Yours For the Taking by Gabrielle Korn had an interesting premise of a dystopian society. The idea was that a city would be built inside and above the existing city. However, this city's inhabitants would be handpicked and be female only.
I couldn't get into this story. It seemed like it took every political touchpoint and tried to ram it down your throat. It seemed like it was more about promoting a statement than telling the story. I get that it was trying to make awareness of political issues but you can get your point across by telling a story conhesively like Margaret Atwood or Tochi Onyebucht. This seemed like the story was an afterthought to the politics of toxic masculinity, climate change, corruption in power, and all the other touchpoints it hits on. I couldn't really focus on what the plot of the story was. Perhaps you will get more out of this than me, I couldn't find the story for all the lessons it was trying to teach me in the first couple chapters. I think it would have worked better if it was focused on telling the story and making that story show you the message, instead of beating you with a message and then throwing a story in with it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

A dystopian, sci-fi world in which climate change has ravaged earth? Sign me up every time. The idea of “Insides” was such a cool concept, and one being run by a woman’s power extremist was even more intriguing. The idea of solving the world’s problems be removing men was interesting and I was so invested in how the world turned out. This book really captured my attention and I loved each of the characters. Being done with multiple POVs really helped the story flow and get a better understanding of each person’s beliefs. I think the overall story was great: unique concept, good world-building, complex characters.

The notion of gender being a coin of good and bad - and how problematic that line of thought is - was touched on, but not to the extent I wish it was. I also thought some of the pacing at the end felt rushed. Like some of the characters came to certain solutions really fast, and the conflict seemed to resolve quickly. I wanted that to be fleshed out more. I don’t mind an ambiguous ending either, but it’s not my favorite. I’ll still be recommending this book to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi dystopians.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an eARC of this book. Opinions are my own and freely given.

In the sapphic sci-fi book Yours for the Taking set in the near future, climate change and capitalism are killing the world. Inside, the solution created to save as many people as possible, turns out to be nowhere near the feminist utopia it set out to be.

It's extreme feminism gone wrong, a white cis woman thinking she can create a society built on equality by eliminating men. However, Inside can't avoid reproducing power hierarchies, only now it's CIS women who're at the top instead of men, and scientists are constantly watching to make sure everyone adheres to the rules that reinforce this.
One of the most fascinating things is that this isn't necessarily done intentionally - just about everyone has good intentions but that turns out to cause a big blind spot when things turn from "theoretically ideal" to something quite different.

Yours for the Taking is a really interesting and thought-provoking read. It deals with issues of gender, power, (in)equality, eugenics, free choice, reproductive rights, surveillance, capitalism, climate change, and feminism, and it'll have you thinking about it long after you've finished reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Yours for the Taking is out December 5.

I love dystopian literature and this one didn't disappoint. The characters were lovable, enjoyable and engaging. The adventure was quite epic. I recommend, great job Gabrielle...


Thank you NetGalley and St martin's Press.

What I was promised: Post Apocalyptic Dystopia with queer themes
What I got: hit over the head with buzzwords with none of the subtlety required to get me to actually think about the ideas presented

The opening is really bad from a technical standpoint. It follows Ava and her realization that her girlfriend isn't going to be able to follow her into the climate change resistant Inside. That's the main conflict of her storyline (one of three), but the novel opens with everything but the main conflict. Instead, before you have a reason to care about this character or even the story as a whole you have to slog through boring prose of how Ava is a teacher, how she acts differently around her students, an entire flashback dedicated to her and Orchid's meetcute, a really brief and uninspired sex scene, the description of their apartment together and how Orchid is a construction worker, AND THEN FINALLY the inciting incident for the character. To make matters worse, the inciting incident just happens and the explanation for what it is and why you, the reader, should care comes after. And then it's immediately dropped to swap to more exposition.

I always feel bad receiving an ARC for a book and then thinking it belongs in the trash, but this novel reads like a second draft. I stuck with it to the 20% mark but by then there were two more point of view characters with chapters that didn't make me care about them either and still no real explanation on what Inside was like. I got bored.

Back to the buzzwords. I could only get myself through the first 20%, but there are way too many ideas presented. The pacing is awful, and the sheer number of complex issues this book attempts to address leaves none of them with enough time to feel meaningful. There's the climate issues, with the Inside and the product line Renewables, to queer relationships, to being trans/nonbinary/poc in spaces where that isn't the norm and how that relates to cooperate offices and spaces, to how much power people with a lot of money have and the consequences of that for everyone else. It's definitely a lot, especially in the opening three chapters (which I repeat are three chapters of exposition because each one follows a different character) and definitely led me feeling overwhelmed.

I'll also critique the Men's Rights protesters the book wants you to believe are bad. It didn't give a reason why? I was pretty confused, all the characters regarded them as scum of the earth but they didn't do anything? Were they protesting a legitimate inequality, like how in the US only men are required to register for the draft, or were they the strawman feminism bad? Honestly, I didn't care enough to find out.

This is the kind of story I would gladly beta read for someone and help them edit for. But as a finished product the author expects readers to shell out money for? Absolutely not.

I'm a big fan of dystopian literature, and Yours for the Taking didn't disappoint. The plot and characters were engaging, and I enjoyed the way it explored the idea of power, plus how it's possible for feminism to be heavily influenced influenced by patriarchy, capitalism, and racism.

So many people will like this book - two of the most obvious groups being fans of The Power by Naomi Alderman and the many, many people who are discovering Silo on Apple TV, based on Hugh Howey's series.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.


I am not quite certain what this book is trying to be. Speculative fiction generally focuses on either ideas primarily or plot and characters primarily. With the way this book starts off and its narration style, it seems to be a book that is trying to focus on ideas. And the ideas that it presents/attempts to challenge initially are promising. It could have been a interesting thought experiment about corporate feminism, gender essentialism, and the climate crisis.

However, somewhere along the way it shifts from exploring ideas with regards to climate fiction and feminism to just the exploits of one megalomaniacal woman. It's says less about the bigger ideas and more about how narcissistic Jacqueline is. It tries to shift to be a more character focused work on occasion as well, but all it leads to is a lack of cohesion in the narrative and ideas that feel very surface level. The attempts to focus on character/plot also falls flat in isolation as there isn't really any tension and the eventual resolution is very anticlimactic.

There has been a significant amount written with regards to feminist theories and climate change. This novel could have addressed or be in conversation with that, but instead it focuses on things that are overdone and contrite. It doesn't even take a strong stance on anything. Yes, billionaire bad, but I think we all know that at this point, so what else?

There is another aspect that was a pet peeve of mine, but is removed from my general critique of the narrative. Going a bit on the spoiler territory, <spoiler>I really wasn't a fan of Orchid and she was inserted back into the narrative needlessly. I don't think she added anything and the ending being about her reuniting with Ava feel super off the cuff. The whole point of Ava and Brook leaving was reuniting with July, and it is made clear that that won't happen. It feels like Orchid was added back into the narrative only so that the book could end with Ava leaving and trying to make it seem like the act still had a point. I don't think anyone reading the book would find themselve rooting for Ava to get together an ex who she has long since gotten over and find that to be a very satisfying conclusion. </spoiler>.

Overall, a pretty disappointing read from something that had a lot of potential.

This was a twisty and epic adventure that I loved reading every page. Female driven and amazing I could not put it down. I can not wait for more from this author!

First of all, I’m a fan of dystopian books and this one started off really great, but the ending fell flat for me. Overall, the story was intriguing and the author did a great job of characterization. I loved the queer rep in the story and how it added to the realness of the entire thing. Climate change is already a scary topic and throughout this book, Korn really does a great job of making it feel more imminent than it already is.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Imagine a future where climate change ravages the world making it unlivable. The governments dissolve and a single government united the world in a common goal, to combat climate change. They devise a plan to create a city Inside, where select people will help to keep civilization alive.

The year is 2050 and Jacqueline Millender founder of Yours!, requests to not only fund Americas Inside but to direct it… from space. The wealthy and elite flee to space as they are unsure if Inside will succeed.

The story follows Ava, Olympia, and Shelby as the main characters with more added in as it spans 30+ years. The characters are all relatable, even though each come from different walks of life.

I was intrigued as soon as I picked this novel up and was bummed to have to put it down to read a book club book. I couldn’t wait to get back to it. This book dives into the problems of white cis gendered feminism, by creating a story you don’t want put down. My only qualm with the story was I wanted to know more about what was happening with the weather and climate outside as the story progressed. We got a little bit of what was going on but I wanted a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Gabrielle Korn for the eARC copy! I can’t wait to get my hands on a hard copy!

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press!

2.5/5, rounded to 3

I have reallyyyyy mixed feelings about this book. I'm in the environmental field and while I definitely acknowledge that climate change is an issue we have to worry about, it feels wrong to create a story with such a doomed perspective for the world without any foundation of resilience apart from this girl-boss white feminist savior complex perspective. the story was interesting and intriguing, but taking on this climate doomism perspective is faulty and paints this idea that things are fucked beyond repair when there is still work we can do together as a community !!!!!!! </3 I did like that the author acknowledged TERF-y perspectives within feminism, but there was not really any discussion of race in the story.

overall, I thought this was interesting but takes a bit of a flawed perspective when looking at climate change and the state of the world.

What an incredible story of love, found family, and feminism with excellent queer representation. The book is set in the near future where climate change has ravaged the planet. the solution is to move to the “Inside.” I could not put this book down - the story was so well thought out and flowed perfectly. I felt a connection with each character and I loved to see their stories intertwine.

I recommend going into this book blind, as there were many aspects that gave me goosebumps as I dove into the world Korn created.

This book may be the best book I read all year. I will 100% be purchasing a copy when it is published in December.

I received an advance copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I can see what this book is aiming for. I think its heart is in the right place. I support the effort behind it to criticize both patriarchy and white and trans-exclusionary brands of feminism; to take some shots at cultures of power that hate disabled people, hate fat people, hate POC, hate queer people. This book is trying to be a story about queer survival and triumph, and I'm all about that.

Unfortunately, the writing failed to compel me at all. The first two thirds of the book read a lot like one of those training videos you have to watch at work where "characters" with the depth of cardboard cutouts have stilted conversations full of keywords that you will later be asked to select in the quiz at the end. The last hundred pages felt slightly more natural, but for me it was too little too late. There wasn't a single character who felt developed or who I cared about, even after I passed the segment of the book about POV characters compromising their morals and compromising each other's autonomy in the face of environmental collapse and got to the part where everyone turns on a dime and triumphs over one evil Girlboss Prime. For me, examining how ordinary people who think they're progressive might be manipulated into terrible things only works if those people are believable, a little likeable, and I have empathy for their bad choices.

I think a lot of the concepts here would be thought-provoking if presented as essays about the world we're in right now; as fiction about the future, it suffered from way too much telling and almost zero showing, felt sadly soulless, and seemed to mythologize motherhood almost as much as the Girlboss Cult was mythologizing motherhood. But all that said, there are many glowing reviews as well, so...ymmv?

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is going to be a modern classic. It is incredibly relevant to current world events while containing cautions and lessons relevant for any generation.

There is a decent sized cast of characters, all of which felt perfectly represented in regards to the amount of page time given. They are well rounded with motivations and fears. Since the book spans multiple decades, the reader gets to follow along as the characters age and change.

If you're looking for a book with commentary on white feminism, intersectionality, queerness, climate change, misogyny, and capitalism, you have to check this book out. I am blown away by Korn's writing and her ability to weave such important topics into a novel.

My poor Kindle... The number of times I slammed it down and had an emotional outburst, goddamn.

Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn was more powerful than I ever expected it to be. I was ready for LBGTQIA+ stories and climate change and feminist politics, but my expectations were absolutely blown out of the water.

If you enjoyed 1984, the world-building/political machinations of The Hunger Games, V for Vendetta, or any other totalitarian dystopian society story, and you want to know what it looks like when painted in soft pink and mauve and gardenia-scented, I cannot emphasize it enough: PLEASE READ THIS. Gabrielle Korn delivers us a villain as charismatic as school aged Tom Riddle with the sickening sweet color palette and abrasive femininity of Umbridge.

Rating: 4.5
This book is really good! It’s paced well, with interesting characters and fascinating themes. It takes place several decades in the future and shows what a world even more damaged by climate change might look like. I don’t want to reveal too much about the turns the plot takes, but just know that it’s a bit intense! The story follows a few main character perspectives and each of the main characters has a different type of role in society so you’re able to see the impacts on various groups. Most of the characters are queer as well.
The biggest theme in this book is highlighting the problems and dangers of white cishet feminism, and it explores different aspects of this topic. The only reason this book didn’t get a full five stars from me is that I thought these themes were presented a little too directly on the page; there seemed to be a little lack of trust in the reader to understand the main points.
I think this would make a good book to read with a friend or a group because there’s a lot to talk about!
There’s a few heavy topics in this book, but I’d especially like to note a TW for forced pregnancy.
I’m excited to read more from this author in the future!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a eARC of this book.

The year is 2050 and Earth is almost uninhabitable because of climate change. For some people who have been accepted to live in the Inside, there is hope of surviving. Funded by a group of billionaires, the Inside provides a safe haven for people to live protected by the hardships and horrors that now come with living on Earth. Jaqueline Millender is one of the billionaires who owns/runs one of the Insides. But her Inside has different rules and inhabitants specifically no men allowed. She thinks this will protected the women living in her Inside and eventually they will be able to have babies and raise the males in a way that will not repeat past mistakes and their awful treatment of women. The story is told through a variety of characters some inhabitants and/or employees of the Inside and some left trying to survive on the outside. This books deals with issues such as environmentalism, gender roles, trans rights, racism, morality and mortality. I really enjoyed this book. My only wish was that the ending was a bit slower. I did like the ending but thought it should have taken its time.

A strong concept and first half, followed by an ending that I felt wrapped everything up a little too tightly.
Yours for the Taking chronicles the creation of "Insides", gigantic structures designed to help humanity weather the coming climate apocalypse. This book covers one Inside in particular over the course of several decades from multiple perspectives, including it's sociopathic space CEO, head of medical staff, and a couple of the later generation born Inside.

I would recommend this book, but don't be surprised when it plays it a little too safe.

What if girlboss feminism... won?? In Yours For the Taking, we fast-forward to extreme climate devastation and look at what might happen if cis white feminism had full say over one of the alternative worlds that we use to escape. At first I was worried this might feel a little cliche, with lots of references to current clickbaity terms as "history" in a way that didn't quite feel natural. But once the story took off, I became really invested. The last third of the book was by far the strongest to me, I could not put it down. This does feel like a first novel, in my opinion, with some awkward pacing and occasional stumbles in dialogue. However, this does not diminish how much I enjoyed the book and recommend it. A really valuable look at how white cis women weaponize whiteness, cis-ness, and power with the goal of taking over the role of white men, instead of working toward the dismantling of the system entirely.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!