Thea has spent the last several months trying to solve the mystery of her cousin Aulus' disappearance. Although the police have determined that Aulus ran away, Thea knows he is the 13th victim of the Gemini Thief. This serial kidnapper has been terrorizing their town for nearly 10 years. Every year or so, the Gemini Thief kidnaps three boys on June 1st. The boys are held captive for 13 months, when they are returned on June 30th. No one knows who the Gemini Thief is, but Thea and her friends are sure they can solve the mystery. When the clues start leading toward her eccentric father, Thea isn't sure who she can believe.

The June Boys has a really good premise for a mystery, and the whole idea of the Gemini Thief is extremely well done. The letters that Aulus writes from captivity give added depth to the story. The problem lies in the idea of the Castle. This pervasive plot element is confusing and detracts from the actual story of the kidnapped boys. While this will appeal to some readers of "missing person" mysteries, I think that there are elements that will cause students to lose interest. The audio was well done, but the "interview" after the epilogue was strange.

Wow!! This book is just so....much. Complicated and heartbreaking, exciting and emotional, complete and leaving you with some longing to understand.

I fell in love with the author with her first words in "Sage Advice" at the beginning of the book. The initial chapters took some concentration, just becoming familiar with all of the characters and the setting. Everything meshed quickly though, and the characters endear themselves to the reader and the Wildwood setting becomes another character in itself, as does the entire concept of trauma.

Stick it out if the beginning feels complicated. The rest of the book is worth it, for sure. If possible grab the audio book too, for (I think) additional content that speaks of pain and healing and the future of the June Boys.

Amazing story. Truly..

The June Boys is a gripping mystery. One where I thought I'd figured out the "whodunnit" element time & time again, and time & time again I was turned around to start reassessing! A solid 4+ stars book for me (my personal definition of 4* is "a book that gripped me & that I am going to be actively recommending")

The Gemini Thief kidnaps 3 boys on June 1st, holds them for 13 months, and then releases them back to the community. Then the following year, they do it again. 2009 one of the boys taken is Thea's cousin Aulus. Aulus is her best friend - more like a brother than a cousin - and Thea, along with 3 of Aulus' other friends, become consumed with trying to crack the case & find the missing boys.

The cast of characters is littered with people with secrets - anyone of them could be the Gemini Thief. Should Thea be looking close to home to find the culprit? Wouldn't she KNOW if her father or one of her uncles or her godfather was capable of such a crime? Maybe, maybe not.

The story is told primarily from Thea's point of view, but is interspersed with letters from Aulus while he is held captive. The non-linear timeline between the two points of view caught me off guard initially but once I worked it out it was fine.

The twists & revelations kept me hooked, and I truly didn't see the identity of the kidnapper coming, or the final harrowing twist right before the end. The writing style was brilliant & didn't have the feeling of 'dumbing down' that can sometimes come with a book pitched as a YA novel. This was the first book by Court Stevens I have read but I will be looking out for her others.

I listened to the audiobook & loved McKenzie Fetters narration, I did feel that Gabe Wicks' voice felt a little "old" to be the voice of teenaged Aulus, but he conveyed the sadness, lack of energy, & loss of hope that Aulus was feeling.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson for this eAudio download in return for my honest review.

This was a great book. A wonderful suspense novel.
I loved this storyline. The plot. Its very good.
I enjoyed the narration. Easy to follow along and listen to.
Overall wonderful