Stealing Candy by Stewart Lewis

Mar 06, 2017 Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish, read-to-review

DNF @ 19%

I CAN'T DO IT. IM SORRY

The writing is exceptionally juvenile, the main character annoying as hell and the story overall unbelievable. I'm not attached to anyone enough to care even remotely.

The MC gives everyone's elaborate nicknames that she thinks are quirky... but it's really just annoying? And she's actually kidnapped and doesn't seem to care?

She thinks someone is special for having seen the Godfather and quoting one of the most popular lines??

Everyone is "a-hole" or "Cancer-Stick ...more

flag 44 likes · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2017 Nicay Magnate rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

“…the road really is a chance. A chance for what? I don’t know. But something is better than nothing, and the fact that tomorrow is a blank canvas on which could be painted is both scary and thrilling.”

You just want to go home to find some peace and space by yourself, and unexpectedly some people abducted you, what will you do?

Candy was living a normal life, going to school, editing her videos, went home to her grandmother and so on. Candy hates her father, who was a lead vocalist of Black ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jul 01, 2017 Jay rated it did not like it

Shelves: nope

There are many things I want to say about this book. The first: what the fuck.

80% of this book was some of the creepiest shit I've ever read. Essentially: two guys kidnap rich and ~not like other girls~ Candy from her elite boarding school. Which she hates. So she's grateful to be kidnapped! Awesome.

While she's kidnapped, she's abused by the one she refers to as Cancer Stick. We'll talk about the racist development of this later. So while that's going on, she's floored and falling for the ever There are many things I want to say about this book. The first: what the fuck.

80% of this book was some of the creepiest shit I've ever read. Essentially: two guys kidnap rich and ~not like other girls~ Candy from her elite boarding school. Which she hates. So she's grateful to be kidnapped! Awesome.

While she's kidnapped, she's abused by the one she refers to as Cancer Stick. We'll talk about the racist development of this later. So while that's going on, she's floored and falling for the ever so attractive other kidnapper, Levon.

"We stare at each other as he attempts to rip the duct tape off my wrist. It's not coming off, so he bites it with his teeth. The tiny hairs on my arms bristle, and I take an involuntary sharp intake of breath".

He's biting off the duct tape used to restrain her against her will and all she can think about is how attractive he is. He's later referred to as "strangely elegant" and waxes poetic about how his features look like a beautiful accident. Awesome. While she's in the back of this vehicle, fully able to escape, she's either a) thinking about how attractive Levon is, or b) dreading going back to her elite boarding school. Even though "Cancer Stick" has beaten her, and is an obvious threat upon her life, she feels "a twisted freedom".

As the plot continues, she is continuing to not think about her own survival, but about Levon. Levon, Levon, Levon. This time around she wonders "what type would he be into?". She doesn't like the thought of him being friends with "Cancer Stick" and is just, y'know neglecting the fact that he is an accomplice and totally chill with kidnapping her. While she watches the TV broadcast her kidnapping, she doesn't seem concerned with her escape. Instead her thoughts are focused on "if the Borings are watching this" and "the zit that's on my forehead [in the news photo]" which results in her being "grateful Levon isn't watching". She focuses about his goddamned eight pack and worries about him seeing her zits.

Then in this span of maybe a week, she's not only entirely submissive to the fact that she's been kidnapped but is enjoying it. She enjoys it so much that she ~falls in love~ with Levon, has sex with him, and even thinks about them "staying [in Cape Fear] and starting a life". Genuinely, what the fuck.

So overall: she displays the most extreme case of Stockholm Syndrome that I've ever witnessed (who cares if it's a noble cause, he still kidnapped you), and is the most "I'm not like other girls" character. She constantly reiterates how she doesn't have anything in common with The Borings at her school, how her only friend is a janitor, and how she would rather ditch school to become a filmmaker.

Now! Let's talk about the incredibly racist narrative within this. Intentional or not, I don't know, but it sure as hell feels it. After our lovely young and beautiful white girl narrator is kidnapped, it's established that our awful awful and scary kidnapper "Cancer Stick" is black. This is also established incredibly poorly: "'Cancer Stick over here... Six feet... African American the correct term? Someone told me we could just say black now'". Okay what the fuck. His notable moments include punching her, choking her, and saying lovely things like "'Open the fucking door, or I'll kill you". Now known as Jamal, he kidnaps Candy after she's taken away from him by Levon. Levon saves her. He is established as white and "his skin is creamy and smooth". After Levon saves Candy, he says "'Jamal. He mentioned something he would do to you. Something I think is more horrible than even killing someone'".
Let's break that down again: our narrator is a pretty and innocent and vulnerable white girl, at a tender age of sixteen. Levon is white and beautiful with an eight pack and a tendency to sweep in and save her from the Big Bad. Our Big Bad, of course, would be Jamal. Let me reiterate: the only man that is 100% established as black is the one that is evil, abusive, and wanting to rape the pretty and innocent main character. Good job Stewart for making your book worse.

All in all: please don't read this. Please don't spend approximately $10.99 on this garbage. ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 21, 2017 Scrill rated it did not like it

Shelves: ya, romance, arc, contemporary

Received an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Fire via Netgalley for a fair review.

I should be freaking out. Crying or shaking like before, or screaming for help. I’m being kidnapped. The wild thing is, my heart is not only pounding with fear, but also with a twisted freedom.

To say this book was awful would be an overstatement. To say it was good would, again, be an overstatement. As a YA contemporary with coming of age & romantic themes it falls into the I can read this easily in a day or two category Received an ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Fire via Netgalley for a fair review.

I should be freaking out. Crying or shaking like before, or screaming for help. I’m being kidnapped. The wild thing is, my heart is not only pounding with fear, but also with a twisted freedom.

To say this book was awful would be an overstatement. To say it was good would, again, be an overstatement. As a YA contemporary with coming of age & romantic themes it falls into the I can read this easily in a day or two category. Unfortunately, the actual content seemed absurd to subject to a YA audience. This book paints a romance and justification through Stockholm Syndrome.

Stealing Candy is about a rock star’s daughter, Candy, being kidnapped outside of her school. Right away she notices that only one of her captors is a psychotic druggie (she calls him “Cancer Stick”) while the other is an attractive young man who doesn’t tend to be as violent (she calls him “Half Smile”). In the duration of her kidnapping Candy learns about the reasons behind her kidnapping and starts to just go along with it.

(view spoiler)[
Okay, WHAT THE FREAKING HECK. This chick is so dumb. Before she even gets to the whole “swooning over half smile kid” she has plenty of opportunities to run away from the people who are kidnapping her. Screw the fact that only one of the guys beat her over her head and duct taped her and shoved her into the back of a junky Toyota. Here’s the facts- it was Half Smile’s idea in the freaking first place! I know, I know. She lived a sheltered life and has her daddy issues to top all of this. But really? Hi, yeah, I got kidnapped…2 hours in I decided it felt like an adventure. WHAT THE F!? This entire time you are running all the scenarios from movies of kidnappings.
So not only does Candy screw her few opportunities to escape from her captors, but she totally falls for one of them. So within reason, with SS typically there could be a traumatizing situation (kidnapping/rough captor) followed by someone who is gentle (half smile is nice to her). I don’t see how that constitutes having sex with the guy like2 (I think? I wasn’t exactly counting) days later.

So here’s the few reasons why I hate Candy, and have zero sympathy for her crazy ass:
1. She talks about her classmates in shallow and cliché categories: The Borings, Max the Goth
2. She bitches about her dad, all the while living off the cushy living he provides for her (typical teen)
3. She thinks getting kidnapped is an adventure ( I STILL CANT GET OVER THIS)
4. She has sex with a captor, who also has a girlfriend that she’s aware of, and doesn’t feel any remorse for her action
5. At the end, after time being apart from Half Smile she still decides to go back to him. Like shit girl, meet a new guy! If he wanted you around, he would have emailed more in year since you had seen him…
6. We are somehow given a personality with her because she’s super into film, and all I could think of was that scene in American Beauty with the floating trash bag.

Okay so Half Smile. The entire reason why he does all this was to get his dad some retribution. 1 million dollars from the guy who framed him – Candy’s dad. So after finding out about the framing and not receiving the payout. He decides to save a ton of money to drive up the Eastern seaboard kidnap a girl and spend all that money driving back down to Florida to a concert where her dad is playing so she can be used for ransom….How he was going to complete final task he hadn’t planned out. Just took all the time to save enough money from mowing lawns to make this trip (I mean, that’s a lot of time saving money…how had he not thought it through?!) Also, towards the end, they end up just letting a detective know that it was this famous rock star not Half Smile’s dad and of course he looks into it because dang it’s this famous rock star! This kid is dumb too.

Moral of the story kids? Don’t be scared or try to escape if you’re kidnapped? They might have some reason for the awful act, and they might be the love of your life….
(hide spoiler)]
So many nopes.
...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2017 Katja (Life and Other Disasters) rated it liked it · review of another edition

**I was provided with an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

When I first read the blurb, I was quite excited about the sound of Stealing Candy but unfortunately it didn’t hold up to my expectations. Candy is quite the self-centered person. From the first page on, I got a vibe from her like she thought she was better than everyone else and also that she didn’t appreciate what and who she had in her life. All she wanted was to get away from everything, but whe **I was provided with an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!**

When I first read the blurb, I was quite excited about the sound of Stealing Candy but unfortunately it didn’t hold up to my expectations. Candy is quite the self-centered person. From the first page on, I got a vibe from her like she thought she was better than everyone else and also that she didn’t appreciate what and who she had in her life. All she wanted was to get away from everything, but when her wish comes true, it’s not at all what she wanted … or is it?

To be kidnapped is, I imagine, a very terrifying thing to experience. Candy was scared all of two seconds, but then she was sort of happy? That’s just something that did not go into my head. She had absolutely no feeling for how much danger she was truly in and she basically regarded the whole situation as a fun adventure. All I wanted to know then was “How?!”. In addition to that, she got a closer look at one of her abductors and decided he is hot? I understand how you might hold on to the person that is treating you well in a traumatic situation like this, instead of the other guy, who beat and threatened her. Nonetheless, I would have expected her trust in him to grow over time and not for her to ponder how dreamy he looks and just be okay with how they met and his intentions for their journey. There was just no build up of them getting closer, but rather this immediate attraction, which I found odd considering the circumstances.

There were some interesting elements to this, such as the reason why Levon kidnapped her and how Candy’s famous dad played into all of it. It added mystery to it somehow. The pacing was alright too, albeit a little repetitive in terms of how they progressed on the road.

At the end, there is a change in Candy’s attitude. She opens up to people and accepts them just like she wants to be accepted, but the change was too sudden for me. I couldn’t comprehend where it was coming from exactly, it felt more like she just had to do that to come across as a better person in the end. Speaking of the end, I didn’t mind that it was quite open in terms of the romance. It seemed to be more about where Candy was in life than where she was with her relationship with Levon and I appreciated that.

Fazit: 2.5/5 stars! A difficult protagonist made it hard to relate to what was going on and why she was feeling certain ways. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2017 Miranda (MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It) rated it it was ok

This book seemed like it was going to be a lot of fun to read, so I am really bummed that I didn't like it.

The plot of this story seemed like a fun and crazy adventure, but it sort of came off as just completely unbelievable. What was so unbelievable was how okay Candy was with getting kidnapped. She seemed to accept it and be totally fine so quickly! I expected more fear, anxiety, and danger. I couldn't believe how chill Candy was about the situation. The first half of the book was very frustr ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2017 Ley rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf

DNF
I barely made it through a couple chapters of this. It honestly reads like a bad fanfiction. The dialogue is a joke. The MC literally calls people Max the Goth or the Borings. I just can't deal with that level of "I'm not like the other girls."

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2017 Deniz rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-17

3.5 Stars

Stealing Candy is in many ways right up my alley. There is a road trip involved after all....

Lewis has written a witty and interesting book. I love his sense of humor and like his writing style. Stealing Candy is the first of his novels I have read, I plan to read more.

The story line unfolds beautifully, the pacing is done extremely well. I got a couple of issues with the plot: The first is that the kidnapping is a wee bit too much played down-( Hello Stockholm syndrome!)
The second th ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2017 Shadow Ninja rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fave-ya-books, 2017-books-read, kidnapping-books

Rating of 5/5 ONLY because this book has an INSANE amount of Goodread Trolls that hate on anything for no reason at all. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE IDIOTIC TROLL REVIEWS, this book was amazing, it turns a kidnapping story around in a similar fashion to like Girl,Stolen where it has a "what if" scenario of falling in love with your kidnapper of the same age. I loved it and would read more of her style books if its similar to that. The Goodread trolls just need to go away and leave Goodreads to serious ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2018 Nikki rated it did not like it

If this hadn’t been a remarkably quick and easy read I’d have DNFd it, to be honest. There’s no complexity to it, and candy is an idiot - there’s not really a time when she’s properly scared and she’s only scared of the “bad” kidnapper when it wasn’t even his plan! Argh.

I do get some of the motivations of it all but it’s just so poorly done - none of the people she sees or talks to react appropriately!

1.5 stars.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2017 Kirsten marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: netgalley-reviews, ya

DNF at 6%

This book is just not for me. I feel like it is trying to do a fun road trip story, but the setup is more along the lines of the movie Taken. It is a weird combination that was not helped by Candy being not very likable. I think it is better for me to not read this book instead of forcing myself to read it and possibly give it a low rating.

I received this book from Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2018 Sue Holmes rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017, contemporary, young-adult, arc, beating-the-backlist-2018-challenge

*Review copy received from publisher

With an exceptionally self-centred narrator and a truckload of angst I didn't like the story. I think a duel POV would have worked better.

The ending, however, was well done!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2017 Savannah rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley

This review was originally posted on my new blog, Sav Scribbles.

*I recieved a copy of STEALING CANDY from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Immediate reaction upon finishing this book: what the HECK did I just read.
Like, really. This book.... oh boy. I can't. I just can't. So, let's get into it!

C H A R A C T E R S
Candy. Oh dear. Let me start out by saying that I have never really disliked the protagonist of a book before, but there's a first time for everything! She is DEFINITELY one to ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 02, 2017 Stephannie Tolitsky- Swoonworthybooks/EnticingJourney rated it really liked it

Candy dad sends her away to boarding school. She hates it there and finds herself board until she is kidnapped.

Candy knows how all the movies involving kidnapping end and she is freaking out! panics. Its laughable that her kidnappers think they are going to get her rock star father to pay anything for her safe return. She sent her away and hasn't seen her in years.

Candy starts to enjoy her "kidnapping road trip" with the hot Levon. She connects with him and wants to help him get his revenge and ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2017 Forever rated it liked it

Candy Rex, teenaged daughter of rock star, Wade Rex (who she hasn't seen in years), is living in a boarding school where she doesn't connect with anyone except the janitor. Then, she's kidnapped, and what begins as a terrifying revenge mission against her father quickly turns into a road trip in which she is falling for her kidnapper, Levon.

Let's get one thing straight to start: I didn't think this book was *bad*. And no matter what I say beyond this point, it was a book I enjoyed reading. It wa Candy Rex, teenaged daughter of rock star, Wade Rex (who she hasn't seen in years), is living in a boarding school where she doesn't connect with anyone except the janitor. Then, she's kidnapped, and what begins as a terrifying revenge mission against her father quickly turns into a road trip in which she is falling for her kidnapper, Levon.

Let's get one thing straight to start: I didn't think this book was *bad*. And no matter what I say beyond this point, it was a book I enjoyed reading. It was fun. Levon was hot. It brought me entertainment, which any book should do at the very least.

But then there come the unfortunate flaws that keep it from not just being an enjoyable read, but also a good story.

The pacing was awkward. It felt like it never dove too deeply into any one moment, and some it just rushed by too quickly. You don't spend much time with Candy at boarding school getting to know her life, making it difficult to connect with her desire to leave. All too quickly, she decides she likes being kidnapped and likes Levon. All too quickly after meeting him she decides she loves him.

There's not enough depth in the story between Candy and her father, again making it difficult to connect with her emotions. There really wasn't enough depth anywhere. She spends all this time talking about her dead mother, but we never actually learn how she died.(view spoiler) But I was told instead of shown.

I think overall, too much of this book didn't dive deep enough. It was more a surface look at their journey. I didn't feel connected to any of the emotions. (view spoiler)

(view spoiler)

Finally, the ending was too much skipping and far to ambiguous. It skips over so much in so little space. It's frustrating that it gives no resolution to the Levon plot line. It bothered me.

Overall, again, I enjoyed reading it. However, I'm a little surprised it's a book I found in Books A Million rather than on Wattpad or self-published on Amazon. A fun read, but not necessarily what I would need to say a good book. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 09, 2018 Milly Hammett rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc, net-galley

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

"The road is a chance."

Candy Rex is daughter of a famous musician, Wade Rex, and the frontman for the band Black Angels. But he's never been much of a father. After her mother dies when she's seven, Candy lives with her grandmother, Rena, in Oakland, and then attends boarding school on the East Coast. Candy dislikes boarding school, referring to her roommates as The Borings and her closest friend is the janitor, Fin. Candy mak I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

"The road is a chance."

Candy Rex is daughter of a famous musician, Wade Rex, and the frontman for the band Black Angels. But he's never been much of a father. After her mother dies when she's seven, Candy lives with her grandmother, Rena, in Oakland, and then attends boarding school on the East Coast. Candy dislikes boarding school, referring to her roommates as The Borings and her closest friend is the janitor, Fin. Candy makes films, hoping one day to make a name for herself--a name not associated with her father. But during her junior year, she's kidnapped by two men, presumably for ransom money. Tossed in the back of a car with a backwards ski-mask over her face, Candy panics and tries to make sense of her situation and her captors. She soon learns one is younger and much nicer, while the other is cagey and violent. As she convinces her captors to give her more and more leeway, Candy discovers her real captor is Levon, and the violent one is Jamal, hired muscle. As the miles pass on their journey to Miami, Candy grows closer to Levon, rebels against Jamal, and decides being kidnapped might be the best thing to ever happen to her.

After finishing Stealing Candy, I had a tough time deciding how to review and rate it. The book is really marketed as a road trip novel, which I love, but that element honestly wasn't that prevalent in the storyline. Yes, they're on the road, but there's less "crazy adventure" and more random motel rooms, very little setting details, and a bulk of the narrative is spent in Miami. I think the largest weakness was Candy--she doesn't have the strongest voice or personality in the novel. Her reaction to getting kidnapped (and how little of her life we see prior to the kidnapping, which happens in chapter two) starts the book off at an awkward pace. She's initially a little afraid, but it's minor and there wasn't enough fear for me. I never felt like Candy was in true danger. I'd hoped for a big reveal regarding Levon motives, but they're oddly noble. The plot definitely picked up around the 50% mark when Candy learns about Levon's motives for kidnapping her, and she devises a plan so they can both get what they want. I really did enjoy that shift and Candy's plan to get her own kind of revenge on her absent father, but the ending really knocked down the rating for me. I'm unsure if Lewis is planning on a sequel of any kind and that's why it's so open-ended, but as a reader, I didn't find the ending satisfactory.

Overall, this was a really quick and fun read. Definitely different. I'm interested to see the final product when it releases in May of 2017. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 01, 2017 Sanjana rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note: I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hate rating books, makes it seem very definite. Particularly a book like this, which left me with mixed feelings.
For the majority of the book, I did not like Candy at all. I guess that she was supposed to come across as spirited, wild. fierce and defensive. But to me, she just seemed snobby, self absorbed in some ways and bland. Well, in her defence, she does realise by the end that she was too quick to jud Note: I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hate rating books, makes it seem very definite. Particularly a book like this, which left me with mixed feelings.
For the majority of the book, I did not like Candy at all. I guess that she was supposed to come across as spirited, wild. fierce and defensive. But to me, she just seemed snobby, self absorbed in some ways and bland. Well, in her defence, she does realise by the end that she was too quick to judge the people around her and tries to be a better person. I guess the book, in a way, is supposed to be the story of her character development. However, it just seemed like she was bland and whiny for 3/4th of the book and then suddenly transformed into this new person when she came back. That is, there was no gradual change in her voice over the course of the book. To me, it seemed like the author never really figured out the voice of Candy over the course of the book.
Levon was also not too well fleshed out. Every now and then, he would appear to shine some light and I would get excited, expecting more from his character. But that never happened. He just ends up falling flat for most of the book.
The plot development was also rather poor. Candy is kidnapped within the first few pages. But there is no urgency, no real sense of danger. I expected a gradual development from a serious kidnapping to her understanding that her kidnapper means no harm. But this isn't gradual at all! She panics for a total of fifteen pages, before she decides that she doesn't mind being kidnapped. Also, Levon is very quick to trust Candy. When she starts making demands and planning things for them, there is no real sense of suspicion from his side. He sort of lets her wander around and do whatever she wants from a very early point of the book. The kidnapping never really seemed like a kidnapping at all!
However, the book is not all bad. The second half is rather well paced and the plot is considerably better. By the end of the book, I didnt dislike Candy as much as I originally did. It was just very frustrating, as it is clear that the author is not a bad writer. Based on the second half, it is also clear that a well paced plot or a better character isn't too out of her league. The book just shows so much potential that it doesn't fulfil.
Solely for this reason, I was rather happy that the book ended with a rather abrupt cliffhanger. If there is a sequel, I hope it makes up for the lost potential of this book. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jul 21, 2017 Courtney rated it it was ok

Shelves: teens, netgalley

If you can get past the complete unbelievability of this whole adventure and look at is a road trip adventure, it's not so bad. The whole kidnapping thing was a little riduculous, but the desperation of a son I can buy. A lot of this story is completely fantastical, but there is some character growth and even a bit of a sweet romance. The one part I could not get past was a scene when Candy and Levon are playing a movie game. Candy names a movie (When Harry Met Sally) and Levon is supposed to an ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 26, 2018 B Pastore rated it it was ok

I won this good through a goodreads giveaway.

On the one hand it was a fast read and I enjoyed the quick pace of the story. The wondering what was going to happen next... disappointment on how it ended. On the other hand I was concerned that this young girl had few ties and connection to people in her life ... and too easily found her kidnapping to be an adventure of getting even with her father and thinking she was falling in love with her kidnapper and not wanting the experience to end. I wonde ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 08, 2017 Dominique Laura rated it it was ok

I could not get into this book. I wanted to give it a try because the blurb had really intrigued me, but I'm going to be honest, after the first few chapters I couldn't read any more.

From page one, I immediately didn't connect to the main character, which is a red flag for me because usually, even when I don't like a character, I relate to them on some level almost immediately.

Unfortunately, this was DNF for me, but maybe one day I'll come back and give it another chance.

**NOTE: I RECEIVED AN ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 20, 2017 Jasmine Zhang rated it did not like it

I started reading this book at the bookstore because it looked interesting. I had only read up to where Candy and one of the kidnappers stay at the hotel. Honestly, this book is for people who enjoy reading books about torture and rape. So just not my type. 😂

flag Like · see review

Jun 21, 2018 Dani ZoomBook rated it liked it

This was a cute book, but towards the end candy just got desperate, at least that’s my opinion.

flag Like · see review

Jun 22, 2017 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: crazy, library, page-turner, action-packed, pulled-me-in, oh-shit, creepy, june, meh, completely-contemp

highly unrealistic but hard to put down. guilty pleasure.

flag Like · see review

Jun 07, 2017 Selkie rated it liked it

Although the story may not very believable, this is a good book for a quick, summer read, and would be of interest to the targeted audience of teens.

flag Like · see review

Jul 29, 2017 Alexsis Latoski rated it did not like it

The writing is juvenile. The main character is awful. I didn't even get halfway through. But, it made a nice addition to my Roy G. Biv themed bookshelf.

flag Like · see review

Mar 17, 2017 Kiersten rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Candy's personality is a little hard to swallow at first, I mean, whose happy about getting kidnapped? But over time I grew to love her sarcastic way of handling things, and realized that she was pretty good at getting herself out of rough situations. It was fun to see all the characters actually develop in an easier way, and I know the ending will piss off many younger fans; I found it to be quite realistic.

flag Like · see review

Feb 28, 2017 A-man-duh rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag Like · see review

Apr 08, 2017 Bri rated it did not like it

Shelves: read-in-2017

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was sent an e-copy of Stealing Candy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so that is what I am here to do today. I feel like my feelings for this book can easily be summed up in one sentence: It was bad. This is a one star book for me, for sure. I will warn you now that towards the end of this review, I do completely spoil the ending, but the book was so not good that I am not sure it even matters.

Before I get into the plot of this book, I do also feel it’s worth pointing out th I was sent an e-copy of Stealing Candy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so that is what I am here to do today. I feel like my feelings for this book can easily be summed up in one sentence: It was bad. This is a one star book for me, for sure. I will warn you now that towards the end of this review, I do completely spoil the ending, but the book was so not good that I am not sure it even matters.

Before I get into the plot of this book, I do also feel it’s worth pointing out that there is a 2003 film of the same name that is not well reviewed but does hold some name recognition (when you Google the title of this book, the film pops up long before the book does, and even adding “book” to the search results brings up this book exactly twice and then a string of mass market paperback romance novels) and seeing as the plots hold a few similarities, I’m not sure if that was an intentional nod to the movie or just bad marketing (the movie is about three cons who steal a famous person and extort her for cash on a live sex show).

The basic premise of this book is that Candy, the 17 year old daughter of a famous rock star, is stolen from her boarding school in an effort to extort cash from her aforementioned father.

The issues I have with this book are numerous. First of all, there are two kidnappers - one of which is a young looking white boy, and the other is an older African American man. While the latter is more aggressive, Candy regularly uses racialized terms when describing him. She also has an overly romantic view of the former kidnaper, and not in a Stockhom syndrome way, but in a genuinely offered to help extort her own father and go along with the kidnapping type way. Forget the fact that this person is said to have a girlfriend over and over again - which at one point shows up but never has any dialogue - Candy still insists on maintaining this ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ fantasy. At one point, Candy also shaves her head to avoid capture, and there is more than one long winded passage about how hot and unusual this is, which, as a woman with a shaved head, I definitely rolled my eyes at. Candy was such a stereotypical “not like other girls” character that it physically hurt me, and the ending of this book was as nonsensical as they come: Candy helps send her own father to jail, finds out her grandma isn’t her real grandma, and then takes off - uninvited, mind you - to “reconnect” with her kidnapper.

Oh, as for kidnapper #2? She might have helped kill him. She’s not sure but she’s also not that worried about it. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 09, 2017 Jessie Seymour rated it liked it

Shelves: net-galley, arcs, review-copy

I gave this book 2.5 stars. It took me a few months to finally write this review because I couldn't really gather my thoughts on it up until now. I can finally figure out how I felt about it.

This book, while having a very interesting premise, fell a bit flat to me. I was so excited going into it, but I ended up dragging my feet, often ditching this to read something else more to my taste. Even after I finally started reading large chunks of this at a time I doing a bit of skim reading, which isn I gave this book 2.5 stars. It took me a few months to finally write this review because I couldn't really gather my thoughts on it up until now. I can finally figure out how I felt about it.

This book, while having a very interesting premise, fell a bit flat to me. I was so excited going into it, but I ended up dragging my feet, often ditching this to read something else more to my taste. Even after I finally started reading large chunks of this at a time I doing a bit of skim reading, which isn't the best when you're expected to write a review on it.

The writing... the only way I can seem to explain it is not enough showing and way too much telling. I was getting a lot more of the "protagonist's" voice than I was of the actual author. I was being told all of these things that were happening intends of seeing them playing out and the emotions that the protagonist attributed with these actions. It was more like the protagonist thinking things like "I did this because of this" and no other rational behind it. She would just do things because she wanted to.

The plot was interesting enough, it wasn't played out the best, but I wasn't falling asleep while reading it. I liked how there was more to the kidnapping than Levon just wanting money with no other motive. He had more going on than just wanting to be rich. There was a reasonable and serious explanation to why things went the way they were.

As for the "romance" I didn't really care for it. It didn't do anything for me, mostly because I didn't exactly care for the characters themselves, they seemed pretty one dimensional despite having these serious backstories. They didn't feel that relatable to me, i couldn't connect.

As for the ending of this book, I didn't like it. It was almost a cliffhanger and I don't think there is going to be a second book, so I'm a bit annoyed by the ending. It was a very unsatisfying ending to say the least and I still think about it sometimes. I want to know what happens after, but at the same time I wouldn't want to waste my energy reading that.

Overall, not the best book I've ever read. I can't say that I would recommend it, but if you seem interested by the premise and you want to give it a shot who am I to stop you? ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2017 CeeMarie rated it did not like it

Shelves: net-galley-arcs-reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is probably one of the worst I have read in a while and I hate to give a bad review, but I really cannot help it here. There was not a redeeming quality at all after finishing. So, the review...

I went into this from the first page confused by the narrator's tone and maturity level. She is a junior at a prep boarding school and daughter of an old Mick Jagger-type one hit wonder rock star who has neglected her her whole life. She is the very cliche, stereo-typical snarky, depressive, overly-d ...more

flag Like · see review