“Dark and atmospheric, with palpably vivid details and complex characters harboring plenty of secrets” (Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Marriage Lie), this riveting and suspenseful thriller–by the author of the critically acclaimed Everything You Want Me to Be–follows the mysterious disappearance of a boy and his stunning return ten years later. There is a place in … later.
There is a place in Minnesota with hundreds of miles of glacial lakes and untouched forests called the Boundary Waters. Ten years ago, a man and his son trekked into this wilderness and never returned.
Search teams found their campsite ravaged by what looked like a bear. They were presumed dead until a decade later…the son reappears. Discovered while ransacking an outfitter store, he is violent and uncommunicative and is sent to a psychiatric facility. Maya Stark, the assistant language therapist, is charged with making a connection with the high-profile patient. No matter how hard she tries, he refuses to answer questions about his father or the last ten years of his life.
But Maya, who was abandoned by her own mother, has secrets, too. And as she’s drawn closer to this enigmatic boy who is no longer a boy, she’ll risk everything to reunite him with his father who has disappeared from the known world.
With breathless pacing and edge-of-your-seat twists and turns, “Leave No Trace is as thrilling as whitewater rapids and as dark as the Minnesotan wilderness itself” (Amy Gentry, internationally bestselling author of Good as Gone).
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Riveting and beautifully rendered, LEAVE NO TRACE hooks you from the first page and never lets go. A must-read thriller.
Read my review on the New York Journal of Books: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/leave-no-trace
I loved this book! It embodies everything I enjoy and appreciate in a good novel: atmospheric setting, interesting characters, unique story, and intelligent insights into human nature. Since I grew up in northern MN, and enjoyed Mindy’s first book, I was eager to read this one. The Duluth setting, along with the Boundary Waters, was very familiar and realistic. In fact, the Boundary Waters almost becomes a character with its twists and turns, mysticism, and seasonal changes. The book addresses universal questions as to human behavior, but goes beyond nature vs. nurture. It’s hard to describe how this book engaged me on different levels: mental illness, descriptions of nature, and thoughtful, open-ended questions about “doing the right thing”. In summary, all I can say is “Wow!”
* * I won an early copy from Bookish First.* *
Leave No Trace is now on my list of absolute favorites. It’s about two wayward souls who cross paths at a time when both their lives are in turmoil, & through that chaos they quickly form a bond, but they both have secrets that will either solidify that bond or tear them apart. Mindy weaves a beautiful tapestry about family, mental illness, depression, regrets, forging your own path, & finding home. It’s about the pressure of meeting the expectations of others. Mostly, it’s about the peace that comes when you find what feeds your very soul. As usual, there’s a mystery to be solved, but it’s not the heart of this well layered tale. I found that extremely refreshing.
This book was a very easy & entertaining read for me. Her writing just flows so effortlessly. I appreciate the time & detail she put into fleshing out these characters, their motivations, & their environment. I found myself really invested in these people & the outcome of the story. I even learned a fair amount about the Boundary Waters. Mindy Mejia knows how to capture it’s beauty on paper, for sure! She is one of my favorite authors. With writing like this, she always will be! I can’t wait to see what she writes next, & I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Bookish First, Emily Bestler Books /Atria Books, & Mindy Mejia for this gifted copy.
Gave me a longing to be in the woods.
Read my review on the New York Journal of Books: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/leave-no-trace
When Lucas Blackthorn was about nine years old, he and his father disappeared into the mysterious lakes region of the Boundary Waters, a series of glacial lakes and pristine forests separating Michigan and Canada. Lucas and his father were not seen again until Lucas was found, alone, breaking into the local outfitter’s store.
Twenty-three-year-old Maya Stark works as a speech therapist at the psychiatric hospital where Lucas has been taken. She is assigned the seemingly-impossible task of trying to get through to this violent and silent young man. Unexpectedly, they form an unlikely bond, and, through him, Maya learns of her own mother’s mysterious disappearance.
This well-crafted mystery is fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Some may argue that the characters in this book are unrealistic. However, I believe that they are just human. This story reminds us that we do not always do what is right; sometimes we must do what needs to be done.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Leave No Trace is quite different than Mindy Mejia’s first novel, Everything You Want Me to Be! Both are good novels. In this book, a troubled young woman, Maya, is assigned as a speech therapist for a very troubled, and sometimes violent young man. As the story unfolds, I found myself rooting for both of these characters. The story helped to expose the truth that everything is not as it may seem at first glance. I felt that Mejia did a great job of developing these characters, providing their back stories, and didn’t tie everything up in a neat little bow at the end, but rather an ending that was messy, yet fitting to the story. The chill of the Minnesota winter and the beauty of the area surrounding the boundary waters came through in the novel, and let me imagine the sights clearly in my mind.
I will continue to follow Mejia and read her books. Very different and thought provoking.
#LeaveNoTrace #MindyMejia
A brilliant character-driven page turner!
Maya Stark is a 23-year-old speech therapist at Congdon Psychiatric Facility in Duluth, Minnesota.
She had been a patient there herself when she was younger. Then she worked as an orderly to put herself through university.
Maya has abandonment issues concerning her mom. She’s trying to figure out what became of her.
Lucas Blackthorn is a 19-year-old young man who, ten years earlier, disappeared into woods of Boundary Waters with his father, Josiah. Never to be seen again….until now.
Lucas is arrested during a tragic break-in of a outfitter’s store in Ely, MN.
He’s in such a state and unresponsive to anyone that he is sent to Congdon.
While there, Maya is assigned help to Lucas to get him to open up.
Gradually he does. Now they must work together to find out what has happened to his father.
As their lives become inexorably entwined, Maya and Lucas set out on a suspenseful, twist-filled journey of discovery.
What they discover is more shocking than you can imagine!
Superb. HIGHLY recommend.
Maya is a speech therapist at a psychiatric facility. Lucas is admitted after reappearing. Desperate to escape and get back off the grid, Lucas entrusts Maya with his story. Due to her own experiences, Maya does what it takes to help. The way their lives intersect is surprising and unique and makes for a good read.
This story was completely unrealistic so I can’t give it five stars. It sure was a good read though! Maya is a speech pathologist with a difficult history. She is assigned to help Lucas learn to communicate after he appears ten years after disappearing with his father into the icy woods of North Minnesota. Lucas is unhappily confined to the mental institution where Maya works. All he wants to do is get free to go find his father, who was very sick when Lucas left him in the icy woods and returned to civilization to get medicine to help his father. Lucas and Maya form a strong bond, and their stories, both together and apart, are engrossing and sympathetic. You can’t help but want things to work out for these two!
Speech therapist in psych facility, Maya, inexplicably drawn to wilderness survivalist patient, Lucas.
Everyone knows therapists are supposed to keep a professional distance from their patients, but Maya has never been a rule follower and finds herself inexplicably drawn to Lucas and compelled to help him. Although I understood the whys, I still found many of Maya’s choices questionable and implausible. I was intrigued at the beginning of this story but, unfortunately, my interest waned about 50-75% of the way through (but, to be fair, I should point out that I’m not a huge fan of wilderness survivalist stories), so by the time the story reached its major twist, I was no longer invested in the characters or their outcomes. With that being said, I must add that since the ending was strong, and the author’s words about loss powerful, I am rounding up to 3.5 stars.
I very much enjoyed Everything You Want Me to Be (4 stars) by this author, and would highly recommend it!
Last but not least, if you enjoyed the story line about the “wild” boy living in the woods, then I would highly recommend Magic Hour (4 stars) by Kristin Hannah about a little girl in a similar situation!
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Location: Duluth, Minnesota
“Leave No Trace” was quite different from “Everything You Want Me To Be” but it shared one shining quality, strong, well developed, deeply troubled characters that I desperately wanted to help. Here are some of the key points of the story.
Maya Stark is a young woman who has been through a lot in her relatively young life. Abandoned by her mother at the age of 10 without a goodbye or an explanation, Maya has been searching for an explanation for years. She has a great relationship with her father who is gone quite a bit for his job, they share a house and seem to give each other the support and yet the space that they both need.
Lucas Blackthorn is a young man who was believed to have been killed during a camping expedition with his father in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota. There has been no word from father or son for ten years. Then one night a young man believed to be Lucas enters an outfitter’s store where he commits a crime for which he is apprehended. Getting no response from Lucas upon interviewing him they feel he is emotionally unstable and he is admitted to a psychiatric facility. It is here where the paths of Maya and Lucas come together.
Maya had turned her life around after battling mental illness herself and is now a trained speech therapist. Her mentor and boss, Dr.Mehta, assigns Maya to Lucas’s case. She feels that since Maya had also suffered a loss perhaps she could get through to Lucas, get information about where he has been for the past ten years. The police are also interested in whether his father is still alive and where he is hiding, they have been searching the vast area of the Boundary Waters for years with never a trace found.
Once Maya and Lucas do form a bond she is determined to help him recover and be allowed the freedom that he so desires. They share each others stories and secrets and become very attached. Lucas tries to escape several times but he is always apprehended.
That’s about all of the plot that I will share but there is a very good story here with plenty of twists that you won’t see coming and an ending that will shock you.
The author’s strength is definitely in her fully developed characters which make you want to keep turning pages and to care deeply how the story wraps up for Lucas and Maya.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss, thank you.
Leave No Trace by Mindy Meija was my second book by this author and I truly enjoyed it. This story was thrilling and suspenseful and had me turning the pages! I will definitely be reading more of this author’s work in the future!
Ten years ago, Lucas and his father disappeared without a trace. Now Lucas has been found and so many questions arise. He is placed in a mental hospital because it seems he cannot verbally communicate. Maya is assigned as his therapist and she has her own secrets and demons. Now we have so many more questions! What happened to Lucas and his father? What is Maya’s past?
Now Maya is trying to find a way to reach Lucas, but Lucas can be violent and acts out. Will Maya cross lines to help Lucas? Is she now in danger as well? This story was full of twists and turns. I was completely engaged with this story from start to finish and I devoured the last part of the book.
Happy reading!
Set against the backdrop of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, Mindy Mejia continues to create characters that are both vulnerable and strong as they navigate the wild terrain through seemingly impossible relationships. LEAVE NO TRACE is a thrill ride of a novel that captures the ferocity of both nature and humankind. The story of Maya and Lucas is one I won’t soon forget.
A tense and gripping read that plumbs the depths of grief and longing, LEAVE NO TRACE is as thrilling as a whitewater rapid and as dark as the Minnesotan wilderness itself. Mejia has a gift for creating characters who feel like family, and by the end of this book I would have followed her gutsy speech-therapist heroine Maya to the ends of the earth. Through twist after twist, this riveting story will have you asking yourself just how far you would go to find out exactly where you came from.
Mindy Mejia’s LEAVE NO TRACE leaves the reader breathless: Daring characters, a suspenseful story you will tear through, and the ticking clock of an approaching dark, cold Minnesota winter. Riveting.
/ 5
I know everyone raved about her previous book but Leave No Trace is the first book I have read by Mindy Mejia, and after this one I am definitely going back ASAP to read Everything You Want Me to Be.
What it’s about: Maya is a speech therapist at a psychiatric facility in Duluth when she gets tasked with connecting with a new high profile patient. 10 years earlier, Josiah and his 9 year old son Lucas disappeared into the woods surrounding the Boundary Waters never to be seen again. That is, until Lucas turns up trying to rob an outfitter store in Ely in the middle of the night a decade later. He is violent and unresponsive and ends up being transported to the psychiatric facility where Maya works. Both of them have secrets and soon they form an attachment that causes Maya to want to do anything to help Lucas reunite with his father.
This book was a real page-turner of a story and I did not want to put it down. I think someone could easily read this in a day because the pacing is so on point. I loved Maya, although not always her choices, but she was a very intriguing character and I liked hearing things from her point of view.
I also loved that the story is set in my home state of Minnesota. It was cool to read about places that I have either been, or at least knew about, throughout the book. I much prefer that to authors entirely making everything up.
Final Thought: I don’t really have anything else to say about this book as I think it is best to read it and let it carry you on the journey. And to be honest it left me feeling pretty speechless! Leave No Trace felt very atmospheric and even the places I wasn’t familiar with came alive in my mind. There is a lot of action in the book and the ending was a total surprise for me. Highly recommend and so happy I read this book.
This book is both a slow-burn and a fast read. Just when you think you’re about to reach some kind of climax, or you think something’s going to happen, things die down again and it’s like the air gets kicked out of you and you have to build up that tensity all over again. The author does a really great job painting a picture of Duluth, MN, too. Almost as if you, the reader, are actually there.
I didn’t care for the slight romance, or the ending, but the story overall was a great experience.
I fell in love with Mindy Mejia’s EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE, and with LEAVE NO TRACE she solidifies her position as one of my go-to authors. Smart, sophisticated and with characters so real, I kept expecting Maya and Lucas to stroll out of the forest. This novel deserves the top-spot on your reading list!