Jane Anonymous is NOT your usual run-of-the-mill kidnapped girl thriller.

Handled poorly, these novels objectify young women and use their suffering for reader titillation. In my mind, this kind of thriller is as unimaginative and manipulative as porn.

Yes, Jane Anonymous is a page-turner and yes it's a who-done-it, but the emphasis is on Jane's lingering trauma after her ordeal is "over" as far as everyone else is concerned. Her feelings of worthlessness, feeling that she had somehow failed or that she was responsible for what happened -- these all ring true for a person suffering from PTSD.

I appreciated the author's concentration on Jane in her journey to build back her emotional stamina. Jane is not portrayed as a victim, but more as an incredibly strong and brave and compassionate person who has survived a near-unbearable ordeal.

I love the nuanced characters -- her parents, her friends, even her abductor.

I love how the author intersperses Jane's journey of self-healing with the trauma itself, making for an intensely emotional read.

Must look for other books by this very talented author.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed her style of writing. It flowed well and her development of the plot and characters kept my attention for the most part. I like that the author was able to keep the story of the kidnapping without adding unneeded details. The story bounces back and forth from time before/while Jane was held captive (then) to her attempts at getting back to a "normal" life after her escape (now). Jane tells her story through journal entries as a way for her to cope with her experience; and it is a raw and heartbreaking thing to read the thought process as she tries to make sense of her experience.

Jane Anonymous is a well-written and thrilling story about a girl who was abducted for seven months and her inability to just jump right back into her old life. Jane is severely altered from her captivity and none of her friends or family seem to grasp that. Jane tries piecing together what happened to her and how to move forward, while her captivity is put into question. There is an excellent twist and the character development is strong. Highly recommended to readers looking for a good YA thriller about abduction.

hm. this was a really strange reading experience. all of the characters felt half-baked and the entire story felt so unrealistic, even though it's really not. I felt so disconnected from the whole thing. the "twist" was very obvious to me, but may be more surprising to someone who doesn't read as many mystery/thrillers or watch far too many episodes of Criminal Minds. the choice to keep things anonymous and referring to things like "No Name High School" and "New England State" felt awkward and always took me out of the story. I don't really understand what the point of this story was meant to be and don't feel like I got anything from it.

After sitting on this review for almost a week, I'm going to keep it brief. I'd like to state that I'm not a teenager, and therefore not the target audience, so some of the issues I had with this book might not be the case for the YA crowd. The writing is easy to get caught up in, and the format and storytelling style make it difficult to put this book down once you've begun. The author has a way with keeping the reader glued, and that's no small feat. My problems likely stem from having read too many psychological thrillers, and I found the twist obvious in the first quarter of the book. There's a really small cast of characters, and it's a twist that I've read several times before, but if you haven't experienced it, then it might really grab you. I do wish Jane Anonymous had focused slightly more on the trauma and mental health issues depicted in this novel, rather than the "mystery" behind who took Jane, but again its personal preference. If you're looking for a fast paced read where the pages fly by, definitely give this one a try.

Jane Anonymous was dark and definitely scary. It was scary because these stories are real. We read them on news everyday. I think author described the feelings perfectly. I couldn't put it down and finished in two days. I had a lot of emotions after reading this. I highly recommend.

Slightly dark, definitely heartbreaking, Jane Anonymous is everything you would expect from this author and the subject matter.

This is a story that will resonate with you, shake you up and dump out all the pieces again as you struggle and grieve right along with Jane, with her parents, and with her friends as the story slowly unfolds from “then” and “now”.

All the feels! Stolarz takes you on a wild roller coaster of a ride through the ups and downs, the heartache, the triumphs, and the dark dark lows. Emotional, endearing, triumphant, heart wrenching, eye opening, and most of all, a deep connection to this so very broken character that you will be thinking about her long after her story has ended.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I wanted to get into this book so much, The plot was solid, but the writing seemed a little forced. I may not be the audience for this book, though. I appreciated the author’s take on a sensitive and serious subject.

This story follows 17 year old Jane who was abducted and then found after 7 months. It goes back and forth between past and present time. I haven't read a lot of thrillers but I feel like this was somewhat formulaic and predictable to an extent and that took from my enjoyment. I want to be shocked. Jane was unlikeable and I'm not sure if that was meant to be a thing. I felt like her parents, the police officers, the therapists, her friends, etc. didn't act in realistic ways. I don't know everything about the psychology of abduction victims or victims of people who have been kept captive, but the true stories I've read, I feel like things were handled differently by all, even the victim. I also didn't care for the last 25% of the book where things started to resolve. After all the nitty gritty, it seemed too fluffy and quick - almost as if it were part of a different story. This one just wasn't for me.


Edit: After a good 20 minute discussion with my husband, I think I'm taking this down to a 2 star. The more I think back, the more I dislike this book. Especially the Epilogue and the weird spider metaphorical thing.

I am partial to abduction stories and feel that I've read all the tropes out there. This one had a plausible abduction story (which I appreciate since I can't continue reading if it's just too stupid) and a good flow of events leading up to the unpredictable ending. I like that I didn't see it coming. The characters were a little stereotypical (parents, perfect cute guy, etc.) except for the abductor. That was interesting.
I completely recommend this one!

I love a book that gets me hooked right away! This was such a gripping and intense story that puts a lot of emphasis on how a traumatic event can affect the mind.

Jane is seventeen and will soon be starting her Senior year of high school. She has a great best friend, a potential new boyfriend and loving parents. Life as she knows it becomes shattered when she is kidnapped and held in a small room for months.

The story moves back and forth to before she was kidnapped to the present and highlights her struggle to settle back into a normal life. We have all had those moments when a song or a certain smell will trigger a memory for us, but for Jane these moments are a potential hazard.

Her sense of safety is not only shattered from the kidnapping, but also from the later knowledge of how much planning went into it and how she had put trust in someone she shouldn’t have.

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. Because of that, the difficult parts are so much easier to read. Sensitive readers should be aware that there are some references to self harm.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl writes down her experiences after being held hostage for seven months.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We all hear about these tragic stories where a kid gets kidnapped and held hostage for years, but can never imagine what's it's like to be in those shoes. Tragedy happens all the time, but what if you could feel that for yourself? That's the story in this book centered on Jane.

Jane was living her usual life when everything got turned upside down. She went to pick up her best friend's birthday present and ended up kidnapped instead. For seven months, she was trapped in a room with no one to talk to. How does someone cope after that? Can she learn to move forward again?

Just as a preface here: this book is very dark and includes some very traumatic content. It is not for the faint of heart and anyone reading this book should know that from the start.

That being said, this book is amazing. You truly do feel like you're with Jane every step of the way. From being trapped in that white room to being with her parents back home, you experience the entire range. The complex road back to health isn't straight forward and you feel that with her.

I did have a few issues with the book though. It's a touching story with so much content that screams PTSD, but they're were so many questions left unanswered in a satisfying way. An overarching vague answer is given that leaves you left wanting.

A traumatic story that brings you along for the journey in a profound way.

My rating: 4 out of 5

There are some interesting things, I do like the way Jane is telling her own story. There are sloppy bits, though, and I saw the ‘twist’ coming. I also hate to see ALL therapists/psychiatrists shown as such bad care providers. Many people she interacts with use not even the most basic common sense in caring for a traumatized survivor.

This story felt very real and scary. Also, I felt broken just like Jane, while reading both then and now. It makes you think and have all these emotions. It was definitely a great read and gripping but also at the same time so difficult to get through because I just didn’t want to know if something worse happened to her while she was asleep or unconscious when she got sick. I guess it was a scary read for me because I am a mom to a teen daughter. But I definitely recommend this book. It is good and eye opening.

One day, as Jane runs to her work to grab a gift for her friend, she is kidnapped by a man posing as a customer. She spends the next seven months trapped in a compound with other teens who have been captured. The story alternates between "then" when Jane is captured and "now" as Jane deals with the aftermath of being rescued and returned to "normal" life.

I really loved this story. There have been far too many news stories of women being captured by men, so many of whom aren't rescued -- or are, so many years later. Jane is only captured for seven months and already her mentality and well-being are so irrevocably altered. Habits created during her capture stay with her, and no one seems to understand her difficulties; Jane herself can't understand people anymore, and prefers to be left alone. It's heartbreaking to see her so broken, though there is some hope for her. I loved the idea of Jane writing her own story out, in order to reclaim her authority over the story.

Overall, a really great story. It's not much of a mystery (beyond wondering who took her and how she got out), but it's more interesting for how Jane changes from her experience.

Book Review
Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Pub Date: 07 Jan 2020
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

LOVED IT! I got almost half way through the book before I even stopped to make my usual notes. Gripping, engaging, accessible, and intriguing. Then when I did finally make my first note, it was to express how the box of brownies Jane has with her in captivity reminded me of Wilson in the movie "Castaway." And that's a good thing (for me) since I love watching that movie.

I cannot go into how much this book pulled me in, or I will give away some of the plot. Suffice it to say that I 😲OMG'ed to myself when the abductor was revealed. Since this genre isn't my usual fare, maybe I just wasn't able to piece things together, so I was wonderfully surprised. I'd rather like to think, though, that Stolarz did a great job of weaving a believable tale that allowed her reader to be, well, wonderfully surprised! I had another WOWOWOWOW moment about 85% through the story, which I also cannot describe without giving away some of the mystery. However, it occurred regarding a drawing when the psychological background of the abductor was being revealed. Stolarz crafted both believable characters and a plot that didn't use ploys to make it happen.

I also really liked the way Stolarz allowed Jane to organically find someone with whom she could click in order to get the help she needed after her kidnapping. It felt real or natural for a traumatized teen to reject the counselors her equally traumatized mother wanted her to see.

I also liked Stolarz's use of NOW and THEN to guide the reader through the story. My favorite use of this was between chapters 59 and 60. I liked that NOW chapter 59 was followed by another NOW chapter. It kept the reader in an important moment of the story.

Regarding the plot thread of the shelter dog, I did note to myself that "maybe it's too obvious a connection between Jane and the dog's plight, but maybe that's how it works in real life, too." And being a dog love, I'm glad that sometimes, yes, that's exactly what happens; we heal each other.

In both books and movies, I get the feeling it is really difficult to create an ending. While I was pleased that the story didn't have a tidy ending for Jane, the epilogue felt extraneous and forced, like Stolarz had to try to explain what really couldn't be explained... Jane just had to work through what happened to her, and leaving the reader with a dreamlike final explanation detracted from the work the reader knows Jane has ahead of her. Still, a 5 ☆☆☆☆☆!

Jane, a kidnapping survivor, tells her story in this page-turning thriller. The story is fast-paced, with short chapters that capture your interest and leave you wanting more. I devoured this in one sitting and genuinely enjoyed the plot.

This reminded me a lot of two kidnapping books I had read and loved as a teen/young adult: Lucy Christopher’s “Stolen: A Letter to My Captor” and April Henry’s “Girl, Stolen.”

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thrilling and terrifying - keeping you on your toes. Jane is a high school girl taken into captivity for 7 months. This book is her perspective of then and now, trying to piece together what happened to her and what she is going through as she tries to become "normal." Everything that held her together in captivity is questioned and she can't make sense, as she's trying to heal.

I highly recommend this book. While it's a scary perspective to think about, it puts a very real view into the life of a victim trying to return to a normal life. How people make them feel, how items make them feel, and how they're just not the same person from before the trauma occurred. I feel that this book did an excellent job portraying that from the perspective of a victim.

A very nice book by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I’ve never read a book by this author before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and the characters.

Absolutely fantastic!
This was entertaining from the get-go and just kept going.
I was able to figure out the "twist" early on, but somehow that only hooked me more?
I needed to know the whys and the hows of what led up to it.
Highly recommend this to freaking everyone!
Much love to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my DRC.