When Thea's cousin Aulus comes up missing she wonders if he is part of the June Boys who the Gemini Thief has taken captured. As the mystery starts unfolding Thea starts to feel like maybe her dad has something to do with it. Thea will do anything to find out who has taken her cousin.

The story was a good concept. I liked the beginning but I felt like I never connected with any of the characters and I felt the story start to drag for me. It took me a little longer to get through the book. I just want to say thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this ARC for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. When I requested this book I had no idea what it was about, but I thought I would request it and when I got approved I was happy but apprehensive as some of the reviews were not great. This book surprised me and I actually enjoyed it, this book is full of twist and turns and I think that’s what made it more enjoyable for me. The plot was good and the characters were enjoyable to read about. I would definitely recommend this book and give it 4 stars

This book is full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down. Don, Elizabeth’s father is a quirky man who you want to get know but you also don’t trust. Everyone it seems is hiding things, and just when you think you know who kidnapped the boys, you don’t. It is told in two parts, Aulus writing letters to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth trying to save him. Up until the very end this book kept me guessing, I would definitely read it again. The only problem I had with this book was the Thomas Nelson logo was on every page. Sometimes even twice on the same page which distorted paragraphs and it was confusing to read. Also, in sections of the novel, there were “pictures” of letters written, and I could not make out what they said since the “picture” was split into 4 or more pieces. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an interesting premise but was lacking in several areas.
But first, let's start with the good, which was the mystery/suspense in itself. It was very intriguing and I couldn't help but want to catch the bad guy alongside the characters.
My #1 complaint is the number of characters. They were all introduced at a very rapid rate and I had a difficult time remembering who was who. They were all very similar and did not have distinguishable personalities. I did not connect with any of them, feeling more like an outsider looking in.
I also have to note that I was reading an eARC that had some formatting issues that hindered my understanding of the book due to pages, logos, drawings, and sentences being all over. If you are reading a finished copy of the book, you will not have any issues so ignore this paragraph. I thought this necessary to add to my review to help explain why I gave this book the rating I did.
All that said, I will be bypassing books by Stevens in the future.
Rating: 2 Stars
Content: 4 Stars
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel really bad rating this book at a one star, but it is what it is and here we are.

I had a lot of issues with this book. A LOT. The main thing that bugged me from the beginning is the formatting of this book. First of all, the Thomas Nelson logo was on every page. Sometimes even twice on the same page which distorted paragraphs and it was confusing to read. Also, in sections of the novel, there were “pictures” of letters written, and I could not make out what they said since the “picture” was split into 4 or more pieces. It was really annoying to not be able to see those as they played a pretty crucial part to the story. Also there was a lot of typos and the book overall seemed very unedited.

Anyway. My review.
Going into this book I could already tell there would be a plethora of characters. These characters were very poorly introduced, without any identifiable features or characteristics. They were just there. Suddenly there are 10 characters thrown at you and you don’t remember who is who. I thought the main character, Thea, was in her 20s or 30s at first, turns out she’s in highschool, along with a couple other characters who were her friends. That threw me off as I thought they were all adults and then I realize I’m reading about them being in highschool. None of the characters stood out to me, I didn’t care for them, I didn’t connect with any of them.
The premise of this story sounded really interesting but it just didn’t grip me like I thought it would. I didn’t like the story. I didn’t like the characters. This was just a big flop of a book for me. The storyline was very back and forth and slow and just didn’t make any sense. The “big twist” at the end that revealed who the Gemini Thief was, was just random and weird and didn’t seem planned out. The ending fell VERY flat. I just think this book could have been done a lot better. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.

I am just... so disappointed in this one.

First, let me say that the formatting of this eARC really hindered any enjoyment I might have scraped out of this rather lackluster book. Have huge logos in the middle of every paragraph really took me right out of the story and it was honestly a pain to have to read around them. Even worse were the "letters" that just showed up as next with several pages of empty lined paper.

I've never been a huge Stevens fan but I adore thrillers and this one sounded so, so promising. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to the hype the synopsis created. All of the characters were terribly bland and flat with odd, unrealistic dialogue and interactions. I pushed myself through that, banking on a satisfying payoff, but that never came. It read a lot like a fanfiction- where you're supposed to already know the characters and it's just plot.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. I really wanted to like it as I’m a huge fan of cmCourt Stevens past books but this one didn’t work for me.

First of all there were so many formatting issues that really retracted from the experience and I understand that this is an ARC so I’m sure the final book will be impeccable. But the one I have here had a lot of issues - from just random logos breaking up the text every once and a while sometime multiple times in a page, to the weird disjointed letters that just didn’t make any sense and the bizarre cut up pictures across several pages. That alone was gonna throw off my enjoyment. But the story itself didn’t really work for me either. Just kind of brining and I didn’t care for the characters either.

A miss for me but I will continue to read Court Stevens books because I have enjoyed her work before and even this one was very well written.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The idea of this book really grabbed my attention. Boys go missing and are returned a year later. At first, I struggled with this book. I felt like characters were able to connect dots on opposite sides of the page while bypassing all the ones in between. This made it difficult for me, as a reader, to feel invested because I couldn't play along, but once I got to the halfway point, I needed to keep reading to find out what happened. The story and its events hooked me. I'm glad I stuck it out and finished this one.

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction for an e-ARC of The June Boys by Court Stevens. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Because here’s the real truth: you can’t keep darkness out if he has a key.”

It has been almost 1 year since Thea’s cousin Aulus has disappeared, and in Wildwood, Kentucky boys disappearing points to one thing, The Gemini Thief. The serial kidnapper has been terrorizing Wildwood and the surrounding area for years, named after their M.O. of kidnapping teen boys every year on June 1st and releasing them the following year on June 31st, except this year when a suspected Gemini Thief victim turns up dead just weeks before the usual release date.

When Thea suspects her cousin to be part of the newest group of “June Boys” after his disappearance on June 1st, she and her friends band together, intent on finding Aulus and bringing the kidnapper to justice. The date of the June Boys release is fast approaching when evidence surfaces that implicates Thea’s father as a prime suspect for The Gemini Thief. Now Thea’s search for the kidnapper and her cousin becomes desperate. She grapples with the possibility that the crime she is determined to unravel will end with answers she isn’t ready for, and her own father behind bars.

When I requested this ARC I thought I was going to be getting a typical YA mystery: gathering clues, crossing out suspects, lies, deceit, chasing down a kidnapper. While that’s what initially drew me in, what kept me reading was the relationships between the characters. The mystery, while well plotted, paled in comparison to the intricacies of the family and friend dynamics. What I ended up reading was a beautiful story about trust, grief, hope, and the bonds that can be formed or broken in the midst of tragedy.

There is so much brilliance in Court Stevens writing and style. She writes single sentences that took my breath away, and somehow managed to make Aulus my favorite character, even though he is absent from the central plot. She didn’t need to rely on gruesome or tragic details to write a heart wrenching story. A reminder that everyone has locked basements of secrets.

I am sure this will be one of the top YA mysteries of 2020 and will be quick to captivate students. This title is a must have addition to any 8th-12th grade classroom library.

4.5/5.

This book had such a strong start. As a fan of criminal minds, I loved the mental aspects of this thriller. I really enjoyed the concept of this book and was really enjoying this. However, the middle section of this book felt like a bit of a slog and was pretty slow. Not a whole lot happened. I also felt like the big reveal of who had done it felt almost too surprising, like there weren't enough clues to help the ending make sense. I found it a bit hard to connect with the characters which didn't help with that slower middle part as well.. It wasn't a terrible book, but it wasn't my favorite either.

I had high hopes for The June Boys, but I just didn't click with this book. The concept for the story is good, but something just fell flat for me. Please note: this is a YA novel.

I didn't connect with any of the characters, and sometimes their relationships with each other just felt...odd.

I did receive an ebook ARC of this book, so by publication, these issues may be resolved, but I want to mention them. The ebook has some serious formatting issues in the sections of the book that feature letters written by one of the characters. The formatting issues skew the illustrations drawn, and cause these sections to be very difficult to read.

I considered not finishing this book, but felt that wasn't fair to the author, so I persevered. I'm glad I did, because I really wanted to know what happened to the June boys, and whether or not they were rescued or set free. The conclusion was not what I expected, and while I understand why it was written this way, it just felt somewhat awkward; like this review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an astonishing, captivating, complex, dark, dazzling, deep, dreary story!
After you read its blurb you may imagine how a book’s story can affect you so deeply and put your emotions everywhere. Not easy to read, absorb for every reader!

There is a Gemini thief out there taking three boys and holding them as his captivates from June 1st to the June 31th of the following year. He can be anyone. He can be she. Your pervert uncle, your lovely father, your talkative mother, your creepy teacher or the salesman who tried to convince you buy bibles. The thief is smart, never leaving traces, keeping his identity disguised.

I loved balanced, honest, genuine relationships and deep bond between the characters. All of them were well-rounded and relatable characters. I loved Thea, Nick, Aulus, Gladys and Tank.
At some parts the story moved back and forth too many times which was a little confusing so I went back to read some pages again to make sure I didn’t get any wrong assumptions. But this is brave, dark, unique, gripping book questioning everyone’s motives and confuses the hell of you. This one also killed my spider senses and I couldn’t find the identity of this vicious, terrifying thief.

It was fresh, brand new, different approach, I love YA thrillers. And this book is one of the best examples of them.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for sharing this incredible book’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. For a long time this brilliant author’s “Four Three Two One” is on my tbr list and I should get this book into my hands sooner because I enjoyed her creative writing.

This was so much of very many things! I really enjoyed this book. What a story, with so many layers and delightful oddities and really nice character dynamics.

I loved that there was a sense of whimsy to bits of the story. I loved how love itself was pouring from this book, pouring out of so many of the characters. There was so much vulnerability in the friendships and relationships that I felt glad to read. I loved the back and forth the book did with the suspects, I was so confused in a really fun way, not knowing where it was headed but excited to see the characters trying to work it all out with so many different variables.

The characters of Thea, Nick, Tank, Aulus, Gladys and their love for one another will likely stay with me in fondness when I remember this book. Teary eyes by the story’s close, and I read it in about a day and a half.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own! Thank you!

What an interesting and fantastic premise! Once I began reading, I couldn't put it back down. Things moved a little slowly at first before they finally picked up towards the end and the mystery itself was beyond intriguing.

The June Boys by Court Stevens was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was better than what I expected to be. It's one of the first YA mystery/thrillers that I've read in a long time where I was actually surprised at the ending.

There's so many other things that I loved about this book. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the friend group, I loved how Thee, our main character and her boyfriend Nick were already in an established relationship. That relationship wasn't a main focus of the book, unlike in many other YA books.

Part of the story is told in letter's by Aulus who's one of the boys captured this year. Usually, I feel like letters and flashbacks distract from the main story, but in this case, I felt like it added on to it. It was interesting to know what Aulus was going through as his cousin and friends are desperate to find him.

During the last fifty pages of the book, my heart was racing. I can't give a book that was mentally and physically making me feel so many things anything less than five stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The synopsis of this novel gave me the chills and I knew I needed to request this book. I had high hopes for The June Boys, but I feel like this story just fell flat. The first chapter intrigued me, though there was a lot of information thrown at me I figured it would get discussed in the upcoming chapters. We are also introduced the a lot of characters and they are all very one dimensional.

Most of the time I would have pushed through the above issues but then nothing was really happening and I was bored. I began to dread picking up The June Boys and found every excuse to not read. That’s one I knew this one wasn’t going to be for me.

I’ve seen so many positive reviews for The June Boys so I know for a fact it is going to be a well loved book, but for me I just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early sample!

I'm a big fan of Courtney C. Stevens, so of course, I had to check out her first venture into mystery/thriller. It was a solid read and the twist at the end was well-done. However, it did drag in parts and some of the ARC formatting was hard to read.

3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

Why is the author's name Court Stevens on the cover, instead of Courtney? Is that just for funzies or a legit reason?
The premise of this book was amazing! A girl whose father might be the kidnapper of 13 boys, including her cousin! Sounds like something out of Law and Order! (which is my ALL time fav show btw).

It's a page turner and has you questioning everyone involved in Thea's life. With that being said, it's also written for a younger audience, with juvenile language and depicted behavior.

The June Boys is a mystery/suspense novel told mostly from the perspective of Thea Delacroix. In the story, four boys have been missing for most of a year and one of them is Thea’s cousin.

Throughout the course of the story, I was constantly reassessing and re-examining all the information that had been given so far. From the first page to the big climactic confrontation at the end, I was coming up with new suspects and theories. And yet, I was still surprised by two twists at the end.

I would definitely recommend to both older ya and adult mystery/suspense readers. Also, the tone of The June Boys really reminded me of The Lovely Bones—the way the mystery played out from Thea’s point-of-view just felt very similar to me, though the stories are actually quite different. However, I would recommend this as a readalike to folks who enjoyed TLB.

WOW The June Boys is a great book for fans who love a great mystery. This one had me guessing till the very end. Great characters who you cared about and wanted to see what happened to them. Can't wait to read another one by Court Stevens. Great Book and I believe even readers that tend not to grab a teen novel should pick this one up.