Friendship can sometimes be difficult to sustain, especially as people grow and change. Frances Tannen knows this all too well; her childhood best friend has recently moved away, leaving Frances friend-less as she enters ninth grade. Lucky for her, a fascinating girl named Sonja has recently moved to town from France, and she and Frances become fast friends. Things begin in a positive and enviable way, as Sonja and Frances grow ever closer; but clues soon begin to reveal themselves that show Sonja in a completely different light.

Through a first-person narrative, this book immerses readers into Frances’ thoughts and beliefs as she navigates the turbulent waters of her freshman year of high school. The story often reads like a journal, especially as Frances explains truths about her family and her feelings that she does not express out loud. Coupled with these inner thoughts is ample dialogue between Frances and the many important people in her life, each of which has a strong and memorable voice. Readers will often cringe at the decisions Frances makes, especially as they recognize similarities from their own lives.

This book is anchored firmly in reality, even though the characters involved within it are fictional themselves. Mental illness appears in several different forms, and readers are able to witness the cause and effect of actions pursued by characters within the novel. One person’s idea of perfection is unique to them, and when jealousy becomes difficult to manage, terrible outcomes can result. As Frances clearly demonstrates, it is important to choose one’s friends wisely since there is often more happening beneath the surface than is initially obvious. And it is up to each person to stand up for themselves to avoid being destroyed by personalities wishing to overpower them. This realistic fiction novel is a cautionary tale for high school students, encouraging them to remain true to themselves even in the face of compelling opposition.

Nope! DNF!
Didn't like sonja. Everytime she talks I felt cringe. Then Will entered. Bye-Bye. I tried but I can't.

TW/CW: animal abuse (but light, not extreme), mental health, self harm

The Takeover Friend is about Franny and Sonja - two girls who meet in home room and become best friends. When Sonja comes to Fran’s house, she becomes interlocked with her family and takes more and more.

Okay so I loved this book - it’s about 14 year olds but it’s not straight middle grade - it’s got some heavy themes, discussing mental health, a little bit of drug use, teenage love and all the stress that goes with it, and I thought it was a great portrayal of high school friendships.

I loved the focus on mental health - I loved how the author addressed it and made it a focus of the book, but not the only one. I also really like that she showed all the faces of dealing with mental issues - the times that are good, the rock bottoms, adjusting to new medications and what that does.

I also loved the message and the lesson Fran learned and experienced over and over - the whole time I was rooting for her and I loved the wisdom and advice her mom had been giving the whole way.

The ending was sad but also so good. I put in a trigger warning - not excessive anima abuse by any means, but it wasn’t nothing. I loved how Franny was able to embrace her feelings and stick up for herself, especially when being manipulated.

ARC was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautifully painful read– painful because it resonated so deeply with me. The way that Carol Dines was able to so accurately portray the complexity of friendships, their rhythms and faults and dangers, was astonishing. While there were a few beats here and there that felt off to me, the story as a whole was well-constructed and well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is different to what I usually read, but I’m so glad I stepped out my comfort zone, because I loved this story.

I feel like a lot of teens would love this book, especially as it deals with lots of relevant issues that teens face in today’s society, for example - peer pressure and toxic friendships. Frances was a real and relatable character who stood out. The story was hard to read, but the author dealt with the topics sensitively.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book up until the end. Many girls in their teen years can relate to Frances having a friend like Sonja and the toxic-in-hindsight friendship that they had. The characters are very real feeling, and the setting and action were natural. The main issues I have with this book are a feeling of deep suspense leading up to a very abrupt head and immediate ending. We don't get a real resolution to the story. I also personally dislike when authors keep unnecessary secrets from the reader (i.e. what's happening with Fran's dad.) Just tell us what's happening!

*Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!*

This book is all about relationships and therefore so relatable- the awkwardness of new friendships and the way those develop.

I thought this was a great read and highly recommend to YA readers.

The Take-Over Friend was a painful story. It hit close to my heart in many instances and its almost poetic feel made it all the more powerful. Several lines made me stop and realize that those words were exactly what I had wanted to apply to friendships from the past.
There was a uniqueness and special quality to how Carol brings the characters and their personalities to life and I truly enjoyed all of it.
I definitely hope to read more of her work in the future as this was a quick, poetic, and beautiful read about the importance of finding yourself outside of other people.

This book followed Frances, a girl who struggled to make friends until she met Sonja. However, things start becoming too much when Sonja begins to cross boundaries and Frances does not know how to react for fear of ruining her friendship. I love how in detail their family lives were, Frances' in particular. However, the best part is the sinister tone throughout and the dark twist at the end.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Carol Dines and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The one was appealing because it dove into a close friendship between two adolescent girls. I have some experience in that arena. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from this book, but what I actually got was a bit of a disappointment. Sonja was immediately an unlikable character, which I guess was the author’s point. Frances talks a little bit about a friend she USED to have that somehow hurt her, but that dynamic isn’t really expanded upon, so we’re not sure how Frances’s scars from THAT friendship made her easy prey for Sonja. It was pretty easy to see, early on in this book, that Sonja was just bad news. As a mother, if one of my kids’ friends had been in my home and spoken to me (or any other adult in my home) like Sonja did, that would have been the end of it. The fact that mom continued to let Sonja in their home, and then to stay for an extended period of time, baffled me. That just seemed to far-fetched to me, the entire story just took a nose-dive.
And I found myself irrationally irritated by Frances’s dad watching the Super Bowl on New Year’s Day. The Super Bowl is not on New Year’s Day. It has never been on New Year’s Day. That said to me the author didn’t care enough about the little details, and that just made this book a disappointment.

I really enjoyed this book about friendship, family and relationships.
It’s a relatable and engaging story that appeals to all teens.
This is my first book by this author but I’ll definitely read more in future.

I adore everything about this book, especially the emphasis on friendship and family; it's like a warm blanket wrapped around me. Thanks Netgalley for providing the arc❣️

The premise reminded me of that poetry workshop I never had but the class next door did. You can really feel the author's passion for verse and the emotions of the main characters even if you don't empathize with one of them. It reflects the great interest of youthful verse and how the love affair was not a hindrance (personally)

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it covered a plethora of issues that we face in real life whilst growing up all the subjects it touched on were dealt with in a sensitive manner and I really enjoyed reading this a big thumbs up from me!!

Eager-to-please and caring, Frances struggles to find friends until Sonja shows up and inserts herself into Frances' life. At first, it's everything Frances dreams of in having a best friend, but before long it starts to feel like Sonja is taking over her family - chatting with her dad, flirting with her brother - and Frances doesn't know how to set the boundaries to fix it.

I found all the characters in this book stood out to me; all imperfect, all real. In Sonja and Frances I recognised many of my own issues with clingy or abusive friendships as a young teen, and the difficulty Frances felt in making boundaries when she was lonely was all too recognisable. I particularly liked how Frances came into her own towards the end of the book.

This a book that covers an issue of finding friendship and setting boundaries that many young adults face in high school. It approaches the topic with great sensitivity, but also with a subtle sinister edge which gave it a great atmosphere that compelled me to keep reading.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little bit of time to get into it but once the story started to get going then I was hooked. The storyline began as a bit predictable but the event at the end completely shocked me! Would never have predicted that! The character development was excellent and I felt very strongly about many characters. I loved the bit of romance and was very glad about who Frances picked! It was a nice enjoyable read that has lots of essential life lessons, (especially from Frances’ Mum’s words of advice!) I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a lovely contemporary read.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Fitzroy Books/Regal House Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A story of friendship, trust, family and when boundaries are crossed.