Title:  Snatched
Series:
Author:  David Saperstein
Genre:  Fiction
Published:  May 19, 2015
Publisher:  Atria Books
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Cocoon (which was made into an Academy Award–winning movie) comes a sci-fi adventure about family, love, and, in a universe teeming with life, deciding who and what are the aliens.

Six single, semi-retired, “older” women are inseparable friends. But their lives start to go haywire when mischievous Rosie submits her friends’ names to an ad soliciting “Mail Order Brides for Farmers & Miners—Distant Locations.” A few weeks later, as the six women are driving along a lonely beach road, their vehicle suddenly begins to shake, the sky grows dark, an eerie light envelops the van, and ZAP—it’s gone!

Exactly three years later, the van reappears on the same road. But this time, the women appear to be thirty years younger—and they’re all pregnant!

The “distant locations” advertised were, in fact, elsewhere in our galaxy. A process, required for deep space travel, has somehow reversed their aging. They are happy with their new lives. However, a universal law requires that babies of “mixed-mating” be born on the mother’s home planet, forcing their return. But as they re-adapt to life on earth, surprises and problems arise as they’re faced with a media circus, doctors, nurses, police, priests, and nuns, not to mention their new humanoid mates.

In Saperstein’s wacky, comedic-drama tradition that’s out of this world, Snatched builds to an exciting, uplifting climax that celebrates life, love, and the universal condition known as family.

Read on for my thoughts on Snatched.  No true spoilers, promise.

Oh my goodness, what a fantastic adventure.  From the moment I started this novel until the last swipe on my Kindle I was captivated by these lovely ladies and their escapades.

What makes up a family?  That is a question you will be pondering often while reading Snatched.  Biological family, yes – but isn’t the bond between some friends almost as close, if not closer, than family?  I’m sure you’ve had a friend you love as much as a sister or brother, I know I have.  That bond doesn’t need shared DNA to make a family member.  It’s just something that you know instinctively, no rhyme nor reason for it..it just is.  I would say family, in all of it’s meanings, is at the center of Snatched.

You have the basic story from the synopsis.  To go into a lot more detail would, in my opinion, spoil the experience of reading this novel firsthand.

What I can tell you is this story is charming, funny (sometimes laugh til you snort funny), entertaining and gives us a lot of life lessons on what makes up a family.  There is definitely suspense and a sense of fear at times that things will go horribly bad.  But I expect that from the mind that gave us Cocoon.

I recommend Snatched to anyone and everyone who simply wants to read a very good story, be entertained along the way, grip the edges of their seats occasionally and be utterly and completely charmed by our lovely ladies and their new adventurous lives.  This one is well worth your time.
*I received an e-ARC of Snatched from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

~What you, the reader, always must remember is this simple truth. Any review is just one person’s opinion. You might feel the same or totally different. The only way to know for certain if any novel is right for you – is for you to read it. This was my opinion of this particular book.~

Snatched is available for the Kindle