Bumpy Oak Books

4 stars

**I received a galley of the audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Court Stevens tells the story of The June Boys through her story about the investigation into the criminal known as the Gemini Thief. On June 1, boys are taken from somewhere in Tennessee. They are kept for a year and the following June 30, they are released. They are typically unharmed, with no knowledge of who took them or where they had been kept. When Thea’s cousin is one of the year’s June boys, Thea decides to do her own investigation. This only becomes more urgent when one of that year’s June boys shows up dead.

Stevens tells the story primarily from Thea’s perspective, though letters from one of the June Boys are also featured. This choice is interesting considering how Thea is tied to so many suspects and to some of the victims as well. Stevens manages to keep solid tension while still dropping clues for the reader and for Thea along the way. This skill is absolutely necessary for me to enjoy a thriller, but particularly for a YA thriller.

There were multiple audiobook narrators for each character’s perspective, and I always enjoy full cast audiobooks. I feel that this choice makes the story so much more accessible and also making it clear when perspectives are shifting. The various perspectives are useful in building and maintaining tension.

As this book is a thriller, I find it difficult to discuss the actual content without spoiling anything and fully believe that this book should be gone into with knowing as little as possible.

Overall, I feel that Stevens was successful in having a solid YA thriller and feel confident recommending the audiobook as a way to consume the book.