Mundie Moms

Thursday, September 29, 2016

LAST SEEN LEAVING by Caleb Roehrig / Book Review




By: Caleb Roehrig
Published by: Fierce Reads
To Be Released on: October 4th, 2016
Pre-Order from: the Publisher | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
I received a signed arc from the publisher at BEA

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.


Last Seen Leaving is a mix of self discovery, as much as it is a mystery. There are so many themes within this book that will make it relatable on so many different levels for a wide range of readers. Mixed into Flynn's self journey, and the mystery surrounding his girlfriend's disappearance are friendship, love, romance, speaking up, and a lot of the unexpected. 


Mixed into the mystery behind his girlfriend's disappearance, is Flynn's own self journey. Flynn is a character I rooted for from the beginning. I wanted to see him happy, and be happy. Especially with himself, and who he is. The more he searches for clues in January's disappearance, the more self assured he becomes. Without giving away any spoilers, I was so happy with who Flynn was by the end of this book. There's so much I want to talk about, about his character, but it ties into part of this book's secrets and twists. 


There are a lot of topics in this book that Roehrig incorporates into Flynn's story. There's a dark side to this story that made me sick to my stomach, yet had me cheering Flynn on for all he stood for (for the sake of spoilers, I won't say what all that is). While I may not have loved all the aspects of this story, I loved Flynn's journey in discovering who he really is. I loved the support he received from his family, and the happiness he finally found. I admired his strength and courage, and not backing down. Flynn is definitely one of those unlikely heroes you're glad you met. He makes you realize there's still a lot of great people that exist in a world of disgusting individuals. He is definitely one of those respectable guys you'd want as a friend. 


I'm not sure who I loved more in this book, Flynn or his parents. One of the things I love seeing in YA books, are the role of parents. I think all too often parents aren't as present, but that's not the case with Last Seen Leaving. I seriously love Flynn's parents. They not only stand up for their son, they gave him the love, support and assurances he needs. In fact, his parents play a bigger role than I some of the other supporting characters in this book. Trust me, you'll love them. 


Sometimes I wish characters were real, so that I could hug them. Like Flynn's mom. One thing I loved about this story is his mother. All I can say is page 167... There's a scene on this page (at least it's page 167 in the arc) where she just wraps her arms about her son and just hugs him, and tells him how much she loves him. Now this scene may not seem that significant, but when you read the book you'll know why it is. Her gesture is of so many unspoken things, and being a mom myself, I just loved it. Her reaction is what my reaction would be. Her hug isn't just one of reassurance to her son, who just shared a secret he's kept locked inside for a long time, it's also a reminder of her unconditional love to her son, and that no matter what, she's there for him and loves him for him.

I had a very hard time liking Flynn's girlfriend. But there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. As Roehrig slowly peels back the layers to her story, you'll realize that your first impressions of her may not be all that accurate. It was interesting seeing all the different sides of her. The more Flynn digs, and uncovers the secrets behind what happened to her, the more readers start to see what was really going on in her life. It's interesting how many dark secrets are uncovered in this book. 


Another character I liked was Kaz. Oh my word, he brought some of the humor to this darker toned plot line. He's the characters that's self assured, and isn't deterred by anything. I may have laughed at a scene that involves him, Flynn, and a phone in a car. 


This book read like a TV show, and it was great! Roehrig's writing made it easy for me to visualize the characters, and all that was going on. Sure some things were predictable, but there's a lot to this story that I didn't see coming. If this was Roehrig's debut, I can only imagine how good his next book will be. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

* There are mentions of drugs, sex, and rape. This book also has a lot of language, which may not be suitable for younger readers.

2 comments:

  1. OOh nice! I started hearing about this one and became intrigued! I love a good mystery and this sounds like one! Might just pick this up next week when Fierce Reads rolls into my city! LOL! Great review!

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  2. Awesome review Katie :) I'm glad you liked this one. <3 But sorry it wasn't perfect :\ Not a book for me, but you have made me a bit curious :D It do look gorgeous.

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