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Jessica Mastriani knew she wasn't going to be able to hide her psychic powers from the US government forever - but she never thought that she'd actually have something in common with one of their agents! Especially as that agent is Dr Cyrus Krantz , who had previously been brought in to 'convince' Jess to join his elite team of 'specially gifted' crime-solvers, when all they were after was using her special skills for their own ends. But when a local boy's disappearance and untimely death is attributed to a backwoods militia group, Jess' goal - to find another missing local child - and Dr Krantz's - to stop a group of madmen before they kill again - turn out to be one and the same...

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

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About the author

Jenny Carroll

11 books273 followers
A pseudonym of Meg Cabot, under which she wrote the first 4 1-800-Where-R-You books (When Lightning Strikes, Code Name Cassandra, Safe House, and Sanctuary) and the first 4 Mediator books (Shadowland, Ninth Key, Reunion, and Darkest Hour). These 8 books have been re-released under her her real name.

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5 stars
4,394 (39%)
4 stars
4,078 (36%)
3 stars
2,335 (20%)
2 stars
380 (3%)
1 star
46 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
Profile Image for Nasty Lady MJ.
1,091 reviews16 followers
April 27, 2020
Whelp, so far this is the weakest reread out of the series. It has not aged well at all. I literally grimacing in parts of this one. I am hoping to finish off this series again but I honestly don't know if I'll be doing a reread of it anytime soon or again at all. I think I'm kind of done with it which is sad.

To see full review click here.

And this is where the shit hits the fan.

Man, this book is so outrageously unrealistic it’s sort of laughable. But at the same reason, that’s why I love this particular installment. Honestly, I could see it as a midseason finale if this was ever to get a proper TV show (not one that simply uses its premises then has the main character regulated to background character and has a guy played by Mateo Santos be Not Rob to Vivica Fox who’s just randomly in the TV show).

And as outrageous as this one is, there are a few good messages there that even transcend ten years later. And no, I don’t think it gets too preachy.

Once again, subtle develops are done with the development between the relationship of Jess and Rob that appreciate. And I like the fact that other relationships-side romances-are developed as well.
However, I just couldn’t help but think during this book’s climax.

Ridiculous.

Just ridiculous.

And again, I kept seeing plot holes. Like Chick being completely oblivious to just who Jessica is despite encountering her in the first book.

Whatever though it was a fun ride.
Profile Image for Arra.
304 reviews31 followers
March 7, 2013
The events in this fourth book were quite intense. There were a lot of action going on--gunfires, injuries, explosions, bumpy rides, etc. I might say it was one hell of an adventure, though it did not really give me the very thrilling feeling or excitement.
Profile Image for Brittany.
23 reviews
August 21, 2011
Jessica "Jess" Mastriani was never what anyone would call a normal girl, but ever since she was hit by lightning, she can find anyone if she sees a picture of them. Since getting this new talent, Jess' life was made miserable by the media and the military, so Jess pretended that she can't find anyone anymore and so is officially without powers. However, there are a few people that know she can find people and most of the people in town, as well as the FBI, are pretty sure that she is faking. So when Dr. Thompkins, the new African American doctor who just moved in across the street, swings by on Thanksgiving to ask Jess if she knows where Nate, his son is, Jess tries to explain that she doesn't do that anymore. Turns out that Dr. Thompkins has no idea what Jess can do and was just trying to find out if she had seen Nate, as in with her eyes while awake. Anyway, Jess is way too busy trying to sneak out of the house and over to Rob's house for her second Thanksgiving dinner to worry about where Nate is, until she is on her way home. While Rob follows her on his motorcycle, Jess is stopped by a roadblock on the road and immediately assumes it is because she doesn't have a driver's license. Okay, Jess is way old enough to drive and is a totally safe driver, she just likes to go a little fast. I mean, how bad is it to be going 80 in a 25 mph zone? Anyway, Jess soon finds out that the reason for the roadblock is they found Nate's body in a cornfield with a weird snake like tattoo carved on his chest. Unluckily for Jess, Dr. Krantz, a special agent who is in charge of an elite team of "specially-gifted" crime solvers is on the scene to once again question if Jess has really lost her talents.
Jess feels guilty about not being able to save Nate and she knows when Seth, a Jewish boy, is missing and the synagogue is set on fire that she has to do something. She dreams of Seth and knows where he is, calls in an anonymous tip, but doesn't tell the police that there are men with guns guarding Seth. One of the cops is in critical condition after being shot and Jess knows that it is her fault. She is determined to find Seth without getting anyone else involved - except for Rob, of course. Rob gets a bunch of bikers from Chick's Bar to join them on their insane quest to rescue Seth from a group of white supremacists who live out in the woods and Jess is off on another one of her wild adventures...

This is the 4th book in the "Lightning Girl" or 1-800-WHERE-R-U series and it is just as hilarious and entertaining as the first three. Of all of Cabot's/Carroll's series I would have to say that Jess is my favorite heroine and always makes me laugh while I am reading. She is very honest and just says what she is thinking or feeling and it is just so funny! Jess is always trying to get Rob to kiss her and to be her boyfriend, but he cannot date her because she is only 16 and he is 18 and on probation. The situations she gets Rob and herself into are very entertaining. I cannot recommend this series highly enough - all of the books by Cabot/Carroll are great, but this one is the best! I simply cannot wait for another book in this series - I really hope that she keeps writing more!

Profile Image for Katrina Passick Lumsden.
1,782 reviews12.9k followers
December 11, 2011
I thought this was the weakest of the series so far. I normally like Jessie a lot, but she kinda went off her nut with the stupidity in this one. Oh well. I hope the 5th one is better.
Profile Image for Mobanika.
188 reviews6 followers
September 22, 2019
Posledny diel bol naj! Az na malu drobnost, ze sa v tom ich malom mestecku za tie roky stalo prilis vela veci:)
Profile Image for Megan Mc .
457 reviews
August 27, 2013
Re-read book 4

It's Thanksgiving! and like the Gilmores Jess has found her self invited to more than one Thanksgiving diner.

Ok only two, she's not quite the over achiever the Gilmore are.
But one is Rob's house, that has got to count for something right?
Wait what! Rob has actually invited her to a date like situation!?! Is this progress? Yes, Yes it is. and we are rewarded with a pretty awesome scene after dinner.

But before we get to that Jess has to endure dinner with her family, including crazy great aunt Rose, Ruth's family, and Claire. While having dinner we get our first plot hint when their new neighbor, Mr. Thompson stops by and asks if anyone has seen his son who left to get whipped cream & hasn't returned yet. I don't want to go to into the story on this one and give things away, but it's pretty easy to figure out. Unless you're Jess who has some trouble connecting the dots. (Though I can't remember if I figured it out right away the first time I read it, but 10 years and about 4 re-reads later I think Jess could of connected the dots a little faster.)

Following the good old formula, children go missing, Jess ropes Rob in to driving/snowmobiling her around, buildings get burned and blown up, and there is some nice progress in this one. And not just with Jess and Rob, but we get to see her brother Douglas continue his progress.
I like the time spacing of this series, especially since there is murder and violence, it nice that it doesn't happen every week making it truly unbelievable.

Why would anyone want to live in places like Sunnydale or Rosewood? Some one dies like once a week and it's a small town!
It also allows for some character development, Jess & Rob wouldn't be half as exciting if he gave in in a week.

And for old times sake:

Profile Image for Chloe.
106 reviews2 followers
October 15, 2013
I probably should've read the first three books first, but this book was the only one in the shop. So sue me.

16 y/o Jess has been constantly stalked by the FBI ever since a freak lightning bolt gave her psychic powers. Disliking her ability, Jess lies and says she has lost the power. But when , Jess knows she has to come out of 'hibernation' and save a kidnapped Jewish boy, with her don't-ask-it's-complicated boyfriend Rob.

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My reaction when

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Second, Dr. Krantz really reminds me of that mad professor guy from League of Super Evil.

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I actually really like this book. I didn't think it would be all that great (don't judge a book by it's cover, I know, blah blah) but it's actually funny. Me likey how fiesty the main character is. Plus, I laughed a ton of times.

Am I the only one who really likes Chicky?? He seems cool. Shame about the goatee though.

A really good read, and definitely recommended. Shame Goodreads only allows 5 stars, cause I would've given it 8 1/2 (out of 10)
Profile Image for Kayla.
1,051 reviews66 followers
January 30, 2011
This. Book. Was. So. Intense. From the first page, it had me hooked, and I finished this in a day and a half. Jess was especially witty, Rob seemed especially hot, and the entire thing fit into one action-packed book. Filled with angry motorcycle gangs, evil backwoods militia groups, and creepy FBI agents, this book will definitely have you on the edge of your seat.

I love Jess. She's a great female lead, telling the story with sarcasm that has me wanting to roll on the floor laughing. She's independent, doesn't take no for an answer, and knows how to get her point across with her fists. She's not afraid of danger, but in no way is she naive.

Oh, how I wish more books had characters like her. I'd be in reading heaven.

Rob, though I didn't really like him in the first book, is quite fantastic in this one.

I flew through this one, and can't wait to get my hands on the next, and final, book! I'm not looking forward to the end of this series, because I don't want to have to say goodbye to these characters. And yet, I desperately want to know what will happen . . .

The contradictions are killing me!

Sanctuary, book 4 of the 1-800-Where-R-You series, gets 5/5 stars. It's a fun, fast read that will leave you craving more!
639 reviews
July 30, 2011


I just want to say...
FINALLYYYYYYYYYYY!
Fine. A. Leee!
Rob admits his feelings, Jess just spits out what she is thinking when it comes to Rob and his family.
And when that scene ended I was, like, at peace....
Which makes you think that the ending was my favourite part(it was :P)

But Jess kinda gets everything she wants in this one. No more pissy FBI stalking her (though she is now kind of a member of their team), she gets a boyfriend that isn't ashamed of her, she tells her parents about Rob, her brothers are happy with their girlfriendsa and her powers wil not be leaked to the media.

The plot in this one with the whole 'group"... Got me thinking and while I was thinking I thought, "Maybe Rob did think so...". I mean with the whole speech he said to get into the organization... Because I don't learn that from public television... LOL

I fricking loved that part when Jess just flew over the bridge for some reason....

Anyway, Cabot did amazing work with this one and I can't wait to read the next book. :D
(that means more Rob!!! :D)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rainbow Unicorn.
790 reviews2 followers
December 5, 2024
Any YA Fantasy Psychic fans out there, this is a series to add to your TBR list for sure. Funny laugh out loud moments, good storylines, believable characters, friends, family and the relatives therein (we can all relate to at least one of these quirky relatives, that ONE we would rather were related to other people than us)... this book series has it all. I am really enjoying re-reading this series.
Profile Image for Alida Arabelle.
183 reviews
August 7, 2015
A really cool and jolly book. Really missed meg cabot never knew such a book existed it was fun...I just loved jess and rob romance really sweet ...hmm psychic to find missing people pretty cool. Really love her carefree writing totally enjoyable.
Profile Image for Primadonna.
Author 32 books373 followers
March 28, 2008
Not Cabot's best work. Predictable, cliche, and somehow the chemistry between Jess and Rob isn't that great. Still, I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for NS.
45 reviews20 followers
June 12, 2012
I'm in love with Rob. What else.
Profile Image for Jessica.
344 reviews16 followers
September 12, 2016
i LOVE this series. now if i could just get the third book...
13 reviews9 followers
February 28, 2014
wow this book was amasing DOUGLESS HAS A GIRLFRIEND
Profile Image for Vanessa.
95 reviews2 followers
April 17, 2014
A good continuation for the series. I like the storyline with the white supremacists and how Jess, Rob and the Grits took them down :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Denali.
298 reviews51 followers
May 9, 2014
I LOVE THIS SERIES I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ IT! It is an easy read, I read it when I was 12, but I loved it, and still reread it til this day.
Profile Image for Heera Shetty.
135 reviews
June 30, 2014
she finally told her parents,now it's going to get a little more interesting.
Profile Image for Tessa Palmeri.
Author 5 books23 followers
January 12, 2016
I love this series. It's a good take on being a teenager when weird things happen that change your life.
Profile Image for Melissa.
168 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2016
Really good! Loved Rob and the Grits but poor Sean and Nate. Off to read the last one next
Profile Image for constellationoftomes.
582 reviews33 followers
October 25, 2018
"The peace sign is with two fingers, not one. Don't they teach you children anything in school these days?" (Great Aunt Rose)

⛈️ Jess is an awesome heroine. She's witty, feisty, honest and she doesn't stand for any nonsense. In Sanctuary, she has her moments of silliness and stupidity, but because she's so real about who she is, I didn't mind it.
⛈️ Ultimately, I had to suspend disbelief while reading Sanctuary, especially towards the end, because the events that occur are utterly absurd and unlikely.
⛈️ However, Sanctuary is a fast-paced and entertaining read and the characters are so real, so the absurdity ends up being hilarious and comical.
⛈️ I couldn't stop laughing while reading the events that occur towards the end of Sanctuary.
⛈️ In the beginning, Dr Krantz is portrayed as such a formidable and scary figure and I like how Jess's view towards him changes. The scenes involving Dr. Krantz provide some light and humourous moments.
⛈️ Jess's internal monologues about Rob are utterly hilarious. She has such a huge crush on him and tries so hard to act cool, calm and collected around him.
⛈️ Jess and Rob make my heart happy!
⛈️ The Mastriani family dynamics rule.
⛈️ Also, Douglas falls in love and it's so adorable to read about.
⛈️ Sanctuary feels slightly weaker in comparison to previous books in the Vanished/1-800-Where-R-You series. I can't put my finger on why I feel this way though.
"Love. It makes people do the craziest things." (Jessica Mastriani)
Profile Image for Jamii.
287 reviews6 followers
October 14, 2019
So this book is my least favorite of the series. It definitely fell a little too far off what I love about Jess. It focused a bit too much on various characters relationship dynamics. There was also a bit too much of the Jess and Rob “we can’t be together.” “Yes we can.” Story line. While jess does use her skill to find a missing child in this book, that felt really more like an after thought. The focus of this book was definitely on the action, violence, and vandalism. In the other books the action and such seemed like a means to an end, it happened because it needed to for the plot to progress. However this book it felt like the psychic powers were the means to an end, it felt like they were only used when bridging the gap between big action moments. Jess was cheated in this book by the author, she wasn’t the driving focus. I also felt like it was a very forced plot. You could tell from the moment they started revealing key details of the perpetrator, that Jess was going to at least consider the FBIs job offer. There were times when Jess evidently had psychic information but you weren’t even aware there’d been a vision. The psychic abilities really faded into the review. This is unfortunate given the fact that her visions and any potential developments in her abilities were the driving force of the books, they were what kept me interested so much. Also there was really almost no character growth and development in this book, not for any of the characters really. Maybe Douglas, he seemed to have some development but over all the characters were very stagnate.
Profile Image for Tinkerbell.
431 reviews4 followers
May 20, 2021
If you don't want to read about hillbilly nazis being taken down, skip it. As for me, this was an amazingly cathartic read here in 2021. It's a YA story and it's super quick and simple, sure. But I didn't know how much I needed to read about backwoods white-supremacists getting some justice handed to them by other backwoods types who are not racist and terrible. Like, these two groups of folks came from the same side of the tracks, and everyone was white—but some of them were absolute moron a-holes and some of them were decent people who care about, I don't know, NOT killing black people and jews—and I was so here for it.

Five years ago I would have thought this story went to a heavy-handed place. Now I'm just cheering every time a neo-Nazi got some justice. Because I feel this lack of justice and intelligence in the world right now, and I will take some sanity even if it is in the form of a quick little YA book about a girl who has psychic powers which she uses to find missing persons.
Profile Image for MaryBeth Isaac.
60 reviews2 followers
July 14, 2017
I like to read literary fiction and often read YA to take on something lighter between novels. Since this is a series and they are quick reads I have read back to back. I only rated 3 stars because it is not what I consider a "great" work BUT it the books are fun and I cannot deny that Meg Cabot has an incredible skill for capturing teen angst perfectly and humorously. Every sentence she writes is executed with a perfect blend of sarcasm and wit and it is difficult not to appreciate that.

These books were written several years ago and some of the content would be considered non PC by today's standards. Ironically though the group in the 4th book mirrors that of the far right in today's political climate and the story highlights some of the social and political issues facing our country today (even if unrealistically). The next few books I read will be more serious, thought provoking and impactful but this was a fun diversion.
Profile Image for Nicole Walls.
102 reviews17 followers
February 8, 2024
oh this one was GOOD! i mean, it wasn’t as good as safe house, but it was still pretty outstanding. this book was PACKED with action. i mean, i was truly fearing for the characters’ lives at some points. there were some parts of this book that had me so aggravated though. if you’ve read it, you’ll understand what i’m talking about. there are many terribly cruel people out there in the world and meg cabot truly brings that to attention in this book, but will jess be able to save her town from these downright awful people? you’ll have to read to find out! i can’t believe that there’s only one book left and then i’m done with the series! this series has been a very wild ride so far, but definitely in the best way.
Profile Image for Tamika.
78 reviews6 followers
September 4, 2017
I really love this series. It's simple, and funny. It hasn't lost my interest yet. and I feel like that's saying a lot.
Spoilers Ahead*****

I loved Dr K he was pretty awesome... I thought I would like him, in the last book. But no he's cool!! I love Chigger too!!! I so want him in the next book! I am kind of disappointed, we still haven't learned barely anything about Rob! Don't get me wrong, I love his character, there's just no foundation there. I feel like the books are getting darker with every new one, I kind of like that. All and all I loved it.
Profile Image for B..
2,364 reviews12 followers
October 30, 2017
This book blends seamlessly with book 3. If they were packaged together in an omnibus, you wouldn't be able to tell where one ended and the other began, it was that smooth of a transition. The series is still fun and quite enjoyable, and it was a nice, quick read. Takes maybe 45 minutes to read the whole thing, with interruptions. The plot was interesting and engaging, and the characters feel familiar, as though they are real people you could know, instead of fictional characters. Very well written YA series.
Profile Image for Kourtney .
347 reviews12 followers
December 31, 2021
Title: Sanctuary (Book 4)
Author: Jenny Carroll, Meg Cabot
Rating: 4/5
Genre: YA

This book is about Jess figuring out who killed a new neighbor of hers. Later her and Rob discover the people responsible are racist and they take their organization down trying to rescue a boy from her best friends church.

Why'dbI choose to read? Book 4 of series I'm reading

Favorite Part: When Jess tells the doctor who us supposed to operate on the racist organizations head who just happens to be the boy who was murdered dad. Sucks for him but the killer deserves it.

Recommend: Yes

Donate or Keep: Donate

Time spent reading: less than a day
Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews

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