Book Review: Girl, Stolen

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of the car while her stepmom fills a prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what’s happening, the car is being stolen. Griffin hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, but once his dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes – now there’s a reason to keep her. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare because she’s not only sick with pneumonia – she’s blind.

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The most interesting thing about Girl, Stolen was that it was told from the perspective of both the victim and the kidnapper. I didn’t expect the story to be narrated by both Cheyenne and Griffin but I loved it! The alternating points of view kept me reading because I was always curious to know what was going on in the other characters head. It just added a whole new level to the story and the characters. I'm such a sucker for books with alternating narratives! Haha.

The one character that really ended up surprising me was Griffin. He totally didn’t end up the way I thought he would! About halfway through the book he changed from being a kidnapper, to being Cheyenne’s almost ally. I never thought I would feel sympathy towards a kidnapper but I definitely felt sympathetic towards Griffin. By the end of the book I really liked Griffin which I totally didn't expect to happen. Not hating a kidnapper? Strange but true.


Cheyenne was such a super amazing character! She was so brave and resourceful. I would like to think that if I were in her situation I could do the same thing, but honestly I would probably end up getting myself killed. I think this is the first book I’ve read with narration by a blind person and I thought it was super fascinating. I definitely have a new appreciation for my sight!

I expected nail biting suspense, and creepiness from a novel about kidnapping but what I didn’t expect were all the psychological themes. I felt like a lot of the middle of the book was spent with Cheyenne and Griffin discussing all these difficult issues in their pasts. It was rather unexpected, but I liked it. The book went from “just another kidnapping story” to a story about not only kidnapping, but also emotional healing. Which sounds kind of cheesy, but trust me, it isn’t!

Overall Girl, Stolen was an interesting look into the lives and outlooks of two people who live under unusual circumstances. The story had some scary moments, and there was a big twist at the end, but there were also moments that were more emotional and character driven. I give Girl, Stolen 4 out of 5 ice cream cones!

Julia :)