Last Seen Leaving

by Caleb Roehrig

Overview

In this young adult debut, a teen must try to uncover his missing girlfriend's 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 is harboring a secret of his own. As he struggles to find out what happened to January, he must also come to terms with his own truth.

Caleb Roehrig's debut is a complex and winding tale of tragedy, discovery, and self-acceptance.

Praise for Last Seen Leaving:

A Buzzfeed Best YA Novel of 2016
Best YA Novel of 2016 - Paste Magazine
A Kirkus Best of 2016 Book - Teen

"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. . . . 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." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"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 . . . Readers won't be able to put it down." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This truly hair-raising, stand-out mystery thriller from debut author Roehrig will keep readers guessing, even until the end." —Booklist, starred review

"The characters are believable, the mystery is interesting, and the action is often fast-paced. Flynn’s internal struggle to open up about his sexuality carries weight, and readers will be drawn into his emotional journey and his adventures in amateur sleuthing . . . A fun mystery with a credible emotional pull." —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250129673
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/24/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	296,301
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	1110L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Last Seen Leaving:

A Buzzfeed Best YA Novel of 2016
Best YA Novel of 2016 - Paste Magazine
A Kirkus Best of 2016 Book - Teen

"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. . . . 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." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"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 . . . Readers won't be able to put it down." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This truly hair-raising, stand-out mystery thriller from debut author Roehrig will keep readers guessing, even until the end." —Booklist, starred review

"The characters are believable, the mystery is interesting, and the action is often fast-paced. Flynn’s internal struggle to open up about his sexuality carries weight, and readers will be drawn into his emotional journey and his adventures in amateur sleuthing . . . A fun mystery with a credible emotional pull." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 10/24/2016
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.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—This thriller follows Flynn as he tries to solve the mystery of his missing girlfriend, January. The more he discovers, the more confused he is as he uncovers the secrets she has been keeping from him. January had been distant ever since her mother remarried and moved her into her politician stepdad's fancy house and switched her to private school. Though the couple tried to stay together through the changes, Flynn's own secret was a source of strife, and January broke up with him after a fight right before her disappearance. That she's no longer his girlfriend doesn't stop Flynn from caring about her, and he doesn't give up looking for answers. His search for January leads to his own revelation as he is forced by circumstances to come out to his parents and friends. Learning the truth about January leads Flynn and his new friend Kaz into danger and intrigue as they find themselves falling for each other and solving the mystery. The characters are believable, the mystery is interesting, and the action is often fast-paced. Flynn's internal struggle to open up about his sexuality carries weight, and readers will be drawn into his emotional journey and his adventures in amateur sleuthing. VERDICT A fun mystery with a credible emotional pull; a general purchase for most YA collections.—Genevieve Feldman, San Francisco Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2016-07-20
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. That’s the last time he sees her. The police question him, but Flynn can’t tell the whole truth for fear of making himself look guilty…and revealing his biggest secret: he’s gay. Investigating on his own, he learns that January had secrets of her own and had begun behaving erratically. January’s 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 won’t be able to put it down. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews