The fifth and final Janie book! I started this series forever ago, when I was in middle school. That was more than 15 years ago! I'm so glad that I took a little time this year to finish up the saga. It was such fun to revisit a series from my childhood! I think I read The Face on the Milk Carton multiple times (I owned it), but I'd never gotten past #2, The Voice on the Radio.
Janie Face to Face is told in multiple viewpoints, which definitely adds to the suspense. By now, Janie is in college, and has a pretty good relationship with both of her families. She's ready to leave all the kidnapping business behind her and start her life as an adult. Life has other plans for her, of course: a true-crime writer is contacting all of her friends and family for interviews, and miles away on the West coast (unknown to Janie et al), Janie's kidnapper is also on the move.
This story unfolds simultaneously from Janie's and Hannah's viewpoints, which had me on the edge of my seat! We also get a little bit of her brother's and Reeve's viewpoints as well. I can't say much on this plot point (no spoilers); you'll just have to read the book to find out if they meet and how that goes!
I felt like Janie grew up a lot as a person between books #4 and #5, and I liked this new maturity. She comes across much less self-centered and whiny. We see how much she cares for both her mothers and her siblings. We see her struggle with deciding whether or not to trust Reeve.
Overall, this was definitely a satisfying conclusion to the series! I'm not disappointed at all. No ends left dangling, and the ending didn't feel rushed or thrown together. Caroline B. Cooney is just a superb author.
I listened to Janie Face to Face on audiobook, and it was fine. I don't recall anything spectacular or horrible about it. I guess I was just too lost in the story!
*I checked out my copy of Janie Face to Face from my local library.
No comments:
Post a Comment