I love Elizabeth Scott's books, but this one just sort of fell short for me. I just kept expecting more or a big turn of events. Still a good enough read with charming characters.

Share/Like this Review?

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Dani goes by many names. Her name changes depending on where she and her mother have moved for their next job. Dani and her mother are thieves. Her father is no longer in the picture. He was caught during a robbery and was sent to prison when Dani was younger. Once he was paroled, he faded from their lives. Now Dani and her mother travel all around the country planning their next big job.

Since she was little, Dani's mother has always taught her to believe in silver and things she can hold and sell. But now, at eighteen, they have moved to Heaven, a coastal town. Her mom has her sights set on the huge mansions along the beach. Dani's thoughts are changing toward the future. She keeps having thoughts about what it would be like if they settled down and she could be normal.

While scouting the area for her mother, Dani meets Allison and Greg. Allison turns out to be the daughter of the house her mother has decided to hit. Allison accepts her, no questions asked. Greg turns out to be intrigued by Dani. He's also a cop. Greg is the worst possible type of guy for a girl in her position to be interested in. Yet Greg keeps turning up, and for the first time in her life, Dani finds herself telling him the truth about things. She even goes so far as to tell him her real name. Allison knows her as Sydney, but Greg has met the real Dani.

Complications arise in Heaven for Dani and her mother, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion for the reader. Dani is torn between what she wants to do and what she's obligated to do for her mother. Dani struggles with doubts of her mother's love, as well as her attraction to Greg. She wants desperately to fit in and finally make friends, but the life she's always lived keeps getting in the way.

STEALING HEAVEN is the second book I've been fortunate enough to read by Ms. Scott. And I have to admit that I loved this one even more than PERFECT YOU. Of course, now I must go back and read BLOOM, and wait eagerly for her future release, LIVING DEAD GIRL. Ms. Scott was an unknown author for the Class of 2007. Well, I'm pleased to say I believe she will be around for many years. Her stories keep evolving and her audience will surely grow along with her increasing library.

Share/Like this Review?

18-year-old Danielle lives with her mother and they are professional thieves. They move quickly from affluent town to affluent town, staying only long enough to find out the information they need and steal what they target, and then they move on. Dani has learned to keep invisible and not form any connections. It may not be the life she wants deep down inside, but it's all she has, all she's ever known.

At the beach town of Heaven, however, things begin to be different. Dani meets several people she thinks she can actually be friends with--if not more. Unfortunately, her and her mother's lives demand that she not make friends, not feel like she wants to settle down.

This puts stress on her budding relationships with two people: Allison, a talkative but genuine girl who lives in the mansion that her mother is targeting next; and Greg, a young and funny local cop who seems intent on making her smile--but he's a cop!

How can Dani not lose her mother's love and respect, while learning how to go for what she wants?

Elizabeth Scott's books remind me very much of Sarah Dessen's. The characters are well-developed. Greg in particular is charming and will make every girl wish he was real. This is a fun and moving read.

Share/Like this Review?

Dani is a thief. She and her mother travel around the country stealing from rich people. They make jokes and laugh at the people who settle down and live their lives in the suburbs, but all the while Dani secretly longs for the life her mother ridicules. She's never gone to school or had to follow the rules most girls do. In fact, her mother is constantly pushing her to have more fun, but Dani knows that there's much more than fun missing from her seemingly carefree life. She's never stayed in one place or let her guard down long enough to have a boyfriend or a best friend. She's never had any friend, for that matter, that she could even tell her real name - until she arrives in Heaven and her whole life is turned upside down when she realizes people don't always fit into their cookie cutter molds. This is a great coming of age story about a girl struggling to find the true meaning of love, trust and friendship from a unique point of view. I didn't expect to like Dani, but I did. You just can't help it. This is one of those stories that anyone can relate to and helps you to realize that no matter how different people may seem, we all want to be accepted and find that one place where we know we belong.

Share/Like this Review?

My Thoughts: I love Elizabeth Scott! Lately I have been devouring her books! I love love love them. And getting to love them makes me more excited for The Unwritten Rule! I really liked Dani and I liked the relationship she forms with Greg. He is soooo dreamy! The dialogue of this book is just so awesome. I wish I could describe how much I really did enjoy this book but I'm still left speechless. I liked the relationship between her and her mother but didn't like the way her mom depended on her so much. I was thinking to myself, whose the mom and whose the daughter again? Her mom was somewhat pushy. I know that was the point, that that is the life Dani has always known and she doesn't believe she has a choice or a chance to lead a normal life but she realizes down the line that things can be different for her. I won't say too much else, don't want to give away the whole story. I loved the cop aspect of the book. Its irnoic and thats what would happen, the way things work out! HA! But I recommend this book, yes its got romance, but it just has more than that, it has lessons, real life thoughts, its just reality. Anything can happen to you.

Overall: Loved It! Wonderful in my opinion!

Share/Like this Review?