A review by alex9
Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Objectively, this was a decent thriller, well written and compelling enough that I read most of it in one sitting. However, the main issue that started to ruin it was the

inappropriate relationship between Lucas and Maya. As someone who literally meets the teenager while working as his speech therapist, the fact that she reciprocates his feelings is gross. He initially gets attached to her because she reminds him of someone else from a traumatic memory, and she makes barely any efforts to discourage this, even at first. The age gap is 4 years, which in some contexts wouldn’t be an issue, but with him still being 19 and her being 23, it added another layer to the creepiness. Maya does not face any repercussions for engaging romantically with her younger patient, and they even get an epilogue where they’re still together and happy years later. She actually gets upset that she is no longer able to work with him after another employee catches them kissing on an outing. Overall this made Maya an extremely unlikable character, and while not every character has to be a good person to make a book good, the fact that the reader was supposed to be rooting for her, especially without her addressing or acknowledging that she took advantage of her vulnerable teen patient, definitely lowered my rating of the book.