The June Boys is simultaneously devastating, captivating, and edge-of-my-seat thrilling; I read it on the heels of a book I absolutely loved, and not only did it not disappoint, it held it's own.

So the blurb pretty much captures what's going on here - every year (mostly), three boys are taken from rural areas in the Southern US, held for a year by the anonymous Gemini Thief (minor quibble; he changes about halfway through the book to Welder but apparently has also been that all along), and then returned. Thea's cousin has been taken, but as a fourth; and she's doing her best to both find him and prove he's another victim.

First and foremost, the writing is just delicious. I read maybe a sentence of this book before requesting the galley, and I'm happy to report the quality is consistently fantastic throughout. Each word feels well-chosen, polished and placed in order, but so organic that when the whole thing comes together it feels like it's found the place it was always meant to be. There's a really luscious quality to this book, and I could happily re-read it right now just for the pleasure of those beautiful sentences.

The story itself captured me too, it's not just a work of art with beautiful sentences saying nothing that ever matters; no, the emotional factors at play here feel real and raw, people bouncing off each other and finding comfort in turns.

This is a fantastic book, and I had a wonderful time. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The last 100 pages will keep you on the edge of your seat! Don't miss this twisty thriller!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eGalley of "The June Boys" to read and review.

I really wanted this novel to be a home run for me - especially as it was one of my most anticipated reads. It was definitely intriguing from the first page, and the big mystery at the heart of the story (who is taking the June boys?) kept me turning all 368 pages - even when I wanted to put the book down. While the potential for this novel was staggering, I was ultimately left confused and unsatisfied.

Without going into spoilers, I was hoping for a fast-paced thriller/mystery with some realistic crime background. What I experienced was an incredibly slow-paced story with next to no background. For example, the June boys are returned after 13 months - why didn't we get to hear more of their stories? If this had been going on for over a decade, why didn't we have a better idea of what was to be expected? Instead, it felt like a never ending list of potential suspects, which left me tired and, ultimately, bored. I was often confused by the timeline, and felt as though certain plot points had no basis in logic.

What I wanted was a compelling mystery where the stakes were high and the characters were well-developed. I wanted to root for the June boys and all of those people trying to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, that wasn't my experience and I found myself just wanting to story to end.

📖 BOOK REVIEW⠀📚
BOOK: The June Boys
AUTHOR: Courtney C. Stevens
@quartland
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published: March 3, 2020
https://amzn.to/39dgs8o

The premise of the June Boys intrigued me: 3 boys get picked up, kept for a year and then returned. But then one ends up dead and the family of one of the kidnapped boys works to figure out what happened. The story is told in part by a narrator and part from the letters written by one of the kidnapped boys. There is a slight mismatch of the timeline which you can figure out pretty easy if you are looking for it.

The bad thing about this book for me is that in the Arc I received, the formatting was off so the letter portion of the book was very hard to read. Nevertheless, it was satisfying and a little shocking to find out who was the actual thief. There is a TON of misdirection in this book for sure and I can’t even talk about why. But the analytical part of me definitely worked overtime on this one!!!

Small Summary:
The Gemini Thief could be anyone. Your father, your mother, your best friend’s crazy uncle. Some country music star’s deranged sister. Anyone.
The Gemini Thief is a serial kidnapper, who takes three boys and holds them captive from June 1st to June 30th of the following year. The June Boys endure thirteen months of being stolen, hidden, observed, and fed before they are released, unharmed, by their masked captor. The Thief is a pro, having eluded authorities for nearly a decade and taken at least twelve boys.
Now Thea Delacroix has reason to believe the Gemini Thief took a thirteenth victim: her cousin, Aulus McClaghen.
But the game changes when one of the kidnapped boys turns up dead. Together with her boyfriend Nick and her best friends, Thea is determined to find the Gemini Thief and the remaining boys before it’s too late. Only she’s beginning to wonder something sinister, something repulsive, something unbelievable, and yet, not impossible:
What if her father is the Gemini Thief?
*****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The June Boys follows the story of Thea and her boyfriend Nick after Theas cousin Aulus goes missing they presume he has been taken by the notorious Gemini Thief, a kidnapper who snatches 3 boys every second year and keeps them for exactly 13 months before dumping them unharmed.

On this arc copy there is a really annoying ‘Thomas Nelson since 1798’ slogan at the top of every other page, sometimes in the middle of the text. It’s really off putting!

A few chapters in and it’s giving me Truly Devious and Sadie vibes. The main character Thea is trying to solve the disappearance of her friend Aulus and trying to prove that he’s been kidnapped by the Gemini Thief even though there’s a major break in his usual patterns, Aulus went missing on June 2nd instead of the usual June 1st and he was the 4th boy to go missing instead of the usual 3. When one of the boys is found dead on the same stretch of motorway that the boys are dumped on he is found with a keychain in his mouth, a keychain that Thea knows is unique to 2 people, herself and Aulus.

My only thoughts at around the 30% mark is who the hell is Elizabeth? I’m also not sure if they are laying enough ground work for possible suspects, it’s not reading as much of a mystery when there’s currently only one suspect. I hope it picks up a bit.

Thea is a complex character, I can’t figure out if she’s a realistic representation of a teenage girl or not or if she’s just a needy annoying twat. It’s like she cares more about Nick than she does for her Dad or her missing cousin. I’m not entirely convinced if that makes sense or not to the overall plot.

Nicks sister Dana is a cop who is investigating the Gemini case and Thea goes from feeding her bits of information from her own mini investigation to hiding bits, not sure if this is trying to show her inner conflict or if it’s just disjointed. I’m really starting to see quite a few plot holes and unanswered questions.

I don’t think ‘The Elizabeth Letters’ added anything to the story, if anything they just make things more confusing

All the chapters are just ‘May’ I would have preferred dates included as a lot of things are happening over a 1 month period and it would have been nice to see a more detailed timeline of events, it also would have helped build the tension coming up to the end of June as the reader has no idea if the remaining boys will be released or not. I know the dates are briefly mentioned in the bulk of the text I just think it could have been a bit more structured.

There’s a few really irrelevant characters such as Constance, what is she really adding to the story apart from her god crap 🙄

The big reveal wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, I really wanted more from it if I’m honest!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

The Gemini thief is a very peculiar kidnapper. He took three boys and hold them captive for 13 months, observing and caring for them. Then they are released. But everything changes when one of the boy is found dead.
Thea finds herself involved into an investigation, with her friends trying to understand Who Is the Gemini thief.
The story is brilliant, captivating and even though I had problem with the formatting I was able to enjoy this book.

Based on the summary, I expected this to be a fast-paced, engaging mystery, but I didn't find that to be the case. I've never read anything by this author, and I might consider picking one up in the future, but I'm not sure.

First, there were some formatting issues with my copy, but that didn't play into my review. I just wanted to point it out, and I hope it's fixed int he finalized copy.

This is one of my favorite genres to read, and I've read a ton of thrillers. I had higher expectations for this one. There wasn't much character growth, and the dialogue felt stilted. I had a hard time connecting with the characters (or even caring about what happened to them). There wasn't much action to maintain my interest. Overall, it was lackluster.

The Gemini Thief is a serial kidnapper who takes three boys from June 1st to June 30th of the following year. The June Boys are held for thirteen months before being released. They aren’t harmed, only observed and cared for except for this year when one of the boys turns up dead. Along with the death of this boy another has been taken which is out of the ordinary. Thea Delacroix’s cousin Aulus is missing and she believes he has been taken by the Gemini Thief. Together with her friends Thea tries to piece together what has happened to Aulus and tries to save him and the other boys before it’s too late.

This story sounded so interesting and so promising. Unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. I think part of the reason is because of the formatting of the e-arc. There are letters in this which are almost unreadable at times because of how it was formatted. I would have to skip ahead a few pages to finish a sentence, then backtrack to read the next paragraph. This would take me out of the story and honestly leave me a bit frustrated.

Besides that I did enjoy the mystery of the story and trying to figure out who the Gemini Thief is and where the boys were being held. Part of the plot is that Thea’s father could be the Gemini Thief and it was interesting to think what if someone that close to you could be this horrible person? I didn’t enjoy that aspect at first, but as the story progressed I liked how Thea wasn’t sure who to trust and she started to second guess everything.

I did have trouble at times remembering which characters were which. There were quite a few who didn’t have much of a personality which left it hard to distinguish who they were just by their name. As well as some of the relationships just didn’t make sense or weren’t explained well at all. Also, I felt like the amount of information the FBI was giving to Thea and her friends was unrealistic. Thea’s boyfriend's sister is in the FBI and she would basically give them evidence and help them along the way, which would never happen in real life and made it hard to believe.

If this was formatted correctly I think this would have been more of an enjoyable read. It had such an interesting concept and I enjoyed the writing when I was able to follow it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The June boys is about a serial killer named the Gemini Thief who takes three boys, hold them captive from June 1st to June 3oth of the following year and then they are released after being unharmed and well taken care of. It also follows the story of Thea Delacroix who believes the Gemini Thief has taken her cousin Aulus McClaghen. However, one of the kidnapped boys turns up dead and changes everything. Thea and her friends set out to find the elusive Gemini Thief and the kidnapped boys. The characters were very easy to attach to and the writing style was easy to digest. Not only was this story heartbreaking but it was also hopeful because we got to follow along with the characters and see what happens.

Thank you netgally for this arc to review
Bummer! I actually DNF this. It started out so strong and found myself wanting more and more. I tried to connect to the characters and couldn't. At about 55% through the book was more of a chore so I DNF it.

Due to the formatting of this eARC, I unfortunately won’t be able to read and review it for my blog. I found what I was able to read very interesting and do plan on reading The June Buys after it’s been released.

The June Boys is a dark and captivating story about a girl who’s searching for cousin. Thea’s cousin Aulus falls victim to being kidnapped by the Gemini thief. The Gemini thief steals boys for a year and then returns them unharmed. Thea is searching for Aulus. Among this Thea learns her dad has kept secrets. He’s been building a castle and Aulus has been helping him. And he was the last to see him before he was taken. Thea’s dad is now number one suspect. This book was full of mystery, intrigue, family drama, and hardships. The story is told back and forth between Thea and Aulus writing letters to a girl named Elizabeth while in captivity. The beginning sucked me in. The middle fell flat, long, and boring however the story picked back up at the end. My true review is more of a 3.75 out of 5 stars.

‘“Careful with that hope,” he said.
“Careful with that doubt,” I retorted.’

I was worried about this one after reading reviews, but I actually ended up enjoying The June Boys. The story is like a darker Nancy Drew. A large cast of characters with a few main ones. One being a victim whose POV is shown mostly through letters, and the other being the one trying to solve the Gemini kidnapping whodunit. The start is a bit of an info dump, and the middle is a bit of a drag, but the last third of the book is entertaining and it outweighs any of the negatives for me. While I do agree with other reviewers of the ebook copy, the formatting was quite a bit distracting. I think certain parts of this story were confusing and less impactful because you’re distracted by images of paper. I’d love to see what these notes actually look like in the final book, because I think they will be a cool addition and have the intended effect!

“Monsters don’t always look like monsters on the outside, and maybe they’re not always monsters,...“

If you’re looking for a YA thriller that’s like a Nancy Drew and Criminal Minds love child, then I highly recommend this story.

I have passed on most thriller/mystery novels over the past few years due to them all sounding like the same plotline, and they usually are. This one, however, seemed pretty intriguing. Court Stevens does a great job setting up the storyline of boys being kidnapped and then release a year and month later. Can you guess what month? The part that piqued my interest was why they were being returned? Most thriller/mystery ends with the kidnapped dying or some epic way of being found, they, in this case, were being released.

The main character Thea narrates the whole story. She is strong, brave and thinks through everything. Court Sevens also adds in letters that one of the kidnapped boys writes. This definitely allows us as the reader to get to know the boys on a more personal level and what they are going through. I would try and guess who the kidnapper was and the motives, but there were so many twists and turn that I was surprised who it was at the very end!

It was a great quick read. I hate most people gave low stars based on the formatting of the PDF ARC and not the story itself. Highly recommend for high schoolers and up.

I love crime TV shows, but for some reason, I never read thrillers or mysteries. I went out of my reading comfort zone and I really enjoyed The June Boys. The writing felt a little choppy at times, but the characters were interesting and the plot definitely kept me on my toes. There were moments when I wanted their investigation to move a little quicker, but I never knew who the Gemini Thief was until it was revealed. Every time I thought I had a guess, everything would shift and I’d be back to wondering. Thea was a good narrator and I felt for her situation. I was never quite sure how I felt about her boyfriend, Nick, but when he revealed his insecurities I appreciated the complexity of their relationship more, and her relationship with her best friend, Gladys, was really wonderful and touching. Thea’s kidnapped cousin, Aulus, was probably my favorite character though. We get to know him, and the rest of the “June Boys,” through the letters he writes in captivity that are sprinkled in among the normal narrative. It was such a brilliant tool that Stevens used to make us invested in the kidnapped boys and move the plot along. This book definitely had some subtle Christian undertones, which I personally am normally not a fan of, but in this case, I thought it worked because it was mostly dealing with hope. The ending was surprising and had a double twist that I did not see coming. Overall, I thought this book was well done and would recommend it to any YA mystery fans.

This was such an interesting read! It was nothing like the previous Courtney Stevens book I've read, but it was such a fresh of breath air. It was engaging and unique and everything I could have wanted wrapped up into a single book. I wish I could read a million books just like this.

I recommend this title for middle school libraries and up. There is also a discussion guide at the end--making it an easy choice for book clubs.

<i>The June Boys</i> is an intriguing story about a serial kidnapper (The Gemini Thief) who strikes every June--hence the title. On June 1st, three boys are captured and kept for 13 months--being released the last day of June the following year. This concept of a structured, timed kidnapping is what I found intriguing. The story begins unfolding in May, a month before the current June Boys are expected to be released. One of this year's June Boys is Aulus McClaghen, a cousin to Thea, the main character who has spent the past year obsessively investigating the ongoing mystery of The Gemini Thief. As the story and investigation continue to develop, Thea knows she is getting very close to discovering who The Gemini Thief is; and all signs are pointing to her dad.

Stevens has all sorts of awesome gems throughout her writing: “You meet Noah after the flood, you think, <i>That brave, faith-filled, visionary man.</i> You meet him before and you're like, <i>What a nut job.</i> Perspective and timing matter. Sometimes you have to accept that you might not be able to see the truth from here.”

What I liked: The storyline is full of twists and unexpected plot developments! The characters are unique. Readers will keep turning the pages to see how it will all end. Throughout the book, the reader is given letters/drawings from Aulus as he is being held--I love his vulnerability and voice. He is my favorite character.

What bothered me: The characters are developed in small pieces and are difficult to connect with or really even determine "who" they are; the lack of emotions as the story unfolds is unrealistic as is the involvement of the teens with the FBI--I doubt the FBI would allow an agent so close to the family of a victim to be involved and share the information that was shared with Thea and Nick.

***I do not recommend reading the e-book due to complications with Aulus's letters/pictures displaying incorrectly--jumbling the lines. (Which is why some reviews of this title are low on Goodreads; while I wouldn't rate a book according to its format display issues, it looks like some unfortunately have.)

~ Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

DNF @ 13%

I simply don't have time to read mysteries that don't peak my interest within the first few chapters. To be fair, I watch way too many crime shows and movies, so it's hard to immediately engage me in a mystery unless it's very new and creative. This one is just way too similar to countless Criminal Minds episodes I've seen to want to continue.

P.S. The e-ARC was so horribly designed it was basically unreadable. That's not the author's fault, but the publisher should hear this. Pictures randomly showed up as broken images and words skipped and jumped around all over the place to the point where it was incoherent.

I really enjoyed this story. The mystery was compelling, I didn't want to put this book down until I found out how it all ended. The religious elements were a little weird and the formatting on the letter chapters was awful but the story itself was really fun and interesting.

A compelling story of shocking twists and dizzying turns that tells a commonplace murder mystery but from a new perspective, one I've rarely seen in young adult fiction. Court Stevens tackles what we fear most: what if the monster is someone we know? The June Boys kept me on my toes from beginning to end. I found myself frantically turning the page needing to know what happened next, what the newest clue was or the biggest drop of information.
The writing was well-paced and the interwoven Elizabeth letters were at once scary, confusing, and hopeful. I'm glad there was an explanation at the end as to who Elizabeth was, there was nothing else within the story to come to that conclusion naturally. I'm not sure if there needs to be something, I think this is definitely an author/editor choice, but as someone who is familiar with the Elizabeth Smart story, it did not immediately connect or in fact ever come to mind. This could be a personal bias as I was more focused on the setting of the story and the facts therein and was thinking less big picture.
I loved the care and attention that was given to Thea, Nick, Gladys, and Tank. They each had their own specific personality and distinct behavior pattern. It made the group dynamic far more exciting and heartbreaking. Thea especially was fascinating to witness since she was dealing with the most mental and emotional trauma for the majority of the book.
I also really really loved the inclusion of the town's reaction to both the initial arrest and at the end as well as Thea's commentary on it. It felt so unique and poignant and just so clearly necessary and how it was handled was so amazing that I'm genuinely mad that I can't think of any other books that have done it.
I'm so honored and pleased that I got the privilege to read this in advance, thank you so much to Thomas-Nelson for giving me this truly splendid opportunity.