OnlineBookClub.org

"Stolen" by Lucy Christopher was nothing short of an amazing novel. This book is only for readers who want a fast paced read with characters that come to life and a desert so mysterious that you want to unlock all of its secrets. From the first pages, this book will steal your attention and hold it captive until the very end. "Stolen" is about an average girl named Gemma who has a life just like any other teen girl. In the beginning of the book, she is about to get on a plane with her family but began talking with a man who is anything but boring. Before she knows it, she is drugged and taken miles away from her family and friends to the Australian Outback by a man named Ty. Alone and isolated in a secluded house with Ty, Gemma marks the days that have pasted on the side of her bed post, waiting for the day that she may find a way out of her dry and dangerous prison. But as the days past, Gemma finds that by kidnapping her, Ty thought he was doing her a favor!
I have never read a book where I had so many conflicting emotions over a certain character. At first I assumed Ty was the bad guy, but half way through the book I started to feel only sympathy for this haunting young man. But I wasn't the only one that felt sympathy for Ty. You could even say that Gemma, who hated him from the very beginning, was starting to fall in love with him. Will Gemma every find her way back to her family or will she chose to stay with Ty, lost in the desert forever? Read this captivating story to see for yourself.

I absolutely love this book, if for nothing else, than for the fact that the boundaries are so fluid, or even *gasp* non-existent. I felt like it was okay to fall in love with Ty - inspite of the fact that he obviously falls into the bad boy trope, he's a stalker, he's an abductor, and - in all likelihood - criminally insane. This book made me think beyond stereotypes, which is amazing. I suppose the flip side would be to worry about the impression it makes on anyone who isn't wise enough NOT to fall in love with their stalker, but then, how feasible is that?

And the ending? Tore me up. All in all, 4 out of 5 stars.

I really really loved this book. Of course at the start we all hated him simply for the fact that he kidnapped Gemma, but I couldn't help the little voice deep inside my head as the book went on saying "just kiss him already!". I truly as the reader began to feel the amount of Stockholm syndrome that Gemma was feeling after so much time with Ty. I kept picturing her wanting to stay with him after awhile, and was crying by the end because of their separation. Christopher does a great job making us upset that Gemma is finally free, and makes me hungry for a sequel.

I have been thinking about reading this and this post solidified it!

I guess I'm one of the few that didn't think this book lived up to the hype. The thing you hear the most about this book is that the writing is exceptional, personally I thought it was well-written but not enough to win any awards. I also felt like the plot was pretty boring for the majority of the novel, and no matter how hard I tried, I could feel no sympathy for the kidnapper. If we were given more information about him then it would have made it easier for me to understand why Gemma ended up loving him. Overall, there isn't much background information given about anyone, so it was also hard for me to understand why it was so easy for Gemma to start questioning her parents' true feelings about her. One thing I also wonder about is if Gemma would have fell in love with him if he wasn't an impeccably well-built, attractive, young guy.

In conclusion, I feel like you could only enjoy this story if you already know from the get go that you would be able to sympathize with a kidnapper.

This book resonated with me a lot for some reason. I found myself as conflicted as Gemma.

I haven't had the chance to read Release yet, but I certainly look forward to it!

'Stolen" by Lucy Christopher is a young adult novel I would show to almost every female. It talks about the importance of being aware of your surroundings and also talks about Stockholm syndrome as well. This book main focus is to nor romanticize the situation between the characters but to test your moral compass while reading this novel. This book may be viewed as controversial due to the subjects that are mentioned but it does require you to think further about the way the females perspective can be. From this book I have learned to not only be very careful of who I trust but also it has taught me the understanding of nature and life. The book does have its up's and down's but it is a very intense book just by the topics that are mentioned. I would not recommend this book to people who have had traumatic experiences with kidnapping or being held hostage. This book will also make you emotional towards the end so be prepared for that as well!