Another book from the absolutely talented #JamieBeck. What can I say? She’s truly amazing at writing strong femal characters. I’m so excited that this book was chosen as part of the annual @BookSparks Fall Reading Challenge, as she is so deserving!

Many thanks, Jamie Beck, for the honor to read an early copy of #TakeItfromMe to review for my honest opinion!

I enjoyed this, although it wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought it would be a rom com but it was more of a story of friendship between two women. Enjoyable for sure but just not what o expected.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide me review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

First I have to say thank you for the opportunity to read it. I was very excited to start this one and see where it took me. With that being said, after the first seven chapters I had to put it down and walk away. Literally nothing happened. Wendy was so boring and needing reassurance from everyone she came across. Harper is just using Wendy to create a story. Lord. I was dying for something to actually happen and maybe I could have stuck it out a little more if the characters actually did something but most of their conversations were centered around gossip about other people. Oof. I’m sorry, this one was hard for me though and I couldn’t read the rest.

2.5 Stars (outliner opinion)
One Liner: Oh, well!

Wendy Moore’s kleptomania bubbles up when she struggles to deal with the latest changes in her life. Her next-door neighbor Pam leaves, and Wendy’s son, Billy, goes to college. The empty-nest syndrome makes it hard for her to keep her issues under control. Even gardening and refurnishing furniture help only to an extent.
Harper is a writer who has seen success but is currently on the edge, with her latest book being a flop. The agent and publisher want her to try something different and more in line with what the public wants. Moving to the suburbs is not something she prefers, but if it helps revive her career, why not?
As Wendy and Harper become friends, things get complicated. Their secrets come to light, and the women need to decide what they really want from their lives.
The story comes in the first-person POV of Wendy and Harper in alternative chapters.

My Thoughts:
The Goodreads blurb calls it a ‘humorous and heartwarming novel’. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the urge to even chuckle or smile, let alone laugh.
While Wendy and Harper are sketched to be on the opposite sides of the spectrum, neither is likable. The first-person narration makes it even worse. I was annoyed by their voices even before I hit 30%.
Also, the voices became less distinctive as the story progressed. By halfway through, I got confused between the POVs each time Harper and Wendy had a discussion, even though the chapter head clearly mentioned it. Additionally, the chapters are way too long (and slow).
The themes are great and deal with mental illness, loneliness, family issues, etc. But the way they are handled doesn’t make the story appealing or emotional. Moreover, I’m not a fan of extreme opinions on either side (patriarchy vs. feminism). And don’t ‘tell’ me you are a progressive woman and harp on it from the very first chapter. ‘Show’ it to me. I see enough of these arguments on social media. I don’t need long dialogues and rants in books.
The characters are stereotypical, which makes them more caricatures than real. How one shows a progressive woman is important. Make her feel relatable despite her flaws. Here, Harper has been created for readers to dislike her. She used feminism as a defense mechanism and grated my nerves with her judgmental attitude and hypocrisy. Wendy wasn’t great, but Harper was made to sound so annoying! Not fair in a way, but I have seen such people, so they do exist.
The writing isn’t great either. It feels clunky and choppy. It's easy to zone out. I finished it because I wanted to see what would happen at the end.
There’s a bit of romance, too, if we can call it that. Nate, by all means, should be the ideal book boyfriend. However, I couldn’t care less. Nate’s character was unable to make much impact. Joe fared better, though he isn’t that impactful either. In short, none of the characters have a strong presence.
Of course, the book does have a few redeeming features. It presents a writer’s situation, uncertainty, dilemma, and vulnerability well. Those few scenes were good and relatable. I wish the book focused more on the ‘writer’ part rather than the other aspects. The actual writing process (which one method Harper preferred) could have been used in detail. We don’t get to see her write anything, as such. We only get the updates.
There’s no denying the character development towards the end. But getting there was laborious and long-winded, filled with loads of internal dialogue. I lost all interest by then.

To summarize, Take It From Me is supposed to have been a heartwarming novel about two different women helping each other grow. Sadly, it didn’t work for me. Do check the other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Jamie Beck for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Take It From Me is about an older women with write's block and a new neighbor she becomes friends with and uses as inspiration for her new novel. However, the neighbor also has a secret.

This book was very slow and hard for me to connect with. The chapters are long, the characters are hard to connect with, and it took a long time to get the plot going. Overall, not a book for me, but others have loved it.

What a wild ride! Two women meet and become fast friends. The only problem is both have an ulterior motive. The most interesting and engaging thing about this one was the dual POVs. Seeing the same story told from each woman's perspective was interesting and truly fascinating to see how entirely different two people can see the very same situation. This was a truly interesting and engaging read until the very end. Great read for anyone looking for a great woman's fiction/friendship novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Jamie Beck, NetGalley, and Montlake. ❤️

Everyone is familiar with a woman like Wendy who is rigid, a little bit obsessive-compulsive, and the epitome of perfection. And many of us, who are sardonic, fed up with the patriarchy, and satisfied in a messy bun and sweats, have a little piece of Harper inside of us.

First time read by Jamie Beck and I was not disappointed. Secrets between 2 new friends and I am all in. Each chapter starts with Wendy or Harper. What secrets are they hiding and how can Harper use this information to get out of her writing slump and produce her next best seller. Read on to get the answers. and see if Wendy and Harper can remain friends after exposing their secrets.

You've got to cheer for a character who's facing problems that you might never face, yet you can still identify with her completely. The author did a great job of making a serious yet relatable/accessible problem (kleptomania) the basis for a really interesting read.

I found this really engaging and easy to get into. It would have been an easy book to binge in a day. I really liked the contrast between Wendy and Harper and the exploration of Wendy's illness and the lasting trauma of her mother's. It felt very real to see her in denial and justifying hiding it. The way stigma and it's internalizing was portrayed was excellent.

My only issue was that I couldn't buy that both Wendy and Harper so easily took each other's advice and changed their lives. I also felt that things resolved too easily. I wanted to see more of Joe and Wendy's journey. That said, I enjoyed the journey we did get.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake, and Jamie Beck for an ARC of this book.

A beautifully written story about two women battling their own inner demons. When Harper moves next door to Wendy the two are unlikely friends. Both with an ulterior motive to befriend each other; the women become fast friends. Their secrets can’t stay hidden forever and threaten to break up their relationships and their friendship.

This book had me captivated from the beginning; and the last paragraph solidified the five star rating.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Friendship finds you when you least expect it. Sometimes those friendships feel more like family. Solid book by Beck.

A women's fiction story about an older woman with writer's block and the neighbor she befriends and uses as inspiration for her next novel. I loved the kleptomania/mental health focus of this story but felt it dragged a bit. The cover gave me ALL the Fall vibes I wanted loved it!

Triggering topics that are handled well and a genuinely interesting plot. Dual viewpoints was a plus for me as I love to read from multiple perspectives. Well rounded characters and enjoyable writing style. Would read again!

Another great read from Jamie Beck. These characters truly came to life during the book, and the storyline that the author gives us is amazing and easy to follow.

The author shows us that friendship can come when you're not looking, and happens when you least expect it.
We get to see both of these characters grow throughout the pages and I truly enjoyed the powerful words that the author uses.

I wanted to love this book but I found it a little triggering - not the novels fault. I came back to it a few times and every time I did it was good for a while. Not for me but by no means is it a bad book.

This was my first book by Jamie, and I will definitely do a deep dive into her backlist! I love books with an MC that is an author, especially with the small town element!

The duel POV was a bonus for me, especially in moments of discourse. I love seeing a singular situation through both characters eyes.

Harper was frustratingly realistic at times. I loved to see her growth by the end of the book, she was a well developed and fleshed out character.

Wendy’s mental health struggles were triggered by her stressors in her life, and I think that is something that so many readers will be able to relate to.

Overall, I think this was a well paced, fun read! Four stars from me.

After a slow start, this book really got me thinking. It’s such a vivid portrayal of how people behave when they’re living with wounds from the past. This makes it both a great read AND really hard to get deeply involved with. The story is built around two characters, one of whom is flat-out unlikeable, while the other is so wish-washy it’s hard to know who she is. I wish the author had done more showing rather than telling about the ways each character’s pasts hurts determine their reactions to other people in the story. There’s a bit too much repetition of the same inner dialogue over and over again as we switch POVs. But as the story went on I realized that this is sometimes what it’s like to live with emotional/relational pain - the same thoughts playing over and over in your head in every situation. So perhaps that was realism, rather than a writing flaw.

The plot of this book was really fantastic and I appreciated the secondary characters and the way small details are woven throughout, adding texture and depth. By the end of the story, I was fully immersed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I had to DNF this book as I was not enjoying it! I wish I had of liked it more!

I think this book had great potential, maybe I'll pick it back up in the future, but for now I had to DNF.