Stealing Heaven

Stealing Heaven

by Elizabeth Scott

2008

320 pages

"The story of my life can be told in silver: in chocolate mills, serving spoons, and services for twelve. The story of my life has nothing to do with me. The story of my life is things. Things that aren’t mine, that won’t ever be mine. It’s all I’ve ever known. I wish it wasn’t.”

Summary: Dani and her mom are thieves. They travel the country looking for houses to rob, especially old houses with antique silver collections. Traveling around is all Dani has ever known and she longs for a place to call home. When they arrive in a small wealthy beach town called Heaven with the idea to rob a few of the houses, things don’t go exactly as planned. Dani meets a wealthy girl who befriends her, and she keeps running into a really cute cop who wants to get to know her better. For the first time in her life, Dani is starting to make friends and fit in. Ultimately she will have to decide between the life she has always known and the one she has always wanted.

Review: Stealing Heaven is a surprisingly wonderful book. I did expect it be slightly cheesy but I found the storyline very warm and compelling. I thought Elizabeth Scott did a really good job at developing Dani as a character and drawing out her struggle throughout the book. It was interesting to watch and it made the story a lot more relatable. Similarly, the interaction between Dani and Greg was perhaps the biggest delight as I found their interactions fun and authentic. While it did perhaps have an ending that was a little too perfect, I thought the other elements, such as pacing and narrative, were well done.

You might enjoy Stealing Heaven if you like books: that are quick and easy to read, have fun and witty dialogue, a strong protagonist that overcomes an obstacle , that have a little bit of romance as a sub plot

Other books by Elizabeth Scott: Love You, Hate You, Miss You, Perfect You, Bloom, The Unwritten Rule, Living Dead Girl

If you liked Stealing Heaven you might also enjoy: Wild Roses by Deb Caletti, The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen, Cures for Heartbreak by M. E Rabb, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler.

Author website found here.

Rating: W3/4 C2/4 P4/4 O3.5/4 PP3/4 CR2/4
Grade: JS