The Lost Boys By Lilian Carmine

DNF (unfinished)
The Lost Boys
Written By Lilian Carmine
Published 24 / 10 / 2013
512 Pages
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK
Fate has brought them together. But will it also keep them apart? Having moved to a strange town, 17 year old Joey Gray is feeling a little lost, until she meets a cute, mysterious boy near her new home. But there’s a very good reason why Tristan Halloway is always to be found roaming in the local graveyard. Perfect for fans of Stephenie Meyer and Lauren Kate, The Lost Boys is a magical, romantic tale of girl meets ghost.
Joey is new in town, her mother being offered a new career opportunity she simply couldn't afford to decline, so now Joey and her mother find themselves unpacking in Esperanza, a few weeks before Christmas. Joey has never been a social butterfly, but when agreeing to help a neighbour lands Joey lost in the middle of a cemetery, she never expected to meet Tristan. Tristan looks as though he's just stepped out of a black and white photo, handsome and chivalrous. He and Joey strike up a friendship, only ever meeting within the cemetery gates. But Tristan isn't your average teen, and Joey is about to find out why.

As the two bond under a bewitching spell, Joey is set to start school at the prestigious boarding school, with Tristan following a short week later. With no family to speak of, Tristan must pose as Joey's step brother, which is sure to dampen their brooding romance. But since Tristan entered her life, Joey has been experiencing vivid and terrifying nightmares. The clocked man is looking for Tristan, but with Joey and Tristan's bond, what will happen to the boy who isn't supposed to exist?

My Thoughts


The Lost Boys sounded promising, I assumed a lighter version of Anna Dressed In Blood, crossed with Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, but was sadly mistaken. I'm not entirely sure who the intended audience for this book was, the writing was aimed at primary or middle school aged, but with a few choice curse words here and there, I'm assuming it could be categorized as young adult. It lacked direction, which becomes clear during the storyline, reading as though it could have been several short stories rolled into one. It's not all bad, I really appreciated the author using what is a traditional boys name as her female protagonist, that Joey was sassy and an individual who wouldn't allow herself to be bullied, and didn't give in to the latest trends and dressed for comfort, rather than style. But that's where I felt the positives ended.

Joey is a self confessed shy tomboy. She's aware of the dangers of meeting a strange boy in a cemetery, but dismisses them seemingly due to Tristan's level of attractiveness. Her mother isn't any wiser. Her daughter bringing home a former ghost, then funding the former ghost to attend a prestigious private school? Allowing her teenage daughter to room with two males at the boarding school? For a quiet girl who is antisocial, she doesn't seem to have any trouble befriending a group of teen males, who are also said to be incredibly attractive. The popular girl begins bullying her, then the two are suddenly forming a close friendship. You'd be right to be suspicious, but the popular bully was only testing Joey's resolve, deciding she appreciated Joey's brashness and left her fellow cheerleaders to join Joey's ever expanding attractive social circle.

Surrounded by the wealthy and and beautiful, Joey undergoes a transformation from shy tomboy to fashion conscious swan, and when she starts to attract the attention of the boys around campus, sadly I couldn't read any further, having read to Kindle page 270 approximately. I found the overuse of exclamation marks irritating, and made Joey seem more volatile than I suspect she actually was. If the Goodreads reviews are any indication, this will be either a big hit or huge miss with the young adult audience, and it was a huge miss for me.

3 comments

  1. Fantastic review Kelly, I'm glad I didn't request this one when I saw it. I have a new years resolution to be pickier with my review reads, and have been staying off NG and Edelweiss so far until they are under control lol. It sounds more MG than anything, I think. Thanks for warning us about this book!

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    1. Hey Jeann. It's certainly one for the early teen young adult reader, I can't see many mature readers enjoying this one. It's packed full of teen drama and loses the spooky element. I don't request many off Netgalley and Edelweiss, I stick to the ones that I'd purchase myself. This one was sadly just a complete miss for me.

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  2. I love the cover of this book, and I was interested in reading it, but now I'm not so sure. I wasn't that interested otherwise I'd still give it ago. And there are way too many books on my to-read list to waste time on a book that I'm just not excited for. Thanks for sharing :)

    P.s I'm reading Almost Dead too :)

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