Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott: Book Review

STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott Book Review
Publication Date: June 1st 2008 by HarperTeen
Rating: – Acceptable |

Book Summary: My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember.

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best–her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends–a real life

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani–because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known–or the one she’s always wanted

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott Book Review Overview:

My favorite Elizabeth Scott book so far
The plot was captivating and I was easily hooked
The ending was a bit abrupt and I would have liked to see it tied up more nicely

I was easily hooked into the plot in STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott because I just knew that things were going to go awry. Scott uses just the right amount of foreshadowing to keep me turning the pages. I easily saw where the plot was going but the fun was seeing how the characters got from Point A to Point B.

The romance is not the main focus of STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott, so if that is what you’re looking for, you will probably be disappointed. Dani does have some awesome chemistry with the love interest but the family issues overshadow the romance. The love interest in STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott is pivotal to Dani’s character growth because he helps her realize that she does have a choice in how to live her life.

There are still some parts of STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott that could have been developed a little better. First of all, I thought Allison’s older brother, James, would play a much bigger role in the book other than a decoy. Furthermore, I would have loved a better explanation of the story behind Dennis, the lawyer that helps out Dani and her mother. However, these are just minor quibbles that I had and could be easily overlooked.

As much as I enjoyed STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott as whole, the ending failed to completely satisfy me. From a moralistic standpoint, I wasn’t satisfied by the way the lesson was learned. Furthermore, there were still a few loose ends that could have been tied up nicely.

STEALING HEAVEN by Elizabeth Scott is still an enjoyable summer read. It is by far my favorite Elizabeth Scott novel and I look forward to reading her other books.

About the Author

Elizabeth Scott writes young adult novels. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and dog, and is unable to pass a bookstore without stopping and going inside.