Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia, 336 Pages

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia had so much potential for me, but fell flat. I was SO annoyed with the main character that the life choices that she decided to make after meeting Lucas. There also were a lot of moments where I found myself thinking, "There is no way that this would ever, ever happen in real life". (I get that it's fiction but COME ON. I need it to be a little realistic!!) I feel bad for disliking it so much because the ratings on Goodreads and similar websites were mostly positive, but I had a hard time finishing this book.

Maya Stark, a speech pathologist, finds herself in over her head when she is assigned to the case of Lucas Blackthorn. Lucas was last seen as a 9-year-old boy, camping in Boundary Waters with his father, Josiah. The two men went missing, and all that was left behind was a ravaged campsite. The authorities assumed the two were dead until Lucas was caught stealing items from a sporting/outfitters store. Lucas was sent the psychiatric ward where Maya works, where he was extremely violent and refused to communicate with anyone. After some time together, Lucas opens up to Maya, begging him for help in saving his father. Maya decides to put everything on the line in hopes of finding a happy ending for Lucas.