CODEBREAKER by Jay Martel is an action-packed young adult novel which is highly entertaining. This debut is written by the husband and wife writing team of Andy Bennett and Katy Helbacka. They have created high school age (or slightly older) characters named Mia and Logan who share an amazing adventure after Mia’s mother, a famous journalist, is killed and her father, a renowned cryptographer, disappears. Mia starts to get coded messages from him that readers can participate in solving. They are fun and illustrate a variety of coding types. The action really picks up when a powerful group takes off after Mia and Logan trying to locate a missing "treasure." The setting is in DC and the city and its history (particularly early post-Civil War times) play a part in the story, too. In addition to probing possible consequences of economic inequality, an underlying theme is whether the official story is always a true one. CODEBREAKER has already appeared on a number of recommended booklists and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. An excerpt is available on Macmillan website and discussion questions are available through Follett Titlewave.
4.5 stars overall

I really enjoyed this one ! Mia and Logan were both great characters and them working together to solve the mystery Mia’s father left her as “one last birthday present” was a lot of fun . There were codes to break, bad guys to run away from, lies to uncover , and some surprises along a way ! A great read

The book info says this was for a YA audience, but the ciphers/codes were way too easy. I think, as it's written now, this might have been better suited for a MG audience.

I did appreciate learning a little more about John Wilkes Booth and the movement to uphold his cause (although I don't know if any of that is true.) Kudos to the Jay Martel duo for focusing on a lesser-explored part of our history. We definitely need more stories that do this!

The plot, however, just wasn't that compelling. There's no real conflict threatening Mia and Logan. They find a code/cipher, break it within 10 minutes, and then move on to the next clue. Mary Surratt shows up once in a while to threaten them, but it's never really clear why Surratt needs them in the first place. She just seems to be a convenient plot device to keep Mia and Logan moving from one place to another. If she's in the CIA, shouldn't Surratt have more resources at her disposal to track down and contain a 17-year-old girl?

Again, the historical piece of it was really interesting, but I came away from this book feeling like it was focusing on the wrong things. The story seemed to want to be more about Mia and her parents; bringing Lincoln's assassination and the connected players into it seemed almost accidental.

For this was 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

This was a fun YA code thriller that I think most teens who love puzzles might enjoy. For me, having read The Language of the Birds earlier this year, it felt similar in many ways but I resonated and connected with the characters less in this book and I couldn’t help but compare the two. However, I’m not the target audience. I still recommend this to any young readers looking for a fun thriller that gets you thinking and noticing patterns and unlocking mysteries.

One of the really clever things about this book is that it allows and encourages readers to break the codes along with Mia. Once the reader has all the information necessary to break a code, a certain symbol appears on the page. At that point, you can pause and break the code or keep reading and see Mia reveal the answers. I love that concept, and I had fun figuring the codes out myself as I read.

The story also kept me engaged. It’s fast-paced with short chapters, so it felt like I was reading really fast. I liked both Mia and Logan, and appreciated that the authors balanced Mia’s focus and intelligence with her fresh grief. There was one thing that I guessed before it was revealed. I don’t think it altered my enjoyment of the story.

Codebreakers feels like a great book for readers aging out of middle grade and into young adult fiction who like intense, action-packed stories. The interactive element would be great for kids interested in codes. I hope there are more books like this in our future!

Loved this action filled code breaking book. It had elements of National Treasure and The Librarians. The characters had depth and the action never ended a fun and quick read.
Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for an advance arc.

Mia Hayes is just looking for a summer job and deciding where to attend college when, one night, government agents come to her home. At the end of their intrusion, her mother is dead and her father is on the run. Mia doesn’t understand how her quiet life could have changed so drastically so quickly.

Every year for her birthday, Mia’s father, a fan of codes, cryptology, and the like, makes her a box with puzzles in it for her to solve to get her present. On this devastating night, he gives her that box, a few weeks early. She has to solve its puzzles this time to find out the truth about her parents.

Mia ends up on the run herself, evading the same agents who came to her home. She is aided by a nice young man she meets at a protest in D.C. Their date night turns into a dayslong search for clues together.

Codebreaker is an entertaining book full of action, mystery, a bit of history, and various codes that the authors teach readers. There are a number of spots where the reader is invited to solve the code after having been given sufficient information to do so. It should be a fun interactive exercise for young readers.

This book is categorized as young adult, and it’s one that definitely feels written on that level. I read a lot of young adult books, and usually I don’t feel “excluded” because I’m not a teenager. Sometimes, however, something about the style of the writing feels pitched a bit too “low” or “young” for my tastes. That’s the case with Codebreaker. It just felt a bit closer in tone somehow to middle-grade, so I didn’t fully get into it. That being said, it’s likely a good bet for teen or tween readers.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a fun read! I love a good scavenger hunt, and the history nerd in me was thrilled to be learning about these different ciphers and codes and the origins of them. I also loved the connection to Lincoln and how it played out.

My favourite part of this book was that the author gave me the chance to solve the codes with Mia. I liked the symbol to tell me where to stop and how they provided the keys to unlocking the codes. I had a ton of fun working them out, and I really enjoyed it.

I thought Mia was a great character. She was relatable and realistic, and I was rooting for her the whole time. Her emotions came through really well, and I thought the author did a great job showing her grief and also her determination.

I really liked Logan’s character, and I liked how he supported Mia through her scavenger hunt. I liked their banter and thought the characters balanced each other well.

The pacing was good. It started off intriguing and then it got intense. Once the scavenger hunt really got under way, I was hooked. I did predict correctly some of the people involved, but I liked seeing how it was connected. I also liked the different memories Mia returned to as she was solving the various codes.

This was a super fun and fast-paced read with lots of codes and clues and great characters.

Codebreaker by Jay Martel is an absolute blast. Mia Hayes has spent her young life traveling around the world with her parents. He mother is a reporter and her father is a professor…or so she thought. Her entire life gets flipped upside down when her family gets a visit from a stranger one night demanding to know where something is. something her father has apparently stolen…and he and the other armed men he are with aren’t going to take no for an answer. The confrontation leaves Mia’s mother shot and her father on the run, but that’s just the start of a wild scavenger hunt that Mia must undertake to discover the truth. If you are a fan of elaborate puzzles, like those seen in the National Treasure film, this book is for you. Likable characters, exciting/tense situations, and twisting story, and of course puzzles to figure out made this one an absolute winner. What is really fun is that many of the puzzles you can work out for yourself. The author has made it so you are given all the information you need to encode the puzzles in the book, even leaving you a mark to let you know to try and decode the messages for yourself before they reveal Mia encoding it. It’s not something you have to do, but I found it a fun little interactive element you don’t find in many books. While the book features a teen as the main characters I think this one that many adults will enjoy as well. This would make a heck of a streaming series. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Codebreaker.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codebreaker-jay-martel/1146167715?ean=9781250355546&bvnotificationId=6f9446e2-6aa2-11f0-b3e2-0e4b45f3d41d&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/352846070

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC.

I never realized how interesting codes and cyphers can be.

But let’s be real—Codebreaker isn’t just a thrill-seeking story, where you uncover the clues the same time as Mia. It’s also a heavy and heartbreaking story, where Mia is struggling with the loss of her parents while simultaneously running from the bad guys.

I enjoyed the historical and political aspects of the story, and I was hooked on the puzzle solving bits. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next.

Overall, this was a quick and interesting read and I loved the concept of solving the puzzles with the main characters.

This book was fantastic!!! I loved the main character and the story was intriguing and fast paced. I loved the twists the story took and how everything wrapped up in the end. Definitely a great YA read!

This is a standout debut perfect for upper-middle school and high school readers who love puzzles, history, and high stakes adventure. Mia is a sharp, relatable heroine whose journey through grief, trust, and self-discovery is just as compelling as the conspiracy she's unraveling. The codebreaking element adds an exciting, hands-on layer that invites readers to think critically and engage deeply with the story.

Fast-paced, educational, and emotionally grounded, this is an excellent addition to any school library. Readers will be hooked and itching for a sequel!

I had a lot of fun with this. I loved how the author lets you know at the beginning that you can read normally, or at certain points, when you are given a symbol, you have all the information to solve the code yourself. I did both.
The story is fast-paced and full of twists and turns. And while I did figure out a couple of them early on, it didn't dim my enjoyment of the story at all. There are a lot of historical facts woven throughout the story, it really seamless, and it's done in such a way that makes me want to do some research of my own.
I loved following Mia as she followed her father's scavenger hunt and figured out the truth of what really was happening the day her life changed forever.
I flew through this, loved the interactive nature, loved the national treasure type scavenger hunt, and loved Mia as our main character. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever this author comes out with next.

Lots to like about this book. I found Mia to be a really great MC. I thoroughly enjoyed her quick brain and her recollections about her family's past. I am not a code breaker, so I really didn't get into the problem-solving aspect of this story, though I think for the right reader, it would be really fun. I liked Mia and Logan's relationship and the tension the two of them had together. I liked the sprinkling of lesser-known history and the ties to current events. All in all, it was a fun book.

This was a really fun YA read. It reminded me of when I was younger and read The Da Vinci code.

My favorite part was trying to solve the codes before the author revealed them.

His writing style is really fun to read and I loved the characters and story he created.

An original plot with engaging and entertaining puzzles to solve, along with the characters. Some are harder than others and will make you think. It's definitely a challenge that will engage those who say there is nothing to read.

Rating: 4.5/5

A book where the main characters are sent looking for clues through our nation's historical sites? Sign me up!

Likes:
- I liked the characters of Mia and Logan. They are both complex characters with interesting backstories who handle their problems realistically.
- I really liked how the book gave you what you needed to solve the clues yourself. It was fun to challenge myself.

Dislikes:
- I don't really have much to dislike from this book to be honest. It was a fun engaging read that fully kept my attention.
- there were a few grammatical errors and one error with a code, but that can be easily fixed prior to final publishing.

Overall, this was a really fun and fast read. It read like a mix between The DaVinci Code and National Treasure with the clues based on historical facts, items and places. If you're a fan of either, i definitely recommend this book!

I picked up Codebreaker because I was instantly hooked by the idea of solving a mystery through real codes - and I loved that the author actually invites you to try cracking them yourself before the story moves on. It made the whole experience so much more immersive and fun, like I was part of the mission alongside Mia and Logan.

The codebreaking element was definitely a highlight for me, and I really appreciated how seamlessly the book wove real historical references into the adventure. It gave the story more weight and made the stakes feel higher - like National Treasure but with more danger and depth.

Mia is such a smart and determined character, and Logan is a total scene-stealer! He’s a mix of sarcastic rebel and loyal partner-in-crime, and their banter was genuinely funny and charming. Their dynamic brought some much-needed lightness to a pretty intense storyline, and I loved watching their relationship develop under all that pressure.

There were plenty of twists that caught me off guard, and the final stretch of the book had me racing through the pages. The ending was so incredible! Probably my favorite part - tense, emotional, and a great payoff to everything that came before.

My only reason for holding back a star is that some parts felt a tiny bit rushed, especially early on when the plot first kicks off. But once it found its rhythm, I was completely in.

If you’re into puzzles, secret government plots, or just love a good high-stakes treasure hunt with a dash of romance, this one’s worth checking out. This book is smart, engaging, and seriously hard to put down!

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Codebreaker by Jay Martel took me by complete surprise!
This YA debut novel was wonderfully written, with amazing puzzles to solve along the way.
The propulsive action was non stop.
The characters are fun and engaging.
The writing is absolutely amazing!
I can’t wait to see what this husband and wife duo creates next!

Great young adult book. It reminded me a little of National Treasure or The DaVinci Code. I loved it and read it in one day.