Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This felt like Law and Order SVU if instead the teenage boyfriend who reveals he's gay to the detectives actually was the detective.
Probably the best part of this was that Roehrig wisely chose to make it so that Flynn really did love January and deeply mourned her loss. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her.
Probably the best part of this was that Roehrig wisely chose to make it so that Flynn really did love January and deeply mourned her loss. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Outing
Moderate: Rape
I enjoyed LAST SEEN LEAVING so much more than I expected to because there are so many more elements at play here than just the mystery. There's the added deception that Flynn perpetuates as he struggles to keep his sexuality a secret, and the romantic tension that develops when he finds himself falling for one of the other characters. There's an exploration of families, both good and bad, and an ongoing discussion of how girls who attempt to report crimes are rarely, if ever, taken seriously. There are more than enough plausible suspects to keep readers guessing, and the fact that I correctly guessed the perpetrator for a change did nothing to lessen my enjoyment of the story.
I'm already eager to get my hands on whatever Caleb Roehrig writes next.
I'm already eager to get my hands on whatever Caleb Roehrig writes next.
3.5? I liked everything about this book. . . except for the central mystery. So that's unfortunate. But luckily, there was enough to keep me liking and engaged. I think what I appreciated so much was the care that was given to January's story line. Without going into it, there's a lot of tough stuff there, and I think it would have been easy to just rob her of agency in her back story, and that never happens.
Both a YA thriller and a bildungsroman about a teenage boy coming out to himself and his loved ones as gay, Last Seen Leaving does a good job of handling both. Flynn's girlfriend January breaks up with him when he refuses to have sex with her. She accuses him of not liking girls, which he vehemently denies. That is the last time Flynn ever sees her. A few days later, the police appear at his doorstep with the news that January has gone missing. And they of course have questions for her (ex-) boyfriend. He lies to the police about the last time he saw January, because if he tells anyone that they broke up over his not wanting sex, they may guess that he is gay.
Flynn doesn't harbor sexual feelings for January but he does love her and hopes she has just run away from her jerk of a stepfather and is hiding out with friends. He launches his own amateur investigation to try to find her. In the course of his search, he befriends a new guy who he secretly has feelings for, but struggles to admit it to himself.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book, which I wish had been further developed, is that it turns out that January is a chronic liar. She told everyone in her life lies about everyone else in her life. She told her coworker that Flynn was a terrible, unsupportive boyfriend. She told Flynn her coworker told her she should date older guys. She told Flynn that she hated everyone at her new school. She told her classmate that Flynn wouldn't go with her to a dance at her new school (that she never even Flynn about). She made up lies to gain sympathy from her audience. This is a fascinating dimension to January, and I thought that Roehrig would dig deeper into this - and what it meant to Flynn that January was never who he thought she was. But this isn't explored further.
Flynn having to finally come to terms with his sexuality in the pressure cooker of a missing persons investigation - and while developing a crush on a new guy - was compelling and the mystery aspect of this was overall satisfying.
Flynn doesn't harbor sexual feelings for January but he does love her and hopes she has just run away from her jerk of a stepfather and is hiding out with friends. He launches his own amateur investigation to try to find her. In the course of his search, he befriends a new guy who he secretly has feelings for, but struggles to admit it to himself.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book, which I wish had been further developed, is that it turns out that January is a chronic liar. She told everyone in her life lies about everyone else in her life. She told her coworker that Flynn was a terrible, unsupportive boyfriend. She told Flynn her coworker told her she should date older guys. She told Flynn that she hated everyone at her new school. She told her classmate that Flynn wouldn't go with her to a dance at her new school (that she never even Flynn about). She made up lies to gain sympathy from her audience. This is a fascinating dimension to January, and I thought that Roehrig would dig deeper into this - and what it meant to Flynn that January was never who he thought she was. But this isn't explored further.
Flynn having to finally come to terms with his sexuality in the pressure cooker of a missing persons investigation - and while developing a crush on a new guy - was compelling and the mystery aspect of this was overall satisfying.
Suspensefull story with a few twists. But the ending left me wanting a little more detail.
Overall a very enjoyable book.
Overall a very enjoyable book.
Let me start by saying that I think this blurb is pretty misleading. That isn't necessarily a bad thing-the 'secret' that Flynn is keeping is fairly obvious to guess and when I started this book, I was quite worried that it would be expected to carry the whole thing. Thankfully that doesn't happen and it gets revealed relatively quickly. This led to a much stronger book than I was expecting from the first few chapters but I can also see some people potentially being disappointed or annoyed that the story isn't exactly what the blurb implies. This isn't a 'doubt the narrator' kind of thriller.
What Last Seen Leaving is is a fantastic and engaging story with a vibrant plot that keeps you on your toes. I must say that I found the book to be incredibly well-paced. Excluding my little niggle with the beginning, the author weaves in nuggets of information precisely where they should go to keep the story flowing. There is plenty going on in this story and while it could easily have come across as unrealistic and childishly dramatic, the mature tone and the characters keep it grounded in reality.
Speaking of the characters, they're all pretty strong here. There is quite a bit of the frustrating 'why don't they just tell the police' thing going on but on the whole, people behave realistically and understandably given their respective personalities. Flynn is average but likeable, and the more you learn about January, the more your heart breaks for her. January's parents were very well done and they made for interesting characters. Her stepbrother I felt could have been developed more and I would have liked some more information about him than what we got. There is one thing in particular with him which never gets explained, which I will mention below in my spoiler section.
Spoiler section here:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I haven't had much luck with YA thrillers as they tend to be over-dramatic and unrealistic, but Last Seen Leaving stands out from the crowd. If you want to read an intriguing and well-paced mystery with a bit of a lighter tone than most adult thrillers, then this is the book for you.
Overall Rating: 4/5
What Last Seen Leaving is is a fantastic and engaging story with a vibrant plot that keeps you on your toes. I must say that I found the book to be incredibly well-paced. Excluding my little niggle with the beginning, the author weaves in nuggets of information precisely where they should go to keep the story flowing. There is plenty going on in this story and while it could easily have come across as unrealistic and childishly dramatic, the mature tone and the characters keep it grounded in reality.
Speaking of the characters, they're all pretty strong here. There is quite a bit of the frustrating 'why don't they just tell the police' thing going on but on the whole, people behave realistically and understandably given their respective personalities. Flynn is average but likeable, and the more you learn about January, the more your heart breaks for her. January's parents were very well done and they made for interesting characters. Her stepbrother I felt could have been developed more and I would have liked some more information about him than what we got. There is one thing in particular with him which never gets explained, which I will mention below in my spoiler section.
Spoiler section here:
Spoiler
Okay, so I did not like the fact that January survived at the end. The stuff with her family made sense (kind of) but it was too contrived and convenient for me. Also it kind of turns her into a bitch because it makes her responsible for Reiko's death (as Reiko wouldn't have confronted the drama guy and gotten killed without January running away). Speaking of which, I had absolutely no idea who the drama guy was when he was initially revealed as being the suspect. I'm sure he appeared earlier in the story but I wasn't so much surprised as confused because he was such a non-entity to me. Finally, what was the deal with the banana scene her stepbrother described? Did that really happen or not? I assume he was just a creep but some confirmation would have been nice.Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I haven't had much luck with YA thrillers as they tend to be over-dramatic and unrealistic, but Last Seen Leaving stands out from the crowd. If you want to read an intriguing and well-paced mystery with a bit of a lighter tone than most adult thrillers, then this is the book for you.
Overall Rating: 4/5
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
I will not lie, the second half of the book really did pick up the pace and grab my attention. Last Seen Leaving opens with one of the most captivating and alluring first paragraph that I have seen in quite some time. It starts out strong, sinks into a little puddle of slow and bothersome, and picks right back up again like an express train right to your station.
Disclaimer: his novel does touch upon the sensitive subject of rape. That being said, it also gives us a fleshed out teenager on the verge of understanding his sexuality all the while coming to terms with the fact that his girlfriend has been decreed missing. What a crazy time to be alive. Roehrig has a fascinating command of dialogue, witty narrative, and really allows his cast of characters to come alive in their voices. On the other side, there are some characters whose abrasive nature are the only trait they possess, whom aren't given enough screen time to be fleshed out, or secrets that are never truly revealed in the end. And while it does bug me, I understand the need to get the biggest secret disclosed. I only wish to have a little more light shone on certain moments, like January's need to string together a slew of lies about Flynn. But being someone who, like Flynn, gets strung up on the vital and obscure information that no one else would know meanwhile having to just rely on your gut instinct, I can face the fact that not all secrets can be revealed.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really enjoyed the mystery behind it all. Even though, by the end of it, all of my inner understanding of the legal process thanks to television had me screaming at the stupid decisions Flynn ends up making despite the means to further the plot. Why must stupid, unlawful actions further plot? I digress. Throughout, I was actually using my hand to cover the bottom parts of the page just so my eyes didn't wander and spoil the secrets for me. I am very bad at spoiling myself.
Disclaimer: his novel does touch upon the sensitive subject of rape. That being said, it also gives us a fleshed out teenager on the verge of understanding his sexuality all the while coming to terms with the fact that his girlfriend has been decreed missing. What a crazy time to be alive. Roehrig has a fascinating command of dialogue, witty narrative, and really allows his cast of characters to come alive in their voices. On the other side, there are some characters whose abrasive nature are the only trait they possess, whom aren't given enough screen time to be fleshed out, or secrets that are never truly revealed in the end. And while it does bug me, I understand the need to get the biggest secret disclosed. I only wish to have a little more light shone on certain moments, like January's need to string together a slew of lies about Flynn. But being someone who, like Flynn, gets strung up on the vital and obscure information that no one else would know meanwhile having to just rely on your gut instinct, I can face the fact that not all secrets can be revealed.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really enjoyed the mystery behind it all. Even though, by the end of it, all of my inner understanding of the legal process thanks to television had me screaming at the stupid decisions Flynn ends up making despite the means to further the plot. Why must stupid, unlawful actions further plot? I digress. Throughout, I was actually using my hand to cover the bottom parts of the page just so my eyes didn't wander and spoil the secrets for me. I am very bad at spoiling myself.