This was a really well written and detail oriented book. The author has a beautiful writing style.
Plot was predictable and at times, just a tad slow moving.
Good read overall.

I was anxious to finish this book and read through the night! I had to know what was going to happen to Anna?! Although the author does a good job of creating interest, a sense of danger, and has a main character that it's easy to sympathize with, ultimately I was disappointed because the book ended just as the part of the story I was particularly interested in was just beginning.

Anna made some baffling choices that I found puzzling, but I'm sure this book has appeal for many readers.

<i>My Name is Anna</i> is one of those novels that you feel like you may have read a few times - the story may have even been a Lifetime movie or two. But Barber’s take on the tale does add a few new twists and turns.

In the depths of South Florida, only child Anna is celebrating her eighteenth birthday with her overtly religious (think <i>Carrie</i>) Mom and then heading out with her pastor’s son boyfriend for some good ole shenanigans - an amusement park (which has been forbidden by her mother!).

Across the pond, Rosie and her family are celebrating a different type of day - the anniversary of something dark, that shook their family to the core and has left Rosie damaged and trying to pick up the pieces.

That day begins what is a somewhat predictable ride, though I did enjoy Barber’s writing and dual perspectives from Anna and Rosie as their worlds eventually collide. It was a fast read, though the religious element seemed like filler and I mostly skimmed those parts.

This was a fast and easy read. I basically read it in a day. This book toggled between two viewpoints - Anna and Rosie, but I was only interested in Anna's story. I don't think Rosie as a character was very fleshed out and her story of living in the shadow of an abducted sister was very thin. I do wish the story had more depth and delved deeper into what happens after families in this type of situation are brought back together. The author hints at it in the end, but maybe I would have liked that story better? I also was not a fan of the cult as I felt it went nowhere. What happened to Father Paul? He was built up as an antagonist but just disappears. A lot of weird loose ends.

Anna and her life were the better story and kept me interested. I thought she was well rounded and her story kept me turning the page. I think the book would have been better if the story had been just about her.

These criticisms don't mean I didn't like the book. Like I said before, it was a fast and easy read. A pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

This book was absolutely fantastic. The writing was fluid and drew me in. The plot was it’s this side of “too crazy to be believed,” yet knowing things like this can and do happen. It was not a typical mystery in that one of the biggest reveals - that Anna was kid napped at age three - is revealed extremely early and a deeper mystery develops from there. The character development was fantastic - the character of Anna’s “mother” was so flawed and complex and honestly one of my favorite antagonists I’ve ever read (antagonist in the truest sense - not a villain, just the character actively working against the protagonist.)

A Girl Named Anna is a fantastic book that has interesting characters and storyline. The book is well written and I would read more by this author.

Lizzy Barber has wow’ed with her debut novel A Girl Named Anna!

This addictive novel centers around two sisters, Anna and Rosie. Fifteen years ago, Anna, at the age of 3 was kidnapped from an amusement park and raised by a very religious and controlling “mamma”. Rosie, who was a year at the time of the abduction, has been raise by heartbroken parents who have never given up on the hope of finding their first born daughter. I was literally on the hook from start to finish and I couldn’t wait to see where this novel would take the sisters!

I thought the fact that the book was told through the perspectives of both Anna and Rosie worked perfectly with the storyline. Lizzy Barber gives the reader a full perspective of both ends of this harrowing situation. This fast paced novel had well timed twists and turns!!! A Girl Named Anna is a 4 star gem that will have you put your regular life in hold until you finish! I am so excited to see what Lizzy Barber comes out with next!

More like 3.5. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I have always been interested in books that have theme parks or carnivals in them, especially in a mystery or kidnapping is thrown in, this book was no exception. Interesting characters and plot line, a great first author attempt, will be interested to see what she comes out with next.

Rosie has always lived in her older sister's shadow. Her sister was taken from Astroland. It is coming up on the the anniversary of her kidnapping when Rosie finds a letter from the trust that uses the money to help search for Emily. Rosie wants to make a push to find her sister but she isn't supposed to know about the letter. Rosie tells her best friend Keira and they go into the dark web to find some leads so they can search for Emily.

Anna lives with her mother. Her father she doesn't remember because he died when she was very young. Her mom has some strict rules. You must scrub your hands when you get inside to get the dirt and germs off, Your shoes stay outside, and she cannot go to Astroland. When she turns 18 her boyfriend Will convinces her to go to Astroland. While there she has a bout of déjà vu, and knows she has been there before.

This book was ok but everything was very predictable with little suspense. Good if you’re like reading a quick non exciting book.

Well done! Really an interesting take on the abducted child stories we hear about. I like how the author not only tells the victim’s story, but also how the loss affected a sibling’s life. Gobbled this up really fast - couldn’t put it down!

Very intriguing and, hard to put down. You figure out right in the beginning that Anna was taken from Astroland and is Rosie's sister however, there is more to the story which makes you want to keep reading to find out what that is. Also I like how the book talks about how the family is effected so the readers get a glimpse of the different perspectives.