The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Summary (from Goodreads):

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

Review:

Kimberly Derting has got the whole suspenseful romance thing down! I kind of loved the romance in this one (even though it involves the younger brother of the main character’s ex…) Seriously, Derting made what could have been the most awkward romance ever, just sizzle. It was so sweet seeing a guy earn the love of his long-time crush. Seriously, I found the chalk drawings so charming.

On the other hand, I wasn’t as big a fan of the plot as I wanted to be. It didn’t help that I have recently read a couple of books with similar plot lines. One book was about a girl in a coma who wakes up years later to a dysfunctional family and her boyfriend and best friend dating each other. Another book was one where the main character comes back after a traumatic experience she doesn’t remember. So, I was feeling a little done with this storyline before I even started it.

I guess I would have accepted the plotline if there was more action and more differences from other books I’ve read. The action didn’t really start much until the last ¾ of the book. And when it started, it was awesome. There was just a little too much typical YA stuff beforehand. I wanted more alien stuff, or more problems with the government earlier on. Though, I get the author not wanting to reveal too much –keeping the main character in the dark.

I did love the concept. It ended with a bit of an X-Files feel. And how cool is a YA X-Files book? There was just a little too much cliché, done before elements taking up the beginning of the book.  And wow, her ex was such a jerk! I can’t believe after everything they shared that he wasn’t more confused about his feelings or at least more considerate for Kyra’s.

I never quite liked Kyra as much as I wanted to. I like that she was a softball player. But, I kind of wish that softball was more of a thing for her when she came back and less of something that took the back burner to coping with life. I feel like that could have remained important to her. I did like the guy. I like that it was the guy encouraging the girl to read (instead of vice versa). I like that he took her to a bookstore. And I like that he believed her, even when her mother didn’t.

All in all, I read this super fast. I loved the guy and the romance. I wished the plot had more action in it earlier on. And I wished it didn’t remind me so much of other books I have recently read. I liked how things ended. And I’m dying to know where things go for certain characters, so I will definitely keep reading the series. I give it a 7/10.