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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
A good coming of age story but a less well done mystery. That doesn't mean I wasn't engaged. I wanted to know what happened. This didn't need the drama of murder and whatnot to be a sweet and intense story. It seemed to be disconnected between Flynn's coming of age and January's fate. The characters seem older than 15 to me, but maybe that's because I'm an adult now and don't remember being that articulate as a 15 year old. (See how my review is also disconnected? That's how this book felt).
As far as missing person books go, I'd say this one was pretty good. There are only a few endings this type of story can have, so the ending itself wasn't particularly surprising, but the journey of getting there was enjoyable. There were twists and turns and misdirections with little bits of romance. I wouldn't call it a romance novel though, there wasn't enough in it for that.
4.5 stars rounded up!
So this book is 50% mystery, 50% coming of age, and 100% excellent. I know I read this and White Rabbit out of publication order, but frankly, I think this is the stronger book by a decent margin. The characters acted more like teenagers and, well, real people, for one thing, and the plot flowed at a much more believable pace, and was more realistic. I connected so much more easily to Flynn and the events happening to him.
While I figured out the whodunit early on, I thought the mystery aspect of the novel was well executed. This is a dark book, and deals with some heavy, uncomfortable themes and subjects. I was ready to be angry about some things, but ended up really loving the way they were handled in the end. I think my one gripe here is the character who was killed, but it played well enough into the psychosis of the bad guy that I can forgive it.
And the coming-of-age part of the story was just perfect. I enjoyed every moment of it. Flynn grows so much in the two weeks this story covers, and it's handled so well. I felt like I was right there with him every step of the way. And Kaz is so great. :')
And finally, Caleb Roehrig gets extra brownie points and an upgrade from 4.5 stars to 5 for the Teen Wolf references. I knew I liked him for a reason! :D
So this book is 50% mystery, 50% coming of age, and 100% excellent. I know I read this and White Rabbit out of publication order, but frankly, I think this is the stronger book by a decent margin. The characters acted more like teenagers and, well, real people, for one thing, and the plot flowed at a much more believable pace, and was more realistic. I connected so much more easily to Flynn and the events happening to him.
While I figured out the whodunit early on, I thought the mystery aspect of the novel was well executed. This is a dark book, and deals with some heavy, uncomfortable themes and subjects. I was ready to be angry about some things, but ended up really loving the way they were handled in the end. I think my one gripe here is the character who was killed, but it played well enough into the psychosis of the bad guy that I can forgive it.
And the coming-of-age part of the story was just perfect. I enjoyed every moment of it. Flynn grows so much in the two weeks this story covers, and it's handled so well. I felt like I was right there with him every step of the way. And Kaz is so great. :')
And finally, Caleb Roehrig gets extra brownie points and an upgrade from 4.5 stars to 5 for the Teen Wolf references. I knew I liked him for a reason! :D
Review link: https://booknerdmomo.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/arc-review-last-seen-leaving-by-caleb-roehrig/
Last Seen Leaving had me riveted from the very first line to the very last. It was gripping and full of twists that not only had me gasping out loud at times but had me second guessing everything I was thinking at every possible turn. I was on the edge of my seat! I kept trying to come up with theories about who did what, what would happen, and what had happened – I was wrong every single time (and I enjoyed that aspect). As far as my first experience with the mystery/thriller genre (when it comes to books) is concerned I would say that this was a raving success. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was unforgettable, and probably one of the best books I’ve read this year!
This book, as stated in the synopsis, is about Flynn’s girlfriend January having vanished and the mystery surrounding her disappearance. It’s a mystery that Flynn is desperate to solve and the reader is whisked away on this dark and twisted journey with him. As he begins to uncover secrets that January kept hidden he is forced to face his own secret alongside those revelations. Last Seen Leaving is Flynn’s own personal journey as well – his journey of acknowledging who he really is and learning to accept and embrace it. In a nutshell, while the reader is gripped in the claws of this haunting tale they also get to see the transformation Flynn goes through in terms of his sexuality (which is made pretty obvious straight away). That journey of self-discovery brings with it an unexpected romance that I won’t go into detail about but it was incredible and I loved it.
Caleb Roehrig wove so many different layers and stories into this book and it was enchanting and incredibly well done. Combine that with his writing that was practically spellbinding and you have a book that is impossible to put down.
I feel like this was equal parts character driven and plot driven. There is a cast of very colorful characters in this book – some are horrible and you’ll hate them and some you’ll adore or end up adoring. I won’t go into detail about the characters because to do so would spoil everything.
I will say that I, obviously, adored Flynn and his journey. He was a funny, sarcastic, and charming character who, despite everything, is probably the person who cared for January the most and would do anything if it meant she was found and safe.
January was so complex and at times I wasn’t sure how I felt about her but ultimately I ended up respecting her more than any of the other characters.
And don’t even get me started on Kaz! I won’t give away anything but he was my favorite and I loved him.
This is one of those times where I will be as vague as possible in a review because I went into this book blind and I believe it’s better if you do that. I wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction nor would I have been as riveted if I would have known any specifics that were not already common knowledge beforehand.
However, I do want to point out that this book is a dark book. It does have light moments but at its core, Last Seen Leaving has a very realistic and scary vibe to it. The topic of rape is broached, there is violence, gruesome scenes, and a lot of bad things happen. The reason I’m pointing that out is because I know there are people that might not want to be blindsided by certain things in a book.
That aside, Last Seen Leaving will sink its claws into you and not let go until you turn the final page. There are so many twists that leave you guessing and a shocker of an ending that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor.
Another auto-buy author for me as I definitely can’t wait to see what Caleb Roehrig has in store for us with his future books.
I received this eARC via the publisher from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
All quotes are from the ARC and subject to change.
“There was a corpse in my neighbor’s front yard.”
Last Seen Leaving had me riveted from the very first line to the very last. It was gripping and full of twists that not only had me gasping out loud at times but had me second guessing everything I was thinking at every possible turn. I was on the edge of my seat! I kept trying to come up with theories about who did what, what would happen, and what had happened – I was wrong every single time (and I enjoyed that aspect). As far as my first experience with the mystery/thriller genre (when it comes to books) is concerned I would say that this was a raving success. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was unforgettable, and probably one of the best books I’ve read this year!
“January McConville is missing, son. She never came home from school on Tuesday night, and no one’s seen or heard from her since.”
This book, as stated in the synopsis, is about Flynn’s girlfriend January having vanished and the mystery surrounding her disappearance. It’s a mystery that Flynn is desperate to solve and the reader is whisked away on this dark and twisted journey with him. As he begins to uncover secrets that January kept hidden he is forced to face his own secret alongside those revelations. Last Seen Leaving is Flynn’s own personal journey as well – his journey of acknowledging who he really is and learning to accept and embrace it. In a nutshell, while the reader is gripped in the claws of this haunting tale they also get to see the transformation Flynn goes through in terms of his sexuality (which is made pretty obvious straight away). That journey of self-discovery brings with it an unexpected romance that I won’t go into detail about but it was incredible and I loved it.
“I sure as hell couldn’t tell Wilkerson and Moses about all of that, not in front of my mother. Well, we had this huge fight, because she wanted to have sex and I didn’t, because … because … A trill of fear spiked through me, my head whirling and my stomach turning over just at the thought of it,”
Caleb Roehrig wove so many different layers and stories into this book and it was enchanting and incredibly well done. Combine that with his writing that was practically spellbinding and you have a book that is impossible to put down.
I feel like this was equal parts character driven and plot driven. There is a cast of very colorful characters in this book – some are horrible and you’ll hate them and some you’ll adore or end up adoring. I won’t go into detail about the characters because to do so would spoil everything.
I will say that I, obviously, adored Flynn and his journey. He was a funny, sarcastic, and charming character who, despite everything, is probably the person who cared for January the most and would do anything if it meant she was found and safe.
January was so complex and at times I wasn’t sure how I felt about her but ultimately I ended up respecting her more than any of the other characters.
And don’t even get me started on Kaz! I won’t give away anything but he was my favorite and I loved him.
This is one of those times where I will be as vague as possible in a review because I went into this book blind and I believe it’s better if you do that. I wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction nor would I have been as riveted if I would have known any specifics that were not already common knowledge beforehand.
However, I do want to point out that this book is a dark book. It does have light moments but at its core, Last Seen Leaving has a very realistic and scary vibe to it. The topic of rape is broached, there is violence, gruesome scenes, and a lot of bad things happen. The reason I’m pointing that out is because I know there are people that might not want to be blindsided by certain things in a book.
That aside, Last Seen Leaving will sink its claws into you and not let go until you turn the final page. There are so many twists that leave you guessing and a shocker of an ending that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor.
Another auto-buy author for me as I definitely can’t wait to see what Caleb Roehrig has in store for us with his future books.
This was a really solid YA mystery with a cute m/m romance. It was really interesting (although sad for Flynn) to see how January was lying to basically everyone she knew in different ways. The romance between Kaz and Flynn was super sweet. It’s also always fun for me to read things set in Ann Arbor (they canvassed the Arb! That’s literally across the street from where I work!).
Spoiler
I figured out that January’s drama teacher was involved in what happened to her fairly early on, but I didn’t understand how exactly her family was involved, and I didn’t guess that she was still alive until just before it was revealed, so I think the book did a really good job of not making the mystery too obvious.Spoiler
It did seem a little fast to go from Flynn denying he kissed Kaz back and that he was straight to him blurting out to the police in front of his parents that he was gay (like, I get that he was desperate to make them believe he couldn’t have impregnated January, but still), but that’s just a minor complaint. And I loved his parents’ reaction to finding out. And I also loved after the confrontation with the drama teacher, Kaz realizing he didn’t want to just be Flynn’s friend and kissing him in front of everyone. They were just so cute!!!
4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc.
"Sometimes it's just hard to deal when your life changes so much overnight. Even if it seems like it's changing for the better."
SPOILER AND TRIGGER WARNING
The main character is gay and has to come out before he is truly ready to. Also, mention of rape and an older male who preys on teenage girls all while making himself look like the victim.
Flynn's whole world changes when he gets home from school one day and finds the police waiting for him. His girlfriend is missing, and no one knows where she is and he is a suspect. Except his girlfriend hadn't been telling people the truth about them or really much of any truth to anyone about anything. But no one knew this until she was missing until it was too late for her.
You see Flynn is just a fairly normal teenager before his girlfriend goes missing. He goes to school, spends time with his best friend and hangs out with parents on the weekend all while seeing his girlfriend when she's not too busy. Not something that makes for a great alibi when it comes to being a suspect in a missing person case. Especially when said missing girlfriend had been lying to her new friends about how awful a boyfriend Flynn was. Now I'm not saying that they were a great couple or anything like that, but they had been okay for the most part until things suddenly changed and January started acting different and wouldn't tell anyone why. That left pretty much everyone in the dark once again when it comes to why she is missing and why she went missing.
In fact, the police don't really seem to have much interest in figuring it out, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even have tried at all if January's step-dad hadn't been running for a public office. This leaves Flynn with trying to figure it out on his own, with the little information he has from January's coworker and the nicknames she would call people from her new school.
Overall I enjoyed this story. Flynn was a likable character, who wanted to find his girlfriend even though he was confused about his own feelings. He still truly cared for her and felt bad about using her until he felt comfortable enough to come out. In his own unromantic way he really did love her and wanted her in his life, it just took him a little while to realize that. As for January, I don't agree with all the lies she told, I also get why she did it. What happened to her was awful and she knew no matter what happened, because of her new stepdad's career choices it wouldn't be her decision like it should have been. I felt for both of the characters and I hope someday maybe they'll see each other again.
"It was crazy to think how much had occurred in such a short span of time, how drastically my life had changed- how little would ever be the same about Now that had been about Then."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc.
"Sometimes it's just hard to deal when your life changes so much overnight. Even if it seems like it's changing for the better."
SPOILER AND TRIGGER WARNING
The main character is gay and has to come out before he is truly ready to. Also, mention of rape and an older male who preys on teenage girls all while making himself look like the victim.
Flynn's whole world changes when he gets home from school one day and finds the police waiting for him. His girlfriend is missing, and no one knows where she is and he is a suspect. Except his girlfriend hadn't been telling people the truth about them or really much of any truth to anyone about anything. But no one knew this until she was missing until it was too late for her.
You see Flynn is just a fairly normal teenager before his girlfriend goes missing. He goes to school, spends time with his best friend and hangs out with parents on the weekend all while seeing his girlfriend when she's not too busy. Not something that makes for a great alibi when it comes to being a suspect in a missing person case. Especially when said missing girlfriend had been lying to her new friends about how awful a boyfriend Flynn was. Now I'm not saying that they were a great couple or anything like that, but they had been okay for the most part until things suddenly changed and January started acting different and wouldn't tell anyone why. That left pretty much everyone in the dark once again when it comes to why she is missing and why she went missing.
In fact, the police don't really seem to have much interest in figuring it out, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even have tried at all if January's step-dad hadn't been running for a public office. This leaves Flynn with trying to figure it out on his own, with the little information he has from January's coworker and the nicknames she would call people from her new school.
Overall I enjoyed this story. Flynn was a likable character, who wanted to find his girlfriend even though he was confused about his own feelings. He still truly cared for her and felt bad about using her until he felt comfortable enough to come out. In his own unromantic way he really did love her and wanted her in his life, it just took him a little while to realize that. As for January, I don't agree with all the lies she told, I also get why she did it. What happened to her was awful and she knew no matter what happened, because of her new stepdad's career choices it wouldn't be her decision like it should have been. I felt for both of the characters and I hope someday maybe they'll see each other again.
"It was crazy to think how much had occurred in such a short span of time, how drastically my life had changed- how little would ever be the same about Now that had been about Then."
I have only recently gotten into YA fiction. Often, these books fall flat because they feel like a watered down version of an adult novel. Less description, less character development. That was not the case with Last Seen Leaving!
I found myself drawn into the characters. And Roehrig's writing style is very moving. Nearly every chapter had a mini-cliffhanger. I found myself wanting to continue reading. I also enjoyed the use of flashbacks to introduce background but also tie in elements of the story.
It is clear that the author spent time developing his characters beyond the pages of this book. He knew their personality. As a result, he kept their behaviors consistent throughout the reading.
If there was a flaw in the book, I would say that at times the language seemed a little advanced. It didn't feel like something that a 15-year-old would say or think.
Overall, however, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys YA or a good mystery. I look forward to future books from Roehrig!
I found myself drawn into the characters. And Roehrig's writing style is very moving. Nearly every chapter had a mini-cliffhanger. I found myself wanting to continue reading. I also enjoyed the use of flashbacks to introduce background but also tie in elements of the story.
It is clear that the author spent time developing his characters beyond the pages of this book. He knew their personality. As a result, he kept their behaviors consistent throughout the reading.
If there was a flaw in the book, I would say that at times the language seemed a little advanced. It didn't feel like something that a 15-year-old would say or think.
Overall, however, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys YA or a good mystery. I look forward to future books from Roehrig!
That was different than I was expecting. I thought I had it figured out and I definitely didn’t. I wish they would have continued the story with one of the characters though, they show up for awhile and then just disappear without much text or explanation. The ending of the book had some twists I was not expecting.
So far 2017 has been the year of me liking things with some pretty serious reservations, as is the case here.
Last Seen Leaving is a sort of Gone Girl meets coming out story hybrid, and while both facets kind of work, I'm not sure they work together, and there are parts of both I wasn't a huge fan of.
I found the missing girl portion of the story a bit lacking in intrigue, I had guessed correctly pretty early on, and it's treatment of a couple of female characters was pretty troubling. Without giving away any spoilers, something pretty horrible happens to a minor character, and it isn't made out to be nearly as big of a deal as I thought it should have been.
The coming out/romance part of the book worked more for me, but I'm never a big fan of 15 year olds dating college students.
I did still enjoy the book though, I read through it pretty quickly, there are just a few problematic elements.
Last Seen Leaving is a sort of Gone Girl meets coming out story hybrid, and while both facets kind of work, I'm not sure they work together, and there are parts of both I wasn't a huge fan of.
I found the missing girl portion of the story a bit lacking in intrigue, I had guessed correctly pretty early on, and it's treatment of a couple of female characters was pretty troubling. Without giving away any spoilers, something pretty horrible happens to a minor character, and it isn't made out to be nearly as big of a deal as I thought it should have been.
The coming out/romance part of the book worked more for me, but I'm never a big fan of 15 year olds dating college students.
I did still enjoy the book though, I read through it pretty quickly, there are just a few problematic elements.