I love a smart adventure book with a bit of supernatural and romance. I like books even better when amid the wild ride, something important is also being said. The cover grabbed my attention, but the narrative voice pulled me in. I cared. The use of language is truly masterful in capturing the thoughts of a teenager and richly describing the ghost-filled, Atlanta suburb that Jake lives in. I’m not surprised that this book so quickly reached bestseller status.
All that said, the material does cover some heavy subject matter. School shootings, racism, homophobia, child abuse, suicide, rape, bullying, and teen drug use. The main character makes some bad choices and the light consequences are not always believable. There is description of graphic violence. I still found it to be a worthwhile book, but just a heads up that it is not a light and fluffy tale.
In general I don’t want to get into writing reviews on this site. If a book is listed on The Purple Fantastic, I found it to be worth my time on some level. I listened to this book via Audible. The narrator could not have been better – truly as good as can be. But I wish I’d read it instead. I miss a lot of detail when I only listen. When I read the text on the page I have far better comprehension. The story movement felt very muddy for large swathes and I think it was because I’d somehow miss key bits. Jake’s inner monologue is all consuming – whether in the real world or in the altered reality and at times the story specifics felt lost in the undertow of Jake’s thoughts. There are a series of murders which in theory should be ramping up the story tension but I’m not even very clear on how many died and when they died in relation to Jake’s daily life. So instead of tension ramping up, I just felt confused at times. And the arrival of ancestors seemed out of left field… but maybe there was foreshadowing in the earlier text that I completely missed in the listening. So… complicated feelings on this one. The Taking of Jake Livingston has a great deal going for it. Gay black teen who can see ghosts, serial killer who might be sympathetic in light of circumstances leading up to the act… there is much to pull the reader in.
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An Instant New York Times Bestseller!
Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not a guarantee.
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can’t decide what’s worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he’s a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game—one Jake is not sure he can win.
The Purple Fantastic Steam Meter gives this a 3. With regard to sexy steam it would be a 2, Although there is reference to sexual activity, in this case I’ll give it a 3 due to the mature subject matter with regard to rape, mental illness, violence, suicide, racism, etc. Teens may find it a valuable read but it also might be a good book to discuss afterwards with your child if you are a parent. Lots of great material for thought. It is a serious book wrapped up in a ghost story.
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