Review: Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig


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Release date: October 4, 2016

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Genre: YA/Mystery/Thriller 

Goodreads blurb: 

Flynn’s girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?


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.

Review: 

Reading almost back to back YA mysteries is something I haven’t done in a really long time. I tend to stick to mainstream thrillers and when I read YA I tend to gravitate towards contemporary romance. After reading One Was Lost and feeling slightly disappointed I didn’t have very high hopes for this one. I was starting to think that maybe I’m getting too mature to read YA mysteries as I read so many really well plotted mainstream ones. I had even told myself that this would be the last YA mystery I would pick up, but I think I may have changed my mind. I’ll definitely be checking out anything that Caleb Roehrig writes in the future.

This one gives you more bang for your buck as you really get two stories in one. The first is obviously the mystery surround the disappearance of Flynn’s girlfriend, January. But you also get to see Flynn’s journey as he grapples and tries to come to terms with his own sexuality. Don’t worry, this isn’t really a big secret, it’s pretty apparent from the start that he is gay and it’s revealed very early on. Though January’s story was interesting and well written, what really made this book good for me was Flynn’s storyline.

Flynn is such an compelling character and I just loved him! He’s smart, sarcastic and has a biting sense of humor that made me laugh out loud several times. His character development was spot on and I truly enjoyed every minute I spent with his character. His parents were also awesone and added something great to the story. January was also a fascinating girl, I still haven’t been able to figure out if I like her not. She’s complicated and interesting though and the truth behind her disappearance was filled with plenty of twists and turns.

I think the YA crowd will love this book and though I was able to see a few things coming, it was still engaging enough that I was eager to reach the conclusion. There is also some LGBT romance here which is such an important addition to fiction, especially YA fiction. An impressive debut from Roehrig, he is one to watch.
Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to Feiwell and Friends for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

26 thoughts on “Review: Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig”

  5. Melissa @ BookNerdMomo says:
    Reply

    I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! I’ve been eagerly waiting to see what you would think since we’ve talked about this a few times. I agree with you about it being two stories in one and Flynn’s really making the book. I adored him as well and the way he progressed over the book was amazing. I’m definitely picking up more of the author’s books in the future too. Great review, Amy! 😊♥

    Liked by 1 person

  8. LairOfBooks says:
    Reply

    It’s great to see a different take on this book as i’ve seen only 5 star reviews, I’ve been meaning to get to this one. It seems like there has been an increase in YA mysteries which is cool because some variety is needed in that genre. Even better to hear that some of it is quite good lol. Great review! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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