White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig

White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig 

Review by Lauren

source: ARC from Karen at For What It’s Worth (thanks, Karen!)

Official Summary (add to Goodreads): Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian—the guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to “talk.” Things couldn’t get much worse, right?

But then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. And then he and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife, beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.

April swears she didn’t kill Fox—but Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet can’t stop loving, Rufus has one night to prove his sister’s innocence…or die trying.

Review: Oh, I just loved this one. White Rabbit is the second book by Roehrig (and I loved that one too – my review of Last Seen Leaving can be found here). I’m a big fan of mysteries, and it’s always exciting when there’s a YA release, because I don’t read a lot of them for this age group. Honestly, I never really guessed the ultimate culprit – I had some “maybes” as the truth was fast approaching, but overall, this one kept me wondering throughout the book.

It’s told solely through the point of view of Rufus, whose ex-boyfriend (well, secret ex-boyfriend) shows up wanting to talk…and then before he can say what’s on his mind, Rufus’ half sister April calls him. This sends Rufus and Sebastian to the party April is at, only to find nobody else there but April and her boyfriend, Fox Whitney…who is, you know, dead.

This book takes place over one really long night, and I thought it worked well. The reasoning for Rufus not calling the police right away made sense to me, and don’t worry, the police do ultimately become involved. Before this though, Rufus, Sebastian, and April set out to try and figure out just who might have killed Fox and tried to pin it on April. Oh, and Sebastian still needs to tell Rufus what’s on his mind.

I really liked Rufus and Sebastian together; it’s obvious they both really care about each other, and yes, Sebastian did some stupid stuff in the past and hurt more than just Rufus, but I could understand where he was coming from. There’s a scene later in the book, pertaining to Sebastian, that is especially emotional and lovely. I also really enjoyed the dynamics of Rufus’ family. His dad wants nothing to do with him, he has a sadistic older brother, and a younger sister (April) who seems to like him okay, but Rufus knows he can’t always count on her. It’s an interesting mix and it added a lot of intrigue to the story.

White Rabbit is full of lies, half-truths, and plenty of suspense. I’ll happily read anything Roehrig publishes at this point.

Still need to read Roehrig’s debut, Last Seen Leaving? Again, check out my review!

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig

Review by Lauren

source: copy from BEA16; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her 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 has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.

Review: When researching the authors/books that would be at Book Expo America in May, I came across Caleb Roehrig's novel, Last Seen Leaving. It comes two things that I absolutely love - LGBT+ characters and a mystery! After reading this one, I can definitely say you should check it out. The mystery of January's disappearance is perfect for the fall season, though you can enjoy it at any time.

I think it's fairly obvious from the summary that Flynn is gay. That's the "truth about himself" that the official summary talks about. Therefore, when his girlfriend January goes missing, there is a lot that Flynn can't talk about concerning their relationship and the last night they spent together. Don't worry, the secret doesn't stay hidden for too long, so there shouldn't be any yelling of "OMG, Flynn, tell someone!" It's actually after Flynn finally comes out that things get really interesting.

Last Seen Leaving is full of little twists and turns that I loved. Whether you guess a culprit or not, you're bound to be surprised by something in this novel. I loved the character of Flynn. He's scared about coming out, but then he's also determined to do right by January now that she's gone. He wants to know what happened to her and most of the things he does to find answers is understandable, since I know that this is something that people are often bothered by in teen mysteries.

What I really loved about this book is that it's more than just a who done it or a murder mystery. Yes, there is all of that, but it's also about growing up and learning to understand why people do the things they do. Again, I highly recommend this one and I can't wait for more by this author!