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olivialandryxo 's review for:
Last Seen Leaving
by Caleb Roehrig
CW: murder, sexual assault, rape, internalized homomisia, homomisia, violence, blood
I went into this novel hoping for a good thriller, and it delivered. It was fairly dark and very fast-paced, and I was hooked. The story gets right into the action and keeps getting better. Around 150 pages in I had a theory and I was so sure I was right, but I wasn’t in the slightest. This book continually threw me for a loop and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
My favorite part of the story was undoubtedly Flynn and Kaz’s relationship. I realize the plot takes place over the course of only two weeks, and they very much have an insta-love situation. However, they’re cute together, so it’s okay. It’s also a *little* bit of a hate-to-love, kind of, so what’s not to love?? Flynn is an overly defensive but well-meaning closeted boy, and Kaz is a Muslim POC that’s secretly a teddy bear. I liked seeing their relationship progress, especially in the final pages. ❤️
On the other hand, I think my least favorite part was Micah’s reaction to Flynn coming out. Micah is Flynn’s best friend of thirteen years, if I remember correctly, and he’s absolutely horrible to Flynn when he comes out. He feels “betrayed” because he’s told Flynn “all of his secrets that matter” but Flynn kept this huge thing from him. Um, no?? And in the end they end up back to normal so easily, which is fine, but I just think he got off the hook too easily. If he’s really Flynn’s best friend, he shouldn’t have made such a big moment about him.
That aside, this book was well on the way to getting my elusive 5 star rating, but the final twist ruined it for me. It was very well done, but I personally wasn’t a fan. I feel like the book was wrapping up nicely and then said twist kind of erases the progress, if that makes sense. I respect it, although I definitely wish it hadn’t happened. Without it, this probably would’ve been a new favorite. Maybe that’s extreme, but it only really makes sense if you’ve read it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This novel took me by surprise in terms of both plot and enjoyment. If you like thrillers and you aren’t fazed by darker elements, I’d absolutely recommend it. I can’t wait to read more from Caleb!
I went into this novel hoping for a good thriller, and it delivered. It was fairly dark and very fast-paced, and I was hooked. The story gets right into the action and keeps getting better. Around 150 pages in I had a theory and I was so sure I was right, but I wasn’t in the slightest. This book continually threw me for a loop and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
My favorite part of the story was undoubtedly Flynn and Kaz’s relationship. I realize the plot takes place over the course of only two weeks, and they very much have an insta-love situation. However, they’re cute together, so it’s okay. It’s also a *little* bit of a hate-to-love, kind of, so what’s not to love?? Flynn is an overly defensive but well-meaning closeted boy, and Kaz is a Muslim POC that’s secretly a teddy bear. I liked seeing their relationship progress, especially in the final pages. ❤️
On the other hand, I think my least favorite part was Micah’s reaction to Flynn coming out. Micah is Flynn’s best friend of thirteen years, if I remember correctly, and he’s absolutely horrible to Flynn when he comes out. He feels “betrayed” because he’s told Flynn “all of his secrets that matter” but Flynn kept this huge thing from him. Um, no?? And in the end they end up back to normal so easily, which is fine, but I just think he got off the hook too easily. If he’s really Flynn’s best friend, he shouldn’t have made such a big moment about him.
That aside, this book was well on the way to getting my elusive 5 star rating, but the final twist ruined it for me. It was very well done, but I personally wasn’t a fan. I feel like the book was wrapping up nicely and then said twist kind of erases the progress, if that makes sense. I respect it, although I definitely wish it hadn’t happened. Without it, this probably would’ve been a new favorite. Maybe that’s extreme, but it only really makes sense if you’ve read it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This novel took me by surprise in terms of both plot and enjoyment. If you like thrillers and you aren’t fazed by darker elements, I’d absolutely recommend it. I can’t wait to read more from Caleb!