Mindy Mejia

On the surface, when I selected this audiobook, Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia, from my massive TBR, I thought it was going to be this suspenseful story about a teenager who emerged from the wilderness 10 years after he and his father had gone missing. I finished this book stunned in deep thought with a lot to process.

Yes, it is a story about a father, Josiah, and son, Lucas, who went camping in the wilderness, like they did frequently. The two went missing and were presumed dead until Lucas appeared 10 years later ransacking an outfitter store. Due to his erratic behavior and lack of communication, he was placed in a psychiatric facility. Maya, a young speech therapist, is assigned to work with Lucas to find out what happened to his father. And that just scratches the surface of this story.

There is a lot of suspense as the unknown fate of the father is of prevalent concern. There is depth to the story as the family history unfolds. I am fond of how the story switched to the past from time to time. It allowed me to understand the characters and their life choices.

There’s a lot of things I really hold dear about this book. As a nature lover, I enjoyed the setting of Minnesota with the rural forests and glacial lakes. I’ve never been to Minnesota, so it was a pleasure to learn about The Boundary Waters. Mindy’s talent for writing also helped create a vivid mental picture of what must be beautiful land. And, what a perfect time for me to select this book as it takes place in fall with winter quickly approaching. The way mental health professionals treat people with mental health disorders, or even perceived disorders, is striking in this story. When I refer to perceived mental health disorders, I am referring to people with unusual lifestyles. It remains prevalent that those of us in helping professionals try to treat those different from the societal norm, rather than gain an understanding of why they chose a unique way of life and how it works for them. Another layer of this story lies with Maya, whose mother disappeared long ago. While genuinely trying to help Lucas, Maya is forced to examine her own past and trauma related to loss.

I became aware while listening to this audiobook that I genuinely rooted for the father and son and became highly annoyed with the psychiatric staff. The ending was not a fairytale ending. There were some shocking events with hope for a peaceful future. I believe this story will stick with me for a long time.

I purchased this audiobook through my Audible membership. It was a pleasure listening to the narration by Patricia Rodriguez.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog… (lisätietoja)

To Catch A Storm, the intriguing title of Mindy Mejia’s latest novel speaks to the appealing recurrent theme within. From the car fire in a downpour that’s this mystery’s catalyst, to the unusual pairing of a hyper competent physicist and psychic barely hanging on to sanity determined to solve it, and lots more clever story elements, this novel considers the power of unlikely connections and the seemingly impossible being possible.

Mejia displays deft touch in her compelling exploration of the vulnerability of her otherwise largely feisty and determined character set. The trauma in this story feels real and the level of violence really packs a punch. But the readers’ burden in this respect is eased somewhat by a well-plotted, high-stakes investigation carried out at an almost frenetic pace.

To Catch a Storm features one of my favourite narrative structures, alternating first-person. However, it was always going to be a tough one to pull off cleanly with one of the leads being able to feel and see what others are. Read full review: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2023/08/to-catch-a-storm-mindy-mejia.html… (lisätietoja)

Thank you to Atria / Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read [b: Everything You Want Me to Be|29276588|Everything You Want Me to Be|Mindy Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472193605s/29276588.jpg|49516689]. A free Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review.

[b: Everything You Want Me to Be|29276588|Everything You Want Me to Be|Mindy Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1472193605s/29276588.jpg|49516689] by [a: Mindy Mejia|6451908|Mindy Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1462758702p2/6451908.jpg] is a stunning novel, and it is well written.

Characters are realistic to a small town farming community. Teenage angst. High School teachers. Local law enforcement blend together with the problems of self-actualization. The tapestry is woven skillfully. Self-justification is another sub-topic that tells an honest narrative of how people are.

Often in fiction, we crave the happy endings. We want the evil doer to get their just rewards. We want to rely on the integrity of characters. Like in real life, we crave them to be ethical, and above human failure.

[a: Mindy Mejia|6451908|Mindy Mejia|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1462758702p2/6451908.jpg] throws it all into a salad bowl and gives it a good shaking up.

I cannot get this novel out of my brain. There are sneaky twists and turns, and I did not guess who-done-it.

This is a good read, and I will recommend this for our library collection.… (lisätietoja)