Stealing Candy Paperback – Picture Book, May 2, 2017

If you enjoy a book that manages to grab you from the start and doesn't disappoint by being predictable, "Stealing Candy" is a great read! Lewis manages to give us likable characters, flaws and all, who are not boring or one dimensional. This book will take you on a fun (and thoughtful) ride.

I'm torn about this book. I was engaged but I'm uncertain about it because there was a bit of a creeper vibe inherent in the plot. Candy's relationship with her kidnapper, especially considering how her mental state reads and her age, was uncomfortable for me. I'm not sure I want to condone her behavior by putting it in front of high school readers. Two, the story felt inconsistent. The second half felt like a completely different book - a better book actually. The growth of the character was a nice development, and I thought it did a lot to redeem the book as a whole. Ultimately, I think it is an okay read, but not one I would give a glowing recommendation. Language and situations - especially the dangerous and impulsive decisions of the narrator - make me say this is most appropriate for mature high school readers. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but this in no way influenced my review.

The author's writing style contributes significantly to the novel's overall appeal. The narrative is skillfully crafted, maintaining a steady pace that keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end. The descriptions are vivid, bringing the world within the pages to life.

***I received a copy through Netgalley***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?

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.