3.5*
Let us start by getting the one thing I didn't love about the book out of the way, so we can move on to all the stuff I did. Basically, it was kind of hard for me to get into at first. I was having trouble keeping the characters straight (erm, pun definitely not intended, but we'll go with it), and I wasn't sure how into them I was. BUT. I held on for a bit and ended up really becoming invested! So, I would definitely say worth the little bit it took me to get deeper into a great mystery. Now, the promised good stuff:
- The little local mentions made my heart happy. Do you know how many books are set in Northeastern Pennsylvania? That's right, it's zero. And okay, this is a fictional place, but there are mentions of very real towns. And when you're from a small area, you'll always love seeing it in literature.
- It's set in the 90s! My only other (super minor) qualm was that maybe the 90s references would go over the heads of some younger people, and seem out of place? But I loved the time setting- and for many, many reasons it worked in the book. I mean, for one, while obviously LGBTQ+ people still face tons of discrimination, there was a lot of stuff that was very time-specific (like military restrictions and such), and a lot of the backlash these boys faced just felt very discriminatory in a way that was super common twenty years ago. I hope that makes sense? Also, not having certain technology made the details of the case work out in a much more intense way.
- I really genuinely cared about the characters. And I cared about the people they cared about, which made me quite invested in the outcome of the mystery. And, I might have had some feels. (Fine, who am I even kidding, I had lots of them.)
- There was a ton of focus on family, even if some of the families were pretty dysfunctional. Having the characters explore these bonds was certainly a great addition to the story. And seeing some of the more supportive family members was lovely (and hopeful, tbh).
- The mystery kept me guessing til the end! And obviously I will tell you no more than that 😁
Bottom Line: An intense mystery set in the backdrop of the 90s with characters I was invested in.