The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Published: April 2014

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 357

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary: 

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

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:

I don't think I've read many, if any books on alien abduction but Ms. Derting has never let me down before.  I'm a huge fan of her Body Finder series as well as The Pledge series.  

So we are introduced to Kyra Agnew and she seems to have everything going for her - great at sports, has a loving boyfriend and supportive family until she gets into a fight with her Dad and storms out of the car only to see lights all around and wakes up somewhere unexpected....5 years later.  The thing is, she hasn't changed AT ALL.  But her entire world has moved on past her.  Her boyfriend is no longer her boyfriend.  Her family has split up and she has to re-adjust to the world and the changes that happened without her.  

Of course, strange things start happening next and the only one she feels she can trust is her ex-boyfriend's little brother...who coincidentally is not so little anymore.  In fact, Tyler is now her age and seems to be incredibly understanding to her situation.  Where his brother was sweet and seemed like her match, Tyler is not afraid to take a risk in letting Kyra know EXACTLY how he feels about her.  At one point in the novel, he draws an incredible picture for her.  IN THE STREET. BETWEEN THEIR HOUSES. It is sweet and romantic and I found myself saying - Kyra!!  AUSTIN WHO???  PICK TYLER!!!

So back to Kyra's strange happenings.  She can't figure out what has happened in the last 5 years of her life until she meets someone who can help her.  Discreetly.  Her father has been coming up with theories of her being taken by aliens and while she originally dismissed the idea, she is now starting to wonder...

In terms of characters, Kyra really grew on me.  I thought she might try and lash out at her ex (Austin) for moving on  without her but I'm glad she didn't.  She was stuck in a 16 year old's body and had some of the same feelings as her teen self but she was incredibly reflective and took the time to rationalize how her friends and family could have moved on without her.

I had read a few reviews about this title which were disappointing because I LOVED THIS BOOK!  Because of the subject matter, it was a new topic for me.  There was some swearing (as a warning to those of you wishing to recommend to a younger reading audience).  The pace of the novel was also a little bit slow but overall, it was a great read.  I have to tell you though 

**SPOILER** I almost stopped reading when Tyler got sick *END SPOILER**

Glad I didn't because in the end, the intensity of the book escalated and I found myself reading faster and faster and now I've got to wait until APRIL 2015 for Book #2....sigh....