Just Jonathan is a wonderful book about the grieving experience and growing up of an exceptional boy. His family dynamics, mental well-being, maturity, friendships, adventure and mystery solving become part of what is a guaranteed page turner, where readers will fall in love with the protagonist and champion him throughout.

Donna Scuvotti’s debut is a cleverly plotted story with excellent character development, soaked in empathy, emotion & relatable struggles.

Jonathan talks us through the story from his perspective, with attention to detail, seeing the simplicity in life life yet also the challenges.  He is the heartbeat of the book and the authors writing style and vivid descriptions allows for a visual creation in the head of the reader.

The book is written from multiple POVs, which lets us enter the mind of the characters and helps make the book an even more exciting read. The short chapters help keep the suspense and engagement.

Jonathan’s adventure with Luke is compelling, and the added snippets of human condition, parental bonds, love for animals and the challenges of being a young teenager are added in through poignant sentences that give a touch of magic to the book.

A brilliant read. I look forward to reading more from the author. Highly recommend.

This book had me hooked from the beginning as I wanted to find out what happened next through each twist and turn. The characters were so well developed with multiple POVs.

This definitely a book about grief, found families, and suspenseful stakeouts to uncover a serial killer.

The journey is filled with twists and turns. Just Jonathan will take a place in your heart and the ending will stay with you.
You will find yourself hooked.

Donna is a debut author and after her debut Just Jonathan…Ummmm you better be writing MORE!  How the heck are you a debut author. I find this hard to believe! You delivered a brilliant story that was thrilling, emotional, tough to read at times and tough to imagine. But BRILLIANT!! You delivered great characters and GREAT character development. Shortish style chapters that will keep the reader indulged. Plots and twists with fast narration that’s easy for one to finish in a day.

A touching yet thrilling story about a young man dealing with the sudden loss of his mother and in a way, the loss of his father.

I love how it all comes together and takes the reader through a few chilling surprises. 

I enjoyed Donna’s writing style and how she created well developed characters.

Just Jonathan had me hooked front the opening line, and kept my attention all the way to the last page. I was super intrigued by the plot, and had to know what was going to happen next. There were also a few “oh sh*t” moments that had me on the edge of my seat, along with a plot reveal in the later half that I didn’t see coming. I absolutely loved the amount of character depth and backstory I got to experience as well. It made the characters feel real and relatable in some way, shape or form. This story is more than a suspenseful murder mystery. It also explores the human condition, as Jonathan and cast learn to cope with a whole spectrum of emotions and difficult life topics.  My heart completely broke for Jonathan. He’s had to deal with so much. I just wanted to reach into the book and give him a big hug!

I’m excited to see what Donna does next. She is new author worth watching! I’m so ready to throw my money down on her next book the moment it comes out!

If you like redemption stories and suspense-thrillers, this book is right up you alley! 
I fell in love with Jonathan as a character. His backstory and all he’s had to go through, combined with the current obstacles and the mystery he faces, made me keep reading so I could find out what happened and how everything resolved. 
It’s a great debut and I’m looking forward to reading other things from this author!

Much like the river was a highway for escape for the young Huck Finn, in Just Jonathan the forest serves as a route of escape for young protagonist Jonathan. In fact the forest serves as one of the main characters as it holds secrets, fears, darkness, mystery and is reluctant to give up what it knows to the curious and mischievous Jonathan. Presented largely through the eyes and language of a 13-year-old boy, this debut novel takes the reader on a journey of pain, love, anger and personal growth but mostly suspense.

A tightly written suspense novel that also explores the complex issue of the young 13 year old Jonathan dealing with the devastation of losing his beloved mum in a car crash and coming to terms with the realization that he’s slowly losing his dad to alcoholism whilst becoming a statistic of a neglectful parent. Donna writes from Jonathan’s POV beautifully and I wanted to reach into the pages and give him a hug. Trying to lose himself against his spiraling emotions Jonathan walks into the deep forest and it soon turns deadly as he stumbles across the hunting ground of a sociopathic serial killer. As the hunter becomes the hunted Jonathan discovers a treasured friendship and tries to heal and reconnect with his dad. I couldn’t put it down, emotionally jarring, beautifully written and one where you root for the main character from the first to the last page. Twisty suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Loved every minute of it.

Amazing read!!! Keeps you wanting more from the first page!! Great read and just love this author!!
Highly addictive reading, great story and book.

This book is an amazing read! From the beginning of the book to the end. I love the way Donna explains everything in detail.  While reading the book I always felt like I was right there witnessing every moment! I really enjoy reading books that go into great detail and capture my attention.

Join Jonathan as he tries to make sense of his life after literally losing his mother (to a drunk driver) and figuratively losing his father (to alcoholism). As he does, he uncovers a mystery…and potentially a killer on the loose! Full of twists and turns. Just Jonathan is a great book by a debut novelist. 

A touching tale…

This murder mystery pulled on my heart strings. I loved the OMG twists and the killers POV. This is an author with a thriller instinct that wears her heart on her sleeve.

This was a stunning debut.
This book is so much more than a serial killer in the woods with a few twists and turns and some intense courtroom scenes.

This was a complex thriller with a few twists and turns and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the multiple view points throughout the book and Donna’s writing style. Donna has written a very emotional and thrilling novel.

Amazing debut!
It was much more than your standard thriller!