Review: Come With Me by Ronald Malfi

 Aaron Decker didn’t know when his wife Allison left their home on a cold December morning that it would be the last time he saw her alive. Her last request to Aaron, “Come with me,” still ringing in his ears hours later when he is identifying her body in the morgue. Living with the guilt of not accompanying Allison on her fateful shopping trip, as well as for the distance the couple had been experiencing in their marriage as of late, Aaron can only function if “Other Aaron” takes over and pilots him through his life--work, eating, accepting condolences, and activities of daily life that are too daunting for Aaron. But even “Other Aaron” can’t help Aaron when the memories--and ghost-- of Allison begins haunting him.

When he begins to go through Allison’s belongings, he finds a mysterious receipt for a seedy motel paid for in cash--a trip she took without him. Thinking the worst, he frantically searches their home, only to find a gun and a folder full of dead girls from all over the country. What was Allison hiding from him?

I really don’t want to give anything away or spoil the story, but this book was just….wow. Come With Me is one of my top books of 2021, no contest. First off, Malfi’s choice to tell this story as if Aaron were in conversation with Allison was brilliant. It instantly immersed me in the story. Aaron is a likable and sympathetic protagonist, you feel his pain and confusion throughout the book as he sets out to finish Allison’s unfinished business. Second, this book will make you question relationships both familial and romantic and leave you thinking, “How well do we ever know our loved ones?”

This book was creepy, heartbreaking, and will have you hooked from page one. Please make sure you read the author’s note after the story is finished, it is a beautiful testament to the friendship of the author and the inspiration for the book.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #TitanBooks for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.