Name: The June Boys
ISBN: 9780785221944

Courtney C. Stevens

From award-winning and highly acclaimed author Court Stevens comes a heart-wrenching story of small towns, rumors, and thirteen missing boys.

A Novel

The June Boys

lisa roeling 

Court Stevens

High school senior Thea Delacroix, aided by her friends, seeks to catch the Gemini Thief, who abducts and releases boys unharmed--including her cousin--but begins to fear the criminal is someone very near.

I was immediately drawn in with the premise and was so excited to delve into this book, but it just didn't live up to expectations. I expected to get more insight on the June Boys but it was mainly about Thea's life (which is actually pretty boring). It's also very slow paced. Over 300 pages and the surprises are few and far in between, while also being very drawn out to the point where I just had to google a synopsis because I just couldn't sit through it anymore. Maybe my expectations were too high and that's what made this book so unenjoyable for me, but I just could not finish this book.

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Sheila Goicea

I'm excited to be a part of the THE JUNE BOYS blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from March 3rd - March 9th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication. 

Content Warning: Kidnapping, Death of a minor, Imprisonment, Abandonment, Shooting by gun, Survival

  We live in a strange world where women walk men to their vehicles, where we are worried their safety might be compromised before our own.

June 1st is a feared date for young men. The Gemini Thief has kidnapped boys for a decade--always on June 1st. After his disappearance, Thea believes that her cousin, Aulus McClaghen, had become one of the Thief’s captives. The boys are always returned home the following year on June 31st. That is, until one of the kidnapped boy’s body is found along the notorious highway where the kidnappings take place.

The Gemini Thief is very good at what they do. They never leave tracks. They kidnap without a hitch. They do it all for…? Why would someone kidnap boys only to return them thirteen months later, for the most-part, unharmed? This mystery employs all matters of investigation when it comes down to uncovering the truth of their identity. Unfortunately for Thea Delacroix, she believes the kidnapper may be her father. 

  You meet Noah after the flood, you think, That brave, faith-filled, visionary man. You meet him before and you’re like, What a nut job. Perspective and timing matter. Sometimes you have to accept that you might not be able to see the truth from here.

As Thea partners up with her boyfriend Nick to uncover the truth behind the kidnappings, they also uncover strange secrets that Thea’s father has been keeping from Thea for years. Abandoned by her mother long ago, Thea’s father and his eccentricities has left her somewhat abandoned by him as well. The secrets and obsessions all begin to point to the true question, could he be the kidnapper?

The June Boys reads like one big conversation--but not a pleasant one due to the content discussed. In truth, the e-ARC was not very reader-friendly, which hopefully won’t be the case with the completed Ebook (which I can’t imagine that won’t be formatted differently). The story is written in third person and alternates between the main character Thea, and “Dear Elizabeth” letters written by Aulus, Thea’s kidnapped cousin. 

The June Boys ultimately touches on several important aspects, but focuses on desires that emerge from past hurts combined with mental health, and how those desires can turn into something dangerous. Several important discussion starters are brought up throughout the entire investigation of this story, that I wish overall were delved into more deeply. When the kidnapper is revealed, the motivation behind the kidnapping is heart-wrenching and much more complex than someone looking for a twisted “thrill.” The discussion questions at the conclusion do offer the opportunity for deeper personal examination on some of the points touched on throughout the story. 

Overall, this riveting read offers a complex look at some of the most difficult scenarios life can throw at unsuspecting individuals.

Vulgarity: None.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: Minimal to Moderate considering the nature of the story.

My Rating: ★★★

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Lena

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with this ARC for review!

If you're looking for a mystery that won't scare you and leave you afraid in your own home then this is a perfect pick! Typically that is just what I need, I need an interesting twist and low scare factor bc I ~have an anxiety disorder~ already and don't need more reasons to be scared every second. 

This didn't have that interesting twist for me though, there wasn't space for us to guess who it could have been because the narrative dragged us from suspect to suspect without giving us enough information about the other people. I'm sure you could have guessed the twist but it would have been just that, a guess. 

If you're looking for something not too hard to get through, pick this up. Maybe listen to the audiobook!

The story
There was something enchanting and intriguing about The June Boys. There was also something dull and disappointing.

The concept of a mysterious person religiously kidnapping children is something that immediately had me interested in this new release by Court Stevens. It spoke to a dark and ongoing story - something with depth and background and suspense. But the execution just wasn't there. 

Our main characters, Thea, her friends and her family were overall pretty dull. Yes, her father had this weird quirky thing with a castle. Which, I honestly still don't get. But, there was no depth to the odd father-figure, or any other, character.

The story itself was interesting. I enjoyed the twists and the conjecture of whodunnit. But the story was nowhere close to a thrilling story. Even the sections of the story where we encounter the perspective of the captive boys was - underwhelming.

And then there was the ending. Which honestly, while I didn't straight-up hate it, just felt incredibly out-of-left-field.


The narration
While I was lucky enough to get access to both an eARC and an audiobook edition, I primarily picked this story up with the latter.

The narration was entertaining enough, but it didn't save the slowness of the story. With a cast of characters, I was carried throughout the story fairly easily.

My biggest concern with the audio, however, was the jumpy-ness between different story perspectives. Quite often, I felt lost and felt myself trying to figure out which perspective I was listening to. Despite having a cast of narrators, I still seemed a couple of steps behind between switching of perspectives.


Overall, I did enjoy the story. But with my initial interest and anticipation from the blurb, I was disappointed at not-thrilling the story ended up being.

Thank you to Libro.FM, NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC and audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!

The June Boys A Novel

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