Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: October 4th, 2016
Synopsis: Flynn’s girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can’t answer, and her friends are telling stories that don’t add up. All eyes are on Flynn–as January’s boyfriend, he must know something.
But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January’s disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.
This book sort of took me by surprise. I thought it looked like a fun YA mystery, which is why I requested it, but I honestly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. What makes this such a great story is its characters. Fifteen-year-old Flynn is a someone one that readers will like, and teens will relate to. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but let’s just say he’s dealing with some weighty issues, and that’s before his girlfriend, January, goes missing. He can be stubborn and a bit pig-headed, but he’s also sweet, loyal, and absolutely determined to discover the truth behind January’s disappearance. His relationship with his parents is one of warmth and love, even if they do embarrass him at times. The secondary characters are for the most part wonderfully written and diverse. There were a couple of minor issues I had though. I found January to be extremely unlikable and some of her actions prior to her disappearance were puzzling and there was never an explanation offered. The second problem I had was with her mother and her politician stepfather. The mother was portrayed as an empty-headed trophy wife, and the stepfather as your stereotypical corrupt politician. I wish they had been written with a few more layers to them. The mystery itself, which had more than one twist, wound up not being a huge surprise for me, but that didn’t make the story any less enjoyable. Overall, I found Last Seen Leaving to be a enjoyable mystery which pays equal attention to the importance of friendship and self-acceptance. This is a book that older teens will love as well as adults who enjoy YA fiction and mysteries like Gone Girl.
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