What would you choose: youth or wealth?
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At twenty-three Maggie Wang is desperate for her big writing break, but when her writer boyfriend cheats on her with someone Maggie considered an inspiration and mentor, she feels like the opportunities he’s getting will never going to happen for her. Ingrid Parker is an aging, white Hollywood producer trying to rebound from a potentially career-ending movie. She’s trying to keep her marriage in tact after her husband cheated on her and then she finds out she has precancerous cells. When her doctor shares a cutting-edge experimental procedure that takes the blood of a younger person and transfuses it into Ingrid, it will reverse the aging process. For $3 million Maggie knows this might change the trajectory of her entire career so she signs up only to realize she might have agreed to something she can’t ever take back: years of life.
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What a phenomenal adult debut by Yang! This woman can write everything from picture books to adult titles. I’m really enjoying authors with MG and YA backgrounds venturing into the adult area. I adored the concept—so original, while also touching on important topics such as race, feminism, classism and sex work. If you’re looking for a book club book grab this one on April 14!

CW: classism, poverty, cheating, adultery, medical content, racism, microaggressions, toxic friendship, toxic relationship

I am extremely grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the privilege of reviewing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

What a fascinating, unique and fast-paced read!

The Take is a fresh new spin on the time-worn tales of ageism, sexism and power struggles. How much will you take from someone else to get what you want? Conversely, how much will you allow to be taken from you in trade for attaining your heart's desires?

Maggie Wang is a broke, down on her luck, struggling writer trying to find a foothold after leaving her MFA program in defeat. Determined to make her Chinese immigrant parents proud, she longs to prove that writing is a worthy career and the she is capable of being the next big thing. Enter Ingrid Parker, a wealthy, white, veteran film producer who is starting to feel the harsh realities of being an aging woman in Hollywood. When Ingrid learns about an experimental blood transfusion treatment that can turn the clock back ten years in as many weeks, she becomes desperate to cling to her youth and relevancy in the highly competitve realm of Tinseltown. Ingrid discovers that Maggie is the perfect candidate to be her transfusion parter and she is willing to offer her 3 million dollars to use her blood to turn back the clock. Maggie agrees to participate in the hopes that the money and mentorship from Ingrid will put her writing career on the fast track. As the weeks pass, tensions mount while the complex relationship between the two women unfolds and the realities of medical and emotional side effects of treatment begin to be revealed.

I was hooked from the beginning. This is speculative fiction that brought to mind elements of the recent film The Substance. There is some delicious dark humor and satire as the women develop this bizarre, vamipistic relationship. It would be a mistake to dismiss this book merely on the surface. There is some very deep exploration of race, ageism, class inequality and the balance between personal sacrifice and career success. I think this one will resonate with any woman who has ever felt set aside or overlooked because of her age. Likewise, I think anyone who has ever been taken advantage of in their youth or naivete will feel seen.

Great for anyone who loves books about writers, the publishing industry, the Hollywood scene and celebrity gossip. Deducting a point for going slightly off the rails and getting a little sappy about 3/4 through but a lovely recovery with a solid ending. I can absolutely see this one being optioned for the big screen - how ironic! 4 stars.

Being completely honest, as a Gen-Z Asian woman with a similar background to the author, I hated this book.

I read most of Kelly Yang's Front Desk series when I was younger, and I was very enticed by this speculative, provocative concept. However, the execution just wasn't there and I didn't appreciate the overt political messaging - it pulled me out of the story.

Essentially, this novel revolves around two women: Maggie, a Chinese-American aspiring author struggling to get her work out there, and Ingrid, a seasoned, ambitious, white Hollywood producer worried about fading out of relevancy. Ingrid and Maggie enter into a rather unconventional deal. Ingrid will pay Maggie $3 million in exchange for 10 experimental blood transfusions

I think Yang is a talented, creative writer; this book just didn't do it for me. Before I get into my critiques, here's what I enjoyed about the book: the ending scene is a pleasure to read, the concept is very creative, the addition of the Faustian-bargain-like element to the plot provokes thought, and the cover design is bold and striking. The quote "How much can one take from another?" also stuck out to me.

Alright, unfortunately, I must now deliver my honest critiques. First, Maggie, supposedly a brilliant luminary, possesses incredible stupidity. For instance, she's totally ignorant to the basic workings of the publishing industry despite her personal acquaintances with many up-and-coming authors and her partially finished MFA degree. I understand that part of this may be intentional - it illustrates how one's naivete can be exploited - but it's just downright irritating to read. Second, there's overt political messaging everywhere you turn. I hate to comment on things of political nature, and I love reading books that fundamentally oppose my political views, but it's difficult to enjoy a novel where I'm being overtly fed positions on everything from race/gender relations to sex work to climate change (okay - the last one is a bit of a stretch). For these two reasons, I thought I was going to DNF the book as it was so painful to read; I was only able to continue when I started interpreting the story as a satire piece parodying politicians I dislike. Also, certain elements of the story seemed extremely hypocritical and morally relativistic. Those are my major critiques, but as a STEM nerd, I have to mention that the whole experimental blood transfusion procedure that forms the premise of the novel seems wholly scientifically implausible; I would have preferred a nebulous treatment involving some form of induced pluripotent stem cells instead. I will additionally note that I was able to easily predict the events of the plot far in advance, so any plot twists/surprises had reduced effect.

I'm sorry this review took such a critical turn. Kelly Yang is a wonderful writer with great potential in the adult fiction space. Her writing style is candid and relatable while still carrying powerful themes. I look forward to reading her future works - this one just didn't hit the mark.

Kelly Yang’s novel THE TAKE is unsettling, riveting, and awe-inspiring. It is a 21st century tale of vampirism, reminiscent of Henry James’ The Sacred Fount, set in an industry and city notorious for breeding bloodsuckers. THE TAKE is about family, friendship, obligation, the entertainment industry, the publishing industry, women helping women, women exploiting women, capitalism, social class, power, control, patriarchy, and matriarchy. Ultimately, every page of this book is about two predominant themes: ageism and desperation. Yang asks the reader, How far are you willing to go to achieve your dreams? What are you willing to sacrifice to maintain power? Readers will love and hate, admire and despise Yang’s protagonists: Maggie and Ingrid. Only Kelly Yang could write such an incendiary and sublime work of art.