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|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | TEEN FICTION ROE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Lake Elmo Library | TEEN FICTION ROE | Searching... Unknown |
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Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | TEEN FICTION ROE | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking question 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.
Author Notes
Caleb Roehrig is an author and television producer originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. A former actor, Roehrig has experience on both sides of the camera, with a résumé that includes appearances on film and TV as well as seven years in the stranger-than-fiction salt mines of reality television. Last Seen Leaving is his first novel.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Flynn has a problem. A couple of them, in fact. First of all, he is afraid to reveal to his family and friends that he is gay. Second, his ex-girlfriend January is missing. January's mom has married a powerful senatorial candidate, and they took her out of public school, away from all her friends. In the past few weeks she had distanced herself from Flynn and her Riverside classmates. Now she has disappeared. Has she run away, been kidnapped, or worse? Narrator Josh Hurley makes all of the characters believable, especially Flynn and January but also January's parents, friends, and frenemies. The story grabs and holds listeners' attention almost immediately. VERDICT This thriller with a nonpreachy message regarding concerns relevant to teens is a good option for most YA collections. ["A fun mystery with a credible emotional pull; a general purchase for most YA collections": SLJ 10/16 review of the Feiwel book.]-Ann Brownson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fifteen-year-old Flynn Doherty's competing desires to uncover the secrets behind his ex-girlfriend's disappearance and keep his own secrets hidden propel debut author Roehrig's powerful thriller. Flynn and January were happy enough when they both went to the same high school in Ann Arbor, Mich. Then January's mother married a wealthy state senator and whisked January away to a nearby private school. The couple drifted apart, and Flynn's reluctance to have sex drove a final wedge between them, leading January to break up with him just days before she vanished. Flynn's realistic-and desperate-attempts to keep his budding sexuality under wraps (he's gay) infuse an already tense plot with the added stress of coming out. The police initially think that January is a runaway, but Flynn refuses to believe that she would simply disappear, instincts that prove correct as the evidence points to something more violent. A compelling mystery and characters with fully developed strengths and flaws make Roehrig's novel an important addition in the world of queer young adult fiction. Ages 13-up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Can Flynn find his missing ex-girlfriend? Or is she worse than missing?Flynn, a sophomore, and his girlfriend, January, started going out the beginning of freshman year. Since her stepfather, a state senator with national aspirations, moved her family to a mansion and put January in a private school, the two white teens have begun to drift apart. One night, she pressures Flynn to have sex for the first time and breaks it off with him when he refuses. Thats the last time he sees her. The police question him, but Flynn cant tell the whole truth for fear of making himself look guiltyand revealing his biggest secret: hes gay. Investigating on his own, he learns that January had secrets of her own and had begun behaving erratically. Januarys very hot co-worker, Kaz, a Muslim, tells him that January quit her job and was telling lies about Flynn. Could someone be responsible for her disappearance? Is she still alive? Can he uncover the truth? Debut novelist Roehrig peoples his sensationalistic, twisty mystery with credible characters, especially narrator Flynn, whose struggles with coming out will resonate with young gay teens in more mundane circumstances. Witty, realistically foulmouthed dialogue and the suspenseful, well-laid mystery will keep pages turning, as will the budding romance between Flynn and Kaz. Readers wont be able to put it down. (Thriller. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This truly hair-raising, standout mystery thriller from debut author Roehrig will keep readers guessing until the end. When sophomore Flynn Doherty comes home to find police vehicles parked outside his house, he finds himself facing plenty of questions about his missing girlfriend, January. The last time Flynn saw January, she was emotional and desperate to be intimate. When Flynn refused, the two parted on unsteady terms and January all but accused Flynn of being gay, a truth he has been avoiding for years. With the police hesitant to trust Flynn, he takes matters into his hands and launches his own investigation with January's coworker, friendly and sexy Kaz. More than just fully realized, Roehrig's characters feel real. And if Flynn's circumstances are a bit sensational, his struggles with identity and relationships certainly aren't. Though this is not a typical problem novel, Roehrig gives equal deference to the mystery of January's disappearance and Flynn's coming out and subsequent burgeoning romance with Kaz. Deftly weaving fast-paced mystery with vivid, affecting flashbacks, Roehrig coaxes readers along at just the right pace and pulls the rug out from under them in the best way possible with a knockout ending.--Kling, Caitlin Copyright 2016 Booklist
