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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
This book is great if you're 13 years old, but I'm 27 so I found it childish and petty. I enjoyed the suspense, and the characters, but not that it was left as a cliff hanger!
So, I was debating whether my review would contain spoilers or not, but the same thing happens over and over in the book for about 85% of it and I don't refer to the other 15%, so I'm going to say no on this one.
This is a book I probably would have liked if I was in middle school, MAYBE high school. As an adult? It was extremely annoying. The entire book is narrated by the main character who only focuses on herself and whether her "Mommy and Daddy" kidnapped her or not. The girl is 15 going onto 16, so she's definitely going to be struggling with her identity and teenagers are usually more self-absorbed than anything else, so I get that. It's just really tiresome to read as an adult because I want her to see what she's doing to the people around her.
Ok, this is kind of a spoiler. I'll protect you in case you were REALLY not wanting a spoiler...
ANOTHER thing that was bothering me a lot, especially at the end, was that I was completely rooting AGAINST the main character. There's a couple of scenes where she's hanging out with Reese, completely self-absorbed in her problems without coming to any conclusion whatsoever, and Reese is basically tired of it (just like I was). He basically tells her to either deal with it or let it drop for good or he's just not going to be around her anymore. The main character has the audacity (as most teenagers do, I'll admit) to think he's in the wrong, get completely pissed at him, and kinda (but not really) break up with him. Then gets hyper-focused on him once it's too late. Once again, maybe I would've enjoyed this book when I was younger, but I'm 26 years old now and it's just tiring and infuriating to have to force myself to read. This was probably exaggerated due to the fact that I just finished reading [b:Great Expectations|17375358|Great Expectations|Charles Dickens|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1369009293s/17375358.jpg|2612809]...
Another BIG problem that I have with the book is that she keeps going back and forth on wanting to know more about her "real" family and not having anything to do with them. I mean, she will change her mind within the span of 2 pages and it happens over, and over, and over, and over. And over.
Then, the book ends on a cliffhanger. The reasons that I kept reading the book were 1. I need the 100+ page credit for one of my challenges and 2. I did actually wonder when the "real" family would actually find out about her, because it was bound to happen. If it wasn't for this second point, I'd give it 2 stars. I've got to give the author credit that she did keep me turning the page so I would find out, but only to be given a cheap out by leaving it with absolutely no answers at all.
Overall, if you're a middle-school or high-school girl, you may like this. If you're an adult, just stay away from it. It's just going to piss you off. Ok, I've convinced myself that this is down to a 2 star instead of 3. There was WAY too much ranting in this review for it to be 3 stars. 3 stars if I was younger (maybe), but I'm not. So, 2.
This is a book I probably would have liked if I was in middle school, MAYBE high school. As an adult? It was extremely annoying. The entire book is narrated by the main character who only focuses on herself and whether her "Mommy and Daddy" kidnapped her or not. The girl is 15 going onto 16, so she's definitely going to be struggling with her identity and teenagers are usually more self-absorbed than anything else, so I get that. It's just really tiresome to read as an adult because I want her to see what she's doing to the people around her.
Ok, this is kind of a spoiler. I'll protect you in case you were REALLY not wanting a spoiler...
Another BIG problem that I have with the book is that she keeps going back and forth on wanting to know more about her "real" family and not having anything to do with them. I mean, she will change her mind within the span of 2 pages and it happens over, and over, and over, and over. And over.
Then, the book ends on a cliffhanger. The reasons that I kept reading the book were 1. I need the 100+ page credit for one of my challenges and 2. I did actually wonder when the "real" family would actually find out about her, because it was bound to happen. If it wasn't for this second point, I'd give it 2 stars. I've got to give the author credit that she did keep me turning the page so I would find out, but only to be given a cheap out by leaving it with absolutely no answers at all.
Overall, if you're a middle-school or high-school girl, you may like this. If you're an adult, just stay away from it. It's just going to piss you off. Ok, I've convinced myself that this is down to a 2 star instead of 3. There was WAY too much ranting in this review for it to be 3 stars. 3 stars if I was younger (maybe), but I'm not. So, 2.
I really wish I could’ve rated this higher :( I was looking forward to reading it because the whole idea was very intriguing. What set it apart from a 2 star rating would be the fact that it kept me interested the entire time (I read it very very quickly)!
On the other hand, I had a few issues with the characters, the writing, etc.
1. The main character is supposed to be 16, yet she acts like a 12 year old?? She’s incredibly naive and just plain dumb. Besides the fact that she’s always saying “mommy” and “daddy” which I found very odd, she legit didn’t know what a cult was? Who in their right mind is 16 years old and doesn’t know what a cult is?! Also (and this part made me crack up), when her friend brought up the New York Times covering stories in New Jersey, she said something along the lines of “I thought the New York Times was only about New York City!” SHE IS 16. How does one not know that at the age of 16????
2. Also, there was almost no build up between Reeve and Janie. They kissed almost immediately and all he wanted was sex (that was what they discussed almost all the time, he legit was so desperate for that it was embarrassing). Also the scenes where they were kissing or doing anything remotely sexual were written as if by a 12 year old with no experience. And can we also talk about the part where he LEGIT rents a motel room to try and sleep with Janie when she had explicitly told him that was bad idea. It was just super weird.
3. In general, the writing was very choppy. There was a lot happening at once and everyone’s emotions were just all over the place with no explanations.
I really hate that this book didn’t live up to my expectations, but I will admit the plot was well done and the general idea was super interesting :)
On the other hand, I had a few issues with the characters, the writing, etc.
1. The main character is supposed to be 16, yet she acts like a 12 year old?? She’s incredibly naive and just plain dumb. Besides the fact that she’s always saying “mommy” and “daddy” which I found very odd, she legit didn’t know what a cult was? Who in their right mind is 16 years old and doesn’t know what a cult is?! Also (and this part made me crack up), when her friend brought up the New York Times covering stories in New Jersey, she said something along the lines of “I thought the New York Times was only about New York City!” SHE IS 16. How does one not know that at the age of 16????
2. Also, there was almost no build up between Reeve and Janie. They kissed almost immediately and all he wanted was sex (that was what they discussed almost all the time, he legit was so desperate for that it was embarrassing). Also the scenes where they were kissing or doing anything remotely sexual were written as if by a 12 year old with no experience. And can we also talk about the part where he LEGIT rents a motel room to try and sleep with Janie when she had explicitly told him that was bad idea. It was just super weird.
3. In general, the writing was very choppy. There was a lot happening at once and everyone’s emotions were just all over the place with no explanations.
I really hate that this book didn’t live up to my expectations, but I will admit the plot was well done and the general idea was super interesting :)
Reread from my childhood. It wasn't as great as I remember but it wasn't terrible either. Overall a solid 4 stars. Review to come.
This book was TERRIBLE but these were my biggest annoyances.
The Plot:
The premise is very interesting and seemed simple enough. Janie sees her face on a milk carton, so she must have been kidnapped. It's a bit dated, obviously, but still sounds like a cool idea. However, the author does almost nothing with that idea for the longest time. Janie sees it, keeps the carton, and then does nothing except fret, fall in love with her neighbor, get mad at her parents, not want to leave her parents, rinse, repeat.
It just seemed so unbelievable that someone who even suspects that they might be kidnapped would be terribly concerned over their high school crush. In Stranger Things, Nancy even says how weird it was that last week she worried about what shirt she should wear for her boyfriend but now that she's fighting monsters, who the fuck cares?
The Characters:
I didn't like the characters, partially because they were so badly written. Everyone's interactions and relationships just felt so false. Janie's friends may as well not have existed for all they added to the plot. Reeve was ~kind of~ important but only because he could drive (and be a love interest).
The worst part was how Janie and her parents talked and interacted. It was so unreal.
"You were her little girl, by the man who had been chosen as her my by the Leader."
"Mate?" repeated Janie. "What an animal term for the love between husband and wife!"
I mean...what teenager, past the 1950s maybe, would talk like that? So much of the dialogue was just info-dumps and very contrived. This may be a personal preference, but it really bugged me that she would refer to her parents as "Mother" and "Daddy" (although sometimes she called her mom "Mommy"). It felt inconsistent, besides being just kind of weird.
The Writing:
The writing was aggressively bad. Like, I am so grateful that most YA novels that are published now seem to have much higher standards.
This bit is an instance of jumping around pointless and bad writing:
Not only did Reeve come out his door in time to see her drive, but so did his older sister Lizzie. Lizzie was not one of Janie's favorite people. Lizzie had occasionally baby-sat for Janie in the past, but not because she liked kids. Lizzie rarely did anything except for the money. Lizzie was supposed to be safely in law school now, being as brilliant there as she had been in Princeton. Janie did not consider Lizzie's absence a loss to the neighborhood. How annoying to see Lizzie home.
Besides the obvious of how many sentences can you start or include Lizzie's name, what is the point of this? Oh man, Lizzie didn't love little kids and wants money. What the fuck did she do to you, Janie? Maybe she isn't glad to be home living next to you? There's this whole background set-up of how Reeve is terrible at everything, especially grades, which really means nothing later. It's just filler, as is this entire paragraph. This whole paragraph could have been contained in one sentence, maybe two.
There's also this gem:
She got halfway there and had to finish her thoughts. Had to write. It was like a druggie stabbing his vein.
And this:
"You talked about me last year to Sarah-Charlotte?"
"Yeah. Now, do you feel like kissing me?" She did. They did.
And it was good.
AND THIS:
"Can you imagine the publicity?" said Janie. "All those horrible newspapers in grocery store racks. Talk shows where everybody else on it has trans-bi-cross sexual habits." She shuddered. "I can hardly wait to be among them."
The Plot:
The premise is very interesting and seemed simple enough. Janie sees her face on a milk carton, so she must have been kidnapped. It's a bit dated, obviously, but still sounds like a cool idea. However, the author does almost nothing with that idea for the longest time. Janie sees it, keeps the carton, and then does nothing except fret, fall in love with her neighbor, get mad at her parents, not want to leave her parents, rinse, repeat.
It just seemed so unbelievable that someone who even suspects that they might be kidnapped would be terribly concerned over their high school crush. In Stranger Things, Nancy even says how weird it was that last week she worried about what shirt she should wear for her boyfriend but now that she's fighting monsters, who the fuck cares?
The Characters:
I didn't like the characters, partially because they were so badly written. Everyone's interactions and relationships just felt so false. Janie's friends may as well not have existed for all they added to the plot. Reeve was ~kind of~ important but only because he could drive (and be a love interest).
The worst part was how Janie and her parents talked and interacted. It was so unreal.
"You were her little girl, by the man who had been chosen as her my by the Leader."
"Mate?" repeated Janie. "What an animal term for the love between husband and wife!"
I mean...what teenager, past the 1950s maybe, would talk like that? So much of the dialogue was just info-dumps and very contrived. This may be a personal preference, but it really bugged me that she would refer to her parents as "Mother" and "Daddy" (although sometimes she called her mom "Mommy"). It felt inconsistent, besides being just kind of weird.
The Writing:
The writing was aggressively bad. Like, I am so grateful that most YA novels that are published now seem to have much higher standards.
This bit is an instance of jumping around pointless and bad writing:
Not only did Reeve come out his door in time to see her drive, but so did his older sister Lizzie. Lizzie was not one of Janie's favorite people. Lizzie had occasionally baby-sat for Janie in the past, but not because she liked kids. Lizzie rarely did anything except for the money. Lizzie was supposed to be safely in law school now, being as brilliant there as she had been in Princeton. Janie did not consider Lizzie's absence a loss to the neighborhood. How annoying to see Lizzie home.
Besides the obvious of how many sentences can you start or include Lizzie's name, what is the point of this? Oh man, Lizzie didn't love little kids and wants money. What the fuck did she do to you, Janie? Maybe she isn't glad to be home living next to you? There's this whole background set-up of how Reeve is terrible at everything, especially grades, which really means nothing later. It's just filler, as is this entire paragraph. This whole paragraph could have been contained in one sentence, maybe two.
There's also this gem:
She got halfway there and had to finish her thoughts. Had to write. It was like a druggie stabbing his vein.
And this:
"You talked about me last year to Sarah-Charlotte?"
"Yeah. Now, do you feel like kissing me?" She did. They did.
And it was good.
AND THIS:
"Can you imagine the publicity?" said Janie. "All those horrible newspapers in grocery store racks. Talk shows where everybody else on it has trans-bi-cross sexual habits." She shuddered. "I can hardly wait to be among them."
Anyway. Janie is eating lunch with her friends when she sees a kidnapped girl on the milk carton (the girl was kidnapped 12 years ago, when she was three). And she realizes that she IS that girl. She starts to lose it, pretty much, as she tries to figure out if she's going insane or if she really was kidnapped. She finally asks her parents, who explain everything, but are they telling the truth?
This ends on an insane cliffhanger, but there are three sequels, so that's pretty awesome. :)
This ends on an insane cliffhanger, but there are three sequels, so that's pretty awesome. :)
I read this back in elementary or middle school and got nostalgic so I reread it. You know what? It still holds up.
I think I had been planning to read this book since elementary school, but I never got around to it. I really enjoyed this story. It was very suspenseful and Janie seemed very real to me.
3.5 stars
I remember reading this when I was in high school, maybe even middle school. At the time, I had no idea it was an actual series. I'm sure I was pretty irritated with the ending but honestly I can't remember if I was or not. But I'm irritated at the cliffhanger now. Because that means I have to place the next book on hold on Overdrive.
Anyway. This book is about Janie. She discovers she is the missing child on a milk carton. Back whenever this book was written, they put missing children on milk cartons. I feel like that is kind of disturbing to have a child missing for years on a carton of milk you are trying to drink. But that is just me.
I could tell that this book was indeed middle grade. The writing was very simplistic and the secondary characters weren't super fleshed out. Janie herself could have used a little more work. Her mind was more of a child then of a 15 year old girl. She was very indecisive about what she wanted to do after she discovers this secret. It got old after a while. I had to keep telling myself what would you do in a situation like this?
Regardless, this wasn't a terrible book. Just your average middle grade book. I assume that the characters will get more fleshed out and Janie will get more mature as the series continues and as she gets older. I'm curious, though, as to why this was considered a banned book. Anyway, if you are looking for something in between series, this is a good place to start.
I remember reading this when I was in high school, maybe even middle school. At the time, I had no idea it was an actual series. I'm sure I was pretty irritated with the ending but honestly I can't remember if I was or not. But I'm irritated at the cliffhanger now. Because that means I have to place the next book on hold on Overdrive.
Anyway. This book is about Janie. She discovers she is the missing child on a milk carton. Back whenever this book was written, they put missing children on milk cartons. I feel like that is kind of disturbing to have a child missing for years on a carton of milk you are trying to drink. But that is just me.
I could tell that this book was indeed middle grade. The writing was very simplistic and the secondary characters weren't super fleshed out. Janie herself could have used a little more work. Her mind was more of a child then of a 15 year old girl. She was very indecisive about what she wanted to do after she discovers this secret. It got old after a while. I had to keep telling myself what would you do in a situation like this?
Regardless, this wasn't a terrible book. Just your average middle grade book. I assume that the characters will get more fleshed out and Janie will get more mature as the series continues and as she gets older. I'm curious, though, as to why this was considered a banned book. Anyway, if you are looking for something in between series, this is a good place to start.
A repetitive and poorly paced read, the face on the milk carton is a huge disappointment from a promising premise. Finding out that she is a missing child, Janie does - absolutely nothing apart from sit and be completely indecisive - for the whole 180 odd pages. She drove me mad with her inability to take a course of action, which ever she decided would have been ok as this would have given many different forms of conflict which would have made interesting reading. Unfortunately, there was no character development throughout, and Janie seemed content to remain completely passive throughout her own story. Added to the fact that there is a romance shoehorned into the story (which adds no depth and the boy is not shown in the best light at all) means that I was frustrated throughout. Janie doesn't ask her parents anything until a good 80 pages in, and their explanation, although reasonable, is never actually established as being what actually happened. We are left asking questions and not given any answers to the only issue that was raised throughout the book.
I also want to say how bad some of the writing is throughout the book, which completely throws the reader out of the narrative. Would not recommend and will not be carrying on with this series.
I also want to say how bad some of the writing is throughout the book, which completely throws the reader out of the narrative. Would not recommend and will not be carrying on with this series.