Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven is a novel told entirely in emails.

Ezra Ahern wakes up one morning to find his older sister has left home. The only trace she leaves behind is an email address written down where she knows only he will find it. Ezra feels left behind. He doesn’t know how he will navigate life without his sister. Ezra is left to deal with their abusive stepfather and mother.

Bea wanted to get as far away from home as possible. When an email pops into her inbox, she has the perfect opportunity. Bea ends up in a new city all alone, hoping to meet the person who will change her life forever.

This novel tells a story of hope when it seems like the world is against you. It focuses on the importance of choosing and creating your own family.

I began reading this book last night and I could not stop until the last page. All along I kept on guessing the outcome of the plot, but every time I thought I knew what would happen, it didn't, and I was glad. I cannot write more about this book, but I can clearly say that it is a book that should be read.
Liked the format, and the added sources at the end.
Thank you NetGalley for sharing this advance copy.






#TakeMeWithYouWhenYouGo #NetGalley
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57851789-take-me-with-you-when-you-go

This is a PHENOMENAL book! Set for a publication date of August 31st, two of my favorite authors have collaborated on an awesome story about family, heartbreak, hope, and new beginnings.

Told in a series of email communications, Ezra finds out his older sister, Bea, has left the family, disappeared with no notice, but she reaches out to him shortly after. Through these emails the reader gets a glimpse of the horrors both Ezra and Bea had to live with, the reason why Bea left, and the lives they might get to live moving forward. There is an amazingly unsuspected twist in the reason why Bea left and what happens next will floor you! I can't express how much I loved this book!

Kudos to authors David Levithan and Jennifer Niven. If you haven't read any of their books yet-go find them!

Take me with you when you go is a heartfelt novel told entirely through emails between separated siblings.

This novel was the first I read on my eReader, as I was lucky enough to be given an arc by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has two incredible and strong main characters who know what they want, even when it feels like they'll never get it. They experience heartbreak, and you feel it with them.

As expected from these amazing authors, the writing is lyrical and incredibly poetic. The plot flows incredibly well and remains consistent throughout the whole novel.

Not just the amazing plot but queer representation too!

I highly recommend this novel to literally everyone.

This book is told through emails exchanged between teenage Ezra and his runaway sister Bea, When Bea runs away from home, she doesn't tell anyone where she's going and she leaves her phone at home. Luckily, she emails her brother, Ezra, so that they can stay in touch, even if she's cagey about the details about where she is. Through the emails, we learn that Bea left for a big reason: abuse at home: a neglectful mother and a physically abusive stepfather.

The emails back and forth beween brother and sister work well, but take some getting used to, I would have liked more of a resolution at the end though..

Told through emails exchanged between Ezra and his sister Bea, Take Me with You When You Go is a story about family and individual growth. When Ezra awakes one morning to discover that Bea is gone, he knows that she finally left their abusive home. Bea eventually contacts him through email, and the two proceed to work through some of their family issues together.

The email style is unique and the alternating points of view (and authors) works well. I liked the ways that Bea and Ezra work through their abuse, and that Ezra's sexuality isn't a main point of the book. I don't think that Bea's decisions send a good message to teens, and ultimately, that clouds my positive feelings about the book overall. Some of my students will really enjoy the St. Louis setting.

I was given this ARC by the publisher for an honest review via NetGalley.

::Trigger warning for this book, physical abuse, gaslighting, manipulation::

Bea runs away without telling anyone she’s leaving and leaving no way of contacting her, except a secret email address she leaves for her brother Ezra. Ezra doesn’t tell anyone he’s contacting his runaway sister, even though he’s friends with her friends. They start telling each other about what’s happening in their lives and working through their lifetime of abuse, neglect, and manipulation they experienced together.

This book was powerful, so sad, but so beautiful at the same time. I loved the format it was told in. You very much connected with the characters, and their story. I loved the representation, I loved the way they approached their story. I think this is a story that a lot of people can relate to, not just with the abuse and manipulation, emotional abuse, but the feelings of unwanted, neglect, being cast aside, feeling of burden. I loved the way the brother and sister empowered each other, encouraged each other. It’s definitely worth a read. Really liked this one 4/5 stars

I read this book in one sitting it had me so captivated. It was sad at times but ending with hope. It was sad what Bea and Ezra had to go through with their mother and step-father. I loved the way the book played out with emails between Bea and Ezra- you really go to know the characters, what they're thinking and what they've been through. Bea goes on a journey that doesn't end up being exactly what she wanted but in the end she is able to make the best of it. I love the bond between Bea and Ezra. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC.

Content warning: Child neglect and abuse

One day there's pandemonium in Ezra's household as his eighteen year old Bea has just run away. She's left her phone and most of her belongings. Ezra later finds out that she stole his money too but left him an email address. What follows is a series of emails, their one lifeline to the other, as Bea and Ezra attempt hang on to the only family they have: each other. While Bea tries to start a new life, Ezra, left behind by his sister, attempts to survive neglectful and abusive parents.

Honestly, I couldn't put this book down. I immediately got swept up into Bea and Ezra's life. I felt like I had insider information that no one else knew. That said some scenes were incredibly difficult for me to read (i.e. literally any scene with abuse in it). However, despite all the odds stacked against them, I was really rooting for Bea and Ezra. I hope that when you read this, you feel the same way too. If you can stomach some tough scenes, then I most definitely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Books written by Levithan and Niven are always soul touching and emotional. They dig deep and bring all of our insecurities to the surface but then makes us whole in the end.

A sister left her broken home without a trace while leaving her brother behind. A secret email address left for the siblings to communicate. Both brother and sister trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and trying to find that silver lining at the end. This made me feel as if my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest but I felt like an emotionless robot after reading a hundred and forty pages.

I was expecting a powerful punch packed with deep emotion and love but this just didn’t have it. I got bored very early on and it didn’t get better from there. There was no connection with any of the characters and the story seemed to drag on without going anywhere.

Take Me With You When You Go wasn’t the heartbreaking emotional read that I thought it was going to be. It really didn’t impress me and the characters were drab. I think younger readers will enjoy this but it just wasn’t for me.

I had many books on my to-be-read virtual stack, but I immediately started reading Take Me With You When You Go because of the good experiences I had had with David Levithan’s other books. He has a gift of writing for the YA audience while crafting a story that is also enjoyable for not-so-young adults. This was no exception.
Told through emails between a rebellious high school senior and her precocious younger brother, we follow their dysfunctional family story as Bea runs away from home two months shy of graduation and leaves Ezra to face the horror of their abusive mother and stepfather on his own. Fortunately he has a small but strong support system, including his boyfriend and the ex-boyfriend of his sister.
Through these back-and-forth messages we see each sibling fight for survival and come to realizations about themselves. The story is gripping, disturbing, and ultimately uplifting with several surprises along the way. My only criticism is the level of introspection and writing skill of high school freshman Ezra. I’m not really complaining though because emails by actual high school freshmen could hardly sustain a book.
David Levithan and Jennifer Niven are a great writing team who obviously understand what makes young people tick. This book addresses a serious issue and tells it with sensitivity and compassion. It is a wonderful addition to the genre of YA fiction and for anyone who cares about young people.

Loved, loved this book (told through emails) about Bea and her younger brother Ezra trying to function daily with an abusive stepdad and a mom who doesn’t seem to care about them. Bea has run away. Again. Ezra knows it’s for real this time because she’s taken the hidden money. Bea emails Ezra and tells him that she’s okay and that she’s been secretly emailing someone that doesn’t want to change her. Her mom has always made her feel as if she’s in the way, a loser, a failure and wonders is it because of her stepdad. Things get bad at home and Ezra leaves and moves in with Bea’s boyfriend’s family. Ezra and Bea email each other, and they grow closer. They know their sibling bond can’t be broken because they have always been there for each other.Then, a “crap bomb” is dropped on both Ezra and Bea and it changes everything. Will Bea and Ezra ever see each other again?

I like both authors Levithan and Niven and I thought this was a really good partnership of their two voices. Ezra and Bea are close siblings who ended up in a bad situation for a home/family life. After Bea has left, the only trace she left for Ezra was an email address. This story is told through emails which makes it a fast read and we find out about Bea and Ezra's past along the way. This is a hard read and I don't think ever teen out there will relate to it. But I think it is needed for us to see what it's like for some teens to search for the place they can call home.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

Take Me With You tells the story of two siblings who have not had an easy life. One morning Ezra wakes up to find that his older sister Bea has left without a trace. Through a series of emails the reader learns about where Bea has gone, what is happening to Ezra in the wake of his sister’s disappearance, and their assorted past. Without any spoilers, through the kindness of strangers, Bea and Ezra must stick together while deciding what home means to them. The email format makes the story easy to read. Levithan and Niven are masterful at creating intrigue and unfolding a story that leaves the reader wanting more.

Take Me With You When You Go is told entirely through emails. Most of the emails are between two siblings, Ezra and Bea. Bea has run away from home to escape their abusive stepfather, and the only contact info she left behind was a secret email as a way for Ezra to contact her. Throughout the story, secrets are revealed and both siblings learn about themselves and their desires for the future.

I was completely compelled by both Ezra and Bea’s stories. They were devastating and harsh but also hopeful. I also really liked the email based format. It kept the story moving quickly and I didn’t want to put it down. They both had unique voices (unsurprising, since the book was cowritten by two authors).

I’ve always loved Levithan’s books but usually don’t like the ones he cowrites as much. In this case, though, I felt the partnership between Levithan and Niven led to an excellent story that was well written and moving.

So hard to imagine such a terrible childhood and rotten parents. Even though it didn’t happen to me I know it’s out there. Broken kids like Bea and Ezra. Very touching relationship between this brother and sister. Very believable story. Such great lessons here. I will encourage this read with everyone - all ages, all genders. Well done.

“Why didn’t I understand how broken my frame of reference was..?” asks Ezra as he realizes his life at home isn’t typical or safe. As someone who underwent similar experiences as Bea and Ezra, I found this story grippingly real. The situations, emotions, and dialog were all similar. There were a few points where the epistolatory style slowed the story. But as a whole, your heart will ache to hear the story of these 2 siblings as they try to survive and grow beyond their abuse.

It's important to understand that I may or may not be a robot. There were so many places, reading this, where I thought: Ah, this should be impactful, what an emotional scene, how sad and lonely our poor, fluttering hearts...but I actually felt...nothing. So, hopefully it's just me.

When popular YA authors David Levithan and Jennifer Niven team up for a book, we expect real, multi-dimensional characters who face their issues head-on with lots of emotion and feelings. Take Me With You When You Go does not disappoint. Ezra wakes up one morning to find his sister, Bea, gone. Their home life with their mom and step-dad left a lot to be desired, so Bea’s disappearance was not entirely surprising, but her complete silence is — until she emails. Take Me With You When You Go then follows Bea and Ezra through their correspondence as we learn more about their family and their relationships. This is an excellent book for readers looking for YA contemporary themes of LGBTQ+, runaways, race, and family issues, and fans of Levithan and Niven will not be let down.

This epistolary novel is built on the correspondence of Ezra and Bea, two siblings trying to free themselves from an abusive childhood and refusing to remain there into adulthood. I hope everyone reads it and learns from it. If you’re in a similar situation draw strength from it and if you’re a witness, reach out to help.