Kara's Book Cravings: The Girl in the White Van

 

In one of my many trips to a my local Goodwill and used bookstore, I stumbled on THE GIRL IN THE WHITE VAN by April Henry. This is a young adult thriller, which we all know is one of my favorite genres!

The cover is okay, but the blurb is what really grabbed my attention. Basically, this is a story about a teenage girl who is kidnapped while walking home from Tae Kwon Do class. She's kept prisoner in a ratty old RV, along with another teen girl who'd disappeared almost a year prior. 

This was on the shorter side, less than 150 pages, and I was able to read it in one evening. The pacing was tight, and the tension was incredible!

The concept of this book is every woman's nightmare, and definitely every mom's fear. My heart was racing at points, and I had a surge of adrenaline at the end, which is always a sign of a good thriller. 

What I really liked about this book, though, was that the author didn't fall back on the girls being raped or sexually assaulted in anyway. They were simply being held captive by a deranged man with some very messed up ideas about gender roles. I also really enjoyed seeing the two girls take control, fight back, and save themselves. Yes, they have help eventually, but for the most part, they don't just sit around and wait. 

I also snagged another book by this author, and I'm excited to dive into that one next.