Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Goodreads Description: "Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost."

My Review: Honestly, this is one of the best books I have ever read IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Gemma was such a strong female character; I loved her! Throughout the whole time she was with Ty, she kept struggling to get away...when most heroines would have just succumbed to him. But no---Gemma fought and resisted, and for this, I love her. Ty was intriguing as well. He made me THINK so much! There were times when I would feel bad for him and would feel sympathy towards him...and then I would remember that he KIDNAPPED Gemma, and then I would despise him...and then I would go back to feeling bad for him... I was like a yo-yo, being pulled in two directions. Normally, I don't like novels set in desert-scenery, so it's a mark to how much I love this book, that I thought the descriptions of the Australian Outback were GORGEOUS. Christopher painted such a beautiful and vivid picture in my head that I had the mad urge to go on vacation to Australia this summer (which I obviously didn't). And I thought it was beyond interesting how Gemma's feelings went: she hated Ty for what he did, but she resentfully came to like him for the beauty of his simple, uncluttered life that he had shown her. The book drove me CRAZY, because I kept thinking: Does she truly love him? Or is it just Stockholm Syndrome? Maybe the fact that she loves him IS the syndrome? Or does she love him BECAUSE she has the syndrome? OR WHAT? The book really makes you THINK (a.k.a agonize!) over it. My only teensy problem with it was that it somewhat glamorized kidnapping---I mean, really, how many kidnapped people are as lucky to be kidnapped by someone as gentle as Ty?---but that was just a MINOR detail. Otherwise, I would encourage everyone in the universe to read this book. Oh, and the way this book was written---in letter format, from Gemma to Ty (who is called "you")---was a really original and brilliant idea that helped the book seem much more intimate.

Cover: The cover is AMAZING. The simplicity and elegance of it completely convey the story's tone, but the darker colors convey the mood of the book, and the emotions in it.

Overall Grade: A+