A slow burner that turns in to an excellent read. A psychological thriller that keeps you in suspense with every page turn. Really enjoyed this book and had an interesting storyline

I found this a quick read with both strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: realistic depiction of life on a run-down estate, and what it's like to police that estate; sympathetic but believable portrayal of someone struggling with addiction; simple style and easy to read. I wanted to know what would happen to Leila – that kept me reading. I also liked that no one was judged too harshly, not even the 'bad guys'.

Weaknesses: I found the writing a bit flat and some of the motivations a bit unbelievable. There were a couple of places where the dialogue was clearly for the reader's benefit rather than how people really talk. I also saw all the twists coming a mile off.

Before reading this book, I had no idea that Lisa Stone was also Cathy Glass, but that makes perfect sense since I have found similar strengths and weaknesses in her books. Fans of Cathy Glass will enjoy this.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

A child abduction, the mother Kelsey Smith sells her body to feed her drug habit. Kelsey has four children but Leila her last child is very close to being removed by Social services. Leila spends a lot of time on her own, but she is being watched and it is not by Social services. A slow burner to start with but I just had to keep on reading I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH. A twisted twist I never saw coming. Quite emotive in places, a family saga and so so much more.

# Taken #Netgalley
This started off pretty good, it held me right through the book. Medium paced, didn’t want to put down. Lots of unexpected twist and turns. Two thirds of the way through the book. I had sussed out who was behind the kidnapping. As you read despite many things popping up somehow it could not quite disguise who was responsible . Right at the very end with regards the letter. Not sure ??????? I could imagine in real life. Maybe the odd one or two but generally Not.... I definitely though it was a pretty good read. However with the inability to conceal who the actual culprit was. The last third of the book somehow in my opinion it just spoiled it more me personally. If you don’t mind sussing out the culprit that early on then you will enjoy this.

This was an excellent thriller that literally took my breath away. The characters were realistic and well depicted. Highly recommended!

3.5 rounded up

This was a good read - I didn't find it amazing but it was still good. The story follows a single parent family; Leila, who is 8 and her mother Kelsey who is a prostitute and drug user and live on a run-down estate. One day, Leila doesn't come home. What comes next is the story of what's happened to her, but more importantly, the why.

The plot is decent, and although I felt the pace was a bit slow, it unravels nicely. I didn't really feel too invested in the characters, but I think it's because the story didn't grip me as much as I thought it would, rather than that characters aren't written well. Having said that, as an 8 year old it was obvious that Leila had had to grow up far too quickly, and that Kelsey was in a lose/lose situation from the get go. The story examines a little about what it's like to live that kind of life, but ultimately it doesn't execute the concept as well as it could have.

Nevertheless, it was a good read.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another gripping thriller by Lisa Stone, this had me gripped from the beginning, I enjoyed it throughly.

Great read, the author has pulled me in and kept me guessing from the start. I have really enjoyed this book.

A great story with great characters although i found the begining slow i did enjoy reading it and i can highly recommend it it others.

This is an example of an average thriller.

The characters are poorly developed and the writing is simplistic. I worked out ‘whodunnit’ very early on so there were no major twists and turns for me- I’m actually surprised so many other reviews didn’t get it as it felt blindingly obvious!

The Kidnapping plot itself was believable enough, but the writing lacked depth and relied on voyeuristic details- it read more like a misery memoir in places. I absolutely refuse to suspend my belief enough to think than an eight year old would be able to make her own way home, never mind coming up with the idea of sleeping with homeless women in hotels.

I’m sure this book will have fans but I’m not one of them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

"One moment she is here...... The next she is gone..."

8-year-old Leila Smith has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to. She often stays out after dark to avoid going home and her drug addict mother isn't as attentive as she ought to be.

But what Leila doesn’t know is that someone has been watching her in the playground. One day, she disappears without a trace. The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever?

This book had me gripped right from the start. The premise of the book was what attracted me to it!

The book and all the characters were well written. I really admired the courage of Leila, being an eight year old, she is so amazing and street smart at her age. I felt both sad and annoyed at her mother, Kelsey, who is a drug addict. There were so many instances in the book when I just wanted to shake her bad and tell her to get her head straight and look for her missing daughter instead of taking drugs but I kept rooting for her till the end to change and make things better!

The story had lots of twists and turns that were unexpected, which made this book more enjoyable.

Thank You to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC!!

A great read, a slow burner to start but enough going on to keep the reader interested, and bang suddenly a totally unexpected twist to the story took me totally by surprise. A thoroughly recommended read, well done Lisa Stone

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, for the arc of Taken by Lisa Stone.

Thank you to Lisa Stone for writing such a thrilling rollercoaster of a book.

This follows, Leila whom is eight years of age and has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to even dream of seeing and hearing......., she lives on an estate called the Hawthorn she often stays out late to avoid not going home due to the shocking things of what is happening at home.. She doesn’t know that someone has been stalking and watching her in the playground. Then she disappears without any trace of her... The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever? Leila's mother is drug and alcohol addict, Leila is neglected and at risk living in the tough estate where drug problems are normality there, other residents at the estate and Leilas aunt under the thought of offering Leila a better life and then hatch a plan to give her a better life for the better!

My first Lisa Stone book, I have read her other books as Cathy Glass which I loved and knew i would love this and i was right it didnt fail to disappoint i was enthralled into this and stayed up all night just to finish this off as it was so on the edge of your seat and gripping. She really did an amazing job so thank you Lisa.

Definitely Recommend
5 Stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book. It started of really well. The middle part of the book was really unbelievable and I found it hard to carry on reading. I carried on reading as I was rooting for the mother . She was a well written character who despite her faults you wanted to succeed. Once the weird bit in the middle ended you still wanted to know how the story ended. It dragged on a bit. Overall a good read but would have been much better were it not for the ridiculous middle part.

Taken

Grim beginning. What a setting!
There’s a sense of sadness, not just for Leila but for her mother. What an awful, exhausting life. I really did feel sorry for them both.

I liked this book but I like more emotion to writing. This felt flat to read. Give me feelings rather than telling me how to feel. That’s the beauty of reading and I just don’t think it was captured well in Taken.

A good overall story but it didn’t stand out enough from others on the market.

3/5

I’ve always loved cathy glass so was excited to read taken written as Lisa stone, Lisa nails the suspense,tension and element of surprise in this psychological thriller and you can tell she has drawn upon her experience as a foster carer and the role of social services.
Leila an 8 year old, daughter of a drug and alcohol addict is neglected and at risk living in the tough estate where drug problems are rife, other residents and Leilas aunt under the guise of offering Leila a better life hatch a plan to give her a better life! A great read that really highlights the conditions some children and their parents find themselves in, unfortunately not always their fault but a product of previous life experiences that has far reaching consequences in later life for all concerned!would highly recommend to all.
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

I wanted to give this a go because I'm a fan of Lisa Stone's other books under her penname Cathy Glass. Lisa Stone books are fiction thrillers and this is about a little girl who goes missing on a rough estate. Leila's mother has had other children removed from her care and social services were alreayd involved when the eight year old vanishes. This book is quite satisfying in that there appears to be a conclusion quite early on about what happens but there are further twists and turns that make the whole story a bit ridiculous. It's an easy read but not particularly gripping which is what I'd typically look for in this type of book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I have struggled with her books in the past but this one was great!! Great story. Good suspense. Huge shocks! Highly recommended!

#Taken #NetGalley
Twisty and gripping.
Every parent love their child. If their child disappears from their vision then they would be panic and mom's start crying. If anything happens to their child then it's their worst nightmare. Lisa Stone perfectly plotted it to show the story of an eight years old girl.
Leila Smith has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to. On the Hawthorn Estate, where she lives, she often stays out after dark to avoid going home.But what Leila doesn’t know is that someone has been watching her in the playground.
The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever?
I really was on the edge of my seat and I finished it in a single sitting.
I loved every character and starred to panic when the main characters panicked.
Narration of the story is buttery smooth which holds the reader from starting to the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.