* The book discussed in this post has been gifted by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
David Levithan…not a book goes by when i do not love your writing more and more. One of my favourite authors, i cannot help put pick up absolutely everything that David has published. More so, when he co-authors. I admittedly have never read a Jennifer Niven, and i think Take Me With You When You Go has pursuaded me to pick up her previous books.
Very kindly, Penguin gifted me a copy of this wonderful new YA, due for release in August this year. Which was lucky because i was about to press the pre-order button for my own copy. I knew i had to grab it as it was SOMETHING by David, and i'm so glad i picked it up as soon as it made it through my front door.
Take Me With You When You Go is the story of Bea and Ezra, siblings from a difficult home. Bea runs away at the ripe age of eighteen, in search for a better life and her real father. Ezra, only fifteen is left to pick up the pieces at home and to find his own way with nothing but a burner email address for his sister.
The entire story is told in emails, mainly between Bea and Ezra, with some other characters thrown in for good measure (i must admit, this keeps it quite entertaining and mixes it up a little bit). There seems to be an increase in books with unusual story-telling and i’m all here for it at the moment. The emails keep things interesting and definitely add a little bit of unknown knowledge for the reader.
There was one thing that i absolutely adored about this book and the thing that i cannot stop thinking about. THEY ARE SIBLINGS. Here is the book of my dreams that is co-authored and not a love story. Ezra is a young queer person with a boyfriend, and Bea has her own dating life. Both of these things are mentioned and the characters are involved in the story, however it does not set up the story at all, and would be equally as good without these relationships. Both authors wrote siblings incredibly i thought, they had a good dynamic of slightly dry but loving in the way that you have lived with someone for your entire life. I just cannot get over the fact that there is finally a book out there with a sibilng relationship that has been co-authored.
I love family orientated books, and this really did hit the spot quite well. I wish there had been some more nice family moments, however there is other books out there for me to consume that, i admit i know that is not where this story was going. There is enough mystery to keep you interested, and there were very few parts that had me rolling my eyes at dramatic family members. The writing actually for me was quite realistic and something i really enjoyed. Each character had a clear distinction in their voice, which made the story flow a lot easier. Even the side characters had very well defined voices.
I feel like i related to this book in a very different way than i expected to. I have always had a very strong view that if you don’t like your family, or are treated by them in a certain way, you don’t have to like them. And you especially should tell them when they have upset or wronged you. It feels like the highest level of respect for me to be able to approach your family and tell them what they’re doing is not okay. And i feel like i found a book that really talks about that notion in a positive way.
I’m so happy and grateful i had the chance to review Take Me With You When You Go and without a doubt i’d jump at the chance to read about Ezra and Bea all grown up in the future and living their lives to the full. Thank you again to Penguin for sending me a copy and when it is released on the 31st of August, i urge you to pick up a copy for yourself!
The Little Contemporary Corner 