The Stolen Girl by Renita DSilva: Book Review

BEHIND:

To those who follow me, let me please apologize to you for falling behind on my Book Reviews. There are so many new and exciting things taken place and I'm struggling trying to find balance to it all. I truly appreciate those of you who take the time to read my posts.

I am trying desperately to find a balance to everything! So, I appreciate your patience with me. I promise to try to be more consistent with SassyGalReads. It is my first love.

The Stolen Girl: Renita D'Silva

I actually came across this book, almost by pure chance. I had seen the cover and liked it and commented about how much I liked it and was given the opportunity to review it! Sometimes, being a book reviewer can really be one of the coolest things!

This book is a little different than most of my "happy go lucky" chick-lit. In "The Stolen Girl", we meet Diya, a 13 year old girl who shortly after the book begins, discovers that her "mother" has been arrested for kidnapping her. She is "The Stolen Girl". Diya, who has always had an extremely close relationship and attachment to her mother, is devestated. The life that she's known is no more.

Of course, questions flood through her mind. She's stuck between protecting the mother she's known her whole life, and questioning the foundation of all she's ever known.

Aarti, the mom who has spent the past nearly 13 years searching for a lost child, is all at once filled with relief as well as hurt when Diya doesn't form the instant bond she always imagined they would have.

Then there's Vani, the one who has raised Diya her whole life, the one now facing kidnapping charges and deportation from England (where she fled) back to India where the crime was committed.

But things aren't always as they seem. "The Stolen Girl" bounces back from present day to the past some twenty or so years to present day.

This is a story about friendship, love, forsaking yourself. It's also a story about some bigger topics, topics that are so serious and make you realize and appreciate the freedom we all enjoy. It's a story about our possessions, the people that we hold dear and how we treat them. How sometimes those we love are the ones that we hurt the most, how we try to possess those and hold on too tight, and how sometimes that's the very thing that pushes them away. The author handled these subjects so gorgeously. Her work is beautiful and touching.

When I first opened the pages, the way that it was written took some getting used to. Like a lot of books, I read it and then put it down because I didn't think I was going to be able to "get into it". However, I'm glad I picked it back up, because this TRULY was an awe inspring book. The story was captivating. I found myself unable to pull away from the story. It's part mystery, part love, and part betrayl.

The lives of these three women will never be the same. It's a story about forgiveness, and learning how to love. This is a book I would love to just gab about and share all the delicious bits, but I can't find a way to do so, without giving the essential parts away. It's a story that has some twists and turns that you don't expect.

Renita D'Silva, this is the first time I've experienced her writing, but she truly has been blessed with the gift of story telling. She knows how to draw the reader in and keep them interested. For someone like me, who has a very hard time finding new authors and new books that can captivate my attention, I appreciate when I can find an author that is able to draw me into the story and make me forget where I am, and lose myself inside the pages of story.

I literally bawled my eyes out while reading this book. While it's different than most stories, it was a nice change of pace and sometimes I find that I need to break the monotany of what I'm used to. If you love a good and truly touching story that has some mysterious elements this would be a good book for you! I truly hope that if your reading this, you will consider giving this book a chance.

It really is a book that needs to be read. If you have read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts on it! What books are you usually drawn to, do you ever go beyond your normal "genre"? I find that I have a hard time wanting to leave my happy chick lit genre, but I realize if I confine myself within one genre, I can truly miss out on some exceptional writing, story telling.

This is TRULY a 5 star book.

NOTE:

I'll be extremely honest, I have struggled to post reviews on books that I don't find truly exceptional. It's so hard for me to publish 3 stars and below, because I feel so bad and dont' want to hurt those author's feelings. However, I realize that as a book reviewer it is my duty if I want to be taken seriously to commit myself to sharing the good, the bad and the ugly with my readers.

So, I am going to promise you from this day forward, even if I don't like a book all that much, I will begin to publish the reviews of ALL my findings.

If you are a blogger, was it hard for you to publish reviews that were sometimes "less than stellar" performances by the author? How do you handle those situations?

** I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my OWN, in no way does it effect my critique or rating.