I had a hard time putting this psychological thriller down! I kept wanting to “fast forward” through the “now” portions of the book so I could figure out who took Jane and why they would do such a thing, Very captivating!

2.5/5 There's a right way to write about a girl who's been kidnapped, but this exploitive trauma porn can't be it. This book is really frustrating because it's about 7 years behind where it should be. Everything reads very unrealistic or convenient so that Jane either gets more traumatized or gets to escape (which was its own convoluted series of conveniences). The plot twist was so obvious that it made it increasingly frustrating for the author to spend six god damn chapters achingly going over and over Jane's obstinate confusion. I hated the way Jane and Jack talked about therapy, I thought it was such a backward mindset for a 2020 YA novel (though I do appreciate it was somewhat rectified by the end), and I thought the way self-harm was discussed in only the way of romanticism (that it relieved her stress, made her feel better, etc) was disgusting. There was no afterthought of the damage mentally and physically that her self-harm habits caused. It was just a really uncomfortable read. I'm not saying all books have to be happy honkey-doory, but surely it can get better than this.

4.25/5
Jane Anonymous is the story about Jane, from Jane’s point of view in a Journal format writing “Then” & “Now”.
As the story has a “Now”, we immediately know all went well and I would have preferred it divided in first Then and second Now parts. Also because the story is given by Jane herself, she describes the relationship between her mother, and friend pretty well. But that same care I wasn’t able to see later in the chapters in “Now” part. and I felt so pity for Jane because she thought so high of them and they felt more like a people who taunt about things..

I was really spiraled by Jane’s time as a captive, it was so horrifying. Someone losing their independence and sitting in just a room for months.

There are also some twists in the story, but I had my doubts about those but still those came as more surprise when full story was revealed.

This was my first read by author Laurie Faria Stolarz, but am pretty sure I am gonna go and other published books by her.

While compelling, the content in this book was quite difficult for me to read at several times. I'm also much removed from teenage years so the narrative voice didn't resonate with me as much as it would with it's target audience. If you're looking for a quick, fast paced, very intense novel with a twist this is worth a try - it just didn't quite hit the mark for my personal preferences.

This book was hard for me to put down, but I don't necessarily feel like it was in a good way. While the story is intriguing, I had major issues with this one: namely the fact that I felt trauma and mental illness were exploited in order to craft a compelling piece of fiction that was really just decent and predictable at best. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for this review.

The story was immersive and well-written, and I would definitely recommend this to my students (especially the girls - I have lots of girls looking for female-driven narratives recently).

4.5stars 
This was not an easy book to read by any means but it’s a fantastic one. It took me some time to gather my thoughts because of the topics this book handles.

The thing is, I really enjoyed this book and it hits hard and it’s as realistic as it could ever be. But I wanted it to dwell even more on the trauma and mental health aspects, and less in the mystery part as I solved it right at the beginning and believe many of you might too…  That was my only negative-ish point.

So, let’s get to what I loved about it. This is Jane’s story. Everything in her life seemed to be going great until she was kidnapped and held captive for 7 months. This book tells her story like a diary, retelling all that passed from the beginning when she was taken until now, 3 months after she returned home. It jumps from past to present (which isn’t one of my favorite things but it worked perfectly here) and holds your attention from the very beginning in a way that’s impossible to put it down no matter what.

It was really hard to see Jane dealing with everything while she was captive, and it was hard seeing her cope after the nightmare ended… It’s like a new one started, where one would think everything would be better. I can’t even imagine being in Jane’s situation but her feelings, the panic, the withdrawal, are afterwards present after many other abusive situations, so it really hits hard.

Jane is a very relatable character because she was just a normal 17 yo girl when everything went wrong. And seeing her broken like that… It was so impactful! Jane’s emotional, heart-wrenching, terrifying survival journey was remarkably told. I could feel Jane’s feelings, fears and questions so well. I literally loved the writing and how on edge it put me.

I was especially taken aback by how well put together was her slow recovery. It felt so real and hard to read! It made me cry and many moments were just… Like I said, this book was incredibly and realistically written and I would recommend reading it with caution. It’s unlike anything I’ve read and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

I was sceptical when I picked up this book to read because of how traumatic the theme of the entire novel is. I am glad I didn't let it deter me because what I found was a pretty scary story but also healing.

The story is being told to us by the victim, who has decided to remain anonymous, she narrates in a now and then method, with now focusing on after she escaped and her readjustment to the real world and then the moment leading to her abduction and her time in captivity.

We know right at the go that Jane is no longer in captivity and she is sharing her story with us because she is ready to let the world know what happened to her on her own terms.

The writing style holds you captivated from the second you start reading, wanting to know about the person who abducted Jane and the why she was taken because that's where the mystery lies.

Jane's story highly touches on mental illness, stockholm syndrome, panic attacks & pain, what I loved was how her relationships was shown, with her parents, with the animals, her friends etc.


It wasn't an easy read because the topic of focus is one that rips my heart to shreds, but at the end of the day, its story at least gives us peace of mind, seeing as this usually isn't the case in real-life stories of abduction.

I was given this copy to read by the wonderful people at Wednesday Books, and I believe others would enjoy this book regardless if they read YA or not.

I don’t know why I have been continually drawn to heavy reads that I usually stray away from. If you are looking for an enjoyable read, this one is not it. Bordering on uncomfortable, Jane Anonymous is not a read that is written for someone’s enjoyment. But, this book is one that can make a person see things from a different perspective.

Jane Anonymous talks about kidnapping, with the hope of understanding what a person goes through in these disappointing circumstances. Some parts of this read can be too graphic, but some were glazed over so things will not be too much.

Told in alternating settings of “Then” and “Now”, be ready for a rollercoaster of feelings that can be too much if you are a little weak on the emotion front, like me.

If you are looking to feel intense emotions, you are in for a treat. This book is a terrifying tale of survival, with slivers of hope in spite of all the darkness.

This story was suspenseful and creepy!

The narrative alternated between “then,” when Jane was kidnapped and “now,” 10 months after she was kidnapped. Even though we know that she gets out, because she tells part of the story from her present perspective, it was still suspenseful. There were a lot of missing pieces that were revealed slowly throughout the book to keep up the mystery.

I figured out the mystery behind what was happening in the “warehouse” where Jane was being kept pretty quickly. It was creepy the way that she became brainwashed in a short amount of time. She took on a lot of behaviors that she learned while in captivity.

Even though the story was slowly revealed, I still had a lot of questions at the end. There were a couple of mysteries that weren’t fully solved, but perhaps that just reflects the reality of a situation like that.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful book!

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.   Thank you NetGalley.

There's no denying Laurie Faria Stolarz's talent.     She writes with such passion. 
Jane Anonymous is about a 17 year old's fight to escape her kidnapper.     This book is RAW and emotional and sooo powerful. 
Jane is only one of the teens being held captive.    She grows a bond with another teen Mason, and they create a pact to escape together.       
Jane's life after escape isn't easy.   Her parents expect everything to go bck to normal, but for Jane they can't.    She asks about Mason and the other kids, but never gets an answer.    There's no way she imagined them right?!

Read this book.   It will change you.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This did not affect my rating. 
*3/5*

Jane was taken. She was gone for 7 months. She was kept in a room with only the necessities. We see Jane from before she was taken, to being taken, her captivity, her escape, and the aftermath. The story bounced back and forth in the timelines which worked really well. Jane chooses to write about her experience as her form of therapy which was an interesting way to go. 

Jane Anonymous is a very compulsively readable book. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, both in the past and the present. The author does a great job of hooking you in. My issue, and it is my issue – not the books – is that I am not the books target audience. And having read my fair share of psychological thrillers, I called the twist. 

I don’t know how to describe how I felt about Jane’s mom, friend, classmates… they all really bugged me throughout the entire book. I didn’t feel they were as compassionate as they could have been/should have been about her needing time and space to heal. To feel like herself and to be free again. 

I love the authors message about healing from trauma. 

I will be checking out more of this author’s future books.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the free review copy!

JANEY ANONYMOUS by Laurie Faria Stolarz gripped me from start to finish. I had never read a young adult book that focuses on such dark themes (TW for abduction, captivity, and emotional abuse), and while this book is definitely not for everyone, personally I enjoyed it...for the most part. 

I think the book's unique perspective combined with its dark theme makes for a really interesting coming-of-age story, and one that lends itself to more of a psychological thriller than anything else. But while the writing is both compulsive and addicting, I personally felt a bit uncomfortable with the relationship that Jane ultimately develops with her captor. While I'm no expert, I think this book likely exhibits a case of Stockholm syndrome, and perhaps even romanticizes it to a certain extent. Abduction and emotional abuse are sensitive topics (especially when marketed towards a teen audience), and I sometimes felt like the seriousness of these subjects were overshadowed by a desire to make the plot more "entertaining." Nonetheless, I think what makes psychological thrillers so interesting is that they deal with inherently problematic and controversial topics, which is definitely a discussion that JANE ANONYMOUS clearly nails. While this book wasn't perfect, I'd be very curious to read what Stolarz writes next.  

This review will be posted to my main platform (http://instagram.com/inquisitivebookworm) by 1/31/20.

I was intrigued when I read the blurb for Jane Anonymous. I have read plenty of books about kidnapping and the effects on the victims, so I thought I was ready for the book. Well, I was wrong. Jane Anonymous was one of the rawest, more emotional books that I have read to date.

The plotlines for Jane Anonymous are split into two sections. There is “Then” and “Now.” The pacing for each plotline is fast and well written. There is no lag, which was great and complimented the fast pace of the plotline. There were also no dropped characters.

I wanted to reach through my Kindle, grab Jane, and hug her. The author did a fantastic job of showing the difference in her. She was an outgoing girl with a fantastic view of life before her kidnapping. After her abduction, though, she was the opposite. The author didn’t make her magically healed and had her forget what happened to her. Instead, she had Jane struggle with being home. She also showed how Jane was affected by PTSD and anxiety. Again, there were tears on my end.

The “Then” part of the storyline was amazingly written. I liked reading how Jane kept her sanity during her captivity. The author did a fantastic job of showing how Jane was broken down by her kidnapper and then built back up. It was a perfect example of Stockholm Syndrome. But, my favorite part of this book was when she escaped. It was amazing!!

The “Now” part of the storyline broke my heart. Jane was so broken. She tries to recreate her room from when she was kidnapped. Jane kept to the award system that her kidnapper used. She refused to talk to someone because of how they treated her. She had to deal with people alternately praising her and talking about her behind her back. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The end of Jane Anonymous was terrific. I can’t get into it, but I was a blubbery, sobbing mess. It made me have hope for her too. I am for sure going to be looking out for more books by this author!!

Jane Anonymous is writing the story of her abduction. It’s her attempt to find a way to deal with her trauma. She doesn’t like the therapists that her family has taken her to and she hopes her documenting of the story will act as a coping mechanism now that she is home and free of her captor.

She writes of her kidnapping and imprisonment in the basement of a building; held by a young man who leaves her food and personal items – if she follows his instructions. As she looks back at her terrifying experience, her fear and uncertainty is palpable. But even more problematic is her re-entry to what used to be her old life. It was ten months of captivity but it might have been ten years for the lasting scars on her psyche. Jane cannot get back her sense of personal safety. She might sleep in her closet, she might sit under a table hugging the leg, she might not be able to see her old friends or consider doing things that were once routine. It’s this sense of violation that permeates the book. Jane wonders if she can ever truly return to the world she was stolen from.

Stolarz brings Jane’s desperation and anguish to the page in a moving way. The character is damaged and may never find the peace of mind that she once had. Her sense of herself has been dramatically altered and it is her internal struggle that will keep readers riveted. She is changed and cannot find her way back to who she was or even to a new Jane who can cope in a world that seems so different than it was 10 months earlier. 

As Jane's story unfolds, there are numerous questions about the abduction and since readers only hear about what Jane saw, they are left to fill in the blanks as to the mysterious nature of just what happened to her. This adds an “edge of your seat” quality to the book that keeps us in suspense. Stolarz has hit the mark with her sensitive portrayal of a damaged girl struggling to find her way. The depiction of Jane’s turmoil is stunning and this will be a book that teens will clamor for.

Creating an “anonymous” character to tell the first person story of a 17-year-old girl’s kidnapping and seven month captivity is an excellent want to tell how a girl struggles to recover her life before capture. She struggles when she is returned to her home. She still feels a connection with her kidnapper who has told her a story she believes. Coming to terms with her fame and learning to relate to her old life is seemingly impossible, until she starts helping at an animal shelter again and she meets a very wise counselor there.

I was immediately intrigued when I read the synopsis of this story: a kidnapping, a girl trying to reintegrate into her life, how nuanced and difficult that must be psychologically. I had to read it. Here’s the good news: I also loved it.

Jane Anonymous has made one of the biggest emotional impacts on me that I’ve felt from a book in a long time. In fact, my favorite thing about this book is the skill, honesty, and care that the author so clearly put into the emotional backbone of this story. Jane’s terrifying journey, her confusion, her desire to feel happy again while simultaneously not understanding why she can’t- so many of us can relate to these feelings. And even more so when an author writes them with such nuance and raw empathy.

Second, I found the balance between the two storylines, one emotional and one more immediately pressing, to be a perfect fit when it came to pacing. I was stuck on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who had taken her and why, reading that story and her story of escape. And then I was stuck in my chair feeling when Jane, free at last, chooses to isolate herself from her family, confused and not sure how to go on. I wanted to reach into the book and hug this character, all of these characters, and tell them they would get through this.

Last, but definitely not least— I hesitate to say much else, so as not to spoil it, but…oh man. That twist at the end. I did not see it coming and it hit me like a sucker punch. Such a surprise and just another thing I can add to my list of reasons why you should pick up this book and check it out.

Ultimately, Jane Anonymous is an empathetic, intelligent, nuanced and important story about a young girl who is just trying to survive in this world. Her circumstances are extreme, her situation dire, but everyone can find something to relate to in this entirely too human story. Such a fun read.

This story was very interesting and profound. 

The author did a fabulous job of world building, plot design, and story structure.

I felt for Jane during this novel and I pushed for her success.

I look forward to reading more titles by this author!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

To protect her identity "Jane Anonymous" switches from "then" and "now" telling the story of her horrifying abduction, and the unlikely romance she experienced while in captivity.  

I can't give a bunch of info about the book to keep from spoiling, but I very much enjoyed it.  It was fast paced and captivating.  The characters and situations were complicated and layered.  It makes me wonder if something like this has happened in the past, with these similar details.

Iv'e always been a fan of Laurie Faria Stolarz and this book is a keeper. Other writers have attempted this same plot line, but she does it best. The fact that the book is written in the first person draws the reader in to Jane's story as she tries to adapt to life after being rescued from a kidnapping. Wonderful read!