This was certainly an interesting book and one that kept me reading, not wanting to put it down. For a considerable way through the book though, I was a bit baffled at how this girl could be so deeply disturbed by her seven months captivity. Now, don't get me wrong, I do understand that the trauma of any captivity must be huge and horrific. But, apparently, from what I was reading, it seemed that the person who stole Jane was not making any physical contact with her at all. It seemed like she was just being kept in solitary confinement for no apparent reason at all. At least she didn't have to fear nightly visits (or visits at all) from the person who captured her. This was a major plus and seemed more along the lines of prisoners in jail or detention camps under solitary confinement. Things like that happen a lot more frequently than what Jane suffered and people survive.. So I was confused at her extreme behavior. But then, just because we don't hear about the after effects of someone held in captivity, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. So maybe Jane's reaction is not that surprising or unusual. And as the story went along, more details came to light and changed things, made the psychological trauma more understandable. I was glad to have had the opportunity to read the book and will definitely recommend it to students, especially those who have suffered from one trauma or another and are finding their way back to health again.

Told from the perspective of a girl who was captured and escaped, JANE ANONYMOUS is a thriller of both physical and emotional survival. "Jane" is writing the book as a method for healing, as writing is how she copes, and she takes us back and forth between then (during the capture) and now, as she is trying to deal with her life and the way that she feels (described as being in pieces).

This book is completely captivating and engrossing, and even though it was pretty easy to guess who was behind it all, the journey is breath-taking. This is very much a thriller with plenty of suspense, but it also features a large emotional journey that is on the path of healing. It is difficult to put into words how much this is a page-turner, but highly recommend for fans of Caroline B. Cooney, SADIE, and other YA thriller masterpieces.

I completely devoured this book in less than a day because it was impossible to put down. This book is something different and an atmospheric page-turner. While I don't want to give anything away, I certainly recommend picking this one up. Also, if you are concerned about cliffhangers, the main plots are resolved herein. I also want to give bonus points for showing the process of selecting a therapist and finding your own journey to be ready for therapy. This is quite a potent read.

Fans of thriller/suspense YA reads, you will need to add this to your TBR. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

So.... Honestly this was written in a way that made it easy to figure out what was going on early on in the book. Very anti-climatic I suppose. Predictable? It wasn’t a bad story though.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very interesting character study. It focusses on trauma and the impact not only on the person at the centre but also those indirectly affected.

For much of the story, I had figured out what happened. With a crime novel, this would have annoyed me and ruined my experience as a reader. In this case, it did not. “Jane Anonymous” really isn’t a whodunnit but rather an unflinchingly introspective exploration of Jane’s process through trauma. I did not feel robbed of plot twists once I’d established what had happened.

In fact, I feel Stolarz deliberately wields this dramatic irony as another tool to create the claustrophobic tone that permeates “Jane Anonymous.” I had the sense that Jane was holding her breath through the whole experience and I was holding mine with her. The ending isn’t conclusive or neatly tied up in a bow but it creates a sense of gulping down air. Jack is right: “breathe.” It feels like the first step and a victory.

I realise this review is muddled. That’s Stolarz’s fault! I’ve just finished the book and I’m still disentangling myself from the tale.

This book was amazing. I loved how raw and unfiltered it was. In stories like this, where that is an abduction and then the protagonist comes home, I feel like most of the time the character just puts up a front and goes on with their life. I love that Jane told us her story and was real and genuine about what happened and how she was feeling.

I loved how the one aspect in the story was prominent and it was refreshing to see that the character was fighting for what she thought was real and what was real to her for her to survive. I have to be vague to avoid spoilers.

What made this a 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 out of 5, was the ending. I felt like it ended so abruptly. I was hoping that we would see more of Jane as she grew after what happened. I felt like it would have taken longer than 3 months for someone to start to come around after being abducted for 7 months.

This is a hard one for me to review. It was extremely entertaining and gripping, and I definitely feel like it accomplished what it set out to accomplish, but there were times when this felt a little... exploitative to me? I am definitely the odd man out on this one as all of the other reviews of this are glowing, so maybe I went into it with the wrong mindset, but there were definitely times where I felt like handling the topic sensitively took a backseat in favor of entertainment value. And it just felt.. odd. I did still enjoy reading this one and I would say to pick it up if it interests you, but definitely tread with caution if you're sensitive to any of the topics covered in this book.

TW: abduction, being held captive, death of an animal (in the past), emotional manipulation

A super read! Great story for academic discussions on many levels.

Jane is abducted for 7 months. The reader is brought back and forth between "then" and "now".This is a very easy to follow book. At 17, Jane looked forward to many opportunities in life and had a best friend, Shelley, and a boyfriend, Jack. Taken from the store that Jane works at she is brought into a situation that is quite different than the reader would expect.

I find it great that Laurie Stolarz had the ingenuity to write this story that displayed both courage and despair. The twists are awesome, characters depicted superbly and, well, the plotline gave me chills.

An extraordinary read for all!!!

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a truly wonderful read.

I really loved this book. Laurie Faria Stolarz did an excellent job at really putting you inside the mind of the victim, and understanding that the victim is not always the first person you think of. I loved the book, the character development, and the twist that she brought to this story. It definitely made me think about walking alone in the future!

This book was so good! I will recommend it to anyone who comes into my store because I think it will end up on my favorites of the year list!

It’s not often that a book can scare me. Inevitably when a book scares me I put it down never to return to it. Jane Anonymous broke this pattern of mine. This YA novel from Laurie Faria Stolarz was disturbing and bone chilling for me as a mother. Yet, from the opening chapter, I couldn’t put it down. Each character’s raw emotion was portrayed so realistically. The story unfolded so naturally and gave realistic varying viewpoints. I had never thought about the aftermath of abduction and the pain associated with rebuilding a family. There were no twists for me. That said, knowing the abductor made me want to get to the ending that much quicker. I loved this read from Wednesday Books and I will definitely be looking for more of Solarz’s novels. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

How does someone heal from unthinkable trauma? What happens when they are given their life back? Jana Anonymous works to answer these questions in a thoughtful and careful way. Even though the reader doesn't know Jane's real name or what town she is from, you will feel for her story. You'll care for Jane and want her to be OK. But what is OK? She's been through a lot. How is she supposed to heal? Can she heal?

This book was terrifying. Not only because it CAN happen, but because it HAS happened. Well written, chilling, and inspiring all at once.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Jane Anonymous had me hooked from the moment I read the synopsis. Then I read the prologue and I literally couldn’t put this book down until I finished it. I devoured it in one sitting.
I was crying within the first ten percent of this book, which might not say much because I cry at the drop of a hat since having a baby, but still. I was sucked into this story, chewed up, and spit out in the final pages. I really liked the way this story was told. Jane Anonymous is telling us her story. She is writing everything down as a way to work through what she experienced. I thought this was brilliant because we feel what she’s feeling. We get invested in everything the way she does, and our whole world is rocked when we learn certain bits of information. I really liked the ‘anonymous’ aspect of the story. It takes place in ‘Suburb City/Town, New England State’ which is not a real place, but I thought it was a really interesting way to keep the story focused completely on Jane and her experiences. As someone who grew up in New England, I liked that the small town northern setting was there even if no actual places were named.
Jane is experiencing some serious PTSD. We follow her as she tells us her story in alternating chapters of now and then. I thought this was done well to add more suspense to an already excellent story. Then there’s the mystery of how she got from then to now.
This story was absolutely incredible. It had characters I alternated between loving and hating. There was the best friend that I loved at first and then hated and then loved again by the end of the book. Then her parents, I wanted to hate them at times, but also imagining how I would feel if something like this happened to my daughter, I couldn’t fathom how I would react. I think they were doing their best, and eventually, I ended up liking them.
Overall, I’m obsessed with this book. It may just be a new favorite. The writing was paced just right to keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved Jane and having her tell this story was an excellent choice. I will be shouting about this book from the rooftops for the next forever.

This book was so creepy in the most unexpected way.

I honestly can’t explain to you what made me choose this book. I love reading light-hearted books with cheesy romance. A book about a girl who was kidnapped has never been on my reading list before. And of course, when I read that she had been kidnapped, my mind immediately went to rape and other horrifying things. So why choose this book? I think this book chose me.

Like I said before, this book was creepy, but not in the way I had expected. Instead of being creepy in the way she was treated in captivity, it was creepy the way she WASN’T treated. It made readers question what was going to come next. Some chapters had my heart pounding because I was afraid of what could POTENTIALLY happen. The other thing that freaked me out was the way Jane was kidnapped. She was trying to be a nice human being, and I think I would’ve done the same in her shoes.

I really liked this book, especially how it switched back in forth between captivity and freedom. It was interesting to read about Jane and her recovery. I hope that you will decide to read this book and enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you so much NetGalley for letting me read Jane Anonymous.

This book, man. There is so much to say. This book was raw and real, with no happily ever after or moments of relief. It handles extremely tough themes such as survivalism, Stockholm Syndrome, suicide and mental health.

While the main character is the crux of the story, her family, friends and even captor are painted so vividly with flaws and strengths. There are times when I had to walk away and take a breath because the pain felt and described is so deep, but there are also times I felt such joy and warmth from how hard everyone was TRYING. No, there’s no bow on the ending. But it didn’t need it. It was perfect the way it was.

Jane Anonymous is told in alternating timelines, from then, when Jane was kidnapped and held for 7 months, and now, as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life. Jane's friends Shelly and Jack are trying really hard to let her know that they're available whenever she needs.

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. I would say something along the lines of "I don't know why her mother didn't force her to keep trying new therapists until she found one that clicked" but...her mother was useless. She's pushy and overbearing and she's not really supportive of Jane's wants. She herself should have marched into therapy after her daughter was taken, to deal with her issues. At the very least, she should have gotten herself in therapy much sooner than she does because she's horrible at knowing to give Jane what she needs, and I'm thankful for her father for helping as much as he's able in that regard.

As you can tell, I really hated her mother, and I think that tainted how much I could have liked this book. I figured out what others are calling the twist fairly early on in the book, but I don't think knowing that makes you want to read it less. Jane Anonymous is a well-written, solid story with good characters, it was moving and heartbreaking, but there's light, humor, and hope as well.

Jane Anonymous
By Laurie Faria Stolarz
St. Martin's Press
Wednesday Books
Published January 2020
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review


Seven months.

That’s how long I was kept captive.

Locked in a room with a bed, refrigerator, and adjoining bathroom, I was instructed to eat, bathe, and behave. I received meals, laundered clothes, and toiletries through a cat door, never knowing if it was day or night. The last time I saw the face of my abductor was when he dragged me fighting from the trunk of his car. And when I finally escaped, I prayed I’d never see him again.

This is a story of a girl that was taken. This is also a story of how the girl not only survives this horrible nightmare, but how she keeps on surviving when the nightmare is over.

This YA thriller was great, if you keep the perspective of who the intended audience is: young adults (teens). Although this thriller didn’t necessarily surprise me with its intended plot twists (as someone who has read countless thrillers, I could spot the plot twists a mile away), I still thought it was an entertaining read. And if I am analyzing this book through the lens of what its intended audience is supposed to be (NOT at 33 year old woman) then I would have to say that the plot twists are thoughtful and would be surprising to a young adult or teenager.

What I liked most about this story, however, is how it addressed trauma and the aftermath of emotions after a traumatic event. As someone who has experienced both trauma and PTSD, I can say that the author covered these subjects with sensitivity and thoughtfulness as well as accuracy (in my personal experience). It isn’t easy to handle big emotions in a trauma exposed brain and everyone approaches healing in their own time and in their own way. No two trauma journeys are the same. What the author has shown in Jane is how trauma changes the way we think, act, behave, treat relationships, and all around cope. By displaying both healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms, the author brings authenticity to the struggles Jane and her family and friends all go through due to Jane’s kidnapping and disappearance. Becoming a more trauma informed society is such an important topic, and Im glad Stolarz has the talent and the guts to tell this hard story and bring light to this tough issue.

I really enjoyed Stolarz’s voice and writing style. This is new author for me, but she is definitely on my radar now. Teens and adults alike will enjoy going on this thrilling journey with Jane.

LOVED this book! Can't wait to recommend to my teen book club when we do horror/thriller. Kept me on my toes the whole time- and I never saw the twist coming. I love the way the timeline works- you find out about Jane's story little by little from both her present situation and what happened to her in the past. Couldn't put this down!

An emotional roller coaster from start to finish, you are taken on a ride that draws you in from the start, compels you to keep turning as the story unfolds and spits you back out at the end.
Complex characters and an original thought provoking plot, make this a must read novel.

You guys, this book. First off, I read it like it was my job. I couldn't put it down and when I DID have to (like, to do my actual job), I kept thinking about it and wondering what the next chapter would bring.

I like the new trend of showing what life is like after a traumatic event. Jane's kidnapping and time in captivity is obviously horrible, but her life doesn't magically snap back into place once she manages to return to her normal existence. Her time away has completely changed her and it's hard for her to relate to her parents or old friends.

This was a hard book to read in a lot of ways, but it's not as harrowing as it could be. I kept rooting for Jane, and I kept rooting for her parents and her friends to find a way back to her.

Highly recommended.