Hi all!
Today I am back to review another new release – The June Boys by Courtney C. Stevens – which was released on March 3rd 2020. I was permitted to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) thanks to NetGalley. 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. They endure thirteen months of being stolen, hidden, observed, and fed before they are released by their masked captor. 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: What if her father is the Gemini Thief? As always, I am going to provide my honest thoughts and let you know whether I think it’s worth checking out or not. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES RIGHT
The formatting of this book is quite interesting. Amid the regular story, there are letters written from Aulus (the missing cousin of the protagonist) to somebody named Elizabeth. These letters include diagrams. They are a bit disjointed in the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) but I still appreciated the mixed media. I was also intrigued to discover the identity of the Gemini Thief. I must admit the reveal was unexpected.
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES WRONG
I did not enjoy this book for several reasons. 1.) It was downright confusing. It wasn’t until over halfway that I began to understand who some of the characters were. I had no idea who was who and how they were related. At one point, the letters from Aulus began to include a character in the present day story which made no sense until I realised the letters were set in the future. That may make things easier for anybody reading this. 2.) It was downright strange. This is not your typical murder mystery. The writing is flowery and poetic which takes away from the typical grittiness of the genre. I found it hard to believe that Thea’s father decided to build her a castle because God told him to. None of it made sense. 3.) Thea never attends school but graduates at the end. The majority of the plot is her trying to solve the case with her boyfriend Nick. There is no chemistry between them and I felt zero connection to a single character or the story. It fell so flat for me. I wish the author would’ve made this novel more relatable.
OVERALL STAR RATING
I gave this book 2/5 stars. Yeah…I wasn’t a fan.
If you are interested, you can order a copy here.
I hope you enjoyed this honest review. Let me know your thoughts down below. I appreciate all feedback. Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: This post contains a link to my Book Depository Affiliate. I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own