See Jane Run by Hannah Jayne

See Jane Run, by Hannah Jayne

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: January 7, 2014, by Sourcebooks Fire

Format: Paperback Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: I know who you are.

When Riley first gets the postcard tucked into her bag, she thinks it's a joke. Then she finds a birth certificate for a girl named Jane Elizabeth O'Leary hidden inside her baby book.

Riley's parents have always been pretty overprotective. What if it wasn't for her safety...but fear of her finding out their secret? What have they been hiding? The more Riley digs for answers, the more questions she has.

The only way to know the truth? Find out what happened to Jane O'Leary.

Review:

  I love mysteries—it's as simple as that. I especially love mysteries that deal with kidnappings and missing people. This story reminded me so much of the book, The Face on the Milk Carton, in a way, except Riley here is dealing with everything on her own and is experimenting this craziness by herself.

   I've read a book in the past also by Hannah Jayne—Truly, Madly, Deadly, and I wasn't too impressed as I now am with this one. I'm proud to admit and state that this book was a pure and excellent choice to read at the moment. 

    I had so many what-the-heck moments in this book. There were so many plot-twists and cliffhangers and I got wrapped around in ideas that didn't happen and I stood there, shocked.

        Basically, this book is not-exactly what you think it is. From a short little summary, you'd expect a whole different story. Riley is your average teenager but with too overprotective parents who give her a pill every morning for her "anxiety issues." Then she finds a birth certificate with someone's name—Jane Elizabeth O'Leary. Who is she? Does she have something to do with Riley? Riley's best friend, Shelby, starts sprouting crazy random ideas into her mind which really gets her going mad.

          Although this was pretty great for what it was, things were missing. I didn't like the characters, on one hand. Riley could've been the pitch-perfect Nancy Drew detective that we all are able to imagine, but instead she was so... vulnerable and helpless. I didn't see anything bright or heroic about her. She was so plain Jane. (Haha, suits the title, hm?)

          The plot and storyline were in good hands. It was all planned out perfectly, and I was fairly intrigued by the message the author had going on throughout the whole story. I was kept wondering and thinking about the possibilities that could've occurred to Riley and her story and how her life would change in a split second. 

           "He was a liar. They were all liars. And now they were forcing her to be one."

           So you may be wondering... Was there any romance? Something slight. But thankfully, the book wasn't meant to focus on Riley's love life. It was about her discovering who she really was. And no, she wasn't just an ordinary teenager. She was a girl who didn't know who her true identity was. And that's scary... Who can want to focus on romance at this time? Flirtation was there, but vague. 

           

             This book was intriguing and pretty great all together in one bunch. It's definitely better than Hannah Jayne's other novel, and I truly love her writing. The ending will shock you and you will leave like a loser, because you totally expected something different.