Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Genre: teen social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 299
Synopsis: You saw me before I saw you. A girl: Gemma, at the airport, on her way to a family vacation. You had that look in your eyes. A guy: Ty, rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar, eyes blue as ice. Like you wanted me. She steps away. For just a second. He pays for her drink. And drugs it. Wanted me for a long time. He takes her, before she even knows what's happening. To sand and heat. To emptiness and isolation. To nowhere. And expects her to love him.

Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, this is Gemma's desperate story of survival. Ty has stolen her body. Against every instinct screaming inside her, will he also steal Gemma's heart?

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Stolen makes you think. It's not just some love story where the girl falls in love with the guy after he does something sweet. No, Gemma is more stubborn than that. She has her mind set on getting away from Ty and back to the life she once had. But along the way, she sees things, in nature, in Ty. She realizes some things, and she starts to understand a little. She doesn't fall head over heels in love with Ty. She understands him a little more, making her love him.

Ty did freak me out in some parts. He had some mood swings, and you see his brutal strength twice. Sometimes, it did look like he was a psychopath, or was mentally ill. But even threw that, he changed into something different. When he found Gemma when she left, and took care of her when she was bitten, you saw a more gentle and nurturing side of him erupt.

I loved the Australian outback setting for this novel! Usually, I would typically read about a girl in a big town, like New York, Los Angeles, and London. But here, you see a wilder side of the world. And it was perfect for a kidnapping story. The setting was also key in Gemma’s slow but steady coming to understand and love Ty.  She learned to love the land  just like him and learned to understand that even if you look dead, you can still be alive on the inside, which kept her pushing to escape Ty.

Overall, Stolen was a moving novel that spoke volumes even if it was a quiet read. I loved the setting, the characters (so dynamic and perfect together). Gemma was a fascinating MC, and even though she was stubborn at times, she learned very quickly and started to understand. She’s loving beneath her rough exterior, and maybe that’s what I loved about her. Christopher has made a splendid read, and if she writes another novel, I’ll be sure to pick it up.

The Cover: I don’t know how the butterfly fits in with the book, but it’s beautiful nonetheless. The title is so eye-catching also. It asks questions: What’s stolen? What is this about? Such a simplistic, pretty cover. I love it!

(P.S. If you loved this book, read Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell. Loved her novel! It’s also a somewhat adventurous story in a unlikely setting: Southern Asia! You can see my review here.)