3.0 (1 rating)
What Boys Learn
A twisty, jaw-dropping psychological thriller that unravels a mother's worst nightmare—that her child is capable of terrible violence—when her teenage son becomes a suspect in the murder of two classmates, from the author of The Deepest Lake.
Over one terrible weekend, two teenage girls are found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb. As the community mourns, Abby Rosso, the girls’ high school counselor, begins to suspect that her son was secretly involved in their lives—and possibly, their deaths.
Abby doesn’t want to believe Benjamin hurt anyone. But she’s seen the warning signs before. Two decades ago, her brother was imprisoned for a disturbing crime—he was only a little older than Benjamin is now. And Abby has more troubling memories from her own adolescence that confirm what boys and men are capable of. As Abby searches for the truth about what happened to her students, she’s forced to face the question: Has she been making excuses for Benjamin for years?
Swirling with sharp questions about family and masculinity, What Boys Learn unravels a mother’s worst fears.
Over one terrible weekend, two teenage girls are found dead in a wealthy Chicago suburb. As the community mourns, Abby Rosso, the girls’ high school counselor, begins to suspect that her son was secretly involved in their lives—and possibly, their deaths.
Abby doesn’t want to believe Benjamin hurt anyone. But she’s seen the warning signs before. Two decades ago, her brother was imprisoned for a disturbing crime—he was only a little older than Benjamin is now. And Abby has more troubling memories from her own adolescence that confirm what boys and men are capable of. As Abby searches for the truth about what happened to her students, she’s forced to face the question: Has she been making excuses for Benjamin for years?
Swirling with sharp questions about family and masculinity, What Boys Learn unravels a mother’s worst fears.
Published: January 6, 2026
Pages: 464
ISBN: 9781641296915
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Available in: Hardcover
See all editions (2)Reader Reviews
3.0
1 rating
Meagan W.
Feb 24, 2026
This book was… fine. Not bad. Not great. Solidly okay.
The premise hooked me right away: a mother grappling with the terrifying possibility that her son might have psychopathic tendencies. That kind of psychological tension is absolutely my thing, and for a while, the story kept me interested. There was real potential here, and the unease surrounding motherhood and fear of what you might be raising was genuinely compelling.
Unfortunately, that tension never fully paid off.
The story starts strong but gradually loses momentum, and by the end, it felt like it didn’t quite know what it wanted to say. The biggest issue for me was the ending—it didn’t tie up enough loose threads and left me without a real sense of closure. Not in an intentional, haunting way. More in a wait… that’s it? way.
Overall, it’s an interesting concept with moments that work, but the execution fell a little flat for me. Worth a read if the premise intrigues you, just don’t go in expecting something mind-blowing.
Three stars.
The premise hooked me right away: a mother grappling with the terrifying possibility that her son might have psychopathic tendencies. That kind of psychological tension is absolutely my thing, and for a while, the story kept me interested. There was real potential here, and the unease surrounding motherhood and fear of what you might be raising was genuinely compelling.
Unfortunately, that tension never fully paid off.
The story starts strong but gradually loses momentum, and by the end, it felt like it didn’t quite know what it wanted to say. The biggest issue for me was the ending—it didn’t tie up enough loose threads and left me without a real sense of closure. Not in an intentional, haunting way. More in a wait… that’s it? way.
Overall, it’s an interesting concept with moments that work, but the execution fell a little flat for me. Worth a read if the premise intrigues you, just don’t go in expecting something mind-blowing.
Three stars.