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18 Months
Alissa Reeves came out for Hannah Desarno. Hannah is smart, beautiful, and has just gone missing. Worse, she isn’t Alissa’s first girlfriend to disappear. Eighteen months ago, Alissa was caught kissing bad girl Lana Meyers. Too scared to admit her feelings for Lana, Alissa let her friends blame Lana. Weeks later when Lana disappeared, no one in their small town thought much of it until months later when her body was found. With Hannah gone, Alissa finds herself following clues that will help her discover what happened to both girls, and the truth will change everything.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 12, 2016
2 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Boyette
12 books26 followersI live in Upstate New York and when I am not writing I work in the wine industry. My short stories have been featured on various websites and one appeared in "The Last Man Anthology". I was the Co-winner of the 2010 Textnovel.com contest. My books Morning Rising and Darkness of Morning are available on multiple formats while my Novella Voodoo is only available on the Kindle at this time.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 20, 2019
while this book is most easily classified as a YA mystery/thriller, it's not the mystery parts that stayed with me as a reader. the mystery plotline itself was actually a bit predictable to someone who's read a lot of books in this genre, but that shouldn't be grounds for dismissal if you're on the fence about reading this, because there's something else this book does really well, and it's something i've never come across before in my YA reading, but it's a pretty important, if subtle, aspect of teenage sexual development. SO MANY COMMAS, KAREN!
first things first - plot details that are not really spoilers, but you be the judge of your own sensitivity to knowing stuff: so, before the events of this book, alissa was one of the cool girls, which of course means the cool mean girls. and she wears all the right clothes, mocks all the right people, conforms to the cool-girl hive mind led by queen bee madison, even though she doesn't feel comfortable in the outfits or with the pranks, one of which humiliates and drives away her childhood best friend nick. and then one day, while being tutored by mallpunk lana, who is definitely outside of the cool-girl circle; they find themselves unexpectedly drawn to each other, and they conduct a secret romantic relationship until madison and genny discover them kissing (ew, groooooooss, coooooties) which alissa passes off as an unwanted advance, preserving her own cool-girl status and causing lana to become the focus of much teen-bullying until she suddenly disappears and her body turns up murdered months later.
time passes (18 months!), and alissa meets hannah, and she falls for her hard. hard enough that she overcomes the fears that hindered her first relationship and comes out to her parents and her peers, causing her eviction from the cool girl circle, but she's so in love (and so much more comfortable in her hoodies n' jeans), it's no price at all to pay. even nick comes back into her life, glad that mean-alissa is gone, and ready to be friends again, while also clearly hoping for more.
and then, hannah disappears, just like lana. and alissa begins getting threatening notes, casting the blame for hannah's abduction on alissa and setting her on a dangerous path of investigation and self-examination.
it's a cat-and-mouse manipulation game, with both action and psychological suspense, and even though it's a little predictable, it's still a satisfying ride.
but what's great about this book is the contrast between alissa's two relationships: how they are described and how alissa feels about them during and after.
usually in YgAy lit, it would be 'girl meets girl and it's true love forever and who cares if homophobes oppose us because LOOOOOVE!!'
and that's fine and cheesily romantic, but it's not super-realistic. the treatment here is much better because while there's mutual attraction between lana and alissa, it's not love. with lana, alissa experiences the thrills of novelty, curiosity, experimentation, and the additional appeal of secrecy, but true love rarely strikes your first time out, and the clichéd scenario so frequently trotted out in various entertainments of "we are the only two lesbians in the script so obvs. we are in love" is as silly as dana's despised "gay for you" scenario. this one rings truer - lana was alissa's formative relationship, attractive because it felt "right" on some level, but they didn't have enough in common for it to be love, nor to be worth the risk to alissa's social status to make public. but with hannah, alissa not only had confirmation that her attraction to girls was more than just a one-off, but more importantly, in hannah she found the emotional connection that was lacking with lana that made the risk of coming out worth it.
and while that's not the central focus of the book, it's an aspect i really appreciated. it's not something i've encountered before in a coming out/coming-of-age story; the opportunity and perspective to compare two relationships and their effect on the emotional development of a character, even though this situation was complicated by murrrrderrr. it's an obvious point that it takes more than just two lesbians being in the same room to sustain a healthy relationship, but YA romance (of all orientations) tends to be focused on a single relationship with immediate payoff, without the long(er)-term perspective tracing a character's romantic development.
and that alone is well worth the price of admission.
also, i want to know what this fizzy blue raspberry cocktail is and how to make it for myself.
come to my blog!
first things first - plot details that are not really spoilers, but you be the judge of your own sensitivity to knowing stuff: so, before the events of this book, alissa was one of the cool girls, which of course means the cool mean girls. and she wears all the right clothes, mocks all the right people, conforms to the cool-girl hive mind led by queen bee madison, even though she doesn't feel comfortable in the outfits or with the pranks, one of which humiliates and drives away her childhood best friend nick. and then one day, while being tutored by mallpunk lana, who is definitely outside of the cool-girl circle; they find themselves unexpectedly drawn to each other, and they conduct a secret romantic relationship until madison and genny discover them kissing (ew, groooooooss, coooooties) which alissa passes off as an unwanted advance, preserving her own cool-girl status and causing lana to become the focus of much teen-bullying until she suddenly disappears and her body turns up murdered months later.
time passes (18 months!), and alissa meets hannah, and she falls for her hard. hard enough that she overcomes the fears that hindered her first relationship and comes out to her parents and her peers, causing her eviction from the cool girl circle, but she's so in love (and so much more comfortable in her hoodies n' jeans), it's no price at all to pay. even nick comes back into her life, glad that mean-alissa is gone, and ready to be friends again, while also clearly hoping for more.
and then, hannah disappears, just like lana. and alissa begins getting threatening notes, casting the blame for hannah's abduction on alissa and setting her on a dangerous path of investigation and self-examination.
it's a cat-and-mouse manipulation game, with both action and psychological suspense, and even though it's a little predictable, it's still a satisfying ride.
but what's great about this book is the contrast between alissa's two relationships: how they are described and how alissa feels about them during and after.
usually in YgAy lit, it would be 'girl meets girl and it's true love forever and who cares if homophobes oppose us because LOOOOOVE!!'
and that's fine and cheesily romantic, but it's not super-realistic. the treatment here is much better because while there's mutual attraction between lana and alissa, it's not love. with lana, alissa experiences the thrills of novelty, curiosity, experimentation, and the additional appeal of secrecy, but true love rarely strikes your first time out, and the clichéd scenario so frequently trotted out in various entertainments of "we are the only two lesbians in the script so obvs. we are in love" is as silly as dana's despised "gay for you" scenario. this one rings truer - lana was alissa's formative relationship, attractive because it felt "right" on some level, but they didn't have enough in common for it to be love, nor to be worth the risk to alissa's social status to make public. but with hannah, alissa not only had confirmation that her attraction to girls was more than just a one-off, but more importantly, in hannah she found the emotional connection that was lacking with lana that made the risk of coming out worth it.
and while that's not the central focus of the book, it's an aspect i really appreciated. it's not something i've encountered before in a coming out/coming-of-age story; the opportunity and perspective to compare two relationships and their effect on the emotional development of a character, even though this situation was complicated by murrrrderrr. it's an obvious point that it takes more than just two lesbians being in the same room to sustain a healthy relationship, but YA romance (of all orientations) tends to be focused on a single relationship with immediate payoff, without the long(er)-term perspective tracing a character's romantic development.
and that alone is well worth the price of admission.
also, i want to know what this fizzy blue raspberry cocktail is and how to make it for myself.
come to my blog!
November 26, 2016
This book definitely had some good parts, but it didn't quite all come together. This book is YA/Crime, and I got into the story line quickly. The biggest problem was its predictability. When you are reading a who-done-it crime book, you don't want to figure it out right away. This was just too easy, so it ruined some of the suspense for me.
I had sort of a love hate relationship with the main character Alissa. She has done some absolute awful things in her past, so it was hard to forgive her. But than I would remember she is a teenager, and they do dumb things. I felt she really did change for the better, and I started to like her as the book went on. I liked the character of her girlfriend Hannah, very much. However, most of the book is about her gone missing, so she isn't in the book as much as I would have liked. I think a coming out/coming of age/romance, between Alissa and Hannah, would have made a good book.
I'm not going to talk about the mystery, since it is very easy to figure out already, I don't want to mention any possible spoilers as it is. I will say there are still some exciting parts, and this book did entertain me. I would be willing to give Boyette's books another shot in the future.
An ARC was given to me by Bold Strokes Books, for a honest review.
I had sort of a love hate relationship with the main character Alissa. She has done some absolute awful things in her past, so it was hard to forgive her. But than I would remember she is a teenager, and they do dumb things. I felt she really did change for the better, and I started to like her as the book went on. I liked the character of her girlfriend Hannah, very much. However, most of the book is about her gone missing, so she isn't in the book as much as I would have liked. I think a coming out/coming of age/romance, between Alissa and Hannah, would have made a good book.
I'm not going to talk about the mystery, since it is very easy to figure out already, I don't want to mention any possible spoilers as it is. I will say there are still some exciting parts, and this book did entertain me. I would be willing to give Boyette's books another shot in the future.
An ARC was given to me by Bold Strokes Books, for a honest review.
February 7, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. YA mystery with a lesbian romance. It's YA so the characters are teens. Some teens are unpredictable and have an affinity for getting into trouble. Sometimes they act impulsively and without a lot of forethought. As you're reading, just keep in mind that they are teens and not 30 year old women who know better. These girls are still testing the waters of life and learning through mistakes. The characters do show growth. I enjoyed the interactions between most of the characters. Took me back in time to my younger, albeit dumber days. The mystery is pretty predictable, but the overall story is enjoyable. I would read more books from Samantha Boyette.
Netgalley ARC received for an honest review.
Netgalley ARC received for an honest review.
December 4, 2016
*The copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
It was a nice YA romance, with a thriller parts... The mystery kind of felt short, it wasn't exactly skillfully written, but it still was a nice read. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it shouldn't be a reason to dismiss it and place in a "not-good" category. Besides predictable thriller/mystery plotline, I thought the characters were sweet and likable.
It was a nice YA romance, with a thriller parts... The mystery kind of felt short, it wasn't exactly skillfully written, but it still was a nice read. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it shouldn't be a reason to dismiss it and place in a "not-good" category. Besides predictable thriller/mystery plotline, I thought the characters were sweet and likable.
November 15, 2016
It really irritates me when I read a mystery/thriller and within a few chapters have the entire whodunnit and why completely figured out. There are no red herrings, and instead it just becomes even more beaten over the head obvious as the story progresses. Aside from that very big miss, the tone just has this very Lifetime Original Movie feel to it, but seems to also take itself so damn seriously. I could not get into this main character, and for some reason the descriptions of her relationship with her girlfriends irritated me. Maybe it was the repetition of "you're so damn beautiful" as the only endearment these teens seem to know or the touching of "flat stomach"s like it's some some of new erogenous zone. I don't know. Maybe this book just caught me in a particularly scathing and angry mood, though I doubt it as I'm usually this unpleasant. I welcome another author taking a "stab" at YA fiction that's more thriller than coming out piece, but this book was not it for me.
ARC provided by NetGalley
ARC provided by NetGalley
November 25, 2016
3 stars for good effort. If the story wasn't so predictable it would have been a really good book.
January 12, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Alissa's last girlfriend was found dead after she ran away due to bullying caused by her rejection and refusal to come out. She let her popular friends bully her and allowed the whole school to play along. Now, her current girlfriend, who she came out for, is also missing, but the police refuse to think the cases are related. Alissa tries to piece together the events leading to Lana's disappearance and murder in the hopes of recovering some clues towards Hannah. All she has are mysterious note being left for her.
She recruits and old friend, nick, to help her solve the clues and find Hannah.
Allissa's mom is not ok with her being gay and constantly pushes nick on to her. It doesn't help that nick is in love with her and throughout the books makes certain situations uncomfortable.
Even through I had the book figured out early on, there was still enough plot twists that kept me re thinking inward right.
A surprise ending and overall a very great book!
Alissa's last girlfriend was found dead after she ran away due to bullying caused by her rejection and refusal to come out. She let her popular friends bully her and allowed the whole school to play along. Now, her current girlfriend, who she came out for, is also missing, but the police refuse to think the cases are related. Alissa tries to piece together the events leading to Lana's disappearance and murder in the hopes of recovering some clues towards Hannah. All she has are mysterious note being left for her.
She recruits and old friend, nick, to help her solve the clues and find Hannah.
Allissa's mom is not ok with her being gay and constantly pushes nick on to her. It doesn't help that nick is in love with her and throughout the books makes certain situations uncomfortable.
Even through I had the book figured out early on, there was still enough plot twists that kept me re thinking inward right.
A surprise ending and overall a very great book!
Read
June 19, 2020For those of you who enjoy tense, nail-biting suspense, this might be right up your alley. Unfortunately, my alley is a little different. I downloaded this book primarily because its metadata states that it is a mystery, and mystery is my specialty—especially lesbian mystery. I was hoping, in fact, to unearth an actual Young Adult lesbian mystery. Sorry. Although the protagonist, Alilssa Reeves, does make a active attempt to locate her missing girlfriend Hannah, her actions are generally choreographed by the killer so that, at the end, she has to be saved by a man--something that galls some lesbian readers. The book should be labeled YA Romantic Suspense, although both Alissa and Hanna are over the age of consent. While reading it I felt similar to times when I have been roped into seeing something like a Freddy Krueger movie.
Which is too bad, because a lot of the book is written really well. The switch from past to future chapters was first rate, as was Alissa’s relationships with Hannah and Alissa’s own parents. The romance between Alissa and Hanna was also touching. It is a good coming-out book. Many previous reviews have bopped this book because of its predictability. With good reason. A even slightly astute reader will know the two major plot twists almost at once. This is not necessarily bad because, as I stated above, it is not a mystery; not a whodunit. If the author’s intent was to rattle the reader’s nerves and inwardly rail at Alissa (and the police) for not seeing the obvious, then she was successful. It is not the kind of artistry I embrace, though. Balancing the bad with the good gives this book about 3 stars.
Note: If you like Lesbian Mysteries, check out my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, . It's got information on over 930 lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
Which is too bad, because a lot of the book is written really well. The switch from past to future chapters was first rate, as was Alissa’s relationships with Hannah and Alissa’s own parents. The romance between Alissa and Hanna was also touching. It is a good coming-out book. Many previous reviews have bopped this book because of its predictability. With good reason. A even slightly astute reader will know the two major plot twists almost at once. This is not necessarily bad because, as I stated above, it is not a mystery; not a whodunit. If the author’s intent was to rattle the reader’s nerves and inwardly rail at Alissa (and the police) for not seeing the obvious, then she was successful. It is not the kind of artistry I embrace, though. Balancing the bad with the good gives this book about 3 stars.
Note: If you like Lesbian Mysteries, check out my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, . It's got information on over 930 lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
March 31, 2017
• Find my reviews here: Literary Meanderings
- - -
3.5 stars
Synopsis: Alissa Reeves came out for Hannah Desarno. Hannah is smart, beautiful, and has just gone missing. Worse, she isn’t Alissa’s first girlfriend to disappear. Eighteen months ago, Alissa was caught kissing bad girl Lana Meyers. Too scared to admit her feelings for Lana, Alissa let her friends blame Lana. Weeks later when Lana disappeared, no one in their small town thought much of it until months later when her body was found.
With Hannah gone, Alissa finds herself following clues that will help her discover what happened to both girls, and the truth will change everything.
- - -
THE BAD
Well, there wasn't really anything too bad about this book; it's more just mediocre. It's good, but not great.
The mystery set-up was thorough, but a little obvious in my opinion. I guessed what was happening pretty early on—there are some pretty obvious hints about what is going to happen. I don't think they were nestled away well enough within the storyline for them to be NOT obvious. The author did, however, divert my attention a couple of times with other suspects, which was great, but not quite enough to make me second-guess what I already believed to be the truth about the killer/kidnapper.
As with the mystery plot, the ending was expected and a bit rushed.
THE GOOD
Let me preface this by saying I am gay myself, so I can relate to this next bit on s personal level.
I think the portrayal of homophobia was pretty spot on. Alissa faces this at home as well as in school. Her mother is one of those mothers all gays hope won't turn out to be theirs. IT'S A PHASE. Obviously it could be worse—her mother could kick her out of the house, disown her, and damn her to hell. This is, at least, straightforward. Mom believes you're gay, but hates it. The PHASE parent is shitty to a different extent. Alissa tells her mother she is gay, but her mother discredits and disrespects her by just blowing it off as a phase and continuously trying to push her (quite obviously) toward guys.
As for the students at school... once Alissa and Lana are discovered by the "popular" girls, all hell breaks loose. Alissa makes some bad decisions based on the fact that said popular girls are HER FRIENDS. They are extremely homophobic, and not only that, but Lana is of the "quiet goth girl" stereotype. Alissa's friends concoct a lie basically blaming the entire thing on Lana being a pervert and Alissa, fearing for her reputation, goes along with it. Peer pressure and all that. Dyke this, dyke that. Etc, etc. The author wrote it well.
The characters were also very well-written. I think I was impressed with that most of all. Even Lana and Hannah who weren't in the present-tense of the book, were pretty stand-out in their personalities. Very well done.
OVERALL
18 Months is a quick mystery/thriller read. It's set up pretty well, but a little predictable. Technical flaws, if you will. Easy to overlook though, considering the characters were so well presented as was the realism in relation to Alissa's life experiences as a gay teen and just a teen in general. I would recommend it for sure, especially if you enjoy LGBT reads or straightforward mysteries.
- - -
Book source: From the publisher for review
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
• For more of my reviews, check out my blog!
• You can also find them via my YouTube channel here!
December 10, 2016
Alissa is much like many popular teenage girls. She is caught up in her own world. With incredibly judgmental friends, no real direction in life, slightly confused feelings around her sexuality and a slight amount of guilt for her bad behavior towards other people, she continues to go on living a life of lies… until she meets Hannah. Hannah is the seemingly cool, gracious, amazing friend that anyone would be lucky to have. With their instant connection she sends sparks of positivity and confidence into Alissa’s life and teaches her what it really means to not only live and love, but love a person of the same sex.
Overall, I found this to be a fairly engaging read. I would look forward to my next few moments with the book and really got into the mystery aspect of it. Not only does it have a different approach to a love story, but it throws in this sadistic treasure hunt mixed with elements of Veronica Mars-esq detective skills. It really brings about the question of “what would you do for the one you love”? You can tell the author is passionate about this and I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe some of these were ideas were remnants of her teenage years.
However, as with any good publicity, I did have a few things that kind of irked me. As a lover of the murder mystery genre, I was disappointed with how quickly I was able to figure out certain plot points, but was delighted to see that there was more to it than I had guessed. I also felt like the characters didn’t really have much development. All of the parents in the books were, for lack of better words, “MEH”, especially given that this book was set in present time and these parents weren’t exactly raised in the generation of when homosexuality was regarded as such an awful thing. Lana’s mom was beyond disgusting, or was that the point? I can never quite tell when I encounter a character I loathe.
In the end, I’m rating it as a 3.5 but rounding up to a 4 because I really am just a lover of all things YA with a mix of murder (the notes and hunt got me there I think). If you’re in the mood for a quick light read, it might be the book for you. If you’re the type of reader who needs more, you might want to pass.
Overall, I found this to be a fairly engaging read. I would look forward to my next few moments with the book and really got into the mystery aspect of it. Not only does it have a different approach to a love story, but it throws in this sadistic treasure hunt mixed with elements of Veronica Mars-esq detective skills. It really brings about the question of “what would you do for the one you love”? You can tell the author is passionate about this and I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe some of these were ideas were remnants of her teenage years.
However, as with any good publicity, I did have a few things that kind of irked me. As a lover of the murder mystery genre, I was disappointed with how quickly I was able to figure out certain plot points, but was delighted to see that there was more to it than I had guessed. I also felt like the characters didn’t really have much development. All of the parents in the books were, for lack of better words, “MEH”, especially given that this book was set in present time and these parents weren’t exactly raised in the generation of when homosexuality was regarded as such an awful thing. Lana’s mom was beyond disgusting, or was that the point? I can never quite tell when I encounter a character I loathe.
In the end, I’m rating it as a 3.5 but rounding up to a 4 because I really am just a lover of all things YA with a mix of murder (the notes and hunt got me there I think). If you’re in the mood for a quick light read, it might be the book for you. If you’re the type of reader who needs more, you might want to pass.
June 27, 2022
i loved loved the book and the plottwists weren't completely expected (other than when nick started being a complete fucking asshole i knew it would be him) however i didn't like alissa at all. she was a terrible person and an especially terrible girlfriend to both lana and hannah. she outed lana to protect herself and then when hannah went missing she was mostly thinking about lana. really wish hannah and alissa were written as a couple better because they could've had so much better potential. i do love hannah though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2018
The author has put a lot of hints to show who the kidnapper was so its make the story less thrilled and mystery. It's still worth to read tho
January 22, 2020
No good plot line. So unbelievable! Predictable ending and very unrealistic.
January 2, 2017
A copy of this novel was provided by Bold Strokes Books for review via Net Galley.
I had six main thoughts when reading 18 Months:
1) I knew who the culprit was immediately.
I had the kidnapper/murderer figured out by the first chapter, which is kind of disappointing. I mean, I entertained the thought of it being someone else but ultimately I was right. Which takes away a lot of the fun of reading a mystery/thriller book because the guessing is the best part.
2) I’m glad it wasn’t because of Alissa’s sexuality.
I never want to read another mystery/thriller featuring a queer character that is targeted because of their sexuality or gender identity. It puts out such a horrible message. So the fact that the horrible things aren’t happening to Alissa because she’s gay was appreciated.
3) I didn’t understand why people fell in love with Alissa.
There was a scene and one of Alissa’s girlfriends (I think it was Lana) was talking about how, once you got to know her, Alissa was this incredible person. I didn’t see it, and I was reading from her perspective.
4) Alissa’s relationship with Lana changed.
In the beginning of 18 Months, Alissa has a flashback to when she’s caught kissing Lana and decides to let Lana take the fall for her (so she doesn’t have to come out to her horrible friends). In that flashback, Alissa is thinking about how she likes Lana, but they’re not serious or anything, and she doesn’t see Lana as someone she’d want to be with. And then, later in the book, it turns out that Alissa and Lana’s relationship was pretty intense. There was sneaking out, and special places, and then all of a sudden Alissa is reminiscing about how much she cared about Lana. I’m not sure if the first part was just Alissa making excuses to herself, or whether the author decided to make Lana more important as the story went on, but it was weird and disjointed.
5) Was Hannah even missing?
The whole premise of 18 Months is that Alissa’s new girlfriend (if we go with Lana actually being a girlfriend), Hannah, is missing. But Alissa phones Hannah’s parents, and they say they’ve heard from her, and that she’s fine. Alissa kind of believes this, but also decides to start her own investigation into what’s going on. This seemed kind of weird because there wasn’t any indication to say that Hannah was actually missing except for Alissa’s hunch (which was right, but it was still odd).
6) Girl, phone the police.
The person who has taken Hannah says that they’ll kill her if Alissa goes to the police. How would they even know if she did, anyway? (I mean, I know how, but Alissa didn’t.) It is always better to go to the police, even if they’re shitty and incompetent (like they usually are in mystery/thrillers) because doing things on your own is not a good idea.
All in all, 18 Months was quite a predictable mystery/thriller, but it was a quick read and I’m always up for a mystery/thriller, especially one that’s LGBTQIA+.
© 2016, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
trigger warning: murder, use of ableist language, fat shaming, bullying, homophobia, abduction, sexual assault, and reference to rape in this novel
I had six main thoughts when reading 18 Months:
1) I knew who the culprit was immediately.
I had the kidnapper/murderer figured out by the first chapter, which is kind of disappointing. I mean, I entertained the thought of it being someone else but ultimately I was right. Which takes away a lot of the fun of reading a mystery/thriller book because the guessing is the best part.
2) I’m glad it wasn’t because of Alissa’s sexuality.
I never want to read another mystery/thriller featuring a queer character that is targeted because of their sexuality or gender identity. It puts out such a horrible message. So the fact that the horrible things aren’t happening to Alissa because she’s gay was appreciated.
3) I didn’t understand why people fell in love with Alissa.
There was a scene and one of Alissa’s girlfriends (I think it was Lana) was talking about how, once you got to know her, Alissa was this incredible person. I didn’t see it, and I was reading from her perspective.
4) Alissa’s relationship with Lana changed.
In the beginning of 18 Months, Alissa has a flashback to when she’s caught kissing Lana and decides to let Lana take the fall for her (so she doesn’t have to come out to her horrible friends). In that flashback, Alissa is thinking about how she likes Lana, but they’re not serious or anything, and she doesn’t see Lana as someone she’d want to be with. And then, later in the book, it turns out that Alissa and Lana’s relationship was pretty intense. There was sneaking out, and special places, and then all of a sudden Alissa is reminiscing about how much she cared about Lana. I’m not sure if the first part was just Alissa making excuses to herself, or whether the author decided to make Lana more important as the story went on, but it was weird and disjointed.
5) Was Hannah even missing?
The whole premise of 18 Months is that Alissa’s new girlfriend (if we go with Lana actually being a girlfriend), Hannah, is missing. But Alissa phones Hannah’s parents, and they say they’ve heard from her, and that she’s fine. Alissa kind of believes this, but also decides to start her own investigation into what’s going on. This seemed kind of weird because there wasn’t any indication to say that Hannah was actually missing except for Alissa’s hunch (which was right, but it was still odd).
6) Girl, phone the police.
The person who has taken Hannah says that they’ll kill her if Alissa goes to the police. How would they even know if she did, anyway? (I mean, I know how, but Alissa didn’t.) It is always better to go to the police, even if they’re shitty and incompetent (like they usually are in mystery/thrillers) because doing things on your own is not a good idea.
~
All in all, 18 Months was quite a predictable mystery/thriller, but it was a quick read and I’m always up for a mystery/thriller, especially one that’s LGBTQIA+.
© 2016, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity . All rights reserved.
trigger warning: murder, use of ableist language, fat shaming, bullying, homophobia, abduction, sexual assault, and reference to rape in this novel
January 5, 2017
Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:
One of my main criteria for assessing mysteries is the identity of the villain. Are they convincing and do their motivations make sense? Are they someone whom readers and the protagonists can spot, without the former getting annoyed at the latter’s missing of obvious clues? In stories featuring amateur or accidental investigators, is there a good reason why the police haven’t already looked at this person? After that, of course, I need a good cast of characters, along with a setting and plot that I can feel comfortable with for the duration of the book. Not too comfortable, obviously – this is a crime story – but I need to understand what makes the protagonist want to live in that location (if indeed they aren’t just desperate to get out) and how the plot carries them along the twists and turns of their investigation. A likable protagonist is generally a plus too, but in young adult stories, one with understandable flaws is sometimes more believable.
Alissa Reeves used to be one of the popular girls – or rather part of the crowd that most of her classmates aspired to join but few were let into – but now she’s an outcast, after declaring her affections for Hannah Desarno. She’d expected that, having almost lost her place in the clique 18 months ago when the others caught her kissing Lana Meyers. Back then she was a coward and accused Lana of coming onto her, getting the other girl into a whole heap of trouble, but now she’s prepared to stand up for her relationship with Hannah. Unfortunately, Alissa hasn’t told Hannah the whole story, and Lana can’t contradict what she’s been saying; 18 months ago, Lana disappeared: her dismembered body showing up some months later. Now Hannah’s started getting curious, and Alissa is forced to tell her the truth of how she betrayed Lana and their relationship.
The girls quarrel, and the next day Hannah fails to show up at school. Alissa worries that both her girlfriends have fallen victim to the same predatory killer – even after Hannah’s parents claim to have heard from her – and then someone starts leaving messages for Alissa, claiming to be holding Hannah prisoner. The police believe Hannah’s parents over Alissa – except for one young officer who isn’t convinced either way – and so Alissa is left to seek out the truth by herself, occasionally helped by a companion from her preteen years, whom she abandoned for the popular crowd, but who now wants to revive their previous friendship.
I enjoyed all the twists this story took and was convinced by most of the characters’ motivations for helping or hindering Alissa’s investigations. While I had my suspicions about the killer, I was only partly right, but their motivations mostly made sense when it came to the big reveal. An author whose work I’ll be looking out for in future.
One of my main criteria for assessing mysteries is the identity of the villain. Are they convincing and do their motivations make sense? Are they someone whom readers and the protagonists can spot, without the former getting annoyed at the latter’s missing of obvious clues? In stories featuring amateur or accidental investigators, is there a good reason why the police haven’t already looked at this person? After that, of course, I need a good cast of characters, along with a setting and plot that I can feel comfortable with for the duration of the book. Not too comfortable, obviously – this is a crime story – but I need to understand what makes the protagonist want to live in that location (if indeed they aren’t just desperate to get out) and how the plot carries them along the twists and turns of their investigation. A likable protagonist is generally a plus too, but in young adult stories, one with understandable flaws is sometimes more believable.
Alissa Reeves used to be one of the popular girls – or rather part of the crowd that most of her classmates aspired to join but few were let into – but now she’s an outcast, after declaring her affections for Hannah Desarno. She’d expected that, having almost lost her place in the clique 18 months ago when the others caught her kissing Lana Meyers. Back then she was a coward and accused Lana of coming onto her, getting the other girl into a whole heap of trouble, but now she’s prepared to stand up for her relationship with Hannah. Unfortunately, Alissa hasn’t told Hannah the whole story, and Lana can’t contradict what she’s been saying; 18 months ago, Lana disappeared: her dismembered body showing up some months later. Now Hannah’s started getting curious, and Alissa is forced to tell her the truth of how she betrayed Lana and their relationship.
The girls quarrel, and the next day Hannah fails to show up at school. Alissa worries that both her girlfriends have fallen victim to the same predatory killer – even after Hannah’s parents claim to have heard from her – and then someone starts leaving messages for Alissa, claiming to be holding Hannah prisoner. The police believe Hannah’s parents over Alissa – except for one young officer who isn’t convinced either way – and so Alissa is left to seek out the truth by herself, occasionally helped by a companion from her preteen years, whom she abandoned for the popular crowd, but who now wants to revive their previous friendship.
I enjoyed all the twists this story took and was convinced by most of the characters’ motivations for helping or hindering Alissa’s investigations. While I had my suspicions about the killer, I was only partly right, but their motivations mostly made sense when it came to the big reveal. An author whose work I’ll be looking out for in future.
December 5, 2016
18 months is a mystery novel about the disappearances of Alissa's girlfriends. Alissa's last girlfriend was found dead after she ran away due to bullying caused by her (Alissa) rejection and refusal to come out. Now, her current girlfriend, who she came out for, is also missing, but the police refuse to think the cases are related. Alissa tries to piece together the events leading to Lana's disappearance and murder in the hopes of recovering some clues towards Hannah. All she has are mysterious notes and her best friend Nick to go on.
18 months is pretty much a straightforward mystery, and doesn't go about setting up much for that. There is a single plot twist, some diversions, but if you are paying attention, it is obvious what is going on. It screams revenge plot right from the start, and I pretty much guessed what was happening within the first third of the book. While the mystery isn't that well-written, what was was the subtle homophobia Alissa faces at home and the outright bigotry she faces at school. She is constantly being nagged by her mother and discredited saying that she is going through a phase and all that. I liked that this part was actually relevant to the mystery plot, because it added to the complications a bit. The ending was pretty rushed, though, so I feel like the conclusion could have been written better. Overall, it is still a pretty good book, with only a few technical faults.
Received a free galley from Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley.
18 months is pretty much a straightforward mystery, and doesn't go about setting up much for that. There is a single plot twist, some diversions, but if you are paying attention, it is obvious what is going on. It screams revenge plot right from the start, and I pretty much guessed what was happening within the first third of the book. While the mystery isn't that well-written, what was was the subtle homophobia Alissa faces at home and the outright bigotry she faces at school. She is constantly being nagged by her mother and discredited saying that she is going through a phase and all that. I liked that this part was actually relevant to the mystery plot, because it added to the complications a bit. The ending was pretty rushed, though, so I feel like the conclusion could have been written better. Overall, it is still a pretty good book, with only a few technical faults.
Received a free galley from Bold Strokes Books via Netgalley.
December 13, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.
Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I actually really liked this book and wanted to like it more but like other reviewers, the mystery of the plot fell flat. It is painfully obvious what happens with the "mystery part" right from the start.
However, the writing was really good with engaging dialogue. The characters were really detailed, and I could easily picture them in my head. If just a few things had been changed this could have been a really good thriller.
Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I actually really liked this book and wanted to like it more but like other reviewers, the mystery of the plot fell flat. It is painfully obvious what happens with the "mystery part" right from the start.
However, the writing was really good with engaging dialogue. The characters were really detailed, and I could easily picture them in my head. If just a few things had been changed this could have been a really good thriller.
December 28, 2016
Oh this book! I cannot rave about it enough! Mystery/Thriller books are my favorite. It had just the perfect amount of mystery and thrill that I could not put the book down....Really I couldn't. I had both my kindle and the kindle app open on my phone all of the time. I did force myself to put it down because let's face it, we hate to finish great books. It leaves us wanting more and in a book slump. This book did just that.
Read more of my review on my blog! https://bondingoverbindings.blogspot....
Read more of my review on my blog! https://bondingoverbindings.blogspot....
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December 7, 2016
This book was really good. Trying to figure out with Alissa what happened to Hannah and Lana kept me on the edge of my seat literally. I sort of had a guess who was the mastermind behind everything around the 20th chapter but still the story kept me engaged. The ending blew me away ! This is the fastest I ever read a book
December 28, 2016
*Review copy received from publisher*
This story was predictable with little depth in the characters.
Spoiler alert!
The protagonist drugs herself!... even though there is no evidence of stupidity or naivety prior to following Alice in Wonderland.
The story is set in a small town, but the character doesn't know her own classmates.
This story was predictable with little depth in the characters.
Spoiler alert!
The protagonist drugs herself!... even though there is no evidence of stupidity or naivety prior to following Alice in Wonderland.
The story is set in a small town, but the character doesn't know her own classmates.
January 10, 2017
I'm pretty good at guessing what is going on in mystery books. I got one part early on but was still surprised at the end to learn I had missed another crucial part. Well done!
Read
August 2, 2017DNF one page after the disappearance. Guessed who, guessed why, flipped to end, was right, shut book, put away.
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