Wow! Where to start... First of all, I did not know this was based on a true story until the epilogue and real interview that was added to the audiobook, and that adds a whole other layer to this book. This was a somber story about kidnapping, friendship, grief, not knowing who to trust, and mental health. It was difficult at times, but wonderfully written. If you can't handle reading about kids having to survive a neglecting kidnapper (which has some graphic elements) then I would give it a pass, but if you can- I highly recommend you pick up this book! I also highly recommend the audiobook- it has an interview with one of the survivors at the end that is really fascinating and inspiring!

It is a powerful story and one that I am sure will be talked about for years!

This was an interesting, exciting mystery. The characters were interesting. I really liked Thea. I felt like she was a strong lead that was willing to do what it takes to figure things out. It had some nice twists and turns that I didn't see coming, which I enjoyed.

I listened to the audio of this, and I have to say that while I really enjoyed the narrator for Thea, I could NOT get passed the 50-year-old-sounding narrator for the teenage boy. It was just so unbelievable. You know Sam Elliott, that's who I pictured narrating those parts. It just did not fit, and I honestly couldn't get over it.

Other than that, I do think this is a good book for readers that enjoy YA and mystery!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This one sucked me right in starting in with a bang. I loved the narrator right away and you could immediately sense Thea's character coming through her voice. She also did great job with the other character. Overall I enjoyed the story but it was a little too dark for me and honestly having a little boy made this story a bit scarier for me. That being said I tried not to let that effect my rating of the story. I did find some parts to be a bit confusing. I really had to focus on the story. I do think it was a unique way of doing a YA thriller and I look forward to reading or listening to future works by this author.

Wow, just WOW! This was an emotional book!

For the last 10 years the Gemini Thief has been taking boys in June, holding them for a year and releasing them. no one knows who the thief is, the boys are always returned alive, except for this year. the story takes up almost a year after the last abduction when a body of a young "June Boy" is found dead along side the road.

The ending was unexpected, and kept itself full of surprises as we got later and later passed the June Boy's release date.

VERDICT: recommended anywhere that thrillers or mysteries are well circulated

I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting what I got, and I loved it. For some reason I had it in my head that this was going to be a fantasy. So i was really surprised when it was a modern day kidnapping and the mystery of where did they go and who took them. Them is the June Boys. On June 1 every few years, 3 boys are taken. They are released a year later. Then the next year, sometimes the year after, 3 more are taken. There is no real rhyme or reason to who gets taken, they vary by age, skin color, etc. Our story starts in 2010. Thea and her friends have been trying to solve the Gemini Thief (June Boys) case for a year. Her cousin was taken (they think). Because of crazy family secrets, Thea’s dad becomes a major suspect and the story grows from there.

An interesting thing about this story is the Elizabeth letters. We get both sides. We see Thea’s side of what is going on, and the side of the missing June boys. One of the boys, writes the “elizabeth letters.” some of these could make you cry, so be warned. I really enjoyed this book. I loved finding out who Elizabeth way. However, on the audiobook, there are 2 extra things. The first is with one of the survivors 10 years later and the second was an interview with the author. I wish I hadn’t listened to them, as they took away from the story instead of enhancing it. This was a great mystery that kep me entertained over a few days. It would be enjoyable by teens and adults alike.

The narration of this audiobook was amazing and I really appreciate it. However, I did not enjoy the story on its whole.
I had high expectations for this book, as the premise seemed very interesting, but the book felt flat, the twist was meh, and honestly, it feels forgettable. I'm very disappointed with the story.

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

I enjoyed this audiobook, I listened mostly on my way to and from work, as well as doing things around the house which helped me finish it quickly. Overall this was an intriguing mystery.

Also, I feel there was a sneakiness the author did by putting religion in the way she did. It felt, kinda crappy honestly the way religion was slammed into this book around 40% or so - things that were not because of God suddenly were because of God. Now I'm not saying I have a problem with religion in a book, I actually enjoyed the preacher in this, but then it went a bit too far in that everything was about God. Characters that didn't even mention God or religion until virtually halfway through the book were suddenly devout. This is why I say it was sneaky - it kind of felt like the author was trying to hook readers into the story, then drop this religion bomb on us. It did calm down eventually, and it went back to being enjoyable for me, but for that middle part it was, to be honest, just kind of annoying. This is the second book I've read that did this, I'm not sure if this is a "normal" tactic for religious writers or if it is a coincidence. I don't normally read books with heavy religion in it so when it's just sprung on me it puts a bad taste in my mouth.

Aside from that, I really did enjoy this book and the mystery. I enjoyed how "normal" people can make accusations and the consequences of those actions. The true identity of the Gemini thief did keep me guessing and changing all book long which I really enjoyed - and when I found out who it was, when I thought back there were nuggets hidden there who told us who it was. I also liked that the Elizabeth letters were included - it gave us an insight into what life was like for the Gemini boys.

The premise was interesting but the book dragged too much. If this wasn't an audiobook I wouldn't have gotten through with this book. The audiobook narrators were great but the story want as rewarding as I thought it would be.

The June Boys by Court Stevens was an intense harrowing ride. I didn’t want to stop listening to it. I selected it on a whim and was hooked. The story follows Thea, whose cousin was kidnapped by the Gemini thief: someone in a welder mask who kidnapped boys in June and returned them one year later. Thea and her friends are on the trail, trying to find the kidnapper and bring her cousin back home. But when the trail leads to her father, what should she do? How does one react to the idea that your father may be stealing children, especially when one of those children dies? Intriguing, suspenseful, and well written, the book focuses on the nature of humans and the power of family and the dynamics of love. Well worth the read. Or the listen in this case. I’d highly recommend it! Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to hear the story!

Ok.... no, no, no, no. I tried to read this book... FIVE times! You read that right. First, I received an eARC from NetGalley, but the formatting was messed up on my Kindle. Then, I tried my Kindle app on my phone, then NetGalley finally came out with their own app so I tried that, but the formatting was still annoying, then I also received the audiobook for this one on NetGalley, but the narration is terrible and echos at 2x speed, then I tried reading along with the audio at a slower pace, but I just couldn't do it. At that point, I ended up just skimming the rest of the novel very very quickly. I couldn't do it. And, frankly, after reading through the novel, even quickly, I'm glad I didn't give it much attention because the writing was really rough and the plot was terrible. The twist was not at all exciting or interesting in any aspect to me personally. After all the effort I've put in over the last YEAR to read this book, I'm disappointed and frustrated. All in all, not my type of story. I don't know if the formatting issues and repeat attempts at reading it spoiled the fun for me, or if the novel wasn't the best which made it extra hard to get over bad formatting. Some reviewers I really trust received final copies and still weren't fans for the same reasons I found so who knows. At this point, I'm done with it and counting it over with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for, both, an eARC and audiobook of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There was so much intriguing about The June Boys. I was first attracted to the idea of someone kidnapping boys for a year and then returning them. What could be the motive for that? As I read, I realized that this small Tennessee town had been turned on its head. Girls walked boys places to keep them safe. People were worried about their sons. Strangely, the town itself, nor the FBI, could not seem to realize how much this crime was the opposite of what they were use to dealing with in child abduction.

The book goes back and fourth in time a little and we jump between what is happening with Thea and what is happening with The June Boys themselves. What happens to boys when they are held in captivity for a year? They are not mistreated and they seem to come back OK. And then a teenager is taken and a boy is found dead. A ten year pattern is broken. Thea and her friends try to find out what happened to her cousin and the rest of the boys who have gone missing.

For the most part we had intriguing characters. Thea was steadfast in her love for her family, even when she suspected them of possibly being the Genesis Thief. Her group of friends were faithful and supportive. Her father was probably a little crazy. God tells you to build a castle? OK. That part was actually my least favorite. I could have done without divine intervention and castle building.

This was my first book by this author but it will not be my last. Thank you to Court Stevens, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, and Netgalley for the audiobook. See this review and more at my blog: https://readeotw.wordpress.com

I read this book with no idea what it was about I just love some of Stevens other novels. I am glad I read it cause it was a good thriller.
I enjoyed the dark twist and turns Stevens set into this novel. I enjoyed following along on this journey to see what exactly happened to the June Boys, not just the who but the why. And this book manged to surprise me which is honestly quite hard to do.
That being said the constant back and forth did get a little confusing in places. I usually really like that dynamic in a book but it just wasn't done very well in this book. It didn't really help me further the mystery; it just confused me.
Overall this is a solid solid mystery thriller. It was not the best book or even Stevens best book but it is a solid read.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Part of me almost wished it was not YA because the mystery aspect of it had so much potential to be way more spooky, but the book was a lot more lighthearted because of it and I adored all of the characters. Very nice, or I guess I should say not so nice surprise at the end that I did not expect at all.

I liked the idea of the book, but was a little bored throughout. I didn’t enjoy the Elizabeth letters. They were pretty confusing until you get some background at the very end. I liked the main narrator, but the letter narrator sounded too old.

Thea was a great lead and I enjoyed her relationships with everyone. Overall this book was a 3 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Every June, on the first day of the month, a boy is taken. Every June, on the last day of the month and a whole year later, a boy is given back.

This concept intrigued me and yet I remained a little underwhelmed by its execution. The finger was pointed at the correct perpetrator a little under halfway into this book, which led the focus to remain upon his capture. I would have preferred more mystery to feature as I found the early fear of the unknown to keep this an engaging and atmospheric read.

Protagonist, Thea, is at the heart of both this small town society and the investigation. I liked her character's fearlessness in the face of the accusations flung in her direction. Her grit and determination resulted in the revelation of truth and she was my favourite aspect about this book.

I actually liked the basic story - however, the constant references to the “size” of Ruby made the ending less surprising. I found following some of the characters and plot lines a little confusing, and the “Elizabeth Letters” sections were ridiculous. I had no idea what they were supposed to be - and you never find out, except in the Epilogue. They were clearly a gimmick to give the reader “outside the story” information, but I think there were surely better ways to do that. Also, the voice actor reading those sections was completely inappropriate. I thought the boys were supposed to be kids but the narrator was a gravely voiced middle-aged man. Too jarring and completely miscast.
I’m still confused about what happened to the two other little boys ... Chris was found dead but the other two weren’t? Were they imaginary or did they drown too? Why didn’t ruby go down to feed them for the last 2 weeks?
I liked Thea, but wished she had a bit more depth... the details we are given aren’t very endearing and each time I started to feel connected the plot switched. I actually liked most of the supporting characters and wished I’d known more about them. I HATED the stupid sudden uber religious twist near the end. The boys were down there for 10 days without food or water and survived? And only Thea thought to look for them? Clearly I missed something, but I think my attention wavered when the crazy religious plot set it.
The “extra” chapters were, again, a stupid gimmick and actually changed my opinion of the book in a very negative way. I hated the stereotyped voices and the religious aspect went WAAAAAAYY over the top. I honestly didn’t even finish listening because I found them offensive.
I think if I were to recommend this to someone, I would steer them away from the audiobook and towards the print version. Better to avoid the intrusion of the “Elizabeth “ actor, and easy to ignore the added chapters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of the audiobook, which I was given in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thanks to Netgalley. This sounded like a great story. I enjoyed it but it was a bit hard to follow sometimes. The transition between POV didn't always flow well and I really didn't care about the characters too much. Lots of information at the start and then it started to drag a bit in the middle for me and I lost interest until the last part.

Thea is just your typical teen- a sweet boyfriend, a slightly nuts dad, a couple of best friends, and adults who love her dearly. Oh, and there's that castle her dad is building, too.

But the Gemini Thief also exists, A serial kidnapper who takes a group of boys and holds them captive from June 1st to June 30th the following year. They call them the June Boys, and the Gemini Thief is a pro, having alluded authorities for nearly a decade.

Now Thea's cousin is one of the June Boys and she's determined to find him.- but she has reason to believe someone in her life is the Gemini Thief, and the further she looks into it, the closer to home it hits.

"Careful with that hope,” he said.
"Careful with that doubt,” I retorted.

The June Boys is a compulsively readable mystery, with captivating prose and a twisty plot that will have you second guessing everything you know.

The audiobook was such a quick, easy listen that had me on the edge of my seat.

This is a Young Adult Suspense Mystery. I listen to the audiobook, and the narrator was good. The mystery/suspense parts of this book was good, and I always felt the characters where developed. I just felt the police or FBI could have solve the serial kidnapper before all this got this bad. The twist and turn did get me, and I did not see it coming. I felt the answer was just to easy, but I guess sometimes the sample cases is the hardest ones to solve for the police/FBI. I did enjoy reading this book. I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Thomas Nelson and Zondervan) or author (Courtney C. Stevens) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Thea has spent the last several months trying to solve the mystery of her cousin Aulus' disappearance. Although the police have determined that Aulus ran away, Thea knows he is the 13th victim of the Gemini Thief. This serial kidnapper has been terrorizing their town for nearly 10 years. Every year or so, the Gemini Thief kidnaps three boys on June 1st. The boys are held captive for 13 months, when they are returned on June 30th. No one knows who the Gemini Thief is, but Thea and her friends are sure they can solve the mystery. When the clues start leading toward her eccentric father, Thea isn't sure who she can believe.

The June Boys has a really good premise for a mystery, and the whole idea of the Gemini Thief is extremely well done. The letters that Aulus writes from captivity give added depth to the story. The problem lies in the idea of the Castle. This pervasive plot element is confusing and detracts from the actual story of the kidnapped boys. While this will appeal to some readers of "missing person" mysteries, I think that there are elements that will cause students to lose interest. The audio was well done, but the "interview" after the epilogue was strange.