Stolen Girls by Jeff Stetson is a compelling and disturbing read that left a lasting impact on me. The story revolves around two fathers, one rich and one poor, who form an unexpected bond as they both seek to find their abducted daughters. Despite their contrasting backgrounds, their shared goal of bringing their girls home solidifies their connection. While the book is enthralling and well-written, it delves into difficult subject matters such as child abuse and pedophilia, making it a tough but important read. The fast-paced narrative kept me engaged from beginning to end, delivering a memorable and powerful story that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

“She touched her index finger to her tongue, then moved it against an imaginary chalkboard”
Stolen girls stolen of a life without trauma!
How some innocent actions turn out to be promises and reassurances in what conditions!

A wrenching tale of young girls being each other’s strength, two fathers coming from contrasting backgrounds holding each other upright, a mother saddled with so many emotions and psychopath being a psychopath.

Being truthful, it was a good novel and very quick paced.
There were certain areas where the story could’ve been better. The girls Rebecca and Jennifer were portrayed very valiantly and the emotional bonding between the fathers was beautifully portrayed considering the stories of the characters.

In my opinion, somewhere in the journey of reading the focus shifted from the main plot to the cathartic trip of the parents of the girls.
The ending ended a bit quick for me.
All over it was a good book.

The premise of this book was excellent and it tries to raise some important points in the context - how much does race affect the time and attention given to victims of crime - but I'm afraid I didn't love it. The character building wasn't convincing - one altogether too perfect, the other too distant until an explanatory storyline was brought in that felt shoehorned in and was resolved too easily. Similarly, the ending brought in a previously unmentioned and uninvolved character as a McGuffin to allow a simple solution to the mystery and also to bring the first real physical danger to a character who we obviously didn't care about at all. The dialogue between the girls was unconvincing and the perpetrator of the crime didn't feel fleshed out at all - I had no real sense of who he was or why he was doing what he did. A quick read but a little unsatisfying for me, unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#TheStolenGirls #NetGalley

A twisting thriller seen from several points of view. Intriguing and haunting, it's a book you can't put down once you start.

There are kernels of a good book in here. However, I found the writing to be a bit stilted, and some of the details given will have you scratching your head. Here’s one, about a potential date: “ The […] African American beauty wore a tight purple two-piece workout set with a yoga sports bra tank top that was more than amply filled.” Why…do we need to know that, and why is it worded so awkwardly?

This book needs an overhaul to clean up the dialogue, at the very least, methinks. The stolen girls themselves are elementary-school-aged, and yet sometimes what they say and think comes across as much more mature.

Fair warning, the perpetrator is disturbing. There isn’t any graphic content, but there are baths taken, as well as triggering sexual abuse flashbacks. Again, nothing is explicit, but these scenes are hard to read.

Additionally, I want to mention that I don’t mind if authors have a cause that they want to put in their books, but I don’t appreciate it when the reader is beat over the head with it, over and over. I am all about racial equality, but Stetson’s way of addressing inequality in this novel is both heavy-handed (we *get* it, already!) and just…odd. Again and again, I found myself puzzled at the way things were worded, and I would think, “No one would actually say that!!”

Yeah, this thriller didn’t work for me. I’m already thinking about my next read.

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

This book was pulled me in and I could not stop reading! Two fathers from two different worlds, with daughters who have been abducted - they bonded over this, working with police to being their daughters home..

It is a bit heavy with the reality that happens with child abductions but a great read!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy to read!

Stolen Girls
By: Jeff Stetson

4 Stars

This was a book that will stay with me for a while. It was disturbing, yet it was also captivating. It is a story of two fathers who have a bond. Both have had daughters abducted. One rich. One poor. One black. One white. Completely different people, but these differences don't change that they both lost something close to them. No matter their differences, the bond between them grows as they work with police to find their girls. They have one goal, and that is to bring their daughters home.

Wow. This is a book you don't want to miss, but I will warn that this story can be a hard read. It was real and told some disturbing facts of the real world with things like child abuse and pedophilia. It was well written and descriptive. In books, I love this. On these subject matters, it makes the story great, but hard to read at times. I will say it was fast-paced and enthralling from start to finish and a great finish it was. It told a story that was meant to stay with the reader, and it did.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*


Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

Four young girls, each of a different race, taken in broad daylight over several weeks. Restrained and imprisoned in a cellar type room, their captor fed them, made sure they were clean and encouraged them to interact. The natural order of things made one girl a leader, with the others happy to have someone take charge. Meanwhile, the parents of two of the girls made it their mission to find the hiding place, free their children, and bring the kidnapper to justice.

A blurb full of promise with great potential. Lots of chapters, but all nice and short. Though this was a familiar theme, there were a few twists. All the girls were from different backgrounds, but inevitably their characters were subjected to the typical race stereotypes, as were the two fathers, rich white guy versus poor African American chap. Absolutely no need, as their personalities could have lead the characterisation.

Halfway through I did think this book would be a DNF, but persevered, with a fair amount of skipping. The writing was good, just the plot lacking drive.

I’m not sure what the abusive storyline brings to the plot, as this seems somewhat extreme an excuse for a dad not attending a recital?

Mawkish and sentimental, the plot lacked oomph and went on far too long. The vocabulary of the girls was very off, very few pre teens speak in that manner. Sadly the epilogue didn’t redeem the book in any way, too twee and cringey.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Storm.

As a mom, I'm always leery of reading books about child abduction (because it's a fear we all live with as parents!) However, the author did a great job telling the story of the two dads on a mission to find their girls without freaking me out!

Told from two different POVs, it was an enjoyable read!

This was intriguing and interesting. I was glued to my Kindle. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a well written novel, of missing children and told from their fathers’ points of view. Quite unusual in this genre but actually was really refreshing! It was fast paced and I really felt for the dads. A really good read.

Single dad Ron is late getting to pick up his daughter Jennifer from school, when he gets there she isn't there waiting for him like she usually is. He searches the school for her only to realise she has been taken. He files a report with the police and he believes they are looking into him more than finding his daughter. A few days later he see on the news another school girl has gone missing, but this time the police, mayor and FBI are out looking for her. Rebecca was out rollerblading with her dad Todd when she was snatched.
Soon Ron and Todd team up to look for the girls. With time running out will the 2 dads find the girls before its too late?
A rollercoaster ride of a book that grips you from the very first page.

I had high hopes for this book based on the description, but I didn't stay up late reading it. I almost DNF it. I think it might have been that it was from multiple POVs and not as exciting of a plot. The concept and cover were great. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Stolen Girls is a powerful novel of what two fathers from different backgrounds go through to find their kidnapped daughters. The power of love that pushes you to do things that you never thought you would ever have to do.

Rebecca Roth talented white girl from a very affluent family is taken from a skating area where she is spending the day with her dad. A day that had been long in the making. Jennifer Butler a young girl that excelled in sports. A young black girls living with only her widowed father in a very modest living style. Taken from school while she is waiting for her dad to pick her up. Two totally different girls, totally different backgrounds taken because of that reason. That they were different.

This story takes us on a journey of survival not only for the girls but for their families.. Rebecca's family is fractured because of her dad not being there for her or her mom. Is there something more to why Todd Roth was not there for his family. Why he couldn't be with the daughter who idolized this man and wonder why she was never enough for him. Then there is Jennifer who lost her mom when she was born. Her dad who would do anything for her couldn't get past the death of his beloved wife. Yet Jennifer adored her dad and knew he was doing his best. Why were these girls kidnapped? Not only were Jennifer and Rebecca taken the girls find out their are others in their same situation.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. It took me on such an emotional roller coaster of a ride. Such a powerful story that kept me thinking about the present times we live in. This can happen to anyone. It makes you think that you must be their for you family and teach your kids to be aware of their surroundings and who is in their space.

Jeff Steston wrote a powerful story that no matter what background you come from any parent would go to any extent to get their child back. Even risk jail or worse almost getting killed. It also makes you think that maoney is not everything. You can live in very modest means, just being together is everything.,especially if you are about to lose it. It also makes you finally realize the bad things that have happened in your life that makes you finally dealing with them.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes the ride it takes you on. The reason why these girls were taken and what happens to these families once this mystery is solved. Wonderful story, characters it was beautifully written. The subject matter is a little hard but it was written with compassion and love.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. Thank you Jeff Stetson for such a powerful story of family, love and the fact that this can happpen to anyone.

Absolutely loved this book. I had to force myself to put it down but still read in less than two days. There are a few grammatical errors though. Three stand out on pages 57, 142, and 160. I’m now on the hunt for more from this author.

First, the positive, I loved the plot, I loved how it ended, I loved how the 2 dads from such different backgrounds used their love for their daughters to work together.

What I didn't like from the start though was the constant change of POV, all in 3rd person, I was constantly lost at first. But in the end it became easier to follow.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to finish this one when I started but I’m glad I did. It was pretty emotional at the beginning and I was afraid it would be like that the whole time. I am a little worried it’s too cheesy for people who like dark stuff and too dark for people who like cheesy stuff but I guess I’m a person who likes both. Definitely a little cringey from time to time but still a cool story.

Thank you Jeff Stetson and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

ARC recieved from Netgalley:

I don't usually like to give less than 4 star reviews for books because authors put so much love, time, effort and money into their books. But I had to give a 3 star for this one.

I'll get directly into what I liked and didn't.

What I liked:

- the blurb was great. It was captivating from the first sentence and drew me in completely. If all the blurbs of mystery/thriller books were like this, I'd love it.

- nice cover. Even though i received an arc, the cover was nice to look at.

- chapters were short. A quick and easy read. Each chapter is around 5-6 pages and by 3-4 chapters, I was already on the 16th or 18th page. I was a bit intimidated by the number of chapters in the beginning but that didn't hold true anyway. The quick jump in povs was also very convenient and kept it interesting instead of boring with the same povs.

- the insight into the problems that are faced by the african-american community especially the men. Being an asian POC person myself, I can understand the frustration and anger that racism can cause. It was very insightful and shed a different light on a topic I'm not well-versed in (but definitely would like to learn more about).

-there was good insight into the mind of the serial-kidnapper. His thought process was well-described and it felt like you were in the mind of the kidnapper himself. They also avoided the usual stereotype of the kidnapper being mentally unstable due to the usual "mother/gf/wife/sister trauma" that made him like this, etc. And the kidnapper was quite young too so that was a change.

- the connection between Ron and Jenny was so heartwarming and soulful. While it did go into overly-sappy territory sometimes, it was nice to read about a dad's love for his only daughter and the lengths that parents, fathers and mothers can go to for their kids.

What I had mixed feelings about:

- the stereotypes. There's an african-american girl, a white girl, an asian girl, a mexican girl and a native american girl. They all follow the usual stereotypes. Rich white girl doing ballet. Poor black girl. Asian girl with hip-hop hating strict parents. Illegally immigrated mexican girl, and the native american girl with a 'typical' name.

Now, while I liked the representation and understoof why all these girls were chosen by the deranged kidnapper, I felt like it played into racial stereotypes way too much. It would've been nice if the girls had different personalities that wasn't based on their races. It left me feeling a bit "icky" but maybe that was the intention of the author?

What I didn't like:

- everything was too..emotional (??). 40% of the book is spent with people crying all the damn time. It was annoying to say the least. Now, don't get me wrong, Im a huge advocate of people expressing their feelings and shraing their trauma to heal, but people your kids are missing!! You need to search for them, not tear up at every toy you see.

-half the book was spent with Ron looking at Jenny's stuff, reminiscing and crying. This is a thriller book, I want the mystery and the gripping suspense, not 10 chapters about trains and how the kid colour coordinates her sweaters. I appreciate the emotion, except I went into this book expecting a mystery, not an emotional trip.

- the language: the kids sound like 25 yo not 11 yo.

"She wanted to stand, could sense his impatience, but the weight on her shoulders combined with the burden she carried in her heart, prevented her from rising from the cot."

"Rebecca skated toward a water fountain, took a sip, and stared at the vast ocean glistening under the sun, sailboats gliding effortlessly along its smooth surface. This tranquil scene was as beautiful as the entire day had been. Rebecca couldn't remember the last time she had been alone with her..(dad/father).."

These do not sound like 11 year old kids. It's been a bit more than a decade since I was an 11 year old, but even as one that read a ton of books, me or anyone else around me definitely did not speak or think like this.

-some parts were too descriptive. On one page, you have the suspense of a girl getting freshly kidnapped and then you turn the next page only to be faced with 6 pages of the dad talking about trains and Disney movies. Half the descriptions could've been cut off and nothing would've changed in this book.

- the book did not live up to the ominous nature that was suggested by that excellent blurb.

- there was too much of political stuff instead of mystery.

- some logistics did not make sense. Ron says he is very poor and cannot afford to get his car door fixed or have a phone for his kid and him. But he can buy video games and have 2 air purifiers running 24/7, 365 days a year? I'm not american so my calculations are purely based off what I saw on the internet.

The cheapest phone plan is apparently $15. Which Ron can't afford. Ok but running an air purifier all day long for a month costs atleast $20. 2 air purifiers is $40. Plus the video games he was looking to buy.

You're telling me that this guy can't afford a $15 phone plan but can afford to pay for air purifiers to run 24/7, buy expensive video games, buy a room full of plushies and toys and trains and train tracks for the kid? It's either poor planning and writing or poor budgeting. I'm sorry, I know that it's a very minute detail but it annoyed me for some reason.

-towards the end, I skipped everything that wasn't dialogues. The descriptions and the trip down memory lanes wasn't interesting enough and felt very irrelevant.

- the abusive storyline of Rebecca's dad (Todd). I appreciate that the author touched a very difficult subject, but I felt that it added nothing to the plot. Tod doesn't attend his daughters play/ballet performance because his dad abused him?) I can understand his mental trauma and the need for healing, but this is just thrown in your face in the middle of the story with no beginning or connection to the story.

- I really really really couldve done without the 10 pages of Thomas the Tank Engine. I love Thomas and Gordon but I did not need to see them referenced every 5 pages. Kids these days don't even watch Thomas the tank engine. They're into TikToks and that Skibidi thing.

- I didn't understand the guys motive? Why did he really kidnap them? To raise them on a farm as his child brides and establish a "pure society"? To make the follow his biblical ideologies? I didn't get it?

- the ending felt very unrealistic? They couldn't find him until the adoption guy realised out of the blue that some random guy came in 5 years ago looking to adopt girls of different races and that rang a bell? THAT'S how they caught him? There were so many better ways sprinkled throughout the story. When he was buying clothes and shoes, when he ordered the gown..and they found him because of the adoption guy who got himself killed?

It felt rushed and the author decided to throw in a random plot to wrap up the story. The story itself picks up as a "mystery/thriller novel" after the last 50-51%.

There was so much potential towards the end but alas.

Overall, I would say it's a one time read. I would recommend only if youre looking for an emotional book with a bit of mystery thrown in. If your looking for a true, gripping mystery, I would suggest looking elsewhere.

Review also found on my goodreads account (sorry not sure how to link it here to this review sorry).

An excellent read full of suspense and heart stopping moments. The genre is fairly common, young girls being abducted, one by one, by a perpetrator with a backstory and an aim he thinks is perfectly reasonable and logical. The details, however, have a real feeling of originality and there are plenty of quirks to the storyline which really held my attention, coupled with a lot of tension.
Two of the fathers of kidnapped girls join forces to investigate themselves and as an unlikely mix of backgrounds and characters they add a lot of interest and emotional weighting to the story. The different and very strong characters of the girls who join forces in such a time of adversity were also brilliantly written.
I loved the pace of the story and some of the details were very clever (no spoilers so won’t elaborate) The writing style was also very engaging and easy to follow. I definitely recommend.

Sounded much better than it was. I ended up skimming it until they found the girls. Didn't even finish it or read the middle. Writing was fine-just wasn't into it.