You'd know that the story will always ends dissatisfyingly when it's focused on a kidnap plot. 
 Don't get me wrong - this book was lovely. I liked it. It was in many ways similar to Stolen: A Letter to my Captor , but this book was less grey and much happier, and thus in other words, less realistic. 
 What i really hate about such kidnap stories is that the nice guys always happen to be the villians. By nice, I mean kind, caring, thoughtful and good. I know, it's complicated. If that's the definition of evil, Barney must be the nightmare of all little kids. But in this book, the kidnappers, Eric, Evelyn, Steve, and Jesse are exactly that. A bit surreal and silly, though it does make the prospect of being kidnapped really appealing ouch. 
 The ending of this book is very much different as compared to Stolen, but by no means dissimilar in terms of disappointment. It is not the book's fault, if you ask me - whether the story ends with the villian/hottie getting caught and charged for kidnap or whether the female lead elopes (I can't think of a more appropriate word at the moment) with the guy, both endings are tragic and sad. I mean, there can't possibly be an ending where both the female and male protagonist live together happily ever after without your conscience and your faith in the legal system going after them. It's preposterous by law if they're together, and yet it's preposterous by narration and emotion if they're not. After all, kidnapping is wrong - governments will be ringing alarm bells if anyone gave a glimmer of hope to the (reading) public that anyone could get away with it, no matter how BENEVOLENT and NOBLE his or her intentions are. 
 Oh, if only kidnapping could be seen as a more exciting method of courtship, or speed dating! If only kidnap was not used as a means for extortion, terrorism, murder.... Once again, I wanted a better ending for the characters in this book, but of course, my rationality knows that none of them could have had it any other way.