Kim warned me I would not love it and she was right. I still enjoyed it though. There was just too much going on and some of the central storyline got muddled.

The premise of this book really reeled me in and I was very excited for it. I loved the spook factor and the fact that I was very unsettled (in a promising way) with a lot of the horror aspects. However, I feel as though the attention on the school shooter really threw me out of the book. I think Jake's mission was interesting, but I felt as though we were almost supposed to feel sorry for the shooter and that just... didn't sit right, I suppose. I can't wait to see what else this author has to offer, though!

Jake has the ability to see the dead, he's not sure how this happened or why he's cursed with it, but he can and he suffers daily for it. Whether it's the poor student who received a javelin through his skull, or the constant car crashes that repeat around him, he just wants to keep his head down and quiet the ghosts. He's also struggling at home as he's the only black kid in his high school and his dad had been an angry and violent man, oh and he's gay which adds more complications.

Sawyer is an angry student who hates everyone and everything around him. He tried to kill himself but the fan broke before he succeeded, and now he is dealing with a neglectful mom who refuses to get him the support he needs. Sawyer just wants to leave and if can't do it he's going to take some people with him, eventually becoming a school-shooter murdering multiple kids before shooting himself.

Sawyer's ghost is now back, and he's angry enough that it's allowing him to keep killing the students of his high school that he missed the first time, since Jake can see him, Sawyer's going to get rid of Jake too. What follows is an intense but sometimes confusing plot that culminates with Jake figuring out exactly what his abilities allow him to do. There's a semi-happy ending after a wild ride and while it doesn't always make sense it creates a good sense of dread throughout.

thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books Young Readers Group for providing this e-ARC in exchange for a review.

#TheTakingofJakeLivingston #NetGalley

3.5/5

I think the end leaves a bit to be savored. While it was def creepy and a bit triggering the ending completely took me out

I rarely rate books 1 star as I usually dnf those, and this was a case of: I should have dnfed it. I sort of kept going in the hopes of it getting better, but it didn't. By then I was already far enough in the book that I might as well finish it altogether. The story didn't connect with me at all, and I simply couldn't get into the book at all because of it.

I felt that this book lacked. It started off well, but felt that the author only touched on, well, everything. Instead of writing a longer, more rounded book it is like the author only touched on the characters, only touched on the world building, only touched on the social issues. He could have made it longer and delved into these issues and made it so much better. I also thought it was a little dark for my taste.

What…a ride. It was really intense. There was a lot going on and a LOT of intense emotions that when you work at a school are extremely difficult to hear and process.

I would hate being a medium. I can at least say that.

The Taking of Jake Livingston is fast-paced, scathing with social commentary about gun violence, mental health, and racism. This edge of your seat horror thriller will keep you guessing as it reinvents classic horror tropes.

This book just wasn't for me unfortunately. I liked the topics explored but the execution was lacking for me. I would've liked more clarity on how the ghost world & Jakes powers as a medium worked. I found the relationships portrayed to be as lacking in depth as I found most of the story to be. I think this may have worked as a short story, where less explanations are needed and more can be assumed, but as a novel it doesn't stand up.

I loved this book. This book is a great creepy "I see ghosts" story told from the view point of a queer, black teen. The book covers racism, anxiety, and a school shooting. If you want a great spooky read I recommend The Taking of Jake Livingston.

This is one of those books where I can’t tell you exactly why I didn’t like it, I just didn’t. This went a direction I did not expect at all. Honestly, it felt like a big disappointment and almost as if it was letting the bad guy win. Even though this was a short book, I did not feel like it was a quick read because it just never captured my interest.

I over committed on ARCs to read. Unfortunately this one will not be receiving a review or rating. Apologies.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I liked Jake's view and the writing. I do wish more had been done with Jake's powers and would love a book that explored him building up his resistance to possession more.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - I read 15% of this book, but just couldn’t keep with it. Jake’s voice seemed confusing and emotionless to me, so it didn’t hold my interest.

I'd like to thank the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

I felt the exposition slow and clunky. Normally by the first couple characters one should be able to get a grip or a 'feel' for the characters. Unfortunately, I still was trying to get that feeling.

I expected something a bit more darker than what I got.

DNF. This, unfortunately, was not the book for me. I just had a hard time getting into it and ultimately decided to stop reading.

I really liked this book and its odd and mystical vibe. While I don't normally love high school-centered books, this one had enough weirdness and action to make it a fun and thrilling read with some twists and turns.

The Taking of Jake Livingston is a book with a great concept that unfortunately just does not follow through with the execution. Jake is an introverted high school student who can talk to the dead. But when one of those ghosts are a school shooter, everything changed. Readers should be aware that this book has the potential to be incredibly triggering, with parts of the story told from the perspective of the school shooter himself. Not only can this be uncomfortable, but there is some question if this was the best method to tackle such issues.

The storytelling overall is disconnected and not unlike a fever-dream. Jake lives his life surrounded and distracted by the ghosts that he constantly sees, and narration from his perspective is just as distracted. The romantic plot felt unneccesary and forced - while queer characters deserve to be main charcters, they don't need to be presented in one-dimensional relationships to exist. This book had potential but it just didn't land. But eyes are peeled for what Douglass has coming out next.