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kosmond's review against another edition
3.0
Original review posted here.
I Take You - a funny debut by Eliza Kennedy was a fresh read. It was way different from my last two reads, and just what I needed after them. It was sultry, sexy, and down right dirty at times, but it was fun!
Lily, the reckless New Yorker, the hard working lawyer is getting married. No one can believe it, including herself sometimes. But here she is, planning her wedding and going to Florida to make it official. Her parents (all of them!) try to talk her out of the marriage. The reason? Lily cannot be faithful to just one man. The man she should be faithful to, her fiance Will is a loveable, smart, good-looking archaeologist who fell quickly for Lily. With just a few dates under their belts, do they really know each other? Are they truly ready for marriage? What will become of Lily and Will in the end?
Lily loves booze, it consumes her mornings, afternoons and evenings and sometimes has her making questionable decisions. With the wedding just days away Lily cannot fight her urge to be with other men. At times Lily will resolve that she really does love Will and she promises that never again will she stray. But a few drinks later, enter a good looking guy at a bar, a groomsman perhaps, maybe even her boss and Lily cannot refuse a good time.
Filled with humor, Star Wars references and a whole lot of gender politics and surrounding issues, it's a book that will have you laughing out loud and talking about with your girlfriends. A fun summer read.
I Take You - a funny debut by Eliza Kennedy was a fresh read. It was way different from my last two reads, and just what I needed after them. It was sultry, sexy, and down right dirty at times, but it was fun!
Lily, the reckless New Yorker, the hard working lawyer is getting married. No one can believe it, including herself sometimes. But here she is, planning her wedding and going to Florida to make it official. Her parents (all of them!) try to talk her out of the marriage. The reason? Lily cannot be faithful to just one man. The man she should be faithful to, her fiance Will is a loveable, smart, good-looking archaeologist who fell quickly for Lily. With just a few dates under their belts, do they really know each other? Are they truly ready for marriage? What will become of Lily and Will in the end?
Lily loves booze, it consumes her mornings, afternoons and evenings and sometimes has her making questionable decisions. With the wedding just days away Lily cannot fight her urge to be with other men. At times Lily will resolve that she really does love Will and she promises that never again will she stray. But a few drinks later, enter a good looking guy at a bar, a groomsman perhaps, maybe even her boss and Lily cannot refuse a good time.
Filled with humor, Star Wars references and a whole lot of gender politics and surrounding issues, it's a book that will have you laughing out loud and talking about with your girlfriends. A fun summer read.
no_good_wyfe's review against another edition
4.0
I rarely review anymore, since what I had to say has invariable been said better by someone else. But, this time... not so much.
I thought this was great. No, the main character is not likable. She isn't supposed to be. Think [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373627931s/6969.jpg|3360164], or perhaps even more aptly, [b:Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|512704|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|Anita Loos|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347601719s/512704.jpg|6300277]. I'm not saying this deserves to be canonized alongside those works, but its protagonist could be modern cousin to Emma and Lorelei Lee.
She does all sorts of things that have been labelled "immoral" in modern society. Cheating, promiscuity, drugs, an alcohol habit verging on addiction, and the whole time determinedly ignores the trepidation her friends and loved ones are expressing. Sometimes she pulls it off with aplomb, but other times she is irritating. I saw that as good, intentional writing. Not all protags actually HAVE to read like your next best friend.
As others have said, these topics may be polarizing for some. I will add that if reading about a fictional character's violation of arbitrary social constructs and boundaries (like monogamous engagement) makes you so uncomfortable you have to stop reading, maybe you need to challenge your own ideologies and engage in a little more critical thinking. I didn't perceive this book as having a solid moral stance on the issue in either direction. Reading about it will not make you "bad" by association.
Okay, I'm ranting. The point is, this is a smart, fresh take on chick-lit, and Lily is a brilliantly rendered flawed character. Don't read it as a manifesto making an aggressive feminist argument, or as a feel-good piece of fluff that will fit right into your worldview. Let it fall somewhere in the liminal space and enjoy the ride.
I thought this was great. No, the main character is not likable. She isn't supposed to be. Think [b:Emma|6969|Emma|Jane Austen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373627931s/6969.jpg|3360164], or perhaps even more aptly, [b:Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|512704|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes|Anita Loos|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347601719s/512704.jpg|6300277]. I'm not saying this deserves to be canonized alongside those works, but its protagonist could be modern cousin to Emma and Lorelei Lee.
She does all sorts of things that have been labelled "immoral" in modern society. Cheating, promiscuity, drugs, an alcohol habit verging on addiction, and the whole time determinedly ignores the trepidation her friends and loved ones are expressing. Sometimes she pulls it off with aplomb, but other times she is irritating. I saw that as good, intentional writing. Not all protags actually HAVE to read like your next best friend.
As others have said, these topics may be polarizing for some. I will add that if reading about a fictional character's violation of arbitrary social constructs and boundaries (like monogamous engagement) makes you so uncomfortable you have to stop reading, maybe you need to challenge your own ideologies and engage in a little more critical thinking. I didn't perceive this book as having a solid moral stance on the issue in either direction. Reading about it will not make you "bad" by association.
Okay, I'm ranting. The point is, this is a smart, fresh take on chick-lit, and Lily is a brilliantly rendered flawed character. Don't read it as a manifesto making an aggressive feminist argument, or as a feel-good piece of fluff that will fit right into your worldview. Let it fall somewhere in the liminal space and enjoy the ride.
alaris's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Not a single likeable character in the book except for the friend, Freddy. I know people who give me the same "this person didn't have a good chance to be a good person, after growing up with bad examples" feeling as everyone in this story did - and I wasn't expecting that from this book, but it also didn't make me care or root for any of the characters. They'd be deeply toxic people if they existed, with no attempt to change. Boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
mari_hearts_books's review
1.0
This book is HORRIBLE!!! The character is the worst, and not in she’s so horrible, I love her horrible, more in the she’s horrible and there isn’t one thing I find interesting or relatable about her. I bought this as a buy one get one half off sale and I still paid too much! I wish I could rate this book zero stars!!!
alyscriv17's review
1.0
I thought the legal stuff was soooooo much more interesting than the rest of the story, which mostly made me uncomfortable. Not a fan.
chaptersbymidnight's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
the moment where she was in the courtroom was definitely more interesting than all the other moments in the story.
cmdgouro's review
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
kellynoyes's review against another edition
1.0
This book is about a promiscuous, alcoholic, cocaine-snorting lawyer who is about to get married but can't stop cheating on her fiance, including with her boss and her fiance's friends and co-workers. If that sounds like the kind of thing that you like, it might be up your alley. There were some funny parts, but they didn't make up for the rest of the book and the fact that the main character was so unlikable. Several characters also gave long impassioned speeches about how women should be able to have sex whenever they want, and it came across as preachy and over-the-top.
gwendolyn_kensinger's review
2.0
I wanted to say how much I loved this book despite it being slightly controversial. However, although I was able to overlook the characters flaws I was not able to overlook the lack of detail and the constant degradation nor the sloppy ending. I'll gonna lay it out for you. Lily is getting married in a week to a seemingly amazing guy. They are headed to Key West, where Lily grew up to have the wedding. But while wedding plans are underway Lily is off flirting and sleeping with any guy that strikes her fancy. Add to that she drinks, a lot and does coke with her best friend Freddie (female). So basically you have a bride that seems to not care one little bit about what marriage means. There is a back story as to why Lily left the Keys and became the "lawyer extraordinaire", but it's sort of lame and unfulfilling. As much as Lily goes on and on to say how much she loves her job and is good at her job the one time we get to see her in action she bombs it.
While Lily tries to figure out if she loves Will and should get married she sleeps around, bar hops and does a few lines of coke. Not indicative of the clear head that would likely figure things out. The days leading up to the wedding Lily wavers back and forth on her feelings for Will. The day before the wedding she finally decides she does love him and she needs to be honest with him. What happens after that was completely shocking and sadly I think it was meant to be just that - shocking. While unexpected I can't say it did anything for the story itself.
The redeeming qualities of this novel are: it is Eliza Kennedy's debut and the writing itself is fast paced, funny and modern. I think there were some missed opportunities with I Take You, such as the deposition and the ending itself. Hopefully the next story Kennedy writes has memorable characters, less shock value plot points, and pays more attention to the details. I rated I Take You by Eliza Kennedy 2.5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
While Lily tries to figure out if she loves Will and should get married she sleeps around, bar hops and does a few lines of coke. Not indicative of the clear head that would likely figure things out. The days leading up to the wedding Lily wavers back and forth on her feelings for Will. The day before the wedding she finally decides she does love him and she needs to be honest with him. What happens after that was completely shocking and sadly I think it was meant to be just that - shocking. While unexpected I can't say it did anything for the story itself.
The redeeming qualities of this novel are: it is Eliza Kennedy's debut and the writing itself is fast paced, funny and modern. I think there were some missed opportunities with I Take You, such as the deposition and the ending itself. Hopefully the next story Kennedy writes has memorable characters, less shock value plot points, and pays more attention to the details. I rated I Take You by Eliza Kennedy 2.5 out of 5 stars.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.