Their love felt genuine and built on trust and love. Also Dan knows how to grovel!!

I reallt quick easy book to read, full of cute moments and will have you smiling throughout.

[E Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

slow burning crickets…

This story took me a while to get into but it was definitely worth the read. My heart died for Hallie to hear her story and I couldn’t hate Dan at the end, I guess he had his reasons???? Ugh. Men. It was crazy to me how most intense part doesn’t start until the last 30 minutes of reading… definitely a slooowwww burn. Loved their story though.

[Mahoganie Gaston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow burn. I hated that Hallie had to deal with so much on her own for so long but I loved the way her dad came through at the end. I wish she would have leaned on him more. In my book, parts got repeated twice so that was confusing. I also wished in the epilogue the biggest incident of Hallie’s life, that we would have got a conclusion on what happened.

[Yanaih · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet

I thought this was a really nice, sweet read. It had great character development that was believable. The romance between the main characters was also realistic and honest. My only wish is that there was just a bit more romance.