Jane Anonymous
A Novel

by Laurie Faria Stolarz


St. Martin's Press

Wednesday Books

Teens & YA

Pub Date 07 Jan 2020



I am reviewing a copy of Jane Anonymous through St.Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley:


She was held captive for seven months. She was locked in a room with a bed, refrigerator and adjoining bathroom. She was told to eat, to bathe and behave. She received her meals, her toiletries and her clean laundry through a cat door. She never knew whether it was day or night. The last time Jane had seen the face of her abductor was when she dragged fighting from trunk of his car, and when she finally escaped, she prayed she would never see him again.


She is home now, and everyone is expecting it to be like it was before I left. What they don’t understand is such that dining out and shopping trips can’t heal what’s broken inside me. I barely leave my bedroom. Therapists are clueless and condescending. So I start my own form of therapy—by writing about my experience awakens uncomfortable memories, ones that should’ve stayed buried. How far will I have to go to uncover the truth of what happened, and will it break me forever?



I give this powerfully written young adult novel five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

To be as transparent as possible, I’ve got to admit that I’m not one for thrillers at all. I don’t seek them out (except during the spooky time of year) and I don’t read a lot of them to really compare and contrast this to what’s already available in the genre. However, the premise of this sounded super intriguing and I wanted to give it a try.

The story itself is really amazing. Obviously you can tell from the premise that it’s going to be really really hard hitting. There’s lots of trauma, anxiety, physical/mental abuse, and just a lot of bad crap happening. It wasn’t as descriptive of the trauma Jane dealt with but it was enough that some moments seriously gave me pause, but not so much that I would have to stop because I became uncomfortable. I shotgun read this in like five hours. It flew by, tbh.

It’s told in alternating times of past vs. present which I felt like really rounded the story out well and let you really gain a good understanding of the trauma that Jane went through. It wasn’t rushed at all and I felt like the author did a good job at presenting her kidnapping, captivity, escape, and subsequent return to ‘normal’ life. Despite all this, I just felt like something was missing. I just kept waiting and waiting for the ‘wow factor’ to just smack me upside the head and it never came.

The characters are great! I mean, the guy Jane had a crush on pre-kidnapping and her therapist at the end are the ONLY good people in the story. Her parents and even her best friend were kind of assholes. I mean, I GET that they were traumatized in their own way but I really disliked how they took her trauma to elevate their own. It always seemed like they were more worried about their feelings than Jane’s and that pissed me off so much. Like, this poor girl was held in captivity for almost a year, escapes in a really brutal way, and now you’re pissy because she has anxiety about going out and socializing? Like, wtf man!

Speaking of which, Jane does make some really stupid decisions post-escape that rubbed me the wrong way. This is going to sound so judgy but I truly do not mean it that way; if I had just been kidnapped and held in captivity for almost a year, there’s no way in hell I’d be randomly going off on my own without telling someone, and Jane did this several times! Each time I just wanted to reach into the book and smack her!

The ‘twist’ of who the kidnapper turned out to be was a bit of a let down. Like I said, I don’t really read many thrillers or mysteries for that matter so I was kind of disappointed that I figured out who the kidnapper was before it was revealed on page. Again, I was expecting a lot and didn’t get it.

All in all, it was a good book! It wasn’t great. It wasn’t this big life changing story. It had the potential to be really amazing but for me it was just okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Wow. This was a really well book. It is definitely a heavy subject, and may be difficult for some people to read about, but it was done very well.
This is the aftermath, the PTSD. Her journaling about being a survivor of captivity. The before and after. Heavy.

Jane Anonymous was a difficult read. Don't get me wrong, it was an excellent book, well written and well executed, but the subject matter was intense. We meet Jane "after" her captivity and learn about what she went through in flashbacks. It was a page turner I couldn't put down and the back and forth of "then" and "now" entries added some wonderful elements of suspense. This is the kind of book I would recommend to my book club because it is the type of story that demands discussion. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense or young adult books, and to book club groups.

The plot for this book had me interested even before I opened the first page. A young girl gets kidnapped and held for seven months before she is able to escape back to her normal life. This book stars out right in the middle of the captive however most of it is about how our young girl dealt with life after she escaped. I liked this book because most of the ones that I read take place during the abduction so it was nice to see a fictional read about the trauma and aftermath that this caused our poor protagonist. We really got to see our character and see the trouble that she is going through now that she is back home and how hard her family and friends are taking it. Then we also get to see what happened to her while she was taken so it gives the reader background on everything as well as more substance to the story. While our main character Jane is in captivity she starts to bond with another boy named Mason who unfortunately is also held against his will and we see how the two lean on each other to survive.I really enjoyed this book it was very interesting and the fact that it changed time frames really kept the reader interested because you get to see what happened but also you get to see how she reacted to what happened, as well as how her family reacted to her PTSD that she suffered from. This book had a very dark subject however the author wrote it in a way that didn't diminish the terror and pain but she made it more manageable for the reader and not to dark and twisted. This book really pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let up until the final cover has been closed.Every time I think that its going to lighten up a bit I'm hit with something more intense that pulls me deeper into the story. This book will keep you on your toes as the story progresses. The story was very well presented but the characters as well were amazing if you didn't agree with their actions at the time you still rooted for them and wanted the best for them. There was a HUGE twist at the end that I wasn't expecting and it took everything that I had previously read and put a different spin on it. I'm very glad that I got the chance to check this book out it wasn't like anything I've read in a long time. This is one book that you will want to read again once you finished just so you can see it with all the information that you learn in the end and see how differently it would read. This is the first book I've ever read by Laurie Faria Stolarz however after that thrilling read it won't be my last and I can't wait to read her other works.

If you love Lois Duncan's books, you'll love Jane Anonymous.. Laurie Faria Stolarz spins an incredible tension filled web of survival that spans two time periods, in Jane's life, then and now. Jane as therapy decides to write her ordeal down in a journal, she may have survived captivity, but can she survive the aftermath? Jane Anonymous is an incredibly well written journey through captivity and PTSD, that will leave the reader checking the locks on the doors and with a greater understanding of how the mind works.

4-5 stars, this book was very captivating to me. I found myself completely absorbed in what I was reading and desperate to find out more. The author developed the characters in an amazing way and the book was fast paced and made sure to chill me to the bones and keep me guessing on what was going to happen! Definitely recommend to my fellow thriller lovers!
I will make sure to let everyone know this is a must read!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

This book is about a girl who gets abducted and held captive in a basement by a man who had been stalking her. But it’s also about her trauma and some of the interesting ways our minds work to help us cope with enormous things we aren’t meant to have to cope with. I really liked the “now and then” style the story was written in, I felt like as we learned more about Jane’s horrible ordeal, we got a flash to the present and we got to see how she was dealing with it.

This story doesn’t have a traditional “happy ending” and I think that’s the best part. Jane is not cured at the end of the story. She’s a little better, but her trauma is still very apparent. I’ve read stories where characters suffer horrible hardships and the story ends all light and flowery, and I don’t appreciate them. This story is realistic in the way the characters involved don’t just get magically fixed because the reality of trauma is, they characters will never get fixed. They will just get a little better, a little at a time until one day, the broken pieces don’t feel so heavy. And I think Jane is an important character that could make others who’ve experienced trauma feel a little less alone.

I had a hard time deciding if this was more of a three star or four star for me. I would say the story itself is four stars and the writing style three stars. It was difficult and annoying to keep reading the choppy sentences and weird punctuation scattered throughout the book.
It’s a good story and I like how it’s told from two different points in time, then and now. I’m wondering if I missed something tho bc I didn’t see the plot twist coming (which I enjoyed) like some of the other reviewers did and I think it would have helped to have a little bit more of a backstory on the kidnapper. I can’t say I really connected with any of the characters BUT I could definitely feel Jane’s frustration and panic when she was trying to get the police to help the others and they weren’t really listening to her at first. Also, while Janes parents must have been traumatized in their own way and desperate to make their daughter better, something about her mom just came across as more like impatient with Jane’s ptsd than compassionate.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC, making this my first ever ebook! ⁣
Jane is your typical suburban high schooler. Her main concerns in life involve her friends, her crush, and having fun. One morning Jane goes to work early in search of a birthday present for her friend Shelley. She encounters a male customer, and unfortunately for Jane, this is when her life changes, and the life she knew, and the girl she was, disappears. ⁣
The author does a great job in taking us back to Jane’s time in captivity, and her life After. It reminded me of the book “Room”, but this one had more haunting depictions of torture and believe it or not, the grieving process and the effects of PTSD. When Jane was captured and fought her abductor, my pulse quickened and I felt her desperation to fight along with her. I felt her stark loneliness and struggle to stay hopeful while she was in captivity. After she came home and a well meaning person tried to console her, I cringed at their sentiment and knew it wouldn’t be received well by Jane. There were many passages that were raw and unflinchingly honest, and it was refreshing to read them. Unlike other readers, I didn’t see “the twist” coming, so when it was revealed I felt shock and betrayal along with Jane. ⁣

Jane Anonymous is a gripping, highly readable book about a teen girl who was kidnapped.

Jane (we never learn her real name) was kidnapped, thrown in the trunk of a car, and then locked up in a white room for seven months. Now she's free, but she's having serious trouble readjusting to her old life. Her best friend just wants things to go back to the way they were. Her parents are trying their best, but they're still completely traumatized by her abduction and they don't know what to do to help her.

The story switches back and forth between the present and the time Jane was in captivity. This format works really well for the story, building the suspense. It's definitely a page turner. It's a harrowing story, and I rooted for Jane as she tried to figure out how to move on with her life after this horrifying ordeal.

The nature of the plot deserves a content warning, but it's worth saying that there's very little violence in the book, and the abduction involves mostly psychological torture rather than physical.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

God what a book. I haven’t cried this hard in a LONG time. This book was so intense and I just found myself hurting for Jane. Her story is so provocative and scary. This is one of those stories so raw and painful that it’s almost hard to read. I could feel my chest tighten and a lump in my throat through most of it. I had to step away a few times to compose myself. Laurie takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and even though this book is not one of those action-packed thrillers, it still takes you for a ride.

Laurie does such an amazing job of telling Jane’s story both before during her captivity and while she is trying to get her life back after. I really enjoyed the journal type format. I felt like it really kept me in suspense and I felt like a friend of Jane’s peering into her life from her diary. It almost felt uncomfortable in a very invasive way like we were invading Jane’s privacy again after all that she had been through. I loved how Jane spoke directly to us, it just made the story feel almost too real.

I found myself a big fan of Laurie’s writing style as well as her character development and plot structure. I would highly recommend this novel! Thank you so much to NetGalley, Laurie Faria Stolarz, and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to review this title.

Abducted from her workplace, Jane spent seven long months in captivity. Her captor passed her food, and clean laundry through a cat door. Jane could hear other captives screaming and pleading. One night, Mason came to the duct in her room. His visits brought her comfort and kept her sane. Alternating with the present, Jane outlines her parents attempts to make her normal, and the confusion she feels on the outside.

I could not put this book down. It was absolutely fascinating. I'm glad that the author included two different time-lines, it worked well with the story. Jane was an extremely realistic and sympathetic character. Overall, highly recommended.

I liked this book a lot and read it in just one sitting. There's not a whole lot happening but you get sucked in because it was such a roller coaster of emotions.

The back and forth between past and present was interesting and I especially liked the part when past and present came together for the reveal.

Loved the scene where she has a panic attack and it turns out to be a psychologist that is able to walk her through it. That conversation about finding a therapist that works for you is such an important one.

The themes of PTSD and trauma played out so well and the characters were so well flushed out. Highly recommend!

Yes! This is a darn good book.
I expect it to do as well as "Room" - it manages to capture the nausea and horror of abductions, but also the massive fallout of what happens after, for a YA audience.
I cried multiple times during this read. Anyone that's a survivor of abuse and has developed coping strategies, read with caution, because the way Jane reacts and deals with her trauma is incredibly well written and real, and hit home.
A sad and moving novel that kept me turning the pages until I'd finished it in one sitting.
Highly recommended - if youve read Room, then this is right up your street.

This...this was a rough one.
Even though I read and loved some of the author's previous work, I was definitely not ready for Jane Anonymous.
So raw and painful, it made me feel as if a brick was lying on my chest while reading.
At certain parts I even regretted ever starting it.
I was googling if it's possible to get a chip installed in people (me), so they (I) can be tracked if ever gotten kidnapped, after only reading the first few chapters.
This story seriously got me frightened!

And, yes, I figured out the who the kidnapper was and his motive about halfway through, but I wouldn't say it's easy to see it coming. It was just my gut feeling (and reading too many mysteries), that I couldn't shake off and ended up being right. You might be completely and utterly surprised.

Such a great, compelling story. It's fast-paced, vivid, and forces the reader to feel what Jane feels.
In the "THEN" chapters, there is a clear, palpable feeling of the panic and despair of being held captive, fading in and out of consciousness, and being unsure of what's to come.
In the "NOW" chapters, Jane is back home, seven months later, struggling to piece together what happened to her and trying to find some sense of normalcy.


Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy.

I received this arc courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Jane Anonymous is a book I recommend wholeheartedly, but it's also a book that's intensely dark, so dark that at times one might question whether it really belongs in the YA section. But while the subject matter is something hopefully no teen reading it will go through, in many ways the kidnapping could be a metaphor for any of numerous situations teens face, like depression.

There are a lot of content warnings for this book, including kidnapping, possible sexual assault, and a variety of mental health issues. It's hard to warn for things without spoiling aspects of the book, but just be prepared for a lot of dark elements.

The disconnectedness and searching for a sense of self and identity are common themes in YA. This novel certainly pushes those themes to extremes, but they still resonate because they are things most teens face at some point in their lives.

The way the story was told (divided between Then and Now, all written by Jane in a journal-type format) kept the suspense going. The way things end with the kidnapping will likely feel like a punch to the gut; because Laurie Stolarz is an amazing writer and provides plenty of twists. I don't want to spoil the ending because it's worth the journey of reading the book unspoiled.

I will definitely be reading more of Stolarz's books, which is one of the best recommendations I can give.

This book was a fantastic read! I loved how we went back and forth between then and now, of the story of being kidnapped, and the story of recovering from what she experienced. It was pretty intense, and such a great read!

One thing that I really enjoyed, was that everything, from her school to her name, which wasn't her real one, her name probably isn't Jane, was generic, fill in the blank kinda of name. So you could fit her story in pretty much anywhere, imagine it was your town where this had happened.

With going back and forth, we knew that there was something up with the kidnapping and the subsequent captivity. And then when we found out what that was, wow, did that make for great reading! Jane had a long journey to go through!

The now side of the story was for healing. That nobody really knew what she went through, who might have guesses, well, yeah, that wasn't easy to go through. And her method of coping, from the outside, was worrying. She had to come to terms with that she knew, and what she didn't, and find out the truth of what happened to her.

Loved reading this book, it was a fantastic read!