Take Me With You is a sci-fi tinged thriller of four seemingly unrelated kids who get stuck basically babysitting a mysterious device. They can't figure out where it came from or for what reason and it gets increasingly threatening whenever the kids ask too many questions or make attempts to get rid of it. They're forced to befriend each other and work together while they try to figure out what's going on and how to stop it.

I'm really sad to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. The concept is really fun and interesting and I was excited to see where it went. There was a subplot early on about a racist classmate of theirs and white supremacists that were starting to terrorize their neighborhood. It seemed to me that the events were all related and I was hoping for a well thought out solution that tied things in to the way lingering white supremacy in this country has been brought to the public eye in recent years. Instead, this subplot was 'resolved' through a halfhearted apology from the xenophobic kid and one community rally. I was disappointed, I can't even pretend otherwise. It just felt like a lazy way to include racist and xenophobic issues of the day to be woke and relevant, without giving it the treatment it deserves.

As for what was really behind the device, it was an entirely different thing that I won't get into details because of spoilers. What I will say is that it felt underdeveloped and rushed. The kids finding out what was really behind it and it being destroyed all happens in one short chapter, without very much build up. Sure, there's things here and there that might be counted as clues, but the clues are really more as to how they all get together, not what's behind the device and how. I wish more time had been put into it, so we could have had the resolution we deserved as readers, instead of rushing through it.

I'm still giving it three stars, because I do think the concept was interesting and I enjoyed a lot of the characters. However, I wish the execution of the second half - or hell, even the final third!- of the book had been more thought out.

Before the school messaging app summons them all to an empty classroom after school, they barely know each other.

Eden is struggling with anxiety while she grieves her father. Her mother tries to be there, be present, but Eden still feels alone with all of these fears and even scarier feelings.

Marwan has two priorities: excelling enough in soccer to get a college scholarship and getting out of Queens. His immigrant parents don't understand either and would prefer Marwan channel his energy into working at the family's Persian restaurant that he will one day inherit.

Eli loves all things tech and gaming. But it's hard to focus on either while his grandfather is dying a slow death in a nursing home and Eli feels like even more of an afterthought in his own family.

Ilanka has always prided herself on keeping other people at a distance--the better to plan an exit strategy from her claustrophobic family, the rhythmic gymnastics she isn't sure she cares about, and ignore the fact that her "best" friend isn't much of a friend at all.

None of them know why they're summoned to the classroom. They don't even notice the device at first.

Until it lights up and starts telling them the rules: Don't tell anyone about the device. Never leave the device unattended. No one leaves.

Later, there will be other rules, a few mistakes, and a lot of questions but first they're told to take the device with them. Brought together by a mysterious device Eden, Marwan, Eli, and Ilanka will have to work together to uncover answers or suffer the consequences in Take Me With You (2020) by Tara Altebrando.

Altebrando's latest standalone thriller is a dynamo alternating between multiple points of view with tension you can cut with a knife.

This character-driven thriller has an intense plot situated perfectly between suspense and speculative fiction. At the same time, while answering questions about the device motivates all four characters, the story's ultimate focus is on the unlikely connection formed between themin the most unlikely of circumstances.

Take Me With You is a tense, thoughtful thriller with a perfectly executed denouement; the eerily possibly thriller you've been waiting for. Highly recommended.

Possible Pairings: The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock, Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler, One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, All Our Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban, Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

This is my third book by this author, and I've enjoyed every one of them.

Several reviewers mentioned they were under the impression this was more of a mystery/thriller, but it's absolutely a sci-fi/thriller - totally my kind of book.  I flew through it in two days.  These four, very relatable teen characters have distinctive personalities, and each is coping with their own complicated problems.  They come from diverse backgrounds and situations, so why they're thrown together is a mystery to them.  The way they learn in such a short time to depend on each other and offer support was a strong point for me.    

And the device!  It's multi-faceted, and over the course of the story is mysterious, helpful, intrusive, and insidious.  I can't say much more without giving away spoilers, but my need to know what was going on made it a struggle to close this book.  Although the reveal is satisfying and even jarring, I did feel as if the problems the characters faced in their personal lives were wrapped up with a pretty large bow at the end, but I seem to be in the minority on that opinion.

This is a completely engaging read with unnerving sci-fi aspects and one I recommend.  I'll be looking for more books by this author in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I was really anticipating this book after reading the author's other book "The Leaving." I went into this book with really high hopes. Some of those hopes were met, others were not. I will start out by saying this was a good book overall, and I do recommend reading it if you are into young adult sci-fi/thrillers.

The writing style of this book really worked for me, and for the story. It was really easy to read and interpret which is really important when talking about artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a really complex topic, and being able to read it in an understandable way helped because I am not a tech savvy person. The sentences were short, and kind of choppy which I believe was done on purpose to make it seem more robotic. Because the sentences were short and easy to read, I think it made it very fast paced and helped the story to pick up right away.

The story is told from four different perspectives. We hear from Emma, Marwan, Eli, and Ilanka. I do think the characters were rather one dimensional/stereotypical. While each character had different personality traits, they also each had one specific problem they were facing (other than the device). The problems they faced were relatable, and did help me connect to the characters better. They really grew on me. I did like all four characters despite them not being very multifaceted.

This book is definitely creepy, and thrilling. As a society we are not far from the technology displayed in the book. This really gave the book the benefit of feeling more real. While I do have some other things to say about this book, I will refrain because I don't want to give spoilers. Like I mentioned before this is worth the read, and I will be looking forward to Tara Altebrando's next novel!

As someone who is not the target audience for this novel, please take my review and thoughts lightly. This book could have been excellent; the ideas were there and the potential was endless. Unfortunately, this story only skimmed the surface of those ideas, and I was really disappointed that we didn't receive the closure expected from this type of book. Overall, just not for me.

Take Me With You is a thrilling book about four teens from four totally different backgrounds brought together by a odd message to meet in the band room after school to meet with the band teacher. That is when the fun begins, the band teacher was not there but there was a funny little black box on the teachers desk and when they go to leave the box asks to be taken with them or else. No one knew what or else was than the fire alarm goes off and the box demands to be taken with them so they do and the teens lives will never be the same again.

This book started a bit slow to ease you into the characters, but than it speeds up very quickly and hooks you in with all the psychological play. The characters are well constructed and perfect for their parts. It is a fast paced, suspenseful and intriguing book that will suck in every reader, reluctant and all ages.

This will appear on my blog on 26 of June 2020.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right away we notice the diversity in this book which is great. We have 4 main characters, one of which is from an Egyptian family, another is from a Russian family. I did find that there were some stereotypes in this book (the middle eastern family owns a restaurant and the Russian family is up to some illegal activity). I will let you decide if that bothers you.

It was intriguing trying to figure out what the device wanted. At first I had one idea in place but then realized do to events the device caused that it was most certainly not what I had first thought. In the end I was a little disappointed with the outcome, and it felt like it wasn't really explained well enough. We did get some detail, but I would have liked it if things were made a little more clear.

As for the characters I sympathized most Ilanka, and least with Eli. I'm not sure if Eli was supposed to be an antagonist or not, but honestly I didn't like him much. He reacts so differently to the device than most people would, and those in the book do it makes it hard to connect with him. Overall I'd say with the exception of Eli, all of the characters developed.

The overall plot was interesting, but I felt it could have been more . I found it more frustrating at times rather than tense. I wish more tension was built up and things felt more immediate. It was weird to me how unconcerned the characters felt at times about exposing their data to the device, or how they didn't think it could penetrate other devices in the home (alexa) after what they had seen it do. It just didn't make sense to me. If they were all really afraid of it they wouldn't have taken any chances.

To me this book reads as a "what not to do" with technology. All technology, not just the device. How vulnerable we are when we allow things to listen to us all the time. I liked the premise of the book and did enjoy reading it but I think it missed the mark for a homerun.

I didn't expect what this mysterious story turned out to be.

The story takes place in a high school in Astoria, where four students are summoned to the band teacher's room after school. They arrive and find no teacher, but instead, they find a mysterious box that dictates their next steps--literally. They have to leave the building because the fire alarm goes off, and the device tells them, "Take Me With You."

The rest of the story follows the group, from alternating close third-person perspectives, much like the structure of Karen McManus's "One of Us is Lying," over the course of the next week.

Each character, while trying to navigate the strict rules the device creates, is also coping with an aspect of their own life (Eden with the loss of her father, Marwan with xenophobia, Eli with his grandfather's illness, and Ilanka's clash with her parents about her activities and her dad's business). They aren't friends when it begins, but things change as the rules of the game do.

In the beginning, I was confused. Things happened so quickly, and I hadn't really gotten to know anything about the characters. Then, about midway through, the character development came, and I read pretty quickly, much more invested. The ending, without spoilers, was a bit confusing for me as someone who has no really deep technological background.

I also think that this novel wasn't fully sure of what it wanted to be. It name-dropped a ton of modern technology, apps, pop culture, but then also referenced things like "Men in Black" and "Ocean's 11," and I'm not sure about the dissonance there.

I do think that my students would like this kind of sci-fi/technological thriller given some of the other popular stories that are out there, so I would recommend it to them, but for me it was just ok overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children's for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will post reviews publicly when we are one month out from publication.

"Eden, Eli, Marwan, and Ilanka barely know each other beyond having a class or two together. But when they are all summoned via messaging app to an empty classroom after school, they find a small cube sitting on a desk. Its sides light up with rules for them:

Do not tell anyone about the device. Never leave the device unattended.
And then, Take me with you . . . or else."

I was really interested in the premise of this book! And it seemed like the lighter-quick read I was looking for, but unfortunately it fell pretty flat for me. The world and characters weren't very built or well rounded so I wasn't invested in anyone, definitely takes away a lot from a story for me personally. But the plot was good and paced well enough to complete it! Overall, I have it 3/5 stars.

Amazing book!!!! Super enjoyable with amazing writing. I enjoyed the story very much and wish I wouldn’t have devoured in one sitting. Must read!

Impressive science fiction for author whom I think of as excelling at realistic fiction. Altebrando’s ability to capture teen characters without making them boring and repetitious actually helps teadrrs engage in some of the more impossible elements of the plot.

A decent sci fi thriller for YA. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more about the background/origin of the device - that part felt very rushed. I was also disappointed in the resolution of Christos. Overall, it was a fine book, but not something I will be reading again.

Confession time: I'm an adult. And I've been an adult for some time now (I'm 21). For an adult, I read an above-average amount of YA fiction. Sometimes, I think to myself: this is weird, right? Reading this much YA? Most of the time, I'm able to convince myself that no, there's a lot of great YA out there for all ages to enjoy. But other times? Well, books like this one make me reconsider my hypothesis.

Simply put: for me, a twenty-something, this book was torture. The characters made no sense. The plot was completely flimsy. The dialogue was stilted, and the general "message" of the novel was so shallow that I felt like I was watching a late-season Black Mirror episode. I found myself wondering: is this a published book, or a sermon about the ~ daNgeRs of PhOne ~ given by an over-eager youth pastor?

Look - I try to be thorough in these reviews and give the plot, characters, and structure the thoughtfulness I feel it deserved. And this book? This book really doesn't deserve my time. I couldn't tell you a single thing about what happened, or why it mattered. This is a book with a 2.96 average rating on Goodreads - and upon reading even a fraction of it, I'm sure you'll understand why.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for the eARC. I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review. This combination Sci-Fi/Horror novel comes out on June 23, 2020.

The premise? Four high school students who hardly know each other are summoned into a classroom where a small electronic cube is waiting for them. It gives them a few simple rules: do not tell anyone about the device, never leave the device unattended, take me with you...or else.

This book was my first foray into the combination of Science Fiction and Horror. I’m not normally a big fan of Mystery/Thriller/Horror novels, but this combination is really doing it for me. While I did feel like this story fell a little flat, I’m now pumped to see what other books I can find with this genre pairing.

This book is compulsively readable. I binge read the last roughly 75% in one afternoon. I was planning on taking several days to read this, but I didn’t want to stop. I had to know what was going on with this AI. And that’s also why I felt this book fell a little flat for me. I felt like the book was open ended and it made me feel a little cheated for getting so invested. In the end, I had questions that I felt like should have been answered.

I did feel like the world and the characters were well rounded. It didn’t seem like the only thing going on in their lives was this device. It was also nice to see how their reactions to each other developed as the device got weirder and weirder. I just needed a little more at the end (I should do a shot every time I think a book “needs more” I swear) to explain it in a believable way instead of leaving me with questions. Still a solid and fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury imprint for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of Take Me With You was incredibly intriguing. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I needed to get my hands on this book. The story was quick and entertaining, although I felt the ending was lack-luster. I felt like there was so much build up, I would've liked a little more of an exciting ending and answers to some questions I had throughout the book. That being said, it was an entertaining YA thriller. I recommend this book if you love technology-based thrillers.

When it came to this story, I couldn't quite make up my mind. Why? Because, I read through all of this, freaked out by the cube that somehow heard all, and read all. There was so much here to love, and be spooked by. But, as I kept reading I was hoping for a few answers, something to make the craziness a little more reasonable. Yet, those moments didn't seem to come.

At times, that can be a great way to continue a story, because the reader wants to keep going, to find out what it all means. Even so, when none of that seems to arrive, with continued questions 'til the end, and no answers, it leaves one wondering why it was worth the effort. That's not to put the story down, because throughout all of it, I was invested in the characters' stories, in what Aizel really was.

I wanted more of the mysterious cube, thinking that there was going to be something more sinister connected to it, maybe even a secret organization surrounding it. It wasn't any of that. Yes, there was a little more creepiness in that final room, but the outcome left me scratching my head. I really needed more than what was on those last pages. Even, if it was in a well-designed cliffhanger. I'd rather that, and a second part, than what those last chapters held.

***I received this copy from Bloomsbury YA, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

The concept of this book grabbed me immediately. I was ready for a twisty thrill-ride and I got that. However, I was left a bit disappointed because of the sci-fi twist to the book. The blurb didn't indicate there would be sci-fi elements at play, and I was hoping for a more grounded, logical explanation to the mystery. On top of which, I found the reveal lacking and also slightly confusing.

I liked the distinctive characters and they felt like authentic teens, which was refreshing because sometimes in YA the voices can seem too adult. And the mystery of the cube device also created some creepy and unsettling scenes. And the writing style was very readable and I kept wanting to continue to find out what happened next. However, oddly, I didn't feel a great sense of urgency tied to the mystery of the cube.

Ultimately, I felt disappointed by the ending and the resolution to the mystery. I still have questions, while at the same time I feel let down by the answers I did get. I also didn't entirely understand why the kids were obeying the cube at the beginning of the book, because there didn't seem to be any huge negative effects for not listening to it.

Overall, it felt like a cool concept that didn't get entirely developed before getting put on the page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury imprint for allowing this advanced read in exchange for an honest review.

We've all been told that social media collects our information.
But using it against us?

...that will never happen.
Will it?

Eden, Eli, Marwan, and Ilanka didn't think so, until IT (THEY) ... .does just that to them.
Follow their journey as a device has them follow it's every want and whim.

They weren't supposed to tell anyone about this device, but you should. It is quite an eventful read.
If nothing else, it will make you think about personal technology and how it opens us up to the world.

Four students Eden, Marwan, Eli, and Ilanka who are seemingly unconnected are summoned to the band room one afternoon. Waiting for them is a mysterious cube that comes with a set of strange instructions. On top of following the strange demands of the device, each teen is dealing with difficult situations in their personal lives.

I was generally intrigued by the premise of this book. In today’s society, we are all engrossed by technology and social media. This book explores what happens when technology becomes engrossed in us. I also liked that the ‘thriller’ aspect of this book did not take place in a vacuum as some others tend to do. All of the characters were dealing with real issues in their home lives that made dealing with the mysterious cube more complex.

With that being said, I think that this book does not completely fit the thriller genre. The chapters were short which made the book feel fast-paced but I never felt that “edge of your seat” feeling. The mystery, if you can call it that, surrounding the cube felt more like a Sci-Fi novel than a mystery/thriller. In fact, the mystery surrounding the cube had a lackluster resolution that left me feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.

Over-all, this book felt like a middle of the road YA-Thriller but a pretty decent YA Sci-Fi novel.

Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for letting me read an ARC of TAKE ME WITH YOU! It was an enjoyable read and a fun way to pass sometime in quarantine. I felt like there were several threads that never seemed to go anywhere and it made it a bit difficult for me to fully sink into the world. That said, I loved the premise and an admitted Luddite, the concept was terrifying real!