"Our broken pieces are what make us whole." - Jane, Anonymous

This is definitely a YA thriller to remember. I don't know why I waited so long to read this one and I will definitely need to read more of Laurie Stolarz's books.

Jane was a normal teenage girl living in a suburban New England town when she gets kidnapped one night. The format between now and then really helped to piece together the events of what happened to Jane during and after captivity. What she thought was happening around her while held captive in that tiny room turns out to be nothing like she thought.

This book took turns I didn't expect. It isn't just suspenseful in it's story but also dives into the emotional trauma of dealing with life afterwards. Jane finds herself having panic attacks and sleeping in the closet where she feels safest. She also struggles with what she remembers and the constant questions around why he picked her. There's a grief she feels for her past life and she's trying to navigate the life she has now.

I recommend this to anyone who's looking for a myster/thriller that includes some realistic elements that come with living through a traumatic event like a kidnapping. I definitely think the genre mix of mystery/thriller and realistic fiction describe Jane, Anonymous perfectly.

Thanks to Netgalley and Edelweiss for a digital copy of this book.

This was a good depiction of trauma and how you need to heal at your own pace, not others.

This book was just not for me. I made it 15% and just no. It was a little too cliche for my liking and there was one scene that just didn't work for me. There are a lot of great reviews for this one, but it wasn't for me and reading life is too short to waste on books you don't love.

This was a tough one. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened, so it was definitely gripping. However, at times it felt a little exploitative and made me uncomfortable. I didn’t find it quite as realistic as other reviewers have. Although books like this are usually right up my alley, this one just wasn’t for me.

Again, I'm just going to leave my Jan ARC reading vlog here because this was one of the four books that I picked up. This was the most enjoyable book that I read during that vlog and I loved how the book progressed with Jane coming to terms with what had truly happened to her. Even though I found most of the book to be predictable, I still enjoyed the few plot twists.

3.5* review

"Some truths you can never escape."

"Jane" used to a regualr, run of the mill 17-year-old living in a New England suburb preparing for her senior year. She had a part-time job, a great best friend, parents, who although slightly overbearing were extremely loving, and a crush on a boy who was taking her to see her favorite band. Now, it has been three months since "Jane" escaped captivity. She's been writing down everything she's remembered during those seven months of being locked in a white room. But, everything she thought she knew and experienced, might actually be a lie.

The way this story is written really keeps you hooked from page one because you're reading Jane's thoughts. This is what she does to help her cope with what she went through. This book is seriously heartbreaking so I highly recommend being in a good mindset when reading, but I also think that it's worth reading because you feel so much for Jane and you just want the best for her. Jane is so destroyed at the start of the story and you see the transformation of her realizing she survived and she is so much stronger than she thought. This is one of those stories that is going to stay with me for a long time because it's important and gripping and I just couldn't put it down. Laurie Faria Stolarz is an author you don't want to miss.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but sometimes the book felt a little exploitative to me. Sometimes the shock factor seemed to take precedence over handling the topic in a sensitive manner that would spark discussion. However, this book was gripping to read.

I had a hard time getting into this one. Maybe it wasn't what I was expecting. But I'm glad I stuck it out. I ended up really enjoying it.

I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy of this book.
Really happy I picked this one up!

Jane Anonymous, by author Laurie Faria Stolarz, is an emotional story focusing on a girl who calls herself Jane Anonymous instead of her real name. In fact, she doesn't let readers know where this story takes place or for that matter, where she lived, or where she finally escapes. Jane was kidnapped for seven months. 3 month after escaping, she's trying to get back to "normal" after the trauma that she went through. The story is told in alternating perspectives. BIWM - Before I Went Missing and AIWF - After I was Found. One that's set in the past when Jane was kidnapped, including what happened and what she went through. Then the other is in the present with her trying to survive being back.

The stocked refrigerator of all the things she loves and the special treat she saved for her bestie. The clothes that seem to fit her a little bit too well. The boy who claims he too was taken by the kidnapper. Could the clothes actually belong to Jane? If so, how did they end up in the kidnappers home? How long was this man stalking her before he made his move? Was there any hints along the way that Jane was being stalked? Jane’s hyper awareness of certain smells, items, and people is a sign of someone having PTSD. As someone who put off PTSD therapy or 30 years, I can relate to Jane in a matter of speaking.

It's clear Jane is suffering from PTSD and as she starts this story, she's doing her best to stay out of therapy, which is a really bad idea because the sooner sufferers get help, the more likely that they can turn it all around and not be a lifelong sufferer. There is a brilliant quote to nail down this point. "Healing starts the moment we feel heard." True cert. Besides her parents who, God help us that they felt like failures for allowing the kidnapping to happen in the first place, there is also her best friend Shelley who Jane's uses as a way to survive all that she's going through.

One could blame the parents for not putting themselves in therapy sooner rather than allowing themselves to stew in the what if's, and what if we did this different etc. Jane being taken had nothing to do with either parents. They try hard to bring normality back in play for Jane. But, things just can't revert to normal for Jane. Shelley could have been a little better friend. Everyone in her life was left behind. Not just Shelley. Her return doesn’t automatically heal the wounds in all of them. I also like Jake, the boyfriend who was supposed to take her to a concert that night she was taken. The boy who spent every spare moment helping lead the effort to find and bring Jane home. I adored Jake. I wish there were more Jake's in this world.

I think that this book would be a great conversational topic to bring up between parents and their daughters, and yes, sons as well. We have got to protect our young at all costs. There are too many Jane's still missing in this country and the rise of sexual exploitation is a huge crises that needs to be addressed. Bar none, I think that sex trafficking and exploitation should be a major crime that brings about stiff penalties to anyone who is involved, anyone who supports it, and anyone who finances it.

Recommendation: If you find yourself liking this book, please pick up Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

My request on NetGalley was approved by the publisher, so thank you Wednesday Books!

My Rating: 3 / 5 🌟

Going into this story, I didn't know what to expect but in the end, I think the story accomplished what it set out to accomplish.

For the first quarter of the book, I couldn't really care for the story and had a hard time trying to get through each chapter. But because of how simple the writing was, I somehow manage to fly through the book.

The book was told in two different timelines, during Jane's abduction and after Jane's abduction. It was interesting to see what actually happened when she was locked up, but those chapters were hard to read as she was mostly alone, so there were chapters that included very little dialogue. And for the chapters that talked about what happened after the abduction, we get to see Jane's struggle from the trauma and the struggle from healing from the trauma, as well as how the people surrounding her was also handling with it.

Jane Anonymous is a story about abduction but it's also a story about healing and how it's not an easy process, but is something achievable. For thriller fans out there that's looking for a simple thriller story, I think Jane Anonymous might just be the book for you.

Jane Anonymous, a seventeen-year-old young woman, was kidnapped and kept locked up for seven months.
Jane's life became limited to two rooms and she had to rely on her kidnapper for food, clothes, and other items that were delivered through a flap in the door.
Jane would have gone crazy if not for Mason, one of the kidnapper's other victims. Jane and Mason kept each other going and planned to escape together. But when Jane did escape, she had to do so without Mason.
Now back home, Jane struggles with everyday life and doesn't believe the detectives assigned to her case who tell her that there are no signs of other kidnapped people at the crime scene except for her.
Jane is determined to find Mason so they can be reunited, but can she trust her memories of what happened?
Can Jane go back to the girl she used to be?

Jane Anonymous is told in chapters set in the past and in the present. It was interesting to read the chapters set in the past knowing that Jane does escape and that she is questioning what happened when in the present.
I really sympathised with Jane and was rooting for her to escape and find a way to heal or talk to someone about what happened to her. I just wanted to reach into the book, give her a hug and tell her that everything would be all right in the end.
The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped or thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it.
The writing style was easy to follow and I ended up reading this very quickly.
I felt that the author handled the dark subjects in the book well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This book is a difficult one for me to tackle because I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Jane Anonymous is a page-turner, detailing the abduction and captivity of a seventeen-year-old girl named Jane. The story moves between alternating timelines between her life in captivity and now, after her escape. Jane struggles to cope with the circumstances of her abduction and coming to the truth of what happened to her as she begins reconnecting to her family and friends. The pacing of the novel is quick and it’s easy to blaze through the pages.

Jane is unstable, lashing out and acting irrationally, devoured by fear. She is obsessed with a fellow captive and is reluctant to move on. She feels pressure from friends and family to “heal” and return to normal life. She displays all of the behaviors of a clinically depressed person, harming herself and pushing people away. It would make sense for someone that has spent several months in captivity, but what struck me as unusual is that there isn’t much difference from Jane’s character in the past and in the present.

Even on day one of her captivity, she was acting like someone who had been locked up for months suffering from severe mental illness. Despite having a surprisingly large number of comforts provided to her in captivity including daily meals, a full bathroom, her favorite clothing brands, and an abundance of snacks in her room—she immediately starts harming herself and living in squalor. It struck me as odd that she spent more time acting insane and obsessing over another male captive than trying to find a way out. It could be argued that maybe she was being drugged, but she was instantly enamored and jealous over this other person that it was ridiculous.

The set up is obvious from the get-go and many of the “twists” can be seen from a mile away. I get it that the author was attempting to depict Stockholm Syndrome, going so far as to directly state that this is Jane’s issue later on in the book, but it felt unrealistic. Besides the fact that Stockholm Syndrome is a highly contested classification of illness, it felt like every possible symptom off Wikipedia was checked off the list. There was so much drama and focus on Jane’s mental illness that it felt a little exploitative to me.

The novel did seek to show another side of the story though, of the difficult path toward recovery over time, and I think that this was a good choice. The novel can serve as a cautionary tale for young adults to watch out for stalkers, and how a traumatic event like the abduction or death of a child affects more than just the victim. Even when a victim is rescued life does not return to normal overnight, and it takes time to find forgiveness. The book may not have been for me as an adult, but I can see it appealing to its target audience as a heart-pounding thriller.

This was a really interesting look at Stockholm syndrome. It's not a perfect book by any means, but I found myself constantly wanting to know what would happen next, even if the end was a little anticlimactic.

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.

TW: Stockholm syndrome, PTSD, kidnapping, panic attack, trauma, self harm.

This is definitely one of the darker YA books I've ever read, and definitely one of the most important. The main character, Jane Anonymous, was kidnapped for over seven months and is now back home, and trying to get back to "normal." But is that possible when she's still trying to deal with such a traumatic event?

Jane Anonymous is told in alternating perspectives: from the past and present. The former is when Jane was kidnapped, following her story and what she experienced through the months, while the latter follows her trying to return to life.

It might be a little masochistic to say, but I really enjoyed reading books about trauma. They feel validating, somehow? Anyway, Jane Anonymous is one of the better ones I've read about trauma, even though a lot of the character's reactions make you angry. Jane's mother wants to pretend the past seven months never even happened -- which is absolutely impossible because Jane is not the same person she was and her mother cannot accept that.

Like I said, this is a dark book but a powerful one, and one that will relate to people experiencing trauma and Stockholm syndrome. This is one of the best books I've read this year and I truly hope people read it!

I think Laurie is such an underrated author. This book is exceptional. I found tons of important topics being tackled: mental health and survivalism being the most obvious. Jane's mother was one of the most unlikable characters I have ever read.

I was happy that it wasn't wrapped in a pretty red bow at the end. Real life is messy and complicated and hard to live.

The book tells the story of Jane Anonymous who had been kidnapped and held prisoner for seven months by alternating between Jane in the present time after her escape and going back to the past while she was captive.This story was extremely captivating and suspenseful, I couldn't put it down!Even though this story covers a situation that is a nightmare, readers go into it knowing Jane is back home safe and that every day is a step towards her recovery.

This was one of those books that you pick up and end up looking at you clock and it’s way past your bedtime. I just couldn't stop reading. Being a mom, it was hard to read, but I did like it.

I could not put this one down; I sped through it in a couple of hours! This book was so raw and gripping and kind of dark and I was so intrigued by the story. I did guess parts of the plot in the beginning but the story was gripping and raw.