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

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

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book, though maybe not quite as much as I enjoyed Madden's first book. Overall, I felt like there was just too much happening in this, it felt rather chaotic; there were at least three storylines going on, and it was just about much.

As I didn't go to high school (home schooled), I can't speak to what it would be like for someone in Noah's position (with being bullied), but it seemed a bit extreme? I know there was all of this background stuff that had happened, but I was surprised that he would put up with so much.

And I felt a bit weird about him lying so much to Eli. I know things kind of got out of hand, but also, yikes?

I did really like how the book ended. Obviously we had the third act conflict and I really like how it was all handled and resolved.

Overall, a decent book, but not a standout for me.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

Author: Tobias Madden

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Gay MC, Gay characters, MM romance, South Asian characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, romance, contemporary, MM romance, RPGs, gaymers, musicals, showmance, LGBT

Publication Date: August 30, 2022

Genre: YA Romance

Age Relevance: 16+ (romance, sexual content, bullying, homophobia, cursing, skinny shaming, exercise/weight, vomit gore, underage alcohol consumption, drugs, sexual assault)

Explanation of Above: There is a lot of romance in this book, along with some scenes and mentions of sexual content including 2 sex scenes (nothing graphic shown). There is sexual assault of minors mentioned in passing as a part of a police investigation and there is no baring of it on the plot. There are scenes and mentions of bullying, homophobia, and skinny shaming. There is some slight cursing in this book. There are scenes and mentions of exercise and weight gain. There are a couple of scenes involving and mentioning vomit. Underage alcohol consumption and drug use is mentioned and shown in the book a couple of times as well.

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Pages: 368

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

Review: This book was so so cute! I loved the story and this is probably going to be a favorite of mine for this month. The book feels like a cross between Simon Vs and The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre with really cute moments of online gaming and RPGs. The book is set in Australia, which is something I don’t see in a lot of books, and involves musical theater as well. The book also had a very teenager feel to it. The book was full of awkward first moments and mess-ups, which is very uniquely teenager. The voices of the characters were age appropriate and the issues the MC faced are some that a lot of teens face. The author did well to tackle how a lot of times mess-ups are something that you can’t make right completely or ever return back to normal from, which is unfortunate but a very important message for teens. I also liked how the author tackled skinny shaming, especially in those who identify as male, which is something I don’t see a lot in books. Overall, I loved the plot, the pacing was on point, the characters were well developed, and the writing was well done.

However, the only issue I had with the book is that I feel like it could have been a bit more developed in the world building department. It was great, but some of the theater aspects were a bit confusing. As someone who did theater in high school, community theater in Australia is vastly different than what I experienced.

Verdict: It was very well done! I highly recommend it.

I absolutely love the way Tobias writes, and I struggled to put this one down to do other things once I started.

This story follows Noah, a gamer gay who has fallen for his online bestie. When his theater loving mum convinces him to join her community theater production of Chicago (that said online anonymous bestie happens to be in) things get a bit messy.

It always makes me anxious when there’s a big lie hanging in the distance, but in this case it felt like I truly couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know how it turned out.

Watching Noah and Eli fall in love IRL was super cute and whether you’re a gamer or not, into theater or not, you’ll enjoy this one.

Why was this so stressful OMG?! Just kidding. I loved it. Beyond cute. Noah is a disaster and I was so nervous for him because I *knew* it was all going to come crashing down any minute and I couldn’t stop it but I couldn’t look away either!

I feel so bad for Rose! And I love Charly and Alex!!

The ending felt kinda rushed so I’m not giving the book a full five stars but it’s almost there!!!

Although not strictly speaking a romance by one definition of the genre (see the penultimate paragraph of my review for a minor spoiler as to why), Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell has many of the satisfying hallmarks of romance. The eponymous character is a seventeen-year-old boy with a serious crush on his online gaming buddy. When they get a chance to meet offline—but his buddy doesn’t know it—Noah takes it upon himself to launch an epic plan to win this guy’s love. It gets steamy, it gets hot-and-heavy, it gets recriminatory—everything you might want in terms of drama from a romance. Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the eARC in exchange for a review.

The characters feel really age appropriate in how Madden portrays them, especially in the obvious mistakes they make. You know what I mean: things that we might roll our eyes at, knowing better both as older readers and as members of the audience rather than participants in the story. For example, Noah gets bullied at his private school, but he refuses to tell his vice principal who’s bullying him for fear of greater reprisals. It’s also obvious that lying to Eli isn’t a great idea, or that going to the gym with Alex is going to cause problems—but these things aren’t obvious to Noah, who is in the middle of the story and who is a seventeen-year-old boy hopped up on hormones. Madden has a talent for walking that line between “makes sense for a teenager” and “well that was just for the sake of plot” in a way that errs on the side of the former, keeping the story interesting without veering into the unbelievable territory.

It also helps that many of the antagonistic characters have good reasons (from their perspective) for not liking Noah, who himself is quite flawed. The way that Madden takes time to flesh out these other characters and explore their motivations, whether it’s through conversations overheard or heart-to-hearts with Noah, balances the overt melodrama of his relationship with them.

There were a few characters or situations where I felt like this didn’t hold true. Noah’s dad is basically a cipher for the entire book: he exists and is a stereotypical mostly absent father figure, and I wish Madden had explored that more thoroughly. Similarly, some of the secrets—what’s going on with Noah’s mom, the big event that broke up Noah and his former best friend, etc.—are not all that surprising when finally revealed. Finally, Noah’s sister, Charly, has some of her own shit going on, which I appreciate—but she largely exists to be a voice in Noah’s head, via text message.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell is very dramatic in a way that you might expect for a novel involving a lot of theatre people. Its main character is flawed in a sympathetic way and makes a lot of mistakes. I know that some people will decry this book being marketed as a romance because it lacks a Happily Ever After (HEA). That’s totally valid—I shelved it as romance because, for me, that label describes what’s happening in the book rather than the actual romance genre, but I wanted to be clear in my review for anyone reading this who needs a heads up. I think the ending is realistic and appropriate given the mistakes Noah makes in this book, and there is hope for a happy ending in the future, but frankly if Eli had ended up forgiving Noah so quickly, I would have been a lot more frustrated. So blame the publisher, not the author, for the classification here: as long as you know not to expect an HEA, I think you could still enjoy the romantic aspects of this book.

So I will recommend Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell if you want a reasonably dramatic portrayal of a m/m YA love story. The pacing is good, the characters are mostly well drawn and interesting, and the plot takes appropriate twists and turns to hold your interest.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Page Street Publishing and Page Street Kids, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: bullying, cheating

Noah Mitchell is seventeen-year old and he's a gamer. His only friend is the funny an only online MagePants69 and after many games together, Noah is completely in love with him. Even though they don't know nothing of their real identities, Noah is certain that, if they could just meet, they would fall in love with each other and after a slipup he's now certain his friend is involved with a theater production. So now Noah is ready, almost, to join a community theater show his own mother is the star of, only to meet his gamer friend. That means doing things he's never done before, like dancing and singing and performing in front of a real audience and from a gaming chair to the public is a big jump. Helped by new friends, his sister Char and his own desire to meet his soulmate, Noah will do anything to get his chance at love. Even though hiding his gamer identity and playing two people mean lying and getting into trouble with the persone he's sure he's MagePants69.

I really loved reading this book! I basically devoured it! Noah Mitchell is shy, bullied at school for a mistake made years ago, with a difficult relationship with his parents, missing his older sister and his only friend is a gamer like him. When there's a small chance this friends could be into his mother's theater company, Noah decides it's time to risk and prove himself. That means be more confident, making new friends, facing his own mistakes and fears and growing up. His development is really impressive to see. Noah prefers his gaming chair to the world surrounding him, but the chance to meet irl MagePants69 makes him face the would outside. That will change everything, from what he perceive himself to be and deserve, his relationship with other people. with his own mother.
I truly loved how Noah gets to face his own insecurities, surrounding his own body and how he perceive it to be, what happens to him in the past and realizing it's not his own fault, his new friends, his crush, his own family and finally realizing it people aren't perfect and what he perceived them to be isn't always the truth of them.
Besides Noah's own progress into understanding himself, facing his mistakes and lies, I was truly impressed by how the author dealt with themes like bullying, cheating and parenting and how his characters are really realistic in their flaws and complexities. They are very relatable in their choices, mistakes and desires and I was really in love with all of them.
I didn't like the lies, the cheating and the miscommunication, though, even if I can understand the position Noah found himself in, they are not my favourites.
Overall, besides that, I really liked this book. It's funny, fresh and well written. Totally recommended it!

3.5/5⭐

This book was simultaneously tons of fun and also incredibly anxiety-inducing. As an adult, reading about teenagers making mistakes and stupid decisions over and over gives me STRESS. I just wanted to shake Noah so many times! A lot of the characters were actually very frustrating - there's a lot of bullying, terrible parents, and people just generally being incredibly immature. And of course, Noah's big lie (and all the little lies he tells to maintain it). I LOVE the mistaken identity/we already know each other but don't realize it trope, but when one character DOES realize it and decides to lie and manipulate the other person, it's a bit less fun because it's harder to root for them. I thought the fallout was handled so well though and I really liked how much Noah grew throughout the book.

Apart from the stress factor, I honestly enjoyed this SO much. The writing is so fun and engaging and Tobias Madden really nails the teenage voice. Everything felt so realistic (as much as it frustrated me, teenagers can be dumb! Brains don't fully develop until age 25!), and as someone who grew up doing musical theatre it was such a blast to have that be the setting for most of the story.

Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, coming of age queer YA novel. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Tobias Madden writes next!

This was an adorable YA Contemporary. I enjoyed the relationship between Noah and his sister. This incorporated family dynamics, friendships, and self-discovery. I am glad I got the opportunity to read it and would recommend it. I know I need to look into more theater productions after reading this one!

I’m actually rating this 4.5 stars

Though gaming isn’t something I’m too familiar with, I really enjoyed that element in the story! Throw in a shy and uncoordinated teen into a theater production as a last-minute addition because he’s dying to make a connection IRL, and you have the perfect recipe for a hilarious YA book. I just wanted to hug Noah for most of the time that I was reading this book, even though there were some occasions where I wanted to shake him a little bit. Speaking of Noah, what is up with his parents? I don’t know if it’s because I recently read another young adult novel with terrible parents, but I wonder if I only see them as terrible because the book is written from the young adults point of view? There were some moments with Noah’s mom, Rose, that just made me cringe. Luckily, his sister Charly is amazing! And don’t even get me started on his school life! You already know this book is well written if it got this many emotions and thoughts out of me😅 I highly recommended it!

Thank you so much to the author and @tbrbeyondtours for my review copy and allowing me a spot on the tour! I am in no way influenced in my review. Make sure to check them out for future tours🤩
https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/

𝔽𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤:
✨ But still, despite all of this . . . I’m in love. It’s irrational. It’s irresponsible. But it’s irrevocable
✨ Looking at Alex now, it’s almost impossible to believe there’s anything remotely insecure hiding under his gleaming exterior. I guess there really is more to everyone than meets the eye, even when what meets the eye is legitimately flawless
✨ After fifteen minutes of jumping and jogging and bouncing and squatting, I’m about ready to pass out. If this is just the warm-up, I’m going to need to call an ambulance to deliver my corpse to school when we're done (dead🤣)

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell is a wonderful addition to the world of Queer YA. I was particularly fond of Madden's authenticity when I first discovered his writing. The language he chooses, the erratic and often entertaining thought patterns, the mistakes, the drama... it all reads as very really teen experience. That's important to me. I feel there are a lot of books in the genre these days that have more adult voices, or voices that read as an adult trying to "sound" like a young person. This book reads as truly authentic. To swipe a quote from the book, "if you know, you know."

Noah is a bit of a wreck and I still managed to adore him. With the exception of an adoring older sister, Noah has a sad family life. His parents are distant from one another and disinterested in him at best. School life is challenging as he's being bullied pretty constantly. It seems that it's been happening so often that he has almost incorporated it into his daily existence. He doesn't see it as out-of-the-ordinary - it's just something that happens to him constantly.

The one place that Noah is happy is online gaming. He (RcticF0x) has been meeting up with MagePants69 online for a long time playing a massive campaign on "Spire of Dusk" and they have shared a lot of things together. What they haven't shared though are their real names and an in-person greeting. MagePants69's mom has rules about these kinds of things and they aren't allowed to meet people they game with.

I liked the way that Madden described the online gaming world. It can be very real to people, and I would argue the relationships are as concrete as those that happen in person. Making the leap to "real life" can be a challenge though... and things may not go the way we hope.

When Noah's mother enlists his help as an extra cast member in the local production of Chicago - he pieces together that MagePants online may well be part of the same cast! Thus begins his commitment to the musical!

Interestingly, when Noah finally thinks he has met his online gaming friend he chooses not to reveal his identity. I know that some people are uncomfortable reading about lying, but it felt to me like something I would have done when I was Noah's age. (I actually KNOW I lied; don't judge me.) Noah's reasons for keeping his identity a secret ... are a secret. Let me explain. Madden gives Noah a back story - something happened in Noah's past that has challenged the way he makes decisions about truth telling. I really enjoyed reading along as the mystery of his past break-up with a best friend was revealed slowly throughout the course of the novel. I could really feel the way he got tangled about making each decision to tell one more, tiny, lie and how the weight of it was adding up.

There is a lot of cute and adorable in this. Of note - one of the best "first time" sex scenes I've ever read. I won't ruin it, I'll let you read it. It's fade to black, but I loved the way Madden wrote the interaction and the feelings sweep Noah up.

Content warnings: underage drinking, intense peer pressure, lying, vomiting, infidelity (not MCs), body shaming, discussion re: child pornography

Thank you to Page Street Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell was a romp from start to finish. I was thoroughly invested from the opening chapter to the final sentence. There was lots of drama (both on and off stage) and a cast of complex and interesting characters.

Noah was a likeable character, and despite the many mistakes he made, I was still rooting for him. That said, I had some minor issues with Eli (which I won't go into because of spoilers), but the romance was very cute and I loved the exploration of both theatre and gaming. It was a lot of fun!

And although this book had an overall lighthearted vibe, it also dealt with some heavy topics such as body image, bullying, and neglectful parents. This would be an excellent read for high schoolers, especially.

Ridiculously cute MM YA romance. Set against the backdrop of a community theatre production of Chicago, Noah Mitchell grows up a bit and gets everything he’s ever wanted, sort of. I absolutely loved the theatre geekiness and the banter between Noah and his crush.

Thank you to TBR&Beyond book tours and Netgalley for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

If I had a a dollar for every time Noah Mitchell lies or keeps an important thing as a secret I would probably afford myself a fancy dinner and some drinks. It was a bit painful reading how he kept digging his own grave of lies deeper and deeper. I am the biggest fan of flawed main characters, but it was hard to cheer for Noah in this story. Consequently, since we view all other characters from his POV it felt as if no one, with the exception of Alex, would ever do the right thing. But the story was definitely entertaining and it keeps you wondering how and when things will resolve.

The way Tobias Madden including video games and musical theater into the story was very amusing, even to me who does not know much about either of those two subjects. Madden portrayal of a family that doesn’t see eye to eye and the importance of forgiveness and learning to understand your family was very moving.

I got an e-arc through Netgalley, this in no way affected this review.

I really enjoyed this book. It has aspects I really enjoyed like RPG gaming and musical theatre, which were heavily present in throughout this entire book.

The writing style was very easy to read and to follow, which made this a quick read. While I did like the main character, there were times where I didn’t really agree with the choices he made and he was definitely rude when others didn’t deserve it.

The relationship between Noah and the love interest felt a bit rushed to me, but I could also see why the author made them click so fast because of their past.

First of all huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Madden for gifting me this earc.

Noah Mitchell only has one friend, albeit strictly online, the funny and wonderful MagePants69. However, this has not stopped Noah falling absolutely head over heels for him. Noah breaks out of his own comfort zone in an attempt to meet MagePants69 in real life and mission get a boyfriend is underway.

This book has so many wonderful subplots that add to the overall plot equally and bring it all together: we have Spire of Dusk the RPG that Noah plays with his online love, the theatre that he joins to meet MagePants69, divided family tension and the underlying mystery of what the hell happened in Year 9 to make him lose all of his friends and be scared of ever telling the truth?!

Things I LOVED about the book:
- This story portrays awkward teen years to a T. The nerdy awkward moments, the second guessing every single decision you ever make, the anxiety, the first time love - everything just made my heart melt and reminded me how big of a deal everything is when you’re that age.
- The Spire of Dusk world-building. Madden really put his all into describing the game and it was amazing to have this little bit of a fantasy world written into what otherwise is a contemporary YA novel.
- Noah’s older sister Charly and demi-god Alex are the most supportive people I have ever come across in a book and every interaction between Noah and them two had me grinning ear to ear.
- Showing that skinny shaming is STILL body shaming and the effects it can have on a person, I loved this representation.
- The characters were very diverse.
- Eli and Noah’s relationship forming, however the lying trope did always taint it for me and broke my heart a little.

The thing that made this lose a star for me was I just don’t think Noah’s reason was a big enough justification for his actions, but then I have to think of how young he is and how impressionable he was at the time of said action. This really is a book that makes you sit and think about why other people do the things that they do, it’s a raw YA book that teaches a good few lessons!

The whole book is dramatic, I mean we’re combining 17 year olds and theatre…but weren’t we all a little bit like that when we were 17? I laughed, cringed, sighed, smiled and wanted the world to swallow me up along with Noah the entire journey. The ending is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. What a brilliant first read for the new year👏🏼

Whilst Tobias Madden set up a very exciting plot, I couldn’t help but feel that Take a bow Noah Mitchell was disappointing.

Take a bow Noah Mitchell is a young adult contemporary romance that revolves around Noah, who is big on computer games and has an online crush on a boy he has never met in real life whose username is MagePants69. However, Noah is convinced that if they met, they would be soulmates. After realising that MagePants69 is part of the cast of Chicago with his mom (who had insisted Noah to join it), he decides to give it a shot with the sole purpose of meeting his crush and making him fall in love with him. Little does he know his plan has an Achilles heel that would make it backfire.

Even though I understood the message the author wanted to leave to the readers, I thought the book was not well executed. I'm going to walk you through the aspects that made me feel this way.
First of all, the main character. Although it is good to see books that include the character's flaws, I got the impression that Noah's decisions were selfish, to the point that he was manipulative and did not care about the effects his actions could have on others. As a consequence, instead of empathizing with him, I disliked him, which made it difficult for me to read the book sometimes. It would’ve been more interesting if throughout the story we could read Noah mulling over his decisions instead of waiting to get away with them.
Secondly, it struck me that the book was packed with moments where I thought they would move to another direction but they didn't. For example, on the first hundred pages I thought there was going to be a love triangle but it didn't. After feeling that way on multiple occasions throughout the book, I started to think whether these parts of the book were included with the sole purpose of adding more drama to it. Were I the author, I would have omitted those parts to avoid confusion on the readers.
Despite all this, I will give Tobias Madden credit for his prose. Thanks to his writing style, the book is easy to read and understand. Another aspect that is worth mentioning is the way the author portrays how people hide behind a façade, which I considered an interesting topic to be included in a story.
Even though I would not recommend the book overall, it’s important to mention that this novel contains both messy young adults and relationships, which may appeal to other readers.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TAKE A BOW NOAH MITCHELL by Tobias Madden is a delight to read! While the hero, Noah, makes some horrible decisions throughout the story, he remains likable, or at least understandable throughout the story. Eli, the object of Noah's affection, is his own version of misguided, which balances out their dynamic. I love how the story combines two niche interests, onilne gaming and musical theatre, and I love the supporting cast of well=developed characters with their own stories that make a difference in the plot without overtaking it. All the various threads tie together in ways that prove Madden a strong storyteller. It's overall a charming and compelling read! Thank you Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for letting me read it!

3.5 stars rounded up..

This story was a cute YA Romance with a pretty realistic bittersweet, but hopeful ending. It's funny, sweet, a little sad, and frustrating. I liked the book overall and had a good time reading it, but I did roll my eyes a bit (but that may be more that I'm older than the intended audience). Tho in the later half of the book the dramatics were bumped up to an 11. Teen angst really blows situations out of proportion. But like... fair enough.

I do like when books have characters face real consequences for the hurt they cause other characters, rather than just trying to wrap everything up with one conversation and now everything is fixed and their love is stronger than all the hurt blah, blah, blah. Dont get me wrong, I love happy endings and sappy romance, but realistically some hurt takes time to heal if it can be overcome at all.

[SPOILERS]
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As for the eye rolling parts, it was mostly to do with how Noah handled his mother's affair. Over half the relationships in the Mitchell family were strained at best so his huge reaction kind of threw me. As a 20 something myself. I was more on par with his 20 something older sister's reaction, which is why I won't fault the book.