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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
it was enjoyable enough, but there's insta-love and i guessed the bad guy... and i have never guessed the bad guy. like, ever.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape
I enjoyed this so much. If I hadn't started reading this right around when I was in the process of moving all my earthly possessions, I could have easily finished it in a few hours - it is absorbing and compelling and moves incredibly well. There are many things being balanced here, everything from a transformative story of a traumatic event and a murder mystery, along with Flynn's own story of coming to understand who he is as a person and specifically as gay. Flynn seems believably teenaged in this to me, fumbling his way through parts of the investigation, making mistakes but always passionately invested. I especially liked Flynn's friendship with Micah, which I think reflects a part of the coming out process that isn't often tackled in fiction. Overall one of my fave books of 2016.
I have a new favorite mystery. Last Seen Leaving wasn’t even really on my radar until Angie from Lady Knight Reads told me to pick it up. I’m so glad I listened to her. Last Seen Leaving, Caleb Roehrig’s debut novel, is one of those books that I’m going to be pushing on everyone now.
Pros:
Flynn: Characters can really break or make a mystery novel. If your characters are boring and straightforward, you’re going to be able to guess what happened right from the start. Lucky for readers, there is not a single boring or straightforward character in Last Seen Leaving. Flynn Doherty, main character and ex-boyfriend of January, is perfection. I can’t honestly tell you everything it is that I love about him because there is too much. I went through a myriad of emotions alongside Flynn. It was so easy to see how much he cared for January and not knowing what happened to her really tore him up. He was so confused by everything going on in his life. He had no aspirations towards being a detective but he was unwilling to let January’s disappearance go unsolved. He was tenacious and rather fierce when it was called for. He was so loyal and he did not take his friendships lightly.
January: You never actually see January except in flashbacks from Flynn’s perspective. She’s very much a mystery. Flynn sees her one way and only starts to realize that there was much more to her once she has gone missing. It’s hard to say what January was really like though because she put on a different face for every person in her life. I think it’s part of what made her disappearance so intriguing and unsolvable. Nobody knew the real January except for January.
Mystery: Like I said, this is one mystery that I could not solve. Sure I could figure out little pieces of it but there was always much more to it. Flynn didn’t really have a clue what he was doing when it came to solving the mystery but he was willing to try anything to find out what happened to January. Because of that, he tended to stumble upon things that other people overlooked. He was a little clueless at times and there were times when I wanted to knock some sense into him but he really was a pretty good detective.
Romance: The romance in Last Seen Leaving was really very subtle and well done. Flynn obviously had a lot on his plate with January’s disappearance but he ended up getting help from an unexpected source. Kaz was a coworker of January’s who really only offered to help Flynn because he considered January a friend. They got off to a rocky start but Kaz and Flynn were pretty perfect together. Theirs was not a relationship that just popped up overnight though. They both had way too much going on to just jump into things and they really didn’t know each other. I liked seeing them get to know each other and build upon their blossoming friendship.
Overall, Last Seen Leaving is an impressive debut from Caleb Roehrig. I’m excited to see what is next from him!
Pros:
Flynn: Characters can really break or make a mystery novel. If your characters are boring and straightforward, you’re going to be able to guess what happened right from the start. Lucky for readers, there is not a single boring or straightforward character in Last Seen Leaving. Flynn Doherty, main character and ex-boyfriend of January, is perfection. I can’t honestly tell you everything it is that I love about him because there is too much. I went through a myriad of emotions alongside Flynn. It was so easy to see how much he cared for January and not knowing what happened to her really tore him up. He was so confused by everything going on in his life. He had no aspirations towards being a detective but he was unwilling to let January’s disappearance go unsolved. He was tenacious and rather fierce when it was called for. He was so loyal and he did not take his friendships lightly.
January: You never actually see January except in flashbacks from Flynn’s perspective. She’s very much a mystery. Flynn sees her one way and only starts to realize that there was much more to her once she has gone missing. It’s hard to say what January was really like though because she put on a different face for every person in her life. I think it’s part of what made her disappearance so intriguing and unsolvable. Nobody knew the real January except for January.
Mystery: Like I said, this is one mystery that I could not solve. Sure I could figure out little pieces of it but there was always much more to it. Flynn didn’t really have a clue what he was doing when it came to solving the mystery but he was willing to try anything to find out what happened to January. Because of that, he tended to stumble upon things that other people overlooked. He was a little clueless at times and there were times when I wanted to knock some sense into him but he really was a pretty good detective.
Romance: The romance in Last Seen Leaving was really very subtle and well done. Flynn obviously had a lot on his plate with January’s disappearance but he ended up getting help from an unexpected source. Kaz was a coworker of January’s who really only offered to help Flynn because he considered January a friend. They got off to a rocky start but Kaz and Flynn were pretty perfect together. Theirs was not a relationship that just popped up overnight though. They both had way too much going on to just jump into things and they really didn’t know each other. I liked seeing them get to know each other and build upon their blossoming friendship.
Overall, Last Seen Leaving is an impressive debut from Caleb Roehrig. I’m excited to see what is next from him!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
"Son, when was the last time you saw her?"
This is Flynn's worst nightmare. Last time he saw his girlfriend they fought, heated words, and haven't spoken since. He thought he'd let her cool down. He thought maybe they'd talk in a few days.
But the next thing he knows, the cops arrive at his front door, asking him where he was....and when the last time was he'd seen his girlfriend.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this story. I was completely engrossed in Flynn's story and the struggle to understand what was going on with January. I liked the way the events unfolded, the secrets that were revealed and the way his parents embraced and loved and protected him.
I didn't think the end was that surprising (don't you just sense a big twist?!) but it didn't take away from the story at all - highly entertaining!
This is Flynn's worst nightmare. Last time he saw his girlfriend they fought, heated words, and haven't spoken since. He thought he'd let her cool down. He thought maybe they'd talk in a few days.
But the next thing he knows, the cops arrive at his front door, asking him where he was....and when the last time was he'd seen his girlfriend.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this story. I was completely engrossed in Flynn's story and the struggle to understand what was going on with January. I liked the way the events unfolded, the secrets that were revealed and the way his parents embraced and loved and protected him.
I didn't think the end was that surprising (don't you just sense a big twist?!) but it didn't take away from the story at all - highly entertaining!
3.5 stars. Original combination of YA coming-out story and missing teenager mystery. Enjoyed the character-based aspects of this story, while the mystery aspects were kind of formulaic. I especially liked the complications that arose as Flynn starts talking to people and discovers discrepancies in what January has been saying to others. (This aspect kind of got lost near the end, but was well done earlier on.) Would definitely read another book by this author.
Enjoyable and quick. Agree with the others that this was a better coming of age story than murder mystery - the mystery aspect is pretty predictable and I guessed most of it pretty early on. That said, Flynn is a great character who “feels” like a real teen, and I was totally invested in his story as he tried to process some complicated feelings about his missing girlfriend.
While very predictable (I think I'm way too used to being aware of thrillers trying to get foreshadowing past me), I am going to agree with what I read in some reviews about the coming-of-age part and dealing with sexuality being way more interesting than the mystery itself.
However, this book does induce quite a lot of tension and even anxiety in me. I enjoyed the little side-romance, though I would've expected it to be a little more present, but still, I found it effective.
The final twist - which was considered a possibility by the book itself at least 3 times in its duration -, felt lazy. Incredibly lazy, in fact. But I did enjoy the writing a little, but I feel like the premise needed a little bit more work into it: I didn't really care for January, and as "girl gone missing" books tend to go, she's not painted in the most positive light for a good chunk of the book.
However, this book does induce quite a lot of tension and even anxiety in me. I enjoyed the little side-romance, though I would've expected it to be a little more present, but still, I found it effective.
The final twist - which was considered a possibility by the book itself at least 3 times in its duration -, felt lazy. Incredibly lazy, in fact. But I did enjoy the writing a little, but I feel like the premise needed a little bit more work into it: I didn't really care for January, and as "girl gone missing" books tend to go, she's not painted in the most positive light for a good chunk of the book.