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A review by novelty_reads
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Bullying, body image, low-self esteem, catfishing, drug use, peer pressure, cheating, lying, manipulation, underage drinking
My first book of the year and I'm so glad it's #LoveOzYA.
There's something so beautiful and nice about seeing your own country in a book. Even cooler than that, to see the small towns you've visited come to life on a page. I loved how Ballarat, its people and communities were portrayed and I got a sense of the small town spirit typically prominent among many Australian towns.
Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell is set in Ballarat and follows Noah Mitchell who joins a small theatre production of Chicago with his mum to get closer to his online crush. Noah, aware of the strict rules his crush's mum puts in place to protect her son online, hatches a plan to make him fall in love with him before telling him the truth about his identity. Things get complicated as Noah navigates communicating with his crush in person and online, the lines blurring as Noah struggles to not get caught up in his own web of lies.
The theme throughout this book is truth and lies and how sometimes the lines get a little bit blurry. Noah, to me, isn't written as a malicious character per say, rather I think the book portrays him as someone who made a big mistake based on poor judgement. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him because it reminded me of when I was a teenager, acting on pure emotion without thinking things through first. It's a lesson that every person has to go through in life and this book was a perfect example of actions having sometimes severe consequences.
The book shows how a desire, to get closer to Noah's crush, spiralled out of control just because Noah wasn't honest with him from the start. As Noah keeps the truth to himself and prolongs telling his crush the truth, the more Noah starts feeling frustrated and the relationships around him really start to fracture. The book, rather than telling the reader how unethical and wrong Noah's actions were, showcases the snowball effect of his dishonesty. The ending, as such, made sense to me and I was satisfied how things turned out for the main character. I'm glad he learned from his errors and I liked how the ending was opened up for interpretation.
Another big theme was Noah's insecurities, particularly with his body. I'm glad that this was brought up in the book because I know so many teenagers dealing with it and I know that it's not talked about nearly enough. I liked how it was handled and written and you could see how past events lead to Noah taking the actions he was taking. Another big theme was bullying and you could see the consequences of it, especially towards the end where we get a better glimpse at Noah's feelings towards it and why he was bullied so much in the first place.
The reason why this wasn't a 5 star read for me was with the chemistry between Noah and his crush. I kind of expected more romantic tension or chemistry but I felt like there was little of it? I'm also blaming myself here because I thought this was a romance instead of a contemporary, thinking the romance would be the main, central focus of the novel rather than its other themes.
All in all, this was a book that tackled a lot of big themes well. The romance aspect fell a little flat but it was made up for with good characterisation and for showing how actions no matter how big or small, can have severe consequences. It's a good reminder that when in doubt, it's always best to be honest.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.1 STARS
TW: Bullying, body image, low-self esteem, catfishing, drug use, peer pressure, cheating, lying, manipulation, underage drinking
My first book of the year and I'm so glad it's #LoveOzYA.
There's something so beautiful and nice about seeing your own country in a book. Even cooler than that, to see the small towns you've visited come to life on a page. I loved how Ballarat, its people and communities were portrayed and I got a sense of the small town spirit typically prominent among many Australian towns.
Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell is set in Ballarat and follows Noah Mitchell who joins a small theatre production of Chicago with his mum to get closer to his online crush. Noah, aware of the strict rules his crush's mum puts in place to protect her son online, hatches a plan to make him fall in love with him before telling him the truth about his identity. Things get complicated as Noah navigates communicating with his crush in person and online, the lines blurring as Noah struggles to not get caught up in his own web of lies.
The theme throughout this book is truth and lies and how sometimes the lines get a little bit blurry. Noah, to me, isn't written as a malicious character per say, rather I think the book portrays him as someone who made a big mistake based on poor judgement. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him because it reminded me of when I was a teenager, acting on pure emotion without thinking things through first. It's a lesson that every person has to go through in life and this book was a perfect example of actions having sometimes severe consequences.
The book shows how a desire, to get closer to Noah's crush, spiralled out of control just because Noah wasn't honest with him from the start. As Noah keeps the truth to himself and prolongs telling his crush the truth, the more Noah starts feeling frustrated and the relationships around him really start to fracture. The book, rather than telling the reader how unethical and wrong Noah's actions were, showcases the snowball effect of his dishonesty. The ending, as such, made sense to me and I was satisfied how things turned out for the main character. I'm glad he learned from his errors and I liked how the ending was opened up for interpretation.
Another big theme was Noah's insecurities, particularly with his body. I'm glad that this was brought up in the book because I know so many teenagers dealing with it and I know that it's not talked about nearly enough. I liked how it was handled and written and you could see how past events lead to Noah taking the actions he was taking. Another big theme was bullying and you could see the consequences of it, especially towards the end where we get a better glimpse at Noah's feelings towards it and why he was bullied so much in the first place.
The reason why this wasn't a 5 star read for me was with the chemistry between Noah and his crush. I kind of expected more romantic tension or chemistry but I felt like there was little of it? I'm also blaming myself here because I thought this was a romance instead of a contemporary, thinking the romance would be the main, central focus of the novel rather than its other themes.
All in all, this was a book that tackled a lot of big themes well. The romance aspect fell a little flat but it was made up for with good characterisation and for showing how actions no matter how big or small, can have severe consequences. It's a good reminder that when in doubt, it's always best to be honest.
ACTUAL RATING: 4.1 STARS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol
TW: Bullying, body image, low-self esteem, catfishing, drug use, peer pressure, cheating, lying, manipulation, underage drinking