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katiecummings1981's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Blood
Minor: Animal death
marvelouspyt's review against another edition
3.0
Title: Jane Anonymous (Jane Anonymous, #1)
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Format: Audiobook
Quick Take: In chapters alternating between "then" and "now," seventeen-year-old Jane Anonymous chronicles the events leading up to her abduction and seven-month captivity and her painful return to family and friends.
Thoughts: An emotional, traumatic rollercoaster ride of a book. I thought I knew what to expect when I started reading this book but it didn't turn out like I thought it was going to. While, Jane Anonymous goes into the darkness of coming out of the other side of a traumatic event, the ending shows our "Jane's" experience was somewhat...for a lack of a better word..."mispresented" throughout the book. Not to downplay her experience, but the writing didn't match the trauma/mental health. Not everyone will react the same to an experience but sometimes, Jane's actions seemed unrealistic and overexaggerated. And other times it seemed underwhelming considering to what happened to her. And her mom's character was annoying at best. How are you angry that your daughter doesn't want to go to prom the night that she was rescued after being kidnapped for 7 months!? Overall, I liked the book but there was some things that could have been made better.
Rating: Three out of Five Stars
Author: Laurie Faria Stolarz
Format: Audiobook
Quick Take: In chapters alternating between "then" and "now," seventeen-year-old Jane Anonymous chronicles the events leading up to her abduction and seven-month captivity and her painful return to family and friends.
Thoughts: An emotional, traumatic rollercoaster ride of a book. I thought I knew what to expect when I started reading this book but it didn't turn out like I thought it was going to. While, Jane Anonymous goes into the darkness of coming out of the other side of a traumatic event, the ending shows our "Jane's" experience was somewhat...for a lack of a better word..."mispresented" throughout the book. Not to downplay her experience, but the writing didn't match the trauma/mental health. Not everyone will react the same to an experience but sometimes, Jane's actions seemed unrealistic and overexaggerated. And other times it seemed underwhelming considering to what happened to her. And her mom's character was annoying at best. How are you angry that your daughter doesn't want to go to prom the night that she was rescued after being kidnapped for 7 months!? Overall, I liked the book but there was some things that could have been made better.
Rating: Three out of Five Stars
gabizago's review against another edition
5.0
This is a pretty interesting journal style book. Jane Anonymous is telling her story through the pages, divided between then and now. You can see what happened before and after she was taken. It feels like a psychological thriller, but told in first person fragments. Pretty interesting story.
trynitierenee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
booksnbeanies's review against another edition
5.0
Jane was your typical seventeen-year-old girl then. Now she stockpiles gallons of water and boxes of Coco Loco brownies in her room. Then she was meeting her friend for breakfast. Now she sleeps in her closet. Then she was supposed to meet the boy she liked at a concert that night. Now can’t tell what was real and what was a lie.
I had no idea when I read the description, that this book was going to be this good. I like how the author doesn’t leave you guessing as to what happened but instead has the chapters go back and forth between ‘then’ and ‘now’. The author also provides a brilliant prologue stating how real this book is.
Kidnapping is no joke and it happens all the time. As sad as that is, we have to be aware of our surroundings at all times. Jane was taken because she made one little mistake. A mistake that got her kidnapped for seven months. A mistake that will take years to heal from.
I gave this book five stars because the suspense in this story had me turning the pages nonstop. I wanted to know what happened to Jane and how it affected her, and if she would ever be able to live a normal life again.
While it’s scary to think of someone being kidnapped, especially yourself or someone you love, this book kind stands a literary warning to be cautious. I highly recommend reading this book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.
I had no idea when I read the description, that this book was going to be this good. I like how the author doesn’t leave you guessing as to what happened but instead has the chapters go back and forth between ‘then’ and ‘now’. The author also provides a brilliant prologue stating how real this book is.
Kidnapping is no joke and it happens all the time. As sad as that is, we have to be aware of our surroundings at all times. Jane was taken because she made one little mistake. A mistake that got her kidnapped for seven months. A mistake that will take years to heal from.
I gave this book five stars because the suspense in this story had me turning the pages nonstop. I wanted to know what happened to Jane and how it affected her, and if she would ever be able to live a normal life again.
While it’s scary to think of someone being kidnapped, especially yourself or someone you love, this book kind stands a literary warning to be cautious. I highly recommend reading this book.
Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in return for an honest review.
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
Then: Jane was snatched and wakes up alone in a small room.
Now: Jane pours her heart out on paper, trying to make sense of everything that's happened.
She only went to her empty workplace to collect a gift for her best friend. Snatched when her back was turned, she wakes up alone in a small whitewashed room. Food and other necessities are passed through a catflap in the door, and apart from an occasional whispered word from another captive, she is completely alone.
Ten months later, home with her parents again, Jane struggles with the memories and the PTSD the experience has left her with. She feels the weight of her parents' fear and worry and, on top of her own fears, it's close to breaking her. The therapists don't understand. Nothing is going right.
What an intense ride! The switching between Then and Now was well handled in this one, with information given at just the right speed. There is a twist, which I saw coming, but to be fair I read a *lot*. It was very cleverly done and I think a lot of readers will be caught by it.
I loved the way this novel showed that escaping is only one small step. After escaping the physical cell, Jane had to escape the cell in her mind, and that was much harder and took much longer. A lot of novels of this type end with the escape, as though that's the happily ever after.
A fantastic read. I think this one will do really well.
Now: Jane pours her heart out on paper, trying to make sense of everything that's happened.
She only went to her empty workplace to collect a gift for her best friend. Snatched when her back was turned, she wakes up alone in a small whitewashed room. Food and other necessities are passed through a catflap in the door, and apart from an occasional whispered word from another captive, she is completely alone.
Ten months later, home with her parents again, Jane struggles with the memories and the PTSD the experience has left her with. She feels the weight of her parents' fear and worry and, on top of her own fears, it's close to breaking her. The therapists don't understand. Nothing is going right.
What an intense ride! The switching between Then and Now was well handled in this one, with information given at just the right speed. There is a twist, which I saw coming, but to be fair I read a *lot*. It was very cleverly done and I think a lot of readers will be caught by it.
I loved the way this novel showed that escaping is only one small step. After escaping the physical cell, Jane had to escape the cell in her mind, and that was much harder and took much longer. A lot of novels of this type end with the escape, as though that's the happily ever after.
A fantastic read. I think this one will do really well.
deekabee's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite lines: "We're all broken in some way; it's part of that being-human thing I was talking about before. The key is to learn how to carry your broken pieces as you move forward day by day." and "Our broken pieces are what make us whole."
recklessly_me's review against another edition
2.0
Did I enjoy this book? Yes.
Did I love every aspect of this book? No.
This book is about a girl who was kidnapped and held captive and while I was interested from beginning to end there were some aspects that I felt could have been handled differently. It is a serious topic and I'm just not sure if it was handled in the right way at all times. Nevertheless I do think it is worth a read.
Did I love every aspect of this book? No.
This book is about a girl who was kidnapped and held captive and while I was interested from beginning to end there were some aspects that I felt could have been handled differently. It is a serious topic and I'm just not sure if it was handled in the right way at all times. Nevertheless I do think it is worth a read.
mbroussard's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the book but it has some sensitive content. I feel like the characters were very against therapy in the book for some reason? That was a little off to me considering we’re in a time when therapy it starting to become more normalized. It’s just a story, I know but it angered me that Jane’s mom wasn’t more understanding of her trauma and no one handled Jane’s PTSD correctly. The doctors, police, her peers (mostly) just all expected her to be back to normal in no time. But also it was from her POV so it might have just been that she was understanding everyone differently. Idk. I’m rambling, good book, read it on a flight from Boston to Jacksonville. Enjoyed it.
wayfaringbibliomaniac's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely devoured this book! Jane Anonymous is one of those books that will stick with you always, but it's not for everyone due to the content (see content warnings). I really enjoyed the way the story was told, and it tugged at my heart with each new chapter. It was hard to read Jane's interaction with the people who loved her after the ordeal, as it seemed it was all about how they were making her feel, rather than focusing on Jane- who had been the victim of a serious crime. I really loved one of her friends in particular. He made the focus her and let her cope the way she needed, as he had been through a similar nightmare years prior. Stolarz is definitely on my auto but list after this novel. Her writing is so intriguing and interesting. Can't wait to see what she brings us next.