I'm not a huge fan of murder mysteries, so I wasn't super thrilled with this book.  The story was interesting and I was surprised by the ending.  In a way, it kind of reminded me of a Disney movie because just as it was about to end, something crazy happened to turn the story around.  This book doesn't really stick with you though.

 The Body in the Woods has been on my reading list since it published in mid 2014. I've heard some good things about April Henry's writing, from some trusted book friends. Plus, I can't deny that I enjoy a well written mystery! Especially if it's a well written YA mystery. If an author can keep me guessing, and avoid the ever present love triangle? My name is written all over that book. So yes, I had some pretty high hopes for this book. It's been a while since a mystery book has found its way into my currently reading list.

Anyway, and apologies for the rambling, I can definitely say that April Henry gave this mystery a massive effort. She crafted three very different characters to tell the story from their own points of view, and I very much appreciated their various personalities. There's Ruby, the girl obsessed with facts, organization and true crime. Alexis, a girl whose home life doesn't match at all the facade she puts on every day. Finally, there's Nick. Our lone male protagonist, he has a hero mentality. All Nick wants, more than anything, is to save a life. It might seem like these three wouldn't mesh, but they do! Having all of their viewpoints didn't always feel necessary, but at times it was nice.

I'll fully admit that this book is addictive once you start to really get into it. Even though I figured out the killer towards the middle, the story was well written enough that it kept me reading. The pace was good, and the plot was too (even if it was a slight bit predictable). The real problem with The Body in the Woods is that it fairly forgettable. It follows the rails that you'd anticipate a book like this would, even though I desperately hoped for a twist. This is the first book in a series though, so I'd be willing to give the next a shot!

For Alexis Frost, Nick Walker, and Ruby McClure it all started with a phone call and two texts. It ended with fear and courage, love and loathing, screaming and blood. Lots of blood.

This is the first book in the Point Last Seen series and it follows three teens(Ruby, Nick, and Alexis) who have recently joined their local Search and Rescue team. While out searching for a lost man they find the body of a dead teenage girl. After finding the girl they vow to help solve her murder and as they get closer to the killer they release that one of them is in grave danger.

For the most part I liked the three main characters. At first I didn't like Ruby one bit. She just plain annoyed me. The more I read this book the more she started to grow on me, just like the more time Alexis and Nick spent with her the more she grew on them. I didn't really like Nick when I started the book either. I just had a hard time connecting with him. I did start to like him more when he explains about his father and you can see how that really drives him. I felt so bad for Alexis throughout this book. She had to deal with a lot on her own. I hope for her sake that things get better for her in the next book of the series.

I felt like the mystery behind who was the killer wasn't obvious at all. I kept trying to guess who it was and was wrong every time. I loved that the book switched point-of-view between not only Nick, Alexis, and Ruby but also the killer. It really made the story more interesting getting to be inside the killer's head.

I really liked all the suspense and action towards the end. I also enjoyed that Ruby, Alexis, and Nick really become friends at the end because of all that they went through together. I am really looking forward to reading more of this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.