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meh. read this in a dentists office today and when I was only a lil ways from finishing it I finished up the last 40 pages at barnes and noble, teeheehee. I realized about a quarter of the way in that I had read this book before... I couldn't tell from the cover that it was the popular book from my teenage years because it was completely torn off.
As for the story/writing? Meh. I think I felt similarly when I was younger too.... I was reading Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens from the time I was 11 years old so my expectations and standards have always been high. It IS somewhat suspenseful AND emotional, as you can imagine what that would feel like if you were in that situation and saw your on face on a milk carton. If it were me, my thoughts would go first to the unrealistic assumption that someone else must look exactly like me. BUT if I were to recognize the pic and see that it was an actual pic of mine that I remembered, my next thought would be that there had to be some mistake. I don't think I could be convinced that I were kidnapped/mistakenly taken from my parents until my parents actually acknowledged it. So her immediate panic seems a lil hard to believe. Most people who aren't adopted and who've had relatively normal upbringings have clear enough memories to remember their childhoods. Just doesn't seem probable that one would have such a cloudy memory of their childhood without some known cause associated with it considering she was past her toddler stage and her memory should've been sound. Of course, people supposedly block out traumatic experiences but I donno. That part of the story just seemed so far fetched, and that was the central aspect of the book so it made the whole book less...good.
I was pretty irked my Janie too. I just didn't like her helpless demeanor and her round about ways of doing things. Like I get that the concept of you realizing by mistake that you're not your parents kid might be some indicator of shady going ons but the bottom line is if you have a normal parent relationship with your parents you would just come right out and ask them what the h was going on instead of being so strangely secretive. A whole lotta energy could've been saved had she just reacted and behaved normally.
It was a dentist's office read, so no big deal that it wasn't the greatest read in the world tho I do wish I had my current read on me so I could've made some hedge way with that rather than having had re-read a book I never liked to begin with! If you are a teenager or pre-teen, you may like this book otherwise...save yourself some time and pic another! There are better YA books if that's what you're looking for.
As for the story/writing? Meh. I think I felt similarly when I was younger too.... I was reading Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens from the time I was 11 years old so my expectations and standards have always been high. It IS somewhat suspenseful AND emotional, as you can imagine what that would feel like if you were in that situation and saw your on face on a milk carton. If it were me, my thoughts would go first to the unrealistic assumption that someone else must look exactly like me. BUT if I were to recognize the pic and see that it was an actual pic of mine that I remembered, my next thought would be that there had to be some mistake. I don't think I could be convinced that I were kidnapped/mistakenly taken from my parents until my parents actually acknowledged it. So her immediate panic seems a lil hard to believe. Most people who aren't adopted and who've had relatively normal upbringings have clear enough memories to remember their childhoods. Just doesn't seem probable that one would have such a cloudy memory of their childhood without some known cause associated with it considering she was past her toddler stage and her memory should've been sound. Of course, people supposedly block out traumatic experiences but I donno. That part of the story just seemed so far fetched, and that was the central aspect of the book so it made the whole book less...good.
I was pretty irked my Janie too. I just didn't like her helpless demeanor and her round about ways of doing things. Like I get that the concept of you realizing by mistake that you're not your parents kid might be some indicator of shady going ons but the bottom line is if you have a normal parent relationship with your parents you would just come right out and ask them what the h was going on instead of being so strangely secretive. A whole lotta energy could've been saved had she just reacted and behaved normally.
It was a dentist's office read, so no big deal that it wasn't the greatest read in the world tho I do wish I had my current read on me so I could've made some hedge way with that rather than having had re-read a book I never liked to begin with! If you are a teenager or pre-teen, you may like this book otherwise...save yourself some time and pic another! There are better YA books if that's what you're looking for.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief
I hate rating books like this--how do I, as an adult, score my enjoyment of a book written for teenagers 20 years ago? There are things that feel dated--the microfiche readers at the library are actually less strange-seeming than the sense of innocence the characters have. Janie doesn't know what a cult is, and has never heard of the Hare Krishnas. There's an odd sense that good people do good things and bad people do bad things, which at least the author is wrestling with, though the very question seems dated.
The details of Janie's thought process, breakdown, young love, and investigation are great. I wish the story went further, into more of the practical and emotional details of what comes next, but there's a sequel and I'm definitely going to read it. I remember seeing a TV movie made of this story, and the book gave me a lot of the same pleasures. 3.5 stars.
The details of Janie's thought process, breakdown, young love, and investigation are great. I wish the story went further, into more of the practical and emotional details of what comes next, but there's a sequel and I'm definitely going to read it. I remember seeing a TV movie made of this story, and the book gave me a lot of the same pleasures. 3.5 stars.
I've watched the movie adaptation on Lifetime a while ago and decided I wanted to read the book, not realizing at the time that it was actually a series.
Overall, this book was okay-- a short, quick, part-one-in-a-series read. One thing that did bother me was the insta-love with the neighbor. Their whole dynamic was weird. I wasn't sure how to feel about Janie; she was annoying in spots but she also evoked sympathy. I liked the premise of the book, but I didn't feel very invested in the story after a while. The book was less than 200 pages and it felt like it dragged a little; I'm curious how the series was made into 6 books?
I will probably pick up more of the series at some point just to see how the books finish the story, especially since this one ended on a cliffhanger.
3/5: Good plot, quick read, but just didn't quite do it for me.
Overall, this book was okay-- a short, quick, part-one-in-a-series read. One thing that did bother me was the insta-love with the neighbor. Their whole dynamic was weird. I wasn't sure how to feel about Janie; she was annoying in spots but she also evoked sympathy. I liked the premise of the book, but I didn't feel very invested in the story after a while. The book was less than 200 pages and it felt like it dragged a little; I'm curious how the series was made into 6 books?
I will probably pick up more of the series at some point just to see how the books finish the story, especially since this one ended on a cliffhanger.
3/5: Good plot, quick read, but just didn't quite do it for me.
Reread this so I could finish the series (inexplicably have a NEED to do so at this time, I dunno...weird).
Anyway...I remember reading this book when I was younger and it was a good read...still is, though I found it a bit childish in places. But for the intended audience...not bad. :)
Anyway...I remember reading this book when I was younger and it was a good read...still is, though I found it a bit childish in places. But for the intended audience...not bad. :)
I remember enjoying this more in middle school.
Interesting storyline, terrible writing and execution.
First book in the Janie series.
Janie Johnson wishes she could have a more exciting life. Her wish is granted, but not in the way she hoped. One day at school, she sees a picture of a missing child on a milk carton and is convinced that SHE is that child. As soon as she sees the picture, she begins to remember her distant past in tiny glimpses--the polka dot dress, twin boys in a stroller, eating ice cream with a stranger.
Janie loves her parents and has a hard time believing that they could have kidnapped her. However, as her memories become clearer, she is forced to question her true identity--and to confront the only parents she remembers.
The story ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eager for the next book in the series.
Janie Johnson wishes she could have a more exciting life. Her wish is granted, but not in the way she hoped. One day at school, she sees a picture of a missing child on a milk carton and is convinced that SHE is that child. As soon as she sees the picture, she begins to remember her distant past in tiny glimpses--the polka dot dress, twin boys in a stroller, eating ice cream with a stranger.
Janie loves her parents and has a hard time believing that they could have kidnapped her. However, as her memories become clearer, she is forced to question her true identity--and to confront the only parents she remembers.
The story ends on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eager for the next book in the series.
The general story was intriguing but I found the writing to be very immature, and a lot of the descriptions of specific situations or interactions among the characters were really odd. I found myself skimming over a lot of it, just trying to get the gist of the story as it unfolded.