What an interesting and fantastic premise! Once I began reading, I couldn't put it back down. Things moved a little slowly at first before they finally picked up towards the end and the mystery itself was beyond intriguing.

The June Boys by Court Stevens was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was better than what I expected to be. It's one of the first YA mystery/thrillers that I've read in a long time where I was actually surprised at the ending.

There's so many other things that I loved about this book. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the friend group, I loved how Thee, our main character and her boyfriend Nick were already in an established relationship. That relationship wasn't a main focus of the book, unlike in many other YA books.

Part of the story is told in letter's by Aulus who's one of the boys captured this year. Usually, I feel like letters and flashbacks distract from the main story, but in this case, I felt like it added on to it. It was interesting to know what Aulus was going through as his cousin and friends are desperate to find him.

During the last fifty pages of the book, my heart was racing. I can't give a book that was mentally and physically making me feel so many things anything less than five stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The synopsis of this novel gave me the chills and I knew I needed to request this book. I had high hopes for The June Boys, but I feel like this story just fell flat. The first chapter intrigued me, though there was a lot of information thrown at me I figured it would get discussed in the upcoming chapters. We are also introduced the a lot of characters and they are all very one dimensional.

Most of the time I would have pushed through the above issues but then nothing was really happening and I was bored. I began to dread picking up The June Boys and found every excuse to not read. That’s one I knew this one wasn’t going to be for me.

I’ve seen so many positive reviews for The June Boys so I know for a fact it is going to be a well loved book, but for me I just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early sample!

I'm a big fan of Courtney C. Stevens, so of course, I had to check out her first venture into mystery/thriller. It was a solid read and the twist at the end was well-done. However, it did drag in parts and some of the ARC formatting was hard to read.

3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars

Why is the author's name Court Stevens on the cover, instead of Courtney? Is that just for funzies or a legit reason?
The premise of this book was amazing! A girl whose father might be the kidnapper of 13 boys, including her cousin! Sounds like something out of Law and Order! (which is my ALL time fav show btw).

It's a page turner and has you questioning everyone involved in Thea's life. With that being said, it's also written for a younger audience, with juvenile language and depicted behavior.

The June Boys is a mystery/suspense novel told mostly from the perspective of Thea Delacroix. In the story, four boys have been missing for most of a year and one of them is Thea’s cousin.

Throughout the course of the story, I was constantly reassessing and re-examining all the information that had been given so far. From the first page to the big climactic confrontation at the end, I was coming up with new suspects and theories. And yet, I was still surprised by two twists at the end.

I would definitely recommend to both older ya and adult mystery/suspense readers. Also, the tone of The June Boys really reminded me of The Lovely Bones—the way the mystery played out from Thea’s point-of-view just felt very similar to me, though the stories are actually quite different. However, I would recommend this as a readalike to folks who enjoyed TLB.

WOW The June Boys is a great book for fans who love a great mystery. This one had me guessing till the very end. Great characters who you cared about and wanted to see what happened to them. Can't wait to read another one by Court Stevens. Great Book and I believe even readers that tend not to grab a teen novel should pick this one up.

With suspenseful storytelling, this novel is an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end! The June Boys tells the story of a serial kidnapper and a state's maddening search for his victims. Focusing on Thea - whose cousin has been taken - the story quickly shifts into a murder mystery when one of the boys shows up dead. With time running out, Thea must find out who the kidnapper is or her cousin's life is forfeit. With sympathetic characters and a suspenseful timeline, this novel will be sure to keep you up at night trying to solve the mystery!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.