Could not finish fast enough. Stayed engaged with every page. Was stimulating on so many levels. Will be looking out for more from this author. Thanks for allowing me to read!

Ooh, I got chills from the prologue alone.
This story has all the elements to get me to love it: near future, sci-fi dystopian and queer.
As someone with climate anxiety (who doesn't have it at this point, am I right?) my palms were sweating with the descriptions of this not so distant future.
I really liked Ava and this story had me hooked from the beginning. What first drew me in was the cover and then the title (I try not to read the description so I don't get any spoilers) and then the story completely swept me away. I'm excited to read future works of this author and to share this one with my friends and followers.
Sometimes there are just books that really hit you with their brilliance and this is one of them. Great work!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Yours for the Taking is at once a found family story, a queer narrative, and a scathing critique of anti-trans movements backdropped by a climate dystopia and capitalism run-amok. There are so many levels to the story and characters that it’s like a box of mysteries just waiting to be unpacked and left me speechless.

This story takes place in a disaster ridden world, where the climate is in full collapse and humanity is on the edge of societal breakdown. In the midst of this, the Inside project is proposed, where structures are built in population hot spots around the globe and small portions of humanity are invited to attempt to ride out the climate disaster. And if one of the Inside cubes goes a little rogue and decides to cut men out of its population? Well, nobody needs to know.

Yours for the Taking is extremely concerned about the topic of autonomy, particularly women’s autonomy, which is cognizant of debates and struggles today. It’s what the book, ultimately, is about. Each of the characters is grappling with autonomy in some way, some to a greater extent than others, which makes the overall narrative seem in conversation with real world problems.

This is one of those books where I would have to suggest doing as little research into it as possible just to get the full effect of the unwinding story. I went in fairly blind (though I requested the ARC, I had only skimmed the summary and heard a few of my TikTok mutuals gush about it) and it was probably the best way to experience the narrative. The extent of the antagonist’s atrocities and plans is revealed slowly and deliberately by Korn.

The power of this book and the way in which it weaves together the stories of several women to create an overall message about womanhood, paired with a strong writing style puts Yours for the Taking in the running for my best book of 2023 (and it hasn’t even been released yet!). Though the themes are heavy and the topics hard to grapple with at times, I truly believe it is well worth the read.

Korn, following the tradition of American utopia and dystopia novels like Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward 2000-1887 and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland, writes a book that's more about the ideas than the characters themselves. Here, Korn's characters are facing the limitations of feminism in a world rapidly deteriorating from climate change, and when gender is so much more than a male/female binary. The characters, all interacting with a so-called feminist utopia where men are abandoned and left to die with the Earth, each come face to face a future that is indeed female, which brings about its own oppression and systemic issues. Korn's novel seems to argue that no utopia can be built off of a gender binary; that any form of hierarchy will ultimately find ways to be harmful and oppressive. A great book for your book club to discuss, and one you'll likely want to dissect with a group of friends. Though sometimes a bit on the nose and blunt about its themes, this seems to follow with the intent of the book– not to explore characters, but to explore a philosophical question.

Yours For the Taking is a philosophical utopian novel that will leave you thinking. As the novel explores the construction of gender as a binary and the deterioration of the Earth, it asks the reader to ponder: Should the future really be female?

This felt very different from the books that I’ve been reading this year. It was a good palate cleanse after reading a very lengthy fantasy series. I love that this book is set in the future and it gave me insane futuristic vibes. The author has such a way of getting so damn detailed. There were sentences that I read twice (maybe 3 times) because I was so blown away by the descriptions. I don’t like to give much away in my reviews, but I want to give a huge thumbs up to the author for allowing me to read this. Incredible read and incredible writing.

Wow! What a read! This is my favorite book that I’ve read this year. From start to finish, I was completely hooked. I could not put this book down. It was an enjoyable, page-turning, futuristic dystopian tale about the impacts of climate change and people’s choices on how they will stay alive. A billionaire, Jaqueline Milender (who reminded me of Elon Musk) designs a living arrangement that’s called The Inside which she claims will save the planet through female empowerment- but it ends up being in very unorthodox ways. The book then follows strong women characters as they navigate their new reality. This book is full of love, resilience, as well as beautiful queer and trans representation. It also prompts the reader to reflect and question what gender roles really mean, and to contemplate the impacts of climate change. This read will stay with me for a very long time! I absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend it!!

An interesting story of love, found family, betrayal, gender bias, and social unrest.

I really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in the book and how each character showed a different part of the story. The story itself was an interesting one and full of plot twists. It also highlighted some of the gender and class differences we face today.

The story went on a bit long for me, however. There’s only so many times I could read about the same problems of being Inside repeatedly. I understand why this was done and I really wanted to hear something different by the end of the book. There were also a few loose ends that I didn’t think were fully wrapped up.

Still, this was a good book and one that I enjoyed reading overall.

I'm trying to figure out where to start with talking about this book, but at the very least, I can safely say that this one had such a chokehold on me and I'm going to be screaming at people to read it when it comes out in December. This is my favorite kind of sci fi - one that is terrifying because it feels so close to being a reality.

This book asks a lot of questions - are men the biggest issue with society, and therefore the cause of climate change? Would life be better in a society with all women? What would that look like for trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people? How does this proposed society treat women of different wealth classes and educational backgrounds? What happens when we let a billionaire have control over the future of humankind?

None of these questions have simple or easy answers, and while the future of Gabrielle Korn's world has some ideas, it doesn't claim to solve for them. Instead, it challenges the reader to answer these for themselves while seeing how this might unfold through the eyes of a handful of characters. It all sounds very daunting, but it ends up being a very fast paced, accessible story.

I don't think it's perfect - the book spans years, and there are many times that I wish we could have spent more in or learned about more characters in them. I also found the ending a little too neatly wrapped up, but it still had me begging for a sequel. It still manages to be a 5 star read for me, though, because my experience reading it was just so good. I found this alternate future (or not alternate? Like I said, it feels so close to what might actually happen) endlessly fascinating and impressive. I want more of these characters and more from Gabrielle Korn!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC!

I'm a dystopian gal. I love an end-of-times, the world is collapsing novel. Yours for the Taking has made the list of my favorites in this genre. The world-building was great; the descriptions of Inside and the outside world painted a vivid picture of where humanity was heading. I felt like I could see Inside with its cookie cutter apartments, multi-level gardening structures, and clandestine "bars" with alcohol-free wine. I could feel the smog outside and empathize with the people doomed to remain there.

While I didn't love all the characters (who ever does), I felt like I actually got to know the major players in the plot. Most of the characters had some depth, and I was able to connect with them in a way that made me care for their futures. I was rooting for Ava and Olympia while worrying for Shelby. That's not something I find myself doing very often, but Gabrielle's writing got me there. Oh! And the queer representation! I find many authors awkwardly shoehorn queer characters into stories as a pandering tactic, but Gabrielle managed to show that representation can be done and be done very well.

All in all, this was a pretty good book. Better dialogue would've bumped this one up to five stars for me.

Thanks a million to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

A fascinating dystopian novel. The world is in chaos and leaders in the feminist movement set out to attempt a solution. Lots of imagination used here and I guarantee you will enjoy this one. It is thought provoking yet scary.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For her fiction debut, Gabrielle Korn teleports into the alarming future with a queer climate fiction novel that opens in the year 2050. A resident of a now-sinking Brooklyn, Ava has the chance to escape the inevitable when she’s admitted to the refuge that is The Inside Project, created by girlboss par excellence Jacqueline Millender. But, as you might imagine, this supposed feminist utopia is not all that it seems. Korn manages to grapple with weighty topics while also delivering a compelling read, rife with twists—and a sequel is already in the works.

https://www.elle.com/culture/books/g42156598/best-books-of-2023/

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly I found this deeply tepid, and like if twitter identity discourse was rehashed into a novel. I appreciated the epistolary moments of it (and honestly my rating is closer to 2.5 stars), but it's something where the book just felt hollow at points. I wanted to care for the cast, but I think the time scale on this was too over eager and wanted to cover too much ground, which ended up tripping it up. Also, Jacqueline as a central character almost felt like a parody at points, and while I loved the intent behind her, I feel as if the author didn't quite strike the right balance with her. Anyway! Wanted to like this! Loved the ideas it was playing with! But I honestly think that this would be a better movie than a book, and the storytelling style lends itself more to a visual medium, and in book form it just didn't quite clicks.

I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did. It was competently written, but all of the commentary felt very surface level with zero depth or nuance. This book has a very specific liberal audience who will probably make this the next Big Deal. If your ideology falls somewhere in the Social Liberalism/Social Democracy areas on the Political Compass, you'll probably love this book. If you're further Left than that, you'll likely have a bad time.

Another dystopian / post-apocalyptic book (although 2050 is NOT that far in the future). Terrifying.

This is a well written, well thought out book about a what appears to be a utopian society for women. It is set in the future, when climate change has made the world virtually unliveable. It is also a love story, love that survives separation, love for our children and for what is true equality, despite what is being told Lots to think about and lots to feel about

A really inventive and new way of looking at a post-apocalyptic world. The perfect mix of the horror of world-building gone right and wrong, and a true look at what happens with power. Prescient, feminist, queer, and very readable. Korn puts the conversations of today into a not-so-distant future and makes it fun.

Wow, this book... I don't even know where to start. I didn't know I needed a queer dystopian book so badly until I was approved to read this book.

I appreciate that the world was already "built" and you could get right into the story. This feels like something that may happen in this fucked up world we're in, which is the best kind of book.

I loved the characters! I feel I would have made similar decisions to Orchid, because she feel she did not have a choice.

I enjoyed most of this book, except for its ending which left me dissatisfied due to the unresolved plotlines. The book concluded on a frustrating cliffhanger, and while I have questions, I won't delve into them to avoid spoiling the experience for potential readers.

Several issues stood out to me. The initial concepts introduced in the beginning weren't consistently developed throughout the story. Some monologues were overly lengthy and felt unnecessary. The book featured an abundance of different points of view (POVs), including four women highlighted in the synopsis and an additional three introduced later on. This accumulation of seven distinct POVs lacked clear labeling, making it confusing to follow. Moreover, the portrayal of perspectives from transgender and black women felt underdeveloped, particularly concerning the challenges they might face, such as the amplified backlash a black woman might encounter compared to a white woman in a position of power. Proper research into these experiences, particularly within corporate America, would have enhanced authenticity. Additionally, certain conflicts were resolved too hastily.

Despite these criticisms, I found several intriguing aspects. The book effectively weaved in satirical elements, providing a thought-provoking exploration of feminism and the essence of womanhood. As someone who identifies as a feminist, I found my understanding evolving while reading, thanks to the author's impactful influence. The author possesses a remarkable command of language, crafting immersive settings and evoking genuine emotions from the characters. Even the perspectives of the antagonists were engrossing, prompting me to reflect on my own notions of feminism.

This dystopian sci-fi masterpiece is one of my new favourite books of all time.

It’s 2055, and the climate crisis has reached a breaking point. The weather is vicious and unpredictable, and soon the Earth will be uninhabitable. Over the past five years, billionaire Jacqueline Millender has been funding the North American division of a project called Inside, resulting in what’s left of the city of New York being enclosed in climate-proof structures, with only a few windows throughout. Only 3 million people will fit in each Inside, but Jacqueline has a bit of a different plan for hers.

We have three main characters:
Ava, who applied for Inside with her girlfriend Orchid five years ago, and they’re about to find out if they got in;
Shelby, who applies for an internship with Jacqueline Millender’s company and ends up being offered a position as her personal assistant instead;
And Olympia, a med student with several job offers on the table, all of which disappear after her controversial opinion piece goes viral. Except the one from Jacqueline, to be the medical director of Inside.

Despite being on a space shuttle, Jacqueline still has a terrifying level of control over Inside. Life is different than what was promised, but Ava, Shelby, and Olympia settle into their new lives relatively well. Until the cracks in the foundation of Inside get too deep for them to ignore.

This book had everything. The slow burn dystopia really worked for me, even though the events take place over 20+ years; I was happy to either read more about day-to-day life Inside or find out quickly what went wrong and explore the ramifications of that. Most of the characters were LGBTQIA+, and all of them were complex and interesting—especially our villain, the perfect example of what conservatives think a feminist is.

YOURS FOR THE TAKING is a compelling commentary on feminism in our patriarchal society, corporate greed, and last and surprisingly least relevant to the story, climate change. And we’re getting a sequel! Five stars, Gabrielle Korn added to auto-buy authors list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVE Dystopian stories and am always hesitant that I will be absorbed in the way that I always hope to be when I begin reading them. I am so happy to say that this book absolutely drew me in and surpassed all of my expectations! It is such an engaging read! The characters are interesting and seem SO real. I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience as the storytelling was superb and the plot was incredible. I believe this story will be a huge hit and I can only hope that there will be much more to come from this incredible storyteller! Absolutely recommend...