The June Boys by Court Stevens | Book Review

A Surprisingly Emotional Thriller

The Highlights:

• A story that builds and builds to the end
• Truly genuine characters
• Solid twists that lead to a satisfying conclusion

I mostly read YA. But this year I’ve challenged myself to branch out, and starting picking up thrillers and mysteries. Still, YA is my favorite, and I’ve been trying to find more books that fall into both of those categories. And that’s the main reason I decided to give The June Boys a shot. I’m so glad I decided to. One of my favorite reads of the year so far, The June Boys ended up being so much more than I expected.

As much as I’ve been enjoying thrillers this year, I do seem to have a hard time emotionally connecting to the stories. I don’t know if it’s the difficult subject matter that’s sometimes covered or what exactly, but I just often feel that there’s a wall between me and the story. With The June Boys, I felt as though I was immediately swept up in the story unfolding. Right from the start I was invested, devouring page after page, my heart racing and breaking and full. This was one of those stories that I just felt, that wiggled it’s way into my heart and mind and didn’t let go. I think it’s still got a hold on me, as I’ve been unable to get it out of my mind since I finished reading. I foresee this one making it onto my favorites list at the end of the year.

The characters were the heart and soul of this book. Thea is a fantastic lead, I loved her voice. The whole supporting cast felt like their own characters. I could feel that they had their own stories, even if they weren’t printed on the page. That added so much to the whole reading experience, making it all just feel so real, making the characters all feel so real. The setting itself even felt like a character, with all of the charm and mystery a small, back water town can hold.

The June Boys was a really fast read for me. The pacing just felt right. I was never once bored, with just enough information given at a time, just enough new clues to who the Gemini Thief might be to keep me wanting to know more. The story built on itself so well, everything leading up to an ending that was absolutely breathtaking.

I highly, highly recommend this book. The story is contains is so shockingly beautiful, I just feel like by not reading it you’re missing out on something truly special. It’s tense, thrilling at all the right moments, while presenting emotional beats that really grab hold of the reader and refuse to let go. I’ll definitely be revisiting The June Boys over and over again, and can’t give it enough praise. This is a book you don’t want to miss.