A review by breemk133
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This book was short and kept my attention. I read this for the first time as an adult, not realizing it was a children’s book right away. I can understand why it was banned. The themes are a little too adult for small children (kidnapping, sex, cults). Why I really downgraded this was that the story went slow for a short book that should’ve been fast paced. The main character was whiny and annoying and seemed to envy and hate her friends at the same time. I can give her a little grace for being emotionally stunted as a kidnapping victim, but being that she didn’t know that her entire life, it’s a little inconsistent, the transphobic joke and the comment about anorexia rubbed me the wrong way, as did the sex-pushy boyfriend who never said I love you back. Anyway, could’ve been better could’ve been worse but I finished it anyway. I will probably not continue the series even though it would be nice to know how her bio parents reacted and what the truth really was.
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