I have never read a Courtney Stevens book but have heard good things about this author. I am not sure if this book is indicative of how she's writes all her books but I just didn't feel anything about this. The concept was interesting---it reminds me of a Criminal Minds episode. However, I didn't feel a draw to keep reading this, which doesn't bode well for thrillers. I liked the character of Aulus and his POV during captivity. Thea's POV was sometimes frustrating. I thought the The Gemini Thief's revel seemed pretty obvious, but I have also read a lot of mysteries/thrillers so I feel like I've seen everything already.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a hard book to rate because I really was sucked into the mystery of who the Gemini Thief was and if the latest batch of June boys were going to make it home - but there were some issues which made the book a bit confusing.

The basic premise is that for the last 10 years - the book takes place in 2010 - in Western TN, the Gemini Thief has taken three boys on June 1 (sometimes skipping a year or two in between) then returning them unharmed the following June 30. This year, Thea Delacroix’s beloved cousin is among the victims, and the mantra “the Gemini Thief could be anyone,” begins to hit home as she examines her loved ones more closely. And then, a body is found, meaning that these June boys may be in bigger trouble than ever.

It’s a great premise, but there’s a lot of characters to keep track of in this one - from Thea’s friends to her dad’s friends and not-so-friends, there’s a lot of names to keep track of and every one of them could be a suspect.

Then we begin hearing from Aulus, the June Boy cousin, himself, in letters he’s writing from inside their bunker. It’s confusing because they’re not written at the same time as the timeline happening above ground. So there are some things that occur underground that we aren’t sure are real or not because they haven’t happened yet above ground - you’ll see what I mean when you read it. (It’s the Tank thing. I just spent half the novel confused as heck about it).

But like I said. I was hooked on finding out who was guilty. I was sucked in to figuring out who the Gemini Thief was and why they were targeting these boys in such a bizarre way. And the solution is pretty creepy. There are also some good red herrings that kept me guessing.

So this one’s a toss up. If you want to try out a dark thriller, take a look at this one. You may love it. But if you don’t want to think too hard during your Weekend reading session. Save this one for later.

The June Boys is sort of a mystery/crime novel, about a girl searching for her cousin who she believes was kidnapped by the Gemini Thief. I was hooked from the beginning until the very last page! The plot moves slow, but holds a whole lot of mystery--and a castle. Castles always make things interesting, don't they?

This book was so unexpected. I knew it was going to be intense, but it was more than that, it was fast paced, gritty and raw.
It tackled things like God, love, death, family and beliefs. Not to mention abduction and being held captive.

The June Boys is a great read. Unique from other YA crime fiction novels that I have read. It is character centered and it feels so real. Like it really happened.

The Elizabeth letters written by Aulus are haunting, jarring. They feel honest and scared and open and like he knows he won't survive. They give so much to this book.

If you are into crime fiction, give this book a go. I thought I knew who The Gemini Thief was. I was wrong.

This was wonder and dark and mysterious. I thought the characters were so well written and i loved the bonds between them. Some parts were a tad confusing when it was bouncing back and forth and i had to check back to make sure i was getting things right. But i didn’t guess who it was which is quite refreshing! It had me going throughout! I thought this was different and new and i really enjoyed it! I’m not typically a YA person but this was refreshing and so well written!

I was really enjoying this book up until about the last 3rd of it. I loved the mystery of it and trying to figure out who the Welder was. But once we had 2 red herrings it started to feel like the author threw in everything in an attempt to have us doubt ourselves. The kidnapper and reasoning made very little sense in the end. The two red herrings seemed more plausible to be the kidnapper than the character who was. In fact, I barely remember us having much interaction with that character.

I enjoyed the Elizabeth letters, a way for us to get perspective from the June Boys; however the twist from it seemed unnecessary.

Also the added epilogue made no sense and was completely unnecessary - in fact, I had wished I had skipped that part since it served no purpose and affected my enjoyment 0f the book even further.

I previously read two other books by Court Stevens and I'm always impressed by the way she writes her stories in such an accessible and inviting tone even though the subject matter is almost always harrowing as fuck.
With that being said, I wasn't too big a fan of this. Though the story surrounding the June Boys was intriguing, I was often confused because the story wasn't exactly linear and even though it was said when what happened, I just couldn't....keep up, I guess? Which is obviously more of a me problem than the fault of the book but it made it hard to follow the story. The ending also left me with more questions than answers?!
I still enjoyed the whodunnit aspect to the story, though, and Nick was one of the most fascinating characters I've ever read about.

The premise intrigued me, but the story was not the easiest to follow. I've read other nonlinear stories, but didn't have a difficult time, but this one was just disappointing.

The Gemini Thief could be anyone. Your father, your mother, your best friend’s crazy uncle. Some country music star’s deranged sister. Anyone.

Confrontational and enlightening, this story gave me chills. Forced to see a side of society we so often deny exist, the story had me thankful that my husband and brothers never had to endure this kind of trauma. This book is an eye-opener in so many ways.
Some stories have to be told.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for gifting me a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Firstly, let me say before you pick up this book make sure you are ready. It’s a fast-paced, highly intense read centred around some very serious topics. I highly recommend reading it, but if you are a sensitive reader (like I am) prepare yourself for some severe anxiety. The writing is that good.

It’s quite a thing to be right. Quite a terrible thing – June Boys, Court Stevens

Following the story of Thea and her missing cousin Aulus, this story throws you straight into the thick of things. Every year on the first of June, boys go missing. And you never think it will happen to you. Until it does. When Aulus disappears the police insists he is not a June Boy, but Thea does not give up hope. Along with her friends, she does her own investigation to find Aulus. Alive. She will not admit defeat. She will bring him home.
Lovers of mystery and thrillers will live for this story. This book is structured to include the Elizabeth letters from Aulus McClagen to Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted June 5, 2002, and rescued nine months later on March 12, 2003, in between the chapters. This story is built around these letters and is absolutely mind-blowing. Alternating Point of Views (POV’s) gives you the opportunity to experience both sides of this tale with such intensity. And honestly, I had chills.

I don’t know what it is I don’t have room for. Sometimes I’m afraid it’s happiness – June Boys, Court Stevens
As with crime stories, there are certain aspects that are a bit on the nose. This can cause the story to be predictable in some cases, but that is purely based on the fact that I have read multiple books in this genre and can therefore often easily spot the plot twists. So if you are a first time reader in this genre, I believe the writing will cause you to experience these twists more intensely. However, if you are well-read, you will still be able to appreciate the creativity and complexity behind these plot twists and how the author managed to weave them into the storyline to pull the impactful big picture together. I wished there was more to the ending though. It felt a bit rushed.

I used to believe beauty was its own armour and beautiful people floated above bad circumstances – June Boys, Court Stevens

Majority of these characters are high school kids along with the adults in their lives. As with all teenagers, the teen angst and uncertainty translate in the writing. I struggled to picture some characters fully, but all in all, I found it easy to envision the scenes playing out with the different personalities at play. Character development is a bit slow and to some extend, I thought it was lacking. But I also recall my own behaviour at seventeen and how uncertain and insecure I was. Keeping that in mind, I think these characters are quite spot on. We often tend to judge books harshly based on an idea we have of the world, and forget to keep realistic behavioural patterns in mind. This book, despite the Nancy Drew vibes, manages to make these characters come to life with their quirks and ticks and drama.

Sometimes a moment is exactly what it’s supposed to be – June Boys, Court Stevens

I was absolutely, thoroughly hooked on this writing style. Breathing life into this story with a dark and twisty atmosphere, the unconventional metaphors and symbolism were striking. This book also deals with intense topics like racial prejudice, abduction and PTSD, trust, abuse and mental health. The duality of humanity is such a powerful theme, and although quite commonly found in the YA genre, I felt this book took it to a whole new level, forcing you to ask yourself what would you do in this situation. Grief and loss are also two other major themes in this book. Especially different kinds of loss. The impact of dealing with this loss in secret can have on the people around you. If you are a parent of a high school child, I recommend reading this before you give it to your kid. But I do feel like every kid should read this. In a world flooded with social media and information, this book highlights the risk you can face every day. Being informed is key. Parents, please, please read this book!

Because here’s the real truth, you can’t keep darkness out if he has a key – June Boys, Court Stevens

The one thing that I didn’t love about this book is the world-building. In the case of realism, the setting is just as crucial as with fantasy. You don’t have to necessarily spend three chapters expanding on the setting, but you cannot rush it either. In this case, the setting is a small town in the South of the USA. These small towns have quaint shops and interesting places. And even though the author absolutely nailed the small-town atmosphere, I did struggle to form a picture. In general, this would not bother me as much in these kinds of stories, but there is a lot of navigation in this book, and I found it difficult to place myself.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loved What She Found In The Woods and Pretty Little Liars. This suspense and mystery in this book are gripping and addictive.
Trigger warnings for abuse and abduction victims. Although I absolutely love this story, I would urge you to consider carefully. The writing is intensely captivating.

I have read and loved other books by this author but this was such a big let down. The June Boys was messy and not up to her normal standard of story telling.

I was excited for this one, but I couldn't get through it. Although I've enjoyed other books by this author, this one felt confusing and poorly written. I know this could appeal to some people and I don't want to dissuade anyone, so I won't be pursuing a review anywhere else, but this one fell very flat for me.

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.

Every few years in June three boys are kidnapped and returned the following year. But this year a fourth boy is kidnapped, Thea's cousin Aulus. While trying to find him and prove he really was taken by the Gemini Thief Thea realizes that the killer could be her own father.

This story was well written and interesting. The only thing that was slightly confusing was the Elizabeth letters. They didn't take place at the same time as the beginning of the story but that was never clearly indicated with a date or anything else. I also didn't really believe the Gemini Thief's identity. They make a point throughout the story that the kidnapper has to be strong enough to pick up and carry the kids they take. In the end there was also a completely bricked in staircase which the kidnapper had clearly sealed. Again unbelievable based on the identity of the kidnapper.

It was interesting to hear that this was based on a true story, I wanted to look more in to the true story and couldn't actually find it online so I wonder how true this is.

The June Boys was everything I want in a book. I love a good small-town murder mystery, especially when it's YA!

The June Boys is told from two perspectives - Thea, who's cousin was taken by the Gemini Thief, and Aulus, who is Thea's cousin that was taken. Aulus' story is told in a series of letters that he wrote in captivity.

The mystery was great. There were so many twists and turns. I honestly couldn't figure out whodunnit. And when I did - WOW. I never ever ever saw that ending coming.

I fully recommend this to any YA thriller/mystery lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was hard to set down. The opening scene grabbed me and the suspence continued to build right to the end. As the story developed and more details were discovered about the Gemini Thief, a kidnapper of boys, the more suspects mounted. The author incorporated multiple voices throughout the novel which enhanced its flavor and the characters. They became real people to me as I saw the ramifications of losing someone you love which turns every waking moment into remembering and grieving at the same time.
Thea Delacroix deeply misses her cousin, Aulus, belieiving he is one of the June boys. But the police arrest her eccentric father as the main suspect. Her world seems to be spiraling downward where no one trusts her and she fears to trust anyone.
I recommend this creative, cliff-hanging novel by Courtney C. Stevens. It is not my usual Christian historic novel. I received a copy from Net Galley and Thomas Nelson. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own. #TheJuneBoys #NetGalley

I expected so much more than what this book offered. As someone who usually loves small town mysteries and slow thrillers, I was disappointed for this was not doing justice to the themes it wished to explore or the atmosphere it wished to set.

A serial kidnapper is fixated on the timely kidnapping of young boys; specifically abducting them on the 1st of every June and allowing the boys to simply walk back to the town on the 31st of its following June. I'm all here for weird kidnappers who have number fetishes but honestly, when the final revelation and reasoning behind the kidnapping was disclosed...a year-long kidnapping could've easily been compressed to maybe a few weeks and still performed the same effect.

Keeping aside the possible bargaining I would've personally done with the kidnapper about time frames, let me mention what really sent me off. I'm a pretty adjustable reader being an international book blogger makes you such and never thought a badly formatted early copy would highly influence my reading experience but THIS digital review copy was so difficult. Sure, the non-linear writing style that clubbed a first-person narration and random letters together was tough to navigate through but the bad formatting had a slightly larger role to play in painting this opinion of mine.

However, there's definitely some hope. The theme of parental neglect and how it can deeply affect children, making them either crave more attention or come to terms with the lack of parental figures in their lives, is explored to some successful extent. I wouldn't say this book isn't for anyone because the finished copies might be well formatted and someone would actually be surprised instead of completely lost like me at the revelations so pick this up at your own risk.

This book is absolutely fantastic! I love the alternating POV and especially the format in which Aulus writes, as an homage to Elizabeth Smart. Thea is a main character full of tenacity and determined to find her cousin, at all costs. The build up of the mystery is skillfully done, including red herrings thrown in to confuse the reader. Extremely well done book.

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

Rating: 3/5

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'll be honest. I had to drag myself through the first half of this book. It wasn't bad, but it just lacked that oomph that made me want to continue picking it up and making it apart of my day. Court Stevens is a great writer, and she made this story based on true events. That's difficult to do, so for that I give her props. I do think that the first half of the book lacks what the second half of the book has: intrigue.

I understand that the first half was designed to introduce the reader to the characters, their backstories, the history of The June Boys, and all other necessary information to become hooked on this story. But I must have missed my bait because it didn't hook me. Yeah I was somewhat interested in who the Gemini Thief was and why they had been taking boys for ten years. I wanted to know where Aulus was and how he disappeared. I wanted to know all of the information that I assume all other readers want to know, but not to the point where I couldn't set this book down until I figured it out. No.

After I got to the halfway point, things started to heat up. Thea got closer to figuring out the case and more suspects and information ruled out suspects along the way. And wow was it a twist that I didn't see coming, but since I wasn't that invested it went more like "Oh okay that's who it is."I feel like I didn't care much because I wasn't invested in the characters at all. I cared about the plot and who The Gemini Thief was, but that was it.

There was also a lot of details and things that made this story confusing. I didn't understand a lot of detail that was added. I still don't understand the point of the castle and why it was so important. I don't understand how Constance just came back. I don't understand a lot. But that's fine, my questions can just be questions.

I would recommend this book to people simply because I think the idea is good and because Court Stevens is a great writer. I would be interested to see if anyone agrees with my opinion that the first have lacks and if they are confused by a lot of the details.

This story was intense and suspenseful. I rushed to the end, flipping pages all the way. The Elizabeth Letters were like the icing on the cake.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.