I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn is a real mind fuck of a book. I actually am a little dismayed that I did not pick it up sooner. However, that’s the life of a voracious reader, yes? Anyways, I am kind of still reeling over here from that ending. I guess I can take a break from all these OMG thoughts to talk to you all about this book though.

Okay, so Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn is narrated by this high school boy named Jamie. Jamie’s sister Cate has recently been released from juvenile detention. Allegedly, she started this fire at a horse barn which killed some horses and badly injured this girl named Sarah. Jamie is just trying to live his best life though, far from Cate. He’s got this brand new Jeep. There’s this girl named Jenny who likes him. Still, his past keeps on calling. We also learn that Jamie might not be so innocent. In fact, something shady just might be going on.

I am definitely in the minority judging by all these other reviews I’ve seen for Kuehn’s Complicit. However, I am SO oblivious and trusting and naive. So, I didn’t realize right off the bat that Jamie is an unreliable narrator. It basically had to be spoon fed to me. Overall, yes I thought he was kind of a weirdo. He often blacks out. His hands go all numb and stop working while he is stressed out. Jamie is kind of a dick to Cate. Plus he seems to have no memory of his mother, who he was with until he was six. It is just a little bit strange, is all.

I thought there was a lot of information missing on what Jamie was telling us. Not once though was I like, yeah this dude is super shady can’t trust a word from his mouth. Figures. I AM REELING STILL. Other people, though, figured that out within the first two chapters, so I do not think it is a spoiler.

Sooo, I think that you’ll enjoy Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn if you like books that mess with your mind a little bit. In all honesty though, this book took me a bit of time to read. I read it in between other books and off and on for the better part of the month. I didn’t actually finish until the readathon. That’s really because I just wanted to get onto the next Negalley book in my queue. This book definitely has an audience. I still think though, there’s other books that do unreliable better — namely Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson.

I'm sorry it has taken so long to review this title. I absolutely loved it and appreciate being able to have the opportunity to read it. This book was very thought provoking and I can only imagine what more happened to the characters. Thank you.

COMPLICIT is an amazing book. It's the story of Jamie and his sister, Crazy Cate. Cate may be the craziest girl in town, but Jamie also has his share of problems. He worries a lot, has panic attacks, and in extremely emotional situations his hands go completely numb and useless. Cate and Jamie's mom was shot right in front of them when they were little; they grew up in an adopted family. Maybe that's why Jamie can't remember most of his childhood. Maybe that's why Cate sets fires and sleeps around. Just maybe. Jamie will have to find the answers if he's going to stay sane.

Portrayal of mental illness: Superb. Both Jamie and his sister have a lot of issues. These issues (which I can't be more specific about without spoiling things), and the reactions they cause are shown honestly. The honesty doesn't mean clearly - nothing about mental illness is cut and dry. It's complicated, confusing, and changes from person to person and day to day. Seeing Jamie's issues from his perspective and watching his sister change while she grows up from a bubbly, happy girl to a raging anger-management problem - you get to see mental illness from the inside, from within.

Plot and suspense: There are mysteries within mysteries. You'll chase the ends of the question marks inside an ellipses until you're lost in a maze of questions with no way out but to keep reading. All of the confusion and questioning stems from Jamie - he doesn't know himself. He doesn't know his past, and he doesn't know where he's going. But he needs to find out, and his journey is adrenaline-rush exciting. You will be turning the pages as fast as you can; this is the kind of book that you will stay up late to finish.

Characters: Jamie is a mess. He's a likable mess, and an interesting protagonist. However, I didn't love him. He wasn't anything really special. I wanted to know the answers, I wanted to follow Jamie on his search, but I never really *cared* about him all that much. My only complaint about this whole book is simply that - I didn't care enough about Jamie. I didn't quite connect enough with him. Jamie is very different from me, however, in that he tries so hard to please the people around him. Jamie believes it is not the thought that counts, but his actions - and so he lies and acts for his family, friends and teachers.

"My actions send the message that I'm fine, totally fine.
I'm not fine, of course. Not even close."

It takes a lot of strength to do that. An impressive amount of strength. But it takes even more personal strength to be honest with others, to express your honest feelings, and most of all to be honest with yourself. Jamie is trying to get there, he really is.

Verdict: I couldn't read it fast enough. COMPLICIT is a very well-written, spell-binding and suspenseful story. Fans of Andrew Smith's novels, in particular, will really enjoy the narrative style and male perspective.