This was a lovely read that I enjoyed from start to finish. I was so happy to receive an ARC and it did not disappoint

Pub Date: 02/28/2023
CW: homophobia, off page murder, alcohol

Oh do I owe a HUGE frickin thanks to NetGalley and James’s publisher for approving me for this eARC.

THIS BOOK!!

YALL.

I LOVE THIS FRICKIN BOOK.

The setting in 1930s Chicago—you can tell the author did their research, from the slang used to just how the city worked and the people lived.

The book centered a lot on Joe: Joe’s thoughts and feelings, his relationships, his growth as a queer teenager in a time where that wasn’t really acceptable. It was slow, not very exciting, and I didn’t feel as close to Joe as I could’ve but still. I loved it.

I absolutely loved both Eddie and Raymond but I wish we saw more of Eddie. He was such a sweet character and I wanted to get to know him more.

You know what? Scratch that last bit about Eddie. I wrote that last bit while I was still reading the book. I do wish we could’ve seen what happened to him after Joe left him with the truck but eh. All’s well that ends well. I’m just glad Joe and Raymond are happy and we did see character growth from Joe.

dnf @ 54%, 2.5 stars


Oh man I was SO excited for this one, as soon as I read the summary. What doesn't sound amazing about the summary -- be gay do crime in Depression-era Chicago?? sign me up!!!

But it just didn't work for me. I tried to keep going, but I couldn't connect to the characters. They felt too shallow to me, and the relationships happened so quickly with very little preamble. And the setting didn't really pop for me either, though that could just be me -- I love my historical fiction to be immersive in a way this just wasn't.

I'd definitely like to give this author another try in the future, but my first outing wasn't very successful.

I’ll Take Everything You Have is not your usual gay YA romance. Set in 1934 in Chicago, it pictures a sixteen-year-old boy working in Chicago during the summer to earn money so he can help his mom pay off the debts of their farm. In Chicago, he meets two boys, Eddie, who delivers liquor to hotels, and Raymond who’s rich and privileged.
 
First of all, this is not a romance story. I’ll Take Everything You Have is about Joe, who meets, for the first time in his life, other queer boys and finally feels that he can be who he wants to be. Meanwhile, life in Chicago is rough, pulling Joe into something darker than he could have imagined.
 
The pacing is rather slow, and the story is mainly character-driven, meaning the book is full of Joe’s inner thoughts. Still, it’s very easily readable. I loved the descriptive writing, and I could see Chicago in 1934 and its inhabitants so vividly. I read the story eagerly and wanted to know badly what would happen with Joe, Raymond, and Eddie.

A few times, I felt certain things came out of nowhere, and I think the story could have been a bit longer to connect certain events better. But overall, I really liked Joe, the Chicago setting, and the writing, and I loved the realistic ending.

Thank you so much, Algonquin Young Readers, for trusting me to read and review this story! And James, I’m really curious what you’ll be writing next!

This was a good book, just not what I expected. Set during the summer of 1934, the story is about Joe going to Chicago to live with his cousin and make money. He and his mom live on a farm and are in a lot of debt, so Joe is desperate to make good money, which is what leads him to accepting a dubious job from his cousin. It seems easy, he just has to attend a weekly French class at a local church, and all he has to do is get the names, addresses, and travel dates of all the families in the class. Joe's not keen to help rob people, but the money's too good to pass up. Joe's love life also gets interesting, as he's seeing two guys, one of which is a mark in the French class. About halfway through the book, things took a turn I wasn't expecting, though overall i'd saw I was disappointed in how the criminal side of Chicago that was played up in the summary was actually handled. The story is slow and does not have a lot of action, the focus is more on Joe's thoughts and opinions as he's confronted with everything that's going on. There was a lot of emphasis on who he would end up with and while I was satisfied with who it was and how it ended, I wasn't a huge fan of how the author got them there. There were a lot of parts where things came up out of nowhere or information was suddenly thrown in, some pertinent most not. I liked the setting and ideas around the plot, but wasn't always a big fan of the pacing and writing style.

Thank you, Algonquin Young Readers, for allowing me to read I'll Take Everything You Have early!

James Klise stole my heart with this book. I cannot express how much I loved it, except by saying that I ADORED it.