Cover Image: Take Me With You When You Go

Take Me With You When You Go

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Member Reviews

Thank you to netgalley for providing an egalley fore review. David Levithan and Jennifer Niven know how to write soul wrenching stories and putting them together in "Take Me with You When You Go" promises for and ugly crying gut punching tale, and succeeds. Of course, this is told with characters that make you care about them and make you hate them, depending on the character. Family is sometimes who we choose, not who we are stuck with.

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✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I am not sure what drew me to this book initially to be honest. But thank you to @getunderlined @jaimerockstarbooktours and @netgalley for allowing me to read this ahead of publications and help promote it!

💜 What I liked:
This story was told between Ezra and Bea in email format after Bea has run away. For the first half of the book, I was riveted as the reasons why she left were slowly being revealed.

😱 What I didn’t like:
Unfortunately, the last half of the book had a pacing issue for me. There was a lot more musing and reflection and I caught myself being distracted. However, the ending was satisfactory.

🚦 My face at the end: 😊

💭 3 Reasons to Read:
1. Mysterious Premise
2. Sibling Lore
3. LGBTQ+ main character



🕧 Mini-Summary:
Bea runs away from home unexpectedly while Ezra is left to follow the bread crumbs to figure out why.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley and the publisher.

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I always love a good David Levithan book, and Take Me With You When You Go is no exception.

My heart bleeds for Bea and Ezra. As difficult as it can be to read about any kind of abuse, David and Jennifer did the characters justice. There are so many flaws, and the parents aren't perfect, because how many times in real life is this the actual case?

I love the support that Bea and Ezra find along the way. Franco and Irene are God sent. Their selflessness to help Bea is amazing. The fact they recognize that she needs help is huge.

The email Bea writes to her vice principal telling him that he needs to not be afraid to reach out and help kids who may need it. Just recognizing something is happening is not enough. This cements the fact that adults are not perfect. They may be well intentioned but they make mistakes. This is important for teens and young adults to see.

I wasn't sure about the email format of this book, with zero other context, but it was done very well. The narrative of the longer emails make you forget this is the character's recounting and not something more.

As hard as some of the book was to get through, it was a great book.

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Take Me With You When You Go is a deeply moving novel about a young girl who flees a house full of abuse, leaving her younger brother behind. Told through emails to each other and the other people in their lives, Ezra and Bea unveil a life full of neglect and abuse. Ezra learns to stand up for himself and Bea discovers things about her life that change everything. This novel deals very frankly with physical and emotional abuse and neglect from their mother and stepfather. Ezra and Bea are thankfully able to turn to people they trust to help them, although it is unfathomably difficult for them. David Levithan and Jennifer Niven have handled the situation between Bea and Ezra and their family with truth and honesty even though it hurt to read at times. This is an excellent book to open a dialog between teens and adults. Everyone should read it - it is well worth your time. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

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David Levithan and Jennifer Niven's new YA novel is Take Me With You When You Go.

Fifteen year old Ezra wakes up one morning to find that his almost eighteen year old sister is gone. Things are bad at their house - Darren is an abusive stepfather and their mother is no better, turning a blind eye. Bea and Ezra have talked about getting out, but how could she leave without him?
The authors have chosen to present the book using an epistolary method, which is one my favourite literary devices. The story unfolds through a series of emails between the siblings. Along with Ezra, the reader learns where Bea has run to, what she is looking for, and what the future might hold for her. And along with Bea, we worry at the escalating situation that Ezra finds himself in.

The missives between the two are hard to read at times. (There are trigger situations) But on the flipside the love between the two is tangible. The two main characters are well drawn and are believable. And sadly, the situations and emotions are also believable. The reader can't help but be behind these two as they try to find a safe place for themselves where they can thrive.

The supporting cast is just as well drawn. There are some wonderful characters such as Ezra's boyfriend, but you won't have any problem hating Darren.

The authors throw in some unexpected turns for Bea and Ezra that kept the story fresh for me. Endings are only perfect in fairy tales. And sadly, life for many young people is anything but. But the ending the authors imagined is just right. This is a story of sibling love, finding your own footing and making your own future.

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Happy Release day to Take Me With You When You Go by David Levitha  and Jannifer Nivan!
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Take Me With You When You Go follows Ezra and Bea's lives via email correspondence after Bea runs away from their abusive step-dad and mother while Ezra is left to deal with the aftermath.
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I had the pleasure of reading an eARC a couple of weeks ago and I flew through it! This book is written entirely in emails, which I actually loved. I found that I was able to read it faster then I would a normal prose book, and since it is emails the characters are sending each other, you really just see the exciting bits. Which is what I think allowed me to fly through it at the speed I did because I am not a fast reader. As for the actual story, it was just as amazing. I really loved both Ezra and Bea' characters. Seeing the hardships they have lived through was really heartwrenching, but their love for each other and the support of their friends was incredible. The mystery of why Bea ran away had me guessing and really pulled me into the book, but Ezra's emotional journey at home really got me emotionally invested in their story.

I am a big fan of Jennifer Niven, but I actually haven't read any of David Levithan's books before (I know, don't hate me!), now I'm thinking I definitely should!

CW: abuse, violence (including weapons), death (not on page)
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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Release Date: August 31, 2021
[Disclaimer: I recieved an eARC from Knopf Books for Young Readers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!]

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this book took me by surprise. when i started it, and for the first 100 pages, i was convinced it was going to be a 3 stars. it wasn't giving what i thought it would give, and i was kinda triggered by it but kept pushing.

but then, im not exactly sure when, i just got sucked into it. the story, the characters, the way it was going. i wanted to know the truth and wanted to know their next moves. i kept picturing bea and ez as callie and jude from the foster. i love the siblings dynamics in this book.

the ending left me wanting more, but at the same time i was satisfied with it.

had this not been in emails format, i don't think i would have finished it in a day.

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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book. The summary sounded interesting, but I’ve never read a book by Levithan or Levin before so I’m not sure if I like their writing styles. I was very excited to get to read this book early. Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ezra’s life is thrown for a spin one morning when it’s discovered that his sister Bea is gone. His parents can’t find any clues to where she went, but Ezra finds an email address hidden where only he would find it. The book takes place in these emails sent between these siblings as they deal with everything life wants to throw at them. Bea is chasing a figure from her past and Ezra finds his homelife unravelling in the wake of his sister’s disappearance.

One of the things that I actually really enjoyed this book was the format. This could be a decisive factor for other people though. It’s not written like most books. It’s written solely in emails sent between Ezra and Bea. I thought it was an interesting format and, after a few chapters to get used to it, I found that I actually quite enjoyed it. It allowed each character to have a good voice that was expressed in their writing.

I think that the characters were one of the best parts of this book. Even though you don’t really get descriptions of people or get to hear their actual voices, each person felt like a separate entity. Identities felt well-established and quite well-developed. Some of the people seemed a bit too understanding, but that could be because we didn’t get to see or hear a lot from them. We only really get to see them from Ezra and Bea’s points of view. I also really enjoyed the sibling bond between Bea and Ezra. It felt like one of the more authentic sibling relationships that I’ve read about. It’s messy and hard at times, but the two are close.

I did think that the book took a while to really pick up the pace. It just felt like it dragged a bit at the beginning. However, towards the end I was very invested in the story, and it made me quite emotional. So, you might have to plow through the story a bit, but I thought it was worth it for the rest of the story.

I was a bit disappointed by the end, but more because I thought this was a story that could really use an epilogue. The ending wasn’t bad necessarily, it just would have been nice to have some more at the end.

I would definitely recommend this book. I would caution that the format might not be to your taste, and it might drag for a bit. However, I think it’s well-worth the wait and the odd format.

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Intriguing and heartbreaking story of loss, identity and abuse. The story and characters are raw and honest. I really wanted to give this a higher rating because I did enjoy the story and I was invested in the characters. However, the style and format of this book kept me from really knowing the characters. I don't mind a few deviations from a traditional format, but the entire story told through emails kept me from truly connecting with the characters. Maybe the format was intentional to keep the reader at distance, but I felt it was distracting as a whole.

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When Ezra's sister, Bea, runs away from home he feels two things. First, he’s relieved that she was able to escape their horrible home life. At the same time, though, he finds himself feeling resentful that she got out but he’s been left behind. As he struggles to survive at home, she’s going through her own struggles far away. Good story told in the form of emails mostly back and forth between Ezra and Bea.

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CW: parental neglect, parental abandonment, physical abuse, domestic violence

I have always been an ardent fan of David Levithan's writing, with his books appearing on this blog plenty a time. However, I do believe that he does some of his best writing whenever he embarks on a journey with a fellow author, which had my curiosity piqued for this one. Although I know a few titles that Jennifer Niven has written, I hadn't read any of her work before this book, but I still wasn't about to pass up on the chance to see these two create a story together. I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed!

Take Me with You When You Go is entirely told in emails. It's a style of narration I absolutely adore, but also something that's not always easy to pull off. The tricky part is to tell a story, without making it seem too constructed. The language has to evoke feelings and reflect a way people would actually write personal emails instead of how you would write dialogue in a book. I think Take Me with You When You Go handled it well for the most part, although I sometimes wasn't as immersed in the longer messages as I would have liked to be.

It's easy to get invested in the fate of Bea and Ezra. Their bond is quickly established and you more or less fly through the pages, hoping they make it out alright on the other end. The situation they had to grow up in is never easy to come to terms with and you shouldn't have to, because there was nothing okay about it. And still, while reading, it never felt like it got too heavy or weighed me down too much, possibly because of the style of writing that was so easy to follow.

While reading, I feel like you might get frustrated with the siblings' behavior at times, but simultaneously, it all makes so much sense. Bea, especially, makes it hard at first, because her decisions seem selfish, but become more understandable the more you learn about her. The trauma they both endured made them clam up and build walls, no well-being person could simply climb over them. However, it was beautiful to watch them take charge of the situation and accept help, letting people in who were on their side. 

Something I credit the book highly for is that they put resources for people seeking help at the end of the novel (at least my copy). When dealing with such a real life issue, I appreciate the effort of not just discussing it through fiction, but also including ways to aid people who are actually suffering through these bad circumstances.

While I think many readers will believe that they know where Bea and Ezra's journey will take them, there are plenty of surprises along the way. This book comes without much fuss, but still manages to pack quite the message. I'd love to leave you with a quote (and also little lesson) that stayed with me after reading to end this review:

"It's wonderful, when someone sees you, the real you, but - and this may be the most profound thing I've ever thought or said - maybe the most important thing is seeing yourself."

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! A quiet but impacting book!

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After receiving a mysterious email, Bea sets off leaving her broken home and everything behind including her brother, Ezra. Shocked one day to find her sister gone, Ezra soon finds out through email that her sister had a reason to leave.

Their mom has turned a blind eye on them due to their stepfather who is abusive and doesn't care for the kids. Forced to keep their messages a secret, both siblings have to find a way to bring back together their lives now in two different places.

The story was told in emails between Bea and Ezra which I found to be interesting and a nice change. The powerful connection between the two siblings moved me to realize that they really cared for each other and had to look out for each other because they were all they had.

Overall, Take Me with You When You Go was such a special read about two siblings finding the lives they deserve. I was rooting for them from the beginning hoping that they would finally be happy and free. Definitely worth a read!

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This epistolary book is a series of emails between a brother and sister who are in an impossible situation. Bea, the elder sister, runs away from their abusive home, leaving Ezra alone and vulnerable. Through their emails we learn why Bea left, why she left Ezra, and what is happening in both their lives now. The book provides a window into the hearts of those who suffer abuse in a family, and those who escape that situation but their loved ones behind.

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As a fan of both Jennifer Niven and David Levithan, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book, and it definitely didn’t disappoint! Take Me With You When You Go is a heartbreaking story about a brother and sister torn apart by their horrible situation at home.

When younger brother Ezra wakes up to find his sister, Bea, has run away, he is left alone with his abusive and neglectful parents. His only lifeline to her is an email address that she left him. Much of the story is told through their emails back and forth, and through them, we learn about their pasts, the repercussions of Bea leaving, and also at the future they both hope for. There are many unexpected twists, making this a hard book to put down.

I absolutely loved this book and I will definitely be recommending it to my students.

A huge thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

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What I liked most about this book was the eye opening experiences of the characters. Most of us go about our daily lives not thinking of the harsh realities of others. The brother and sister were both compelling and sad at the same time. This was such a believable tale that it made me stop to appreciate my own relationship with my children.

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Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a DRC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

I liked this book. I wasn't amazed, over the moon in love with this book, but I did like it. I feel like with the hype that will come with this book and the name draw of the authors, that fact needed to be clarified.

Told in emails, this is the story of Bea and Ezra, two siblings who have grown up with their mother and stepfather in a hostile, cold, and emotionally abusive household. When the story begins, Ezra is writing Bea, wondering where she has gone and why she left him behind. All he can find is an email address for her, left in a spot only he would think to look. As he questions her leaving, and she explains what she is both running from and running towards, the story details how learning about their past just might be able to change their future.

Recommended for readers in grades 9 and up.

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I liked this book much more than I thought I would. The epistolary style kept the story moving— it was very well paced. This story did a wonderful job of dealing with a very tough topic. It felt realistic, which made it all the more heartbreaking. The juxtaposition of caring faces and healthy relationships in the midst of all the strife gave the story a bit of hope, which I think was very well done.

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Told in the format of emails between Bea and Ezra, this is a heartbreaking story of two siblings who have had enough of their abusive situation and how they come to terms with who they are and who their family really is. The representation in this book was good with Ezra being LGBT, and the development of both characters was great.

There were a few parts where I felt Ezra got the lousy end of the deal and Bea seemed a little unfeeling and selfish, and I wish Ezra had stood up for himself a bit more when it came to some of their interactions. Still, their growth and development was apparent throughout the novel and I can appreciate that Ezra is forgiving in a way his sister isn't. Enjoyable read, and one I'd recommend to others.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I love David Levithan, and think he is one of the most creative and unique authors in our modern world. I loved the format of the book - emails between (mostly) the two protagonists, and the story was compelling. I felt deeply for Ezra and Bea, and felt sad when the book ended. A must read for Levithan or YA fans!

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Eighteen-year-old Bea finally has age on her side - she can leave. Leaving her phone, most of her belongings, and her fifteen-year-old brother, Ezra, behind, Bea takes off - Vanished. Ezra knows she has to have left a clue, and he goes to his room to find his stash of money gone, but in its place is an email address. Bea has left a way for him to contact her and they correspond via email while the siblings share the details of why Bea left and what Ezra must do to keep going back home.
Epistolary in its design, the email correspondence makes it so you are never in the moment with any of the characters, but you only see their thoughts after the fact. This helps to polish the storyline a bit, but it is also hard for the reader to judge for themselves what is unfolding. Bea is fleeing abuse from her mother and stepfather, but why did she leave her brother to deal with the angry aftermath? The story does come together and the ending is hopeful. Most importantly, the story highlights acceptance and love between a family that has been torn apart.

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