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I Take You
‘Whip-smart, pacy, and truly hilarious. The Bridget Jones’ Diary for our times, you’ll probably read it in one sitting because that’s how good it is’ Stylist
I’m getting married. He’s perfect! It’s a disaster.
Note to self:
Do not tell future-mother-in-law that you got into Harvard Law School by sleeping with the Dean of Admissions.
Do not sing Beyoncé-style while representing client in major court deposition (actually, that one kinda works).
Do not buy into the social construct of fidelity. But hey, for an easy life, do not let Will find out about all the other men (esp. my boss/his boss/his best friend).
Meet Lily Wilder: New Yorker, lawyer extraordinaire, blushing bride. And totally incapable of being faithful to one man. As the big day dawns, one thing's for certain, Lily's in for a hell of a surprise...
I’m getting married. He’s perfect! It’s a disaster.
Note to self:
Do not tell future-mother-in-law that you got into Harvard Law School by sleeping with the Dean of Admissions.
Do not sing Beyoncé-style while representing client in major court deposition (actually, that one kinda works).
Do not buy into the social construct of fidelity. But hey, for an easy life, do not let Will find out about all the other men (esp. my boss/his boss/his best friend).
Meet Lily Wilder: New Yorker, lawyer extraordinaire, blushing bride. And totally incapable of being faithful to one man. As the big day dawns, one thing's for certain, Lily's in for a hell of a surprise...
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
283 people are currently reading
7703 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Kennedy
6 books267 followersELIZA KENNEDY attended the University of Iowa and Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation she served as a law clerk for a federal judge, then practiced litigation for several years at a prestigious Manhattan law firm. She lives in New York with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 989 reviews
May 12, 2015
Oh God, what do I say about this horrific book? I have read many, many books in my time, but this one takes the cake. Within the first two pages, Lily had kissed a dude, and slept with a dude, all while on her bachelorette party - yay for love and fidelity /sarcasm.
That really set the tone of the book, and while I can see where Kennedy was coming from and there's nothing wrong with a heroine who likes sex, there is fundamentally something wrong with any person who likes sex from RANDOM STRANGERS the week before their wedding. Lily could sleep with whoever the heck she wanted; my problem was she had a fiance. It actually drives me crazy, the whole cheating thing and that's not even the worst of it (see below, and under the Spoiler heading for the ABSOLUTE CHERRY ON THE CAKE). The twist was laughable HAHAHAHAHA. Tragically laughable.
This was a bad book. The only reason I stuck it out was to see what this big whole back story was with a kid named Teddy and it was suitably horrific, proving that Lily has been awful pretty much all her life, and as is the way with people like Lily, it's not her fault she sleeps around, it's because she didn't have the right moral code from her parents. OF COURSE. Silly me. It's not as if people have their own opinions and can tell right from wrong. PSHAW. Just like all those sons and daughters of drug addicts or murderers who somehow manage to not be drug addicts or murderers. Bizarre-o.
I truly wish I hadn't started this book, I wish I hadn't seen the beautiful cover and thought this would be right up my alley, because it was nowhere near any kind of alley I enjoy. It's really hard to have respect for someone who sleeps with anyone with a pulse despite the fact she's going to be married; despite the fact one of the men is her boss and another is her fiance's boss (I MEAN WHAT?). She even goes so far as to hit on Will's best friend. WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT?!?!?!?!
This REALLY wasn't the book for me, and it got even worse when it was revealed that
This book just really took the cake. It literally offended every part of me that could be offended. I mean, can you tell? Just from my unbearably snarky review? I did not like this book. If you want a good read about cheating that's actually not that bad, go read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. That's how you write a book about cheating and don't make your reader want to go take 50 hot showers to wash away the ickiness.
That really set the tone of the book, and while I can see where Kennedy was coming from and there's nothing wrong with a heroine who likes sex, there is fundamentally something wrong with any person who likes sex from RANDOM STRANGERS the week before their wedding. Lily could sleep with whoever the heck she wanted; my problem was she had a fiance. It actually drives me crazy, the whole cheating thing and that's not even the worst of it (see below, and under the Spoiler heading for the ABSOLUTE CHERRY ON THE CAKE). The twist was laughable HAHAHAHAHA. Tragically laughable.
This was a bad book. The only reason I stuck it out was to see what this big whole back story was with a kid named Teddy and it was suitably horrific, proving that Lily has been awful pretty much all her life, and as is the way with people like Lily, it's not her fault she sleeps around, it's because she didn't have the right moral code from her parents. OF COURSE. Silly me. It's not as if people have their own opinions and can tell right from wrong. PSHAW. Just like all those sons and daughters of drug addicts or murderers who somehow manage to not be drug addicts or murderers. Bizarre-o.
I truly wish I hadn't started this book, I wish I hadn't seen the beautiful cover and thought this would be right up my alley, because it was nowhere near any kind of alley I enjoy. It's really hard to have respect for someone who sleeps with anyone with a pulse despite the fact she's going to be married; despite the fact one of the men is her boss and another is her fiance's boss (I MEAN WHAT?). She even goes so far as to hit on Will's best friend. WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT?!?!?!?!
This REALLY wasn't the book for me, and it got even worse when it was revealed that
This book just really took the cake. It literally offended every part of me that could be offended. I mean, can you tell? Just from my unbearably snarky review? I did not like this book. If you want a good read about cheating that's actually not that bad, go read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. That's how you write a book about cheating and don't make your reader want to go take 50 hot showers to wash away the ickiness.
December 18, 2018
Caution: Bad language and rampant inarticulate emotion ahead.
I Take You is the story of Lily Wilder, a high-powered (is there any other kind?) New York attorney who’s heading down to her hometown of Key West to marry Will, by all accounts a completely fabulous guy. The book opens with Lily at her bachelorette party at a Manhattan club, where she’s drunk off her ass, high on something (not clear what), and making out with a random British dude at the bar. Then she gets a text telling her to come into the office, where her boss informs her that she needs to do some work while she’s down in Key West—taking a deposition for a witness in a case she’s handling. After some arguing, she agrees to do it. Then she and her boss have sex. In the office. Within hearing range of all her co-workers.
Lily’s bad behavior continues once she gets down to Key West. She drinks constantly, cheats on her fiancé some more, and wishes she could tell him she doesn’t want to marry him, but somehow can’t work up the courage. So instead she shows up wasted for a breakfast with her future in-laws (her first time meeting them, mind you), and behaves so badly that both parents become alarmed at the idea of their son marrying her. Rightly so! Lily spends this entire book behaving badly, lying about her bad behavior, and then piling on more bad behavior and more lies, never once learning from any of her ridiculously bad choices. And she shows literally no sign of really caring about anyone else in the book—her mind is like a little mirrored room that only reflects herself back to her.
This book made me think about the idea of “likability” in fiction. I have always believed that the best characters are flawed. I don’t really need them to be likable, just human. So what was different about this book? Well, for starters, Lily’s behavior is so horrible as to be unrealistic—in real life, there’s no way she’d have the loyal coterie of unstintingly supportive friends and family members she has here. But the main difference is that when most good writers create flawed characters, they aren’t particularly invested in making us like them or root for them—they’re just trying to create the best, most human characters they can, and let the chips fall where they may. In I Take You, in contrast, we are clearly supposed to be rooting for Lily. When she has another meeting with her future mother-in-law, Lily is nervous, and I could tell I was supposed to be crossing my fingers and hoping everything worked out, but what I really wanted was for her MIL to rip off Lily’s head and toss her body in the ocean. Don’t tell me who to root for, book!
This aspect of the novel is nowhere more evident than in the stunningly awkward scene—in a bar, of course—where Lily’s best friend, Freddy (a woman) defends Lily’s sleeping around by going on and on and on about how women are called "sluts" for enjoying sex, while no one has a problem with men who enjoy sex. I don’t know if you’ve realized this, everyone, but when it comes to sex, there’s a double standard! Shocking, I know. I mean, this is a worthwhile point to make, but it’s already been made approximately 50,000 times before, more eloquently and less awkwardly than this. Plus, let’s not forget that Lily doesn’t just enjoy sex—she’s been cheating on her fiancé with multiple men, including her boss, and lying about it. And she seems to always need to get loaded to do it, so perhaps she doesn’t enjoy it as much as she thinks (this point remains unexplored). But Freddy spends an inordinate amount of time hammering home the idea that there’s nothing wrong with Lily’s behavior—it’s our judgmental, misogynistic society that’s the problem. The idea is then further mansplained by a random dude at the bar. Then Lily and the random dude go into the storeroom and have sex. (Spoiler alert: He turns out to be her fiancé’s boss, in town for the wedding!)
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this passage got under my skin. Here we have a heroine who behaves badly at every turn. When faced with a choice, she always makes the most ethically questionable decision possible. And then the book takes time out to let us know that really, Lily isn’t a bad person, and if the reader thinks she is, that’s because the reader is a bad person. A bad, judgmental, misogynistic person. I felt like the book was trying to gaslight me. Sorry, book, I am just not that fucking stupid. Grrr. I am literally sputtering right now, trying to convey how over-the-top terrible this horrible book was. I don’t feel like I’m quite succeeding in conveying the infuriating badness of it all.
Anyway, after
So was there anything good about this book? The writing was mostly competent, I’ll give it that, but that’s about it. There’s a lot of “humor,” most of it feeble. For example, someone asks Lily if she slept well, and she replies, “Like the fishes.” Of course, the expression is “sleeps with the fishes,” not “sleeps like the fishes.” I think the joke is that Lily knows this and is deliberately getting it wrong because she’s such a hilarious person. If that sort of thing sounds like a laff riot to you, by all means, read this book. The book is also described as “sexy,” but it is not. As mentioned, there are a lot of random hookups, and all the appropriate body parts and orifices are name-checked and every Cinemax-approved position is made use of, but it all seems rote and not hot at all. Reading this book for the sex would be very sad indeed.
I am sure there are some people out there thinking, “You know, Julie, this really doesn’t sound that bad. You said the writing is competent, there’s some sex, some provocative ideas get thrown around, I’m going on vacation and I don’t need something deep anyway, so why shouldn’t I try this one?” I’ll tell you why: Because reading this book was like spending a few days with the most toxic person imaginable. Because while you’re spending your time with this toxic person you’ll be getting told that, actually, YOU are the toxic one for thinking this person is toxic. Because life is too short and you’re going to die one day and the number of books you will be able to read is finite. For the love of all things good in the world, don’t make this book one of them.
Oh yes, I received this book via a First Reads giveaway, so, um… thanks.
I Take You is the story of Lily Wilder, a high-powered (is there any other kind?) New York attorney who’s heading down to her hometown of Key West to marry Will, by all accounts a completely fabulous guy. The book opens with Lily at her bachelorette party at a Manhattan club, where she’s drunk off her ass, high on something (not clear what), and making out with a random British dude at the bar. Then she gets a text telling her to come into the office, where her boss informs her that she needs to do some work while she’s down in Key West—taking a deposition for a witness in a case she’s handling. After some arguing, she agrees to do it. Then she and her boss have sex. In the office. Within hearing range of all her co-workers.
Lily’s bad behavior continues once she gets down to Key West. She drinks constantly, cheats on her fiancé some more, and wishes she could tell him she doesn’t want to marry him, but somehow can’t work up the courage. So instead she shows up wasted for a breakfast with her future in-laws (her first time meeting them, mind you), and behaves so badly that both parents become alarmed at the idea of their son marrying her. Rightly so! Lily spends this entire book behaving badly, lying about her bad behavior, and then piling on more bad behavior and more lies, never once learning from any of her ridiculously bad choices. And she shows literally no sign of really caring about anyone else in the book—her mind is like a little mirrored room that only reflects herself back to her.
This book made me think about the idea of “likability” in fiction. I have always believed that the best characters are flawed. I don’t really need them to be likable, just human. So what was different about this book? Well, for starters, Lily’s behavior is so horrible as to be unrealistic—in real life, there’s no way she’d have the loyal coterie of unstintingly supportive friends and family members she has here. But the main difference is that when most good writers create flawed characters, they aren’t particularly invested in making us like them or root for them—they’re just trying to create the best, most human characters they can, and let the chips fall where they may. In I Take You, in contrast, we are clearly supposed to be rooting for Lily. When she has another meeting with her future mother-in-law, Lily is nervous, and I could tell I was supposed to be crossing my fingers and hoping everything worked out, but what I really wanted was for her MIL to rip off Lily’s head and toss her body in the ocean. Don’t tell me who to root for, book!
This aspect of the novel is nowhere more evident than in the stunningly awkward scene—in a bar, of course—where Lily’s best friend, Freddy (a woman) defends Lily’s sleeping around by going on and on and on about how women are called "sluts" for enjoying sex, while no one has a problem with men who enjoy sex. I don’t know if you’ve realized this, everyone, but when it comes to sex, there’s a double standard! Shocking, I know. I mean, this is a worthwhile point to make, but it’s already been made approximately 50,000 times before, more eloquently and less awkwardly than this. Plus, let’s not forget that Lily doesn’t just enjoy sex—she’s been cheating on her fiancé with multiple men, including her boss, and lying about it. And she seems to always need to get loaded to do it, so perhaps she doesn’t enjoy it as much as she thinks (this point remains unexplored). But Freddy spends an inordinate amount of time hammering home the idea that there’s nothing wrong with Lily’s behavior—it’s our judgmental, misogynistic society that’s the problem. The idea is then further mansplained by a random dude at the bar. Then Lily and the random dude go into the storeroom and have sex. (Spoiler alert: He turns out to be her fiancé’s boss, in town for the wedding!)
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this passage got under my skin. Here we have a heroine who behaves badly at every turn. When faced with a choice, she always makes the most ethically questionable decision possible. And then the book takes time out to let us know that really, Lily isn’t a bad person, and if the reader thinks she is, that’s because the reader is a bad person. A bad, judgmental, misogynistic person. I felt like the book was trying to gaslight me. Sorry, book, I am just not that fucking stupid. Grrr. I am literally sputtering right now, trying to convey how over-the-top terrible this horrible book was. I don’t feel like I’m quite succeeding in conveying the infuriating badness of it all.
Anyway, after
So was there anything good about this book? The writing was mostly competent, I’ll give it that, but that’s about it. There’s a lot of “humor,” most of it feeble. For example, someone asks Lily if she slept well, and she replies, “Like the fishes.” Of course, the expression is “sleeps with the fishes,” not “sleeps like the fishes.” I think the joke is that Lily knows this and is deliberately getting it wrong because she’s such a hilarious person. If that sort of thing sounds like a laff riot to you, by all means, read this book. The book is also described as “sexy,” but it is not. As mentioned, there are a lot of random hookups, and all the appropriate body parts and orifices are name-checked and every Cinemax-approved position is made use of, but it all seems rote and not hot at all. Reading this book for the sex would be very sad indeed.
I am sure there are some people out there thinking, “You know, Julie, this really doesn’t sound that bad. You said the writing is competent, there’s some sex, some provocative ideas get thrown around, I’m going on vacation and I don’t need something deep anyway, so why shouldn’t I try this one?” I’ll tell you why: Because reading this book was like spending a few days with the most toxic person imaginable. Because while you’re spending your time with this toxic person you’ll be getting told that, actually, YOU are the toxic one for thinking this person is toxic. Because life is too short and you’re going to die one day and the number of books you will be able to read is finite. For the love of all things good in the world, don’t make this book one of them.
Oh yes, I received this book via a First Reads giveaway, so, um… thanks.
August 20, 2016
I couldn't finish it. I wanted to enjoy it (especially since I loved the cover - yes, that's important to me), but I just couldn't. I have to mark this one DNF at about 60%.
Why did this one fall short for me? In essence, I Take You is the story of a woman behaving badly. She cheats on her fiance, makes a fool of herself, and generally is a handful. But all in all, it just felt utterly unrealistic and I found it terribly hard to believe because of it.
Not to mention all I could think was that I just wanted to grab the main character by the shoulders, shake her, and yell "JUST GROW UP ALREADY."
It wasn't for me. Maybe someone else will be able to get more out of it than I can, but I have to move on. The writing is actually decent, there are some charming moments, and I can see where it could be enjoyable. But no, not for me.
What did I think?: If a book could feel surface level, this one is it. I didn't feel like there was enough depth to it to make it compelling. I don't know that i'd say it's bad or that others would find it unenjoyable, but I couldn't find a reason to keep picking it up.
Who should read it?: If you like stories that tell of unconventional relationships or stories that aren't so deep you need to think about them...at all...then perhaps you'd like this one.
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
Why did this one fall short for me? In essence, I Take You is the story of a woman behaving badly. She cheats on her fiance, makes a fool of herself, and generally is a handful. But all in all, it just felt utterly unrealistic and I found it terribly hard to believe because of it.
Not to mention all I could think was that I just wanted to grab the main character by the shoulders, shake her, and yell "JUST GROW UP ALREADY."
It wasn't for me. Maybe someone else will be able to get more out of it than I can, but I have to move on. The writing is actually decent, there are some charming moments, and I can see where it could be enjoyable. But no, not for me.
What did I think?: If a book could feel surface level, this one is it. I didn't feel like there was enough depth to it to make it compelling. I don't know that i'd say it's bad or that others would find it unenjoyable, but I couldn't find a reason to keep picking it up.
Who should read it?: If you like stories that tell of unconventional relationships or stories that aren't so deep you need to think about them...at all...then perhaps you'd like this one.
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
March 11, 2016
I received this book free for review from the author or publisher in exchange for an honest review. Despite the coolness of receiving a free book, I’m absolutely candid about it below because I believe authors and readers will benefit most from honest reviews rather than vacuous 5-star reviews.
The nutshell view of the story is, as the blurb states, the story of a woman who really shouldn't be getting married. She's got every issue that traditionally disqualifies a woman from being 'marriageable material' from substance abuse to a Federal criminal record. Despite that, she still manages to be an incredibly adorable person.
To the positive side, this book is just a delightful romp. It fails to take itself seriously for even a full page and the vibrantly drawn characters are just made for a movie. The story is constantly and delightfully shifting and touches on some deep human questions specifically in the area of human sexuality and relationships. I'm a guy, not exactly the target audience, and I inhaled this in one long sitting while getting my knees tattooed. It's a wonderful distraction even to the most obnoxious pains of life.
To the negative, this book will be incredibly polarizing to many. It's got drugs and sex and alcohol and more sex and infidelity and incredibly graphic descriptions of sex. There's a lot going on here and it's not always terribly light-hearted and fluffy. But then again, what normal life IS all light-hearted and fluffy? Our protagonist is deeply "flawed" by societal standards, but is she really?
In summary, this was, for me, a grand highlight to the genre. I could have done without some of the gratuitous sex scenes, but the richness of the depiction was one that made you wish that maybe YOU were marrying into this land of ribald dysfunction and merriment.
PS: I hope my review was helpful. If it was not, then please let me know what I left out that you’d want to know. I always aim to improve.
--
Rob Slaven
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tatteredthread/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile...
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The nutshell view of the story is, as the blurb states, the story of a woman who really shouldn't be getting married. She's got every issue that traditionally disqualifies a woman from being 'marriageable material' from substance abuse to a Federal criminal record. Despite that, she still manages to be an incredibly adorable person.
To the positive side, this book is just a delightful romp. It fails to take itself seriously for even a full page and the vibrantly drawn characters are just made for a movie. The story is constantly and delightfully shifting and touches on some deep human questions specifically in the area of human sexuality and relationships. I'm a guy, not exactly the target audience, and I inhaled this in one long sitting while getting my knees tattooed. It's a wonderful distraction even to the most obnoxious pains of life.
To the negative, this book will be incredibly polarizing to many. It's got drugs and sex and alcohol and more sex and infidelity and incredibly graphic descriptions of sex. There's a lot going on here and it's not always terribly light-hearted and fluffy. But then again, what normal life IS all light-hearted and fluffy? Our protagonist is deeply "flawed" by societal standards, but is she really?
In summary, this was, for me, a grand highlight to the genre. I could have done without some of the gratuitous sex scenes, but the richness of the depiction was one that made you wish that maybe YOU were marrying into this land of ribald dysfunction and merriment.
PS: I hope my review was helpful. If it was not, then please let me know what I left out that you’d want to know. I always aim to improve.
--
Rob Slaven
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tatteredthread/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile...
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RobSlave...
WordPress: https://tthread.wordpress.com/
October 19, 2014
This is a quick read, and one that most people will not have trouble finishing. The question is: Should they? I found this book very disturbing. I agree with another reviewer, that I thought the main characters bordered on sociopathic. What is meant as a diatribe on female (and I guess any gender) sexual freedom comes off as a selfish, base and completely unattractive behavior. I'm no prude, but I am a marriage counselor, and I guess I just have a more hopeful view of the purpose of relationship that this book displays. It's also possible I just have no sense of humor.
June 29, 2015
This book was a disaster from beginning to end.
Some of my friends tell me that they don’t read book blurbs because they consider them to be spoilers – well the blurb for I TAKE YOU didn’t prepare me for what I was going to be reading - I wish it had of been a spoiler maybe i wouldn't have requested it. I thought light and fluffy chick lit about a girl who was about to be married and had doubts, maybe a bit of rumpy pumpy with the another man before realising her mistake and committing to her man. How wrong could I be!
The blurb says in part “…Unapologetically sexy with the ribald humor…” and honestly if that was what it was I would have enjoyed it much better. Because I couldn't laugh - I didn't find it funny - I read it through to the end only because I recieved it as an ARC and when I commit to an ARC - I committ to reading every word. Even if I felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
Instead I found that I could not relate in any way, shape or form to the main character – her character was completely abhorrent to me and I could not reconcile to her lifestyle and why this type of lifestyle was considered ok – and even fun! In the first chapter while at her hens party (yes that’s right she’s engaged and about to married) she kisses a perfect stranger, snorts a line of drugs and then goes and has sex with her boss – a few times. After this she goes back home where her fiancée is faithfully waiting for her. OK – there is a twist to this later on – but this twist makes the story go from the gutter to the drain.
In fact not one character in this story had any redeeming feature – Ok exclude granny, Teddy and the wedding planner from this statement – I cared for none of them. My extreme dislike of this book is solely because I cannot in all conscience promote a book that has a main character that constantly sleeps around – having sex with random strangers (married or single – didn’t matter), does drugs and gets plastered. Now my judgment of this book is very much coloured by my straight-laced attitude, I know this, but I can’t help it, I have morals and this little trollop didn’t, neither did her family or friends.
I am old fashioned – I believe if you commit to one person and want to share your life with them – then you do. I don’t know what upset me more – Lily who slept with any male that came into her sight – or women – or both; Lily’s father cheating on all of his three previous wives and is currently cheating on the fourth one with all of the previous three wives, plus other women. But that’s alright, because the first three ex-wives are okay with it and know about each other (Hmmmm I wonder where Lily got it from?) Oh that’s right – because of this behaviour she can blame her upbringing for her being who she is – of course it’s their fault as they set her no moral boundaries – because obviously she couldn’t make up her own mind as to what is right and what is wrong. She even sleeps with her fiancé’s best friend!!!
In fact the story got worse and worse and while I remained hopeful there would be a change in the behaviour of Lily, that she would learn what love and fidelity was all about – it didn’t happen. I honestly think that the story could have been better if there was less sleaze, If Lily had learned from her mistakes and moved on as a human being instead of shrugging her shoulders and diving back in. I have read books about infidelity before, I am not a prude, but this takes things to a whole new depth. Of course this is just my personal opinion and you may find that it may very well be perfect for you – there are reviews out there from people who loved it. This was just not my cup of tea.
With thanks to Crown Publishing and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review
Some of my friends tell me that they don’t read book blurbs because they consider them to be spoilers – well the blurb for I TAKE YOU didn’t prepare me for what I was going to be reading - I wish it had of been a spoiler maybe i wouldn't have requested it. I thought light and fluffy chick lit about a girl who was about to be married and had doubts, maybe a bit of rumpy pumpy with the another man before realising her mistake and committing to her man. How wrong could I be!
The blurb says in part “…Unapologetically sexy with the ribald humor…” and honestly if that was what it was I would have enjoyed it much better. Because I couldn't laugh - I didn't find it funny - I read it through to the end only because I recieved it as an ARC and when I commit to an ARC - I committ to reading every word. Even if I felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
Instead I found that I could not relate in any way, shape or form to the main character – her character was completely abhorrent to me and I could not reconcile to her lifestyle and why this type of lifestyle was considered ok – and even fun! In the first chapter while at her hens party (yes that’s right she’s engaged and about to married) she kisses a perfect stranger, snorts a line of drugs and then goes and has sex with her boss – a few times. After this she goes back home where her fiancée is faithfully waiting for her. OK – there is a twist to this later on – but this twist makes the story go from the gutter to the drain.
In fact not one character in this story had any redeeming feature – Ok exclude granny, Teddy and the wedding planner from this statement – I cared for none of them. My extreme dislike of this book is solely because I cannot in all conscience promote a book that has a main character that constantly sleeps around – having sex with random strangers (married or single – didn’t matter), does drugs and gets plastered. Now my judgment of this book is very much coloured by my straight-laced attitude, I know this, but I can’t help it, I have morals and this little trollop didn’t, neither did her family or friends.
I am old fashioned – I believe if you commit to one person and want to share your life with them – then you do. I don’t know what upset me more – Lily who slept with any male that came into her sight – or women – or both; Lily’s father cheating on all of his three previous wives and is currently cheating on the fourth one with all of the previous three wives, plus other women. But that’s alright, because the first three ex-wives are okay with it and know about each other (Hmmmm I wonder where Lily got it from?) Oh that’s right – because of this behaviour she can blame her upbringing for her being who she is – of course it’s their fault as they set her no moral boundaries – because obviously she couldn’t make up her own mind as to what is right and what is wrong. She even sleeps with her fiancé’s best friend!!!
In fact the story got worse and worse and while I remained hopeful there would be a change in the behaviour of Lily, that she would learn what love and fidelity was all about – it didn’t happen. I honestly think that the story could have been better if there was less sleaze, If Lily had learned from her mistakes and moved on as a human being instead of shrugging her shoulders and diving back in. I have read books about infidelity before, I am not a prude, but this takes things to a whole new depth. Of course this is just my personal opinion and you may find that it may very well be perfect for you – there are reviews out there from people who loved it. This was just not my cup of tea.
With thanks to Crown Publishing and the author via Netgalley for my copy to read and review
April 29, 2015
http://www.anurseandabook.com/2015/04...
I took a day to think about this book before I reviewed it. It was a weird experience to read it.
At first, I was really turned off by the main character. Not because she was cheating on her boyfriend, but because she was one of those people who think they are much cuter than they actually are.
And I'm not a fan of "slut shaming" as the kids call it. I don't think there is anything wrong with a woman having sex with men of her choosing, on her terms. But this book wasn't that. This was a character who threw herself on any man near her. Whether he was married, whether he was her husband's boss, or whether he was her husband's best friend. It wasn't sexual liberation, it was really just pretty gross, and came across as desperation.
Then in the middle of the book, we found out Lily's secret past, and it seemed like her behavior, while still off putting, was maybe a little understandable. But then as more information came forward, it seemed that, nope, it was still the Lily show. She got away with everything, and left her friend holding the bag of consequences, then never contacted him again. Of course she was shocked that he wasn't thrilled to see her back in her hometown.
The rest of the book is Lily changing her mind about marrying Will every few hours. Each argument seemed like a good one, until she had a few more drinks.
As Lily gets a taste of her own medicine from her fiancé, she discovers that she doesn't like being cheated on. And her fiancé tries to win her back through the most ridiculously long email that touts the benefits of an open relationship, explains how we aren't meant to be monogamous, and how cheating is good for both of them. Gag. And can I mention that she is reading this mental email while sitting in on a deposition that could make or break her career. Barf.
I hated these characters. All of them. What a bunch of jagweeds. A friend who cheated with her fiancé, her mother and stepmothers all sleeping with her father (I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but trust me, it happens.), her mother-in-law that tries to blackmail her out of the marriage with the lie about her felonious past, but don't worry! Lily just turns around and blackmails Will's mother with the details of her affair with one of her son's friends.
Seriously, this book was filled with the worst characters ever. I didn't care about any of them by the end.
And this isn't slut shaming, this is human being shaming. You leave other people's husbands (and wives!) alone, you don't sleep with your boss after your bachelorette party, and you don't throw yourself at your boyfriend's friends.
But this book was filled with essays about the right of women to do all of those things without ever being judged! If anyone dared to question Lily, they were hit right in the face with a fiery speech, pages long, about how she was a sexual free spirit. Ugh, I can't even write about this anymore.
Just yuck.
I took a day to think about this book before I reviewed it. It was a weird experience to read it.
At first, I was really turned off by the main character. Not because she was cheating on her boyfriend, but because she was one of those people who think they are much cuter than they actually are.
And I'm not a fan of "slut shaming" as the kids call it. I don't think there is anything wrong with a woman having sex with men of her choosing, on her terms. But this book wasn't that. This was a character who threw herself on any man near her. Whether he was married, whether he was her husband's boss, or whether he was her husband's best friend. It wasn't sexual liberation, it was really just pretty gross, and came across as desperation.
Then in the middle of the book, we found out Lily's secret past, and it seemed like her behavior, while still off putting, was maybe a little understandable. But then as more information came forward, it seemed that, nope, it was still the Lily show. She got away with everything, and left her friend holding the bag of consequences, then never contacted him again. Of course she was shocked that he wasn't thrilled to see her back in her hometown.
The rest of the book is Lily changing her mind about marrying Will every few hours. Each argument seemed like a good one, until she had a few more drinks.
As Lily gets a taste of her own medicine from her fiancé, she discovers that she doesn't like being cheated on. And her fiancé tries to win her back through the most ridiculously long email that touts the benefits of an open relationship, explains how we aren't meant to be monogamous, and how cheating is good for both of them. Gag. And can I mention that she is reading this mental email while sitting in on a deposition that could make or break her career. Barf.
I hated these characters. All of them. What a bunch of jagweeds. A friend who cheated with her fiancé, her mother and stepmothers all sleeping with her father (I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but trust me, it happens.), her mother-in-law that tries to blackmail her out of the marriage with the lie about her felonious past, but don't worry! Lily just turns around and blackmails Will's mother with the details of her affair with one of her son's friends.
Seriously, this book was filled with the worst characters ever. I didn't care about any of them by the end.
And this isn't slut shaming, this is human being shaming. You leave other people's husbands (and wives!) alone, you don't sleep with your boss after your bachelorette party, and you don't throw yourself at your boyfriend's friends.
But this book was filled with essays about the right of women to do all of those things without ever being judged! If anyone dared to question Lily, they were hit right in the face with a fiery speech, pages long, about how she was a sexual free spirit. Ugh, I can't even write about this anymore.
Just yuck.
October 29, 2022
In Eliza Kennedy's debut novel, a woman just a few days from getting married has a bit of a fidelity problem.
My name is Larry and I cannot seem to DNF a book, even as it annoys me. I picked this up from a random display table called “Must-Read Fiction” and thought it definitely had possibilities. Can’t win ‘em all!!
Lily is a hard-working lawyer, a good friend, and definitely a bit of a party girl. She’s engaged to marry Will—he’s a handsome archaeologist who clearly thinks Lily is everything. But as the wedding draws closer, Lily wonders how well she knows Will, and whether he’s right for her.
You see, Lily has a tiny problem with sleeping with other men. She doesn’t know why, but everyone knows this about her—except Will. Should she call off the wedding, come clean about her infidelities, or just ignore it all and get married?
The supporting characters are a lot of fun in this book. It did provide an interesting perspective on the double standard that exists between men and women who cheat. My problem was that I just wasn’t wild about Lily. It happens...
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
My name is Larry and I cannot seem to DNF a book, even as it annoys me. I picked this up from a random display table called “Must-Read Fiction” and thought it definitely had possibilities. Can’t win ‘em all!!
Lily is a hard-working lawyer, a good friend, and definitely a bit of a party girl. She’s engaged to marry Will—he’s a handsome archaeologist who clearly thinks Lily is everything. But as the wedding draws closer, Lily wonders how well she knows Will, and whether he’s right for her.
You see, Lily has a tiny problem with sleeping with other men. She doesn’t know why, but everyone knows this about her—except Will. Should she call off the wedding, come clean about her infidelities, or just ignore it all and get married?
The supporting characters are a lot of fun in this book. It did provide an interesting perspective on the double standard that exists between men and women who cheat. My problem was that I just wasn’t wild about Lily. It happens...
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
January 10, 2015
I loved this! This was a perfect chick lit read, though "darker" than most chick lit due to some serious topics, drug use and lots and LOTS of drinking. I laughed out loud SO many times, this book was just so funny :) I also really loved the setting (Key West). The romance was a bit unconventional. I admit, I was shocked by the first chapter alone! But this story definitely sucked me in and I am left wondering what happens next! A sequel would be great. I received a copy of this book from NetGal I loved this! This was a perfect chick lit read, though "darker" than most chick lit due to some serious topics, drug use and lots and LOTS of drinking. I laughed out loud SO many times, this book was just so funny :) I also really loved the setting (Key West). The romance was a bit unconventional. I admit, I was shocked by the first chapter alone! But this story definitely sucked me in and I am left wondering what happens next! A sequel would be great. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
July 7, 2015
Morally objectionable chick lit = not at all for me. I’d been hoping for something Bridget Jones-esque, but didn’t make it past the first few pages. Any author should write well enough to make even detestable characters palatable, but I was repelled by this first-person narrator who breaks off her drunken bachelorette party to shag her boss. A redeeming narrative arc was likely to follow, but with an interior monologue like this, I couldn’t be bothered to stick around and find out: “I hit an unexpected pocket of turbulence in the hallway. Oh no—I’m going down! Fortunately, a wall saves me. You know what. Thank God for walls.”
Thank God there are many better books out there so I can abandon this one without a shred of guilt.
Thank God there are many better books out there so I can abandon this one without a shred of guilt.
July 16, 2017
WTF did I just read?!
June 18, 2015
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
I had to give this one a lot of thought before reviewing. On one hand, I appreciate the topic of women being sexually liberated and the discussion generated regarding how women are always called foul names when they sleep around but men are praised and applauded for it. I could have totally been on board with that. But… that’s not exactly what was going on here. I toyed with the idea that in order to appreciate Lily and her mental outlook on sex you would have to be like minded, of which I am so very far from Lily’s opposite, but I don’t believe that’s a necessity here. I’ve read plenty of fiction with characters that are difficult to like and you couldn’t possibly begin to understand their mental motivations (Lolita and especially Tampa, for example) and yet I was still able to appreciate these stories as compelling (and shocking) works of fiction. But this wasn’t about sexual liberation in my eyes. I think it was all taken a bit too far and Lily’s actions became simply foolhardy and desperate when she was sleeping with literally anyone that hit on her. Like her fiancés groomsmen. Who also happens to be his boss. In the week leading up to her wedding.
But let’s back up and get a little backstory. Lily Wilder is engaged to be married to a wonderful man named Will. Trouble is, he doesn’t know that she hasn’t stopped sleeping with other men because she’s still not certain she’s actually in love with him. But she accepted his proposal a mere six months after they met because she hated the idea of disappointing him. There’s a bit that gets delved into about her past that sort of justifies her need to please without first being certain about her own feelings, but it was still a bit confounding in the ridiculousness. No one that actually knows Lily and the things that she gets up to thinks that she should actually get married, yet this only makes Lily more determined to do so. Because that reasoning is excellent when deciding on marriage.
I’d like to discuss the one shining moment of this book: It’s absolutely hilarious. Lily and her friend Freddy (Winifred, her lesbian best friend) are quite the dynamic duo. One scene in particular had me rolling when they decide to do a few lines of coke to help them finish up the seating arrangements for the wedding. Then they decide to build a fort out of the hotel furniture, order some fish sticks, seat all the bald men together, all the red-heads and all the young children at one table with Lily’s future mother-in-law.
There’s a knock on the door. “Fish sticks!” we yell, and burst out of our pillow fort.
So ridiculous yet so goddamn funny. There were many other scenes like this but I just loved the friendship between these two and the witty banter was only the cherry on top.
Lily, I actually loved immediately because she reminded me of one of my favorite fictional characters.
But Samantha and her wild ways were never muddled with the fact that she accepted a proposal and the unsaid principal behind (most) marriages to be monogamous with one another. Open marriage does end up being discussed to a nauseating degree. And the hypocritical crap had my eyes rolling. And the concept of being in love yet still being promiscuous. Again, I’m all for sexual liberation and doing (and blowing, as Samantha said) whomever you want, but the story failed to convince me that marriage is something that could legit be thrown into that mix. And really left me skeptical as to why Lily even wanted to get married considering she seemed perfectly content continuing as she has been. Subtract the fact that she’s engaged to be married and this story could have totally been Samantha’s tale and I’m not sure I would have looked at this as squinty eyed as I did once I finished.
I received this book free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I had to give this one a lot of thought before reviewing. On one hand, I appreciate the topic of women being sexually liberated and the discussion generated regarding how women are always called foul names when they sleep around but men are praised and applauded for it. I could have totally been on board with that. But… that’s not exactly what was going on here. I toyed with the idea that in order to appreciate Lily and her mental outlook on sex you would have to be like minded, of which I am so very far from Lily’s opposite, but I don’t believe that’s a necessity here. I’ve read plenty of fiction with characters that are difficult to like and you couldn’t possibly begin to understand their mental motivations (Lolita and especially Tampa, for example) and yet I was still able to appreciate these stories as compelling (and shocking) works of fiction. But this wasn’t about sexual liberation in my eyes. I think it was all taken a bit too far and Lily’s actions became simply foolhardy and desperate when she was sleeping with literally anyone that hit on her. Like her fiancés groomsmen. Who also happens to be his boss. In the week leading up to her wedding.
But let’s back up and get a little backstory. Lily Wilder is engaged to be married to a wonderful man named Will. Trouble is, he doesn’t know that she hasn’t stopped sleeping with other men because she’s still not certain she’s actually in love with him. But she accepted his proposal a mere six months after they met because she hated the idea of disappointing him. There’s a bit that gets delved into about her past that sort of justifies her need to please without first being certain about her own feelings, but it was still a bit confounding in the ridiculousness. No one that actually knows Lily and the things that she gets up to thinks that she should actually get married, yet this only makes Lily more determined to do so. Because that reasoning is excellent when deciding on marriage.
I’d like to discuss the one shining moment of this book: It’s absolutely hilarious. Lily and her friend Freddy (Winifred, her lesbian best friend) are quite the dynamic duo. One scene in particular had me rolling when they decide to do a few lines of coke to help them finish up the seating arrangements for the wedding. Then they decide to build a fort out of the hotel furniture, order some fish sticks, seat all the bald men together, all the red-heads and all the young children at one table with Lily’s future mother-in-law.
There’s a knock on the door. “Fish sticks!” we yell, and burst out of our pillow fort.
So ridiculous yet so goddamn funny. There were many other scenes like this but I just loved the friendship between these two and the witty banter was only the cherry on top.
Lily, I actually loved immediately because she reminded me of one of my favorite fictional characters.
But Samantha and her wild ways were never muddled with the fact that she accepted a proposal and the unsaid principal behind (most) marriages to be monogamous with one another. Open marriage does end up being discussed to a nauseating degree. And the hypocritical crap had my eyes rolling. And the concept of being in love yet still being promiscuous. Again, I’m all for sexual liberation and doing (and blowing, as Samantha said) whomever you want, but the story failed to convince me that marriage is something that could legit be thrown into that mix. And really left me skeptical as to why Lily even wanted to get married considering she seemed perfectly content continuing as she has been. Subtract the fact that she’s engaged to be married and this story could have totally been Samantha’s tale and I’m not sure I would have looked at this as squinty eyed as I did once I finished.
I received this book free from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
July 23, 2019
In seven days, New York lawyer Lily Wilder will walk down the aisles, capping off her whirlwind romance with her finance, Will. The two met seven months earlier in a bar and after a passionate weekend, threw caution to the wind and decided to get married. But the question looming over the wedding is do these two really know each other and are they the right fit?
See, Lily has a side of herself that she's kept secret from Will. Lily enjoys living up to her last name and living wilder than many -- binge drinking, sleeping with strangers, friends, really anyone who comes on her radar (she's even carrying on an affair with her boss at her law firm). She also has a dark secret from her past that she's hidden from everyone (or so she thought) and that if it comes to light, it could undo all her current and future happiness.
Despite warnings from family members, friends and lots of other signs saying that maybe she isn't ready to settle down and that she and Will aren't a good match, Lily is determined to go through the wedding.
At times, Eliza Kennedy's I Take You can be laugh out loud hysterical. But those funny moments cover up a darker side to this story and to Lily that make me hesitant to really recommend this book. As much as Lily tries to justify her behavior to herself and readers, she keeps coming across as shallow, spoiled and completely unready to make a commitment to man she hardly knows. At several points in the story, Lily seems to be talking herself into why she should love Will instead of showing us that she really does love him. The fact that she's seducing members of the wedding party, her boss, etc. in the days leading up to the wedding (despite having fantastic sex with her finance) makes you wonder if Lily is really ready to settle down or if she's getting married for the right reasons.
And despite a chorus from those who care about her, she seems to determined to plunge forward and damn the consequences.
There are some interesting moments in the book like when Lily and her friend debate why women who enjoy sleeping around are perceived in a negative light and given names that shame them while men who sleep around are perceived as positive and given names like "Romeo". It's an interesting passage, though the it starts to lose points when Lily goes from it to trying to seduce a hot guy she's just met at the bar. Lily lives fast, works hard and plays hard. And while you may like her a bit at first, I found myself going tired of her antics and overall selfishness as the novel careened toward their wedding day.
As much as I wanted to like this book, I could only come away from it feeling like there was some great potential here that isn't necessarily lived up to. Kennedy does some interesting things in the final fifty or so pages, but they don't necessarily feel earned. In the end, I found myself growing more and more impatient with Lily and wishing she's listen to the advice of those around her and grow up already.
In the end, I'm not sure it's a book I'd necessarily recommend. It's good but not great.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this book as part of the Amazon Vine program.
See, Lily has a side of herself that she's kept secret from Will. Lily enjoys living up to her last name and living wilder than many -- binge drinking, sleeping with strangers, friends, really anyone who comes on her radar (she's even carrying on an affair with her boss at her law firm). She also has a dark secret from her past that she's hidden from everyone (or so she thought) and that if it comes to light, it could undo all her current and future happiness.
Despite warnings from family members, friends and lots of other signs saying that maybe she isn't ready to settle down and that she and Will aren't a good match, Lily is determined to go through the wedding.
At times, Eliza Kennedy's I Take You can be laugh out loud hysterical. But those funny moments cover up a darker side to this story and to Lily that make me hesitant to really recommend this book. As much as Lily tries to justify her behavior to herself and readers, she keeps coming across as shallow, spoiled and completely unready to make a commitment to man she hardly knows. At several points in the story, Lily seems to be talking herself into why she should love Will instead of showing us that she really does love him. The fact that she's seducing members of the wedding party, her boss, etc. in the days leading up to the wedding (despite having fantastic sex with her finance) makes you wonder if Lily is really ready to settle down or if she's getting married for the right reasons.
And despite a chorus from those who care about her, she seems to determined to plunge forward and damn the consequences.
There are some interesting moments in the book like when Lily and her friend debate why women who enjoy sleeping around are perceived in a negative light and given names that shame them while men who sleep around are perceived as positive and given names like "Romeo". It's an interesting passage, though the it starts to lose points when Lily goes from it to trying to seduce a hot guy she's just met at the bar. Lily lives fast, works hard and plays hard. And while you may like her a bit at first, I found myself going tired of her antics and overall selfishness as the novel careened toward their wedding day.
As much as I wanted to like this book, I could only come away from it feeling like there was some great potential here that isn't necessarily lived up to. Kennedy does some interesting things in the final fifty or so pages, but they don't necessarily feel earned. In the end, I found myself growing more and more impatient with Lily and wishing she's listen to the advice of those around her and grow up already.
In the end, I'm not sure it's a book I'd necessarily recommend. It's good but not great.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this book as part of the Amazon Vine program.
May 6, 2015
I actually thought this was a very entertaining book. While I don't condone cheating, I guess the fact that Lily was still unsure of getting married made it okay for me. I found it to be fun, outrageous and sometimes laugh out loud funny. The wedding planner and Gran were a hoot!!! I especially liked the way Lily handled some of the people who negative and mean to her. The deposition was a riot.
I say for a debut novel, we have a lot more entertainment forthcoming from Eliza Kennedy. I definitely recommend this book.
A huge thank you to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for a review.
I say for a debut novel, we have a lot more entertainment forthcoming from Eliza Kennedy. I definitely recommend this book.
A huge thank you to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for a review.
July 20, 2015
I believe I picked this book for a quick, easy, fun, maybe sexy read because of a positive review in Entertainment Weekly. And it was a first book by a female Harvard Law School grad. .
Is life really this way? I admit that there are some big picture things to think about in the area of love and fidelity. But this book was too extreme for me and the story too fabricated and silly. With more time and subtlety, less extreme behavior, it could have been a real story. But the way it came together, it was more of a story like the Samantha character in Sex and the City, ridiculous and over the top.
Is life really this way? I admit that there are some big picture things to think about in the area of love and fidelity. But this book was too extreme for me and the story too fabricated and silly. With more time and subtlety, less extreme behavior, it could have been a real story. But the way it came together, it was more of a story like the Samantha character in Sex and the City, ridiculous and over the top.
April 25, 2015
I really struggled with this book. While I admired it's take on gender politics and how a promiscuous man is a lothario and a promiscuous woman is a slut, the framework for the weightier issues is so terrible that it does a real disservice to the challenging topics debated. The main protagonist Lily is pretty hateful. And no matter how much of her bad behaviour you can attribute to her back story, the fact she never seems to learn from her mistakes and just ploughs through life ruining it for other people is pretty unforgivable.
I also struggled with the fact that the narrative swings between farce and really serious issues. The farcical elements are so ridiculous that they reduce the gravitas of the tragedies with which they are juxtaposed, leaving the reader with an uncomfortable jarring mess of a book to get through.
This could have been so much better - there are some great ideas here, and some interesting topics to be debated, but the delivery is just way off target. A real shame.
I also struggled with the fact that the narrative swings between farce and really serious issues. The farcical elements are so ridiculous that they reduce the gravitas of the tragedies with which they are juxtaposed, leaving the reader with an uncomfortable jarring mess of a book to get through.
This could have been so much better - there are some great ideas here, and some interesting topics to be debated, but the delivery is just way off target. A real shame.
December 16, 2019
Ανάλαφρο, προσπαθεί να εκθέσει τις απόψεις της επί σοβαρών θεμάτων όπως η ειλικρίνεια και η εμπιστοσύνη σε ένα γάμο, αλλά χάνεται μέσα στα απίστευτα λίτρα αλκοόλ που πίνουν οι πρωταγωνιστές (οι οποίοι όλως παραδόξως αφού έχουν πιει τον άμπακο μπορούν και λειτουργούν μια χαρά την επόμενη μέρα) και στο συνεχές σεξ που κάνει η πρωταγωνίστρια. Οι τελευταίες 50 σελίδες όμως διαφέρουν και για αυτές αξίζει να δώσω και το δεύτερο αστεράκι.
December 5, 2016
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
My initial impression after reading only a few pages of this book was that I was going to hate it. Lily is engaged and getting married in one week and cheats on her fiancé, Will constantly. Soon enough I was surprised because I had fallen under Lily’s spell, much like most of the men that she meets. She’s charming, self effacing, bold, and unapologetic. I definitely do not condone her appalling behavior, cheating sucks no matter how much you dress it up and make it look pretty. But I found that I didn’t have to agree with her actions to enjoy her story.
As if Lily isn’t outrageous enough, the supporting cast of characters puts her to shame. Her best friend Freddy is smart and hilarious and the dialogue between the two was sarcastic and snappy. They are WILD and are always down to party. Sex is fun for them and they are unashamed. Will is a somewhat nerdy goofball, but his quirks made him pretty interesting. Then there is Lily’s family; her father has been married five times and is a lovable lothario, her mother and her two stepmothers are oddly close, even though they have been through hell and back, and her grandma is also a lawyer and a meddling old lady. They are all delightfully wicked and up to no good, it’s no wonder where Lily gets it from.
This is not a book to take seriously, it’s a playful romp, however it does touch on some interesting social issues. There’s talk of the double standard between men and women, mainly regarding sex. Why are women who are promiscuous labeled in a derogatory manner while men are considered casanovas? It also touches on monogamy, and feminism. Often it is also brash and vulgar, so it definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you can handle strong language and some sexiness, you may like this one. I am clearly in the minority here though as the average rating on Goodreads is very low. But despite my initial hesitations, I did warm to Lily and crew and appreciated the refreshing take on a standard Chick Lit heroine.
My initial impression after reading only a few pages of this book was that I was going to hate it. Lily is engaged and getting married in one week and cheats on her fiancé, Will constantly. Soon enough I was surprised because I had fallen under Lily’s spell, much like most of the men that she meets. She’s charming, self effacing, bold, and unapologetic. I definitely do not condone her appalling behavior, cheating sucks no matter how much you dress it up and make it look pretty. But I found that I didn’t have to agree with her actions to enjoy her story.
As if Lily isn’t outrageous enough, the supporting cast of characters puts her to shame. Her best friend Freddy is smart and hilarious and the dialogue between the two was sarcastic and snappy. They are WILD and are always down to party. Sex is fun for them and they are unashamed. Will is a somewhat nerdy goofball, but his quirks made him pretty interesting. Then there is Lily’s family; her father has been married five times and is a lovable lothario, her mother and her two stepmothers are oddly close, even though they have been through hell and back, and her grandma is also a lawyer and a meddling old lady. They are all delightfully wicked and up to no good, it’s no wonder where Lily gets it from.
This is not a book to take seriously, it’s a playful romp, however it does touch on some interesting social issues. There’s talk of the double standard between men and women, mainly regarding sex. Why are women who are promiscuous labeled in a derogatory manner while men are considered casanovas? It also touches on monogamy, and feminism. Often it is also brash and vulgar, so it definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you can handle strong language and some sexiness, you may like this one. I am clearly in the minority here though as the average rating on Goodreads is very low. But despite my initial hesitations, I did warm to Lily and crew and appreciated the refreshing take on a standard Chick Lit heroine.
January 27, 2021
I don't think I've ever read a book where I hated both of the main characters and the horrible choices that they made. Holy cannoli.. these people should not be in love or married to one another. They should just stay single and sleep with whoever whenever.
In I Take You, you will meet Lily and Will. From the very moment of meeting them, I knew that they were both sleeping around. Even though they were dating one another. So, yeah.. I wasn't exactly shocked when the truth came out because the signs were all there.
Then there's the characters themselves. Lily is a lawyer but she is incredibly immature. Especially when she is in a court room. Then there's Will who honestly only started sleeping around because he realized that's what Lily was doing. He then started to like doing it and slept with so many women while dating her.. and then when they were engaged.
So they are definitely horrible people and this book was beyond frustrating.
In I Take You, you will meet Lily and Will. From the very moment of meeting them, I knew that they were both sleeping around. Even though they were dating one another. So, yeah.. I wasn't exactly shocked when the truth came out because the signs were all there.
Then there's the characters themselves. Lily is a lawyer but she is incredibly immature. Especially when she is in a court room. Then there's Will who honestly only started sleeping around because he realized that's what Lily was doing. He then started to like doing it and slept with so many women while dating her.. and then when they were engaged.
So they are definitely horrible people and this book was beyond frustrating.
September 16, 2014
HOLY CRAP! I started reading this book on the train to work this morning, and I could not put it down. I'm pretty sure I read it in less than 14 hours. It is the best-written, the funniest, and the most thoughtful women's fiction book I have read in... ever. Since I can't even think of another book to compare it to, I am just going to say that it is a must-read. Must. Read.
June 29, 2017
Αυτό το βιβλίο παίρνει 5αστεράκια γιατί ανέτρεψε όλες μου τις προσδοκίες! Όταν το αγόρασα και όταν το ξεκίνησα πίστευα ότι θα είναι απλά ένα ανάλαφρο μυθιστόρημα! Αλλά τελικά αποδείχτηκε διασκεδαστικο, τρυφερό, ελαφρά συγκινητικό, ανατρεπτικό, με λίγα λόγια βαθιά ανθρώπινο! Ότι πρέπει για να κλείσει ο μήνας αναγνωστικα!
July 2, 2015
I know it seems weird that I'm going to bash this novel about how it deals with cheating when the synopsis more or less says that it's about cheating. And that’s fine. I’m not here to dictate what kind of book should or shouldn’t be written about. If we can read novels about murderers, incest, and stalkers then cheating isn’t really that big of a deal.
Plus, the book promised to be funny and I love laughing so I was looking forward to this.
Sadly, it wasn’t funny. It was just a big pile of hypocritical nonsense that tried to come off as feminist rant about gender and sexuality. Lily Wilder is a lawyer, not a good one though, who is getting married to the man of her dreams, who she thinks she loves, but she’s worried about their relationship…mainly because she loves sleeping around, even though she’s engaged to him.
Her family tells her to reconsider, because they know how she is, but it only makes her want to marry Will all that much more. But does she love him? Can she love someone who doesn’t truly know her and can she love someone who she doesn’t know either? You know what would solve that, sleeping with some guy at the bar. So she does that a few times to clear her head and get her mind back in the game. I guess she’s like Chloe from Apartment 23, only she’s engaged and not as funny or as awesome as everyone’s favourite B.
Damn….I really wish that show wasn’t cancelled. It was great.
Anyways, it turns out that her fiancé knows that she hasn’t been faithful so he lets her know that it’s okay. Why? Because he hasn’t been faithful either, but that’s okay! His reasoning is stupid, but it basically boils down to them loving each other and yadda yadda yadda.
Unfortunately, Lily doesn’t take it well and calls off the wedding. She can cheat and yell feminism, but when it turns out that he’s cheating then it’s wrong and dirty. I mean, he slept with one of her bridesmaids…even though she tried to sleep with the best man and two of his friends, one of which was his boss. But who cares! Women are allowed to be sexual beasts and follow their desires. I am a woman, let me have sex even though I’m engaged to someone!!!
......
I don’t get it. If Lily didn’t try to justify her cheating or wasn’t engaged to someone she thought was monogamous to her and who she thought he thought she was monogamous…then I guess it would be funny? In a, “Oh God no…never…what are you think??” kind of way.
I was looking forward to the laugh out loud moments and a look at the double standards when it comes to cheating, because there is one. And while the book tries to touch on these issues, it fell on deaf ears because you can’t justify crappy behaviour and say “feminism” when it’s just you being a poopy person.
The entire book seemed to make a case about how great cheating is as long as everyone is in the know. Lily’s father has cheated on all of his four wives and is currently cheating on the fourth one with the previous three. But that’s okay, because the first three ex-wives are okay with it even though the fourth one finds out about it while away…because she’s taking care of her sick mother who has cancer.
*sigh*
Then there’s a trial thing that I think was meant to come off as empowering and funny, but it didn’t. The way she acted was unprofessional, insulting, and rude.
I should have read the comments before reading this one. It would have saved me some time. The only thing I got from this book was that cheating is fine and normal and everyone is going to do it whether you like it or not.
Awesome!
Plus, the book promised to be funny and I love laughing so I was looking forward to this.
Sadly, it wasn’t funny. It was just a big pile of hypocritical nonsense that tried to come off as feminist rant about gender and sexuality. Lily Wilder is a lawyer, not a good one though, who is getting married to the man of her dreams, who she thinks she loves, but she’s worried about their relationship…mainly because she loves sleeping around, even though she’s engaged to him.
Her family tells her to reconsider, because they know how she is, but it only makes her want to marry Will all that much more. But does she love him? Can she love someone who doesn’t truly know her and can she love someone who she doesn’t know either? You know what would solve that, sleeping with some guy at the bar. So she does that a few times to clear her head and get her mind back in the game. I guess she’s like Chloe from Apartment 23, only she’s engaged and not as funny or as awesome as everyone’s favourite B.
Damn….I really wish that show wasn’t cancelled. It was great.
Anyways, it turns out that her fiancé knows that she hasn’t been faithful so he lets her know that it’s okay. Why? Because he hasn’t been faithful either, but that’s okay! His reasoning is stupid, but it basically boils down to them loving each other and yadda yadda yadda.
Unfortunately, Lily doesn’t take it well and calls off the wedding. She can cheat and yell feminism, but when it turns out that he’s cheating then it’s wrong and dirty. I mean, he slept with one of her bridesmaids…even though she tried to sleep with the best man and two of his friends, one of which was his boss. But who cares! Women are allowed to be sexual beasts and follow their desires. I am a woman, let me have sex even though I’m engaged to someone!!!
......
I don’t get it. If Lily didn’t try to justify her cheating or wasn’t engaged to someone she thought was monogamous to her and who she thought he thought she was monogamous…then I guess it would be funny? In a, “Oh God no…never…what are you think??” kind of way.
I was looking forward to the laugh out loud moments and a look at the double standards when it comes to cheating, because there is one. And while the book tries to touch on these issues, it fell on deaf ears because you can’t justify crappy behaviour and say “feminism” when it’s just you being a poopy person.
The entire book seemed to make a case about how great cheating is as long as everyone is in the know. Lily’s father has cheated on all of his four wives and is currently cheating on the fourth one with the previous three. But that’s okay, because the first three ex-wives are okay with it even though the fourth one finds out about it while away…because she’s taking care of her sick mother who has cancer.
*sigh*
Then there’s a trial thing that I think was meant to come off as empowering and funny, but it didn’t. The way she acted was unprofessional, insulting, and rude.
I should have read the comments before reading this one. It would have saved me some time. The only thing I got from this book was that cheating is fine and normal and everyone is going to do it whether you like it or not.
Awesome!
May 24, 2015
It is rare for me to hate every single character in a book, but the folks in "I Take You" got me there. There is a thread running through this book that emphasizes how men who sleep around get to be bachelors or Don Juans, whereas women who choose to do so are labelled whores or skanks. I am totally opposed to slut shaming and agree heartily that women have as much right to enjoy sex as men without societal judgment. That said, if Lily, the protagonist was a man, the description that would be most on the nose would be "selfish, inconsiderate, drunken asshole." The book is littered with selfish, inconsiderate, drunken assholes, with our heroine front and center in assholishness.
July 23, 2015
Lily Wilder, a New York lawyer, is set to marry Will Field, a museum curator, in just six short days. The couple has only known each other six months, and despite constant advice from friends and family to take things a bit slower, Lily is determined to say 'I do' and slip into matrimonial bliss. There's just one problem and a rather larger problem at that... Lily cannot give up her appetite for other men. With only a few days to clean up her act, Lily is faced with multiple challenges in both her personal and professional lives which makes changing her ways all the more difficult.
Pros:
• This is a quick and easy read.
• A character in the book points out the fact that words to describe women who enjoy sleeping with multiple men always draw up negative imagery while words to describe men who enjoy sleeping with multiple women do not. I agree with this; however, unlike the author I think that both situations are equally bad... not 'neither good or bad.'
Cons:
• It was implied in the book that if women have a monogamous relationship with their husbands they have conceded that sex isn't really important and would rather have the safety and security that marriage offers instead of good sex. I think this is absolutely ludicrous. Is it really so hard for the author to imagine that some women, actually probably a lot of women, enjoy having sex with their husbands? Gasp!
• My least favorite quote in the entire book...
Infidelity is inevitable? Seriously? Ever heard of self control? Are we all simply mindless animals governed by nothing more than our hormones?
• Although the book was correct in stating that 'the church' has turned sex into a bad thing, the Bible itself most certainly has not. Inside marriage, husbands and wives are encouraged to have sex and to have sex often (1 Corinthians 7:5).
• Lily and her best friend Freddy consumed so much alcohol and drugs in this book I'm surprised either could carry on intelligent conversations.
• While I understand the author was trying to say it's okay for women to have sex and enjoy having sex, I don't think Lily did the best job of demonstrating anything other than a total lack of self control. She would have sex with anyone who showed the least bit of interest in her including her boss, her fiance's boss, an attempt at her fiance's best friend and of course complete strangers. I'm amazed she isn't crawling with every STD known to man.
I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Pros:
• This is a quick and easy read.
• A character in the book points out the fact that words to describe women who enjoy sleeping with multiple men always draw up negative imagery while words to describe men who enjoy sleeping with multiple women do not. I agree with this; however, unlike the author I think that both situations are equally bad... not 'neither good or bad.'
Cons:
• It was implied in the book that if women have a monogamous relationship with their husbands they have conceded that sex isn't really important and would rather have the safety and security that marriage offers instead of good sex. I think this is absolutely ludicrous. Is it really so hard for the author to imagine that some women, actually probably a lot of women, enjoy having sex with their husbands? Gasp!
• My least favorite quote in the entire book...
"You have to understand something, darling," Jane says. "Infidelity in a marriage is inevitable."
Infidelity is inevitable? Seriously? Ever heard of self control? Are we all simply mindless animals governed by nothing more than our hormones?
• Although the book was correct in stating that 'the church' has turned sex into a bad thing, the Bible itself most certainly has not. Inside marriage, husbands and wives are encouraged to have sex and to have sex often (1 Corinthians 7:5).
• Lily and her best friend Freddy consumed so much alcohol and drugs in this book I'm surprised either could carry on intelligent conversations.
• While I understand the author was trying to say it's okay for women to have sex and enjoy having sex, I don't think Lily did the best job of demonstrating anything other than a total lack of self control. She would have sex with anyone who showed the least bit of interest in her including her boss, her fiance's boss, an attempt at her fiance's best friend and of course complete strangers. I'm amazed she isn't crawling with every STD known to man.
I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
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May 8, 2015No. I tried. This was like reading US Weekly or eating cotton candy. I know this type of girl IRL. I don't like her. I'm not going to read about her. I just... no.
September 29, 2016
Wat een leuk boek, zo zie je maar ook dat het anders kan ;)!
May 28, 2015
1 I don’t take you Star
I want to start this review by admitting I broke my own rule. I DNF a netgalley book. I failed to deliver a complete review of an ARC book and I feel horrible!
I got as far as a possibly could but the writing style is terrible. I forced myself to get as far as I did I have been trying to finish this book since Mar 09th. I got to chapter 04. There is a “honey we need to talk” in chapter 4!
I think its mainly the dialogue the book is written in. Everything feels kind of forced and insolent. A lot of reviwerers are just calling Lily a bitch… what supporting character in this book isn’t a giant asshole?!!! The blurb made the book out to be a laugh out loud knee slapping good time.
I don’t even care that the book was about a bunch of cheaters who have sex with strangers before they get married.
Im just bored with how the book read (quotes not exact)
what are we eating chicken?
I think its pork
its fish
I love the rice
its polenta
How is that possible?
That conversation spans a page!
Ughh
July 21, 2015
I really thought I would like this book. I did. However, I found myself cringing most of the time. I read reviews of it and people seemed to love it and it seemed to make them laugh. I guess it just didn't fit my sense of humor? The book starts off and the main character is engaged to this guy who is apparently great but she is feeling bittersweet about it. I was a bit disturbed as soon as I started the book, honestly. She is engaged yet she was at a bar making out with some random guy. Some people justify this by aying "well, she just wasn't sure if she actually wanted to get married!" but it's quite simple, really. If you're not sure- don't say Y E S. Just because you're not married yet doesn't justify cheating- you're still in a relationship. I was just shocked at how she knew what she was doing was wrong yet continued to do it regardless.
I thought as the book went on, the character would come to realize all the things that were wrong with her unattractive behavior- but it was always just the same- she had no business getting married. I should have known just by reading the synopsis- I guess I will think twice about books like this in the near future.
I have never read a book with a character quite like this one. She was kind of a mess if I'm being completely honest. Although some things about her behavior are explained in the book due to her past, I couldn't get myself on board with this book. All of the characters were just kind of terrible. I didn't loathe it but I surely didn't love it. I guess it just wasn't my type of book. Someone somewhere may love this and it's characters but it just wasn't the book for me.
More reviews over at Reads By Rose Book Blog
I thought as the book went on, the character would come to realize all the things that were wrong with her unattractive behavior- but it was always just the same- she had no business getting married. I should have known just by reading the synopsis- I guess I will think twice about books like this in the near future.
I have never read a book with a character quite like this one. She was kind of a mess if I'm being completely honest. Although some things about her behavior are explained in the book due to her past, I couldn't get myself on board with this book. All of the characters were just kind of terrible. I didn't loathe it but I surely didn't love it. I guess it just wasn't my type of book. Someone somewhere may love this and it's characters but it just wasn't the book for me.
More reviews over at Reads By Rose Book Blog
October 29, 2020
Several months ago, I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I started reading it and decided that maybe this book wasn't for me. I didn't make it past chapter 2. Recently, I was preparing for a car trip and saw the audio version of this book sitting on a library shelf and thought, "Why not?" I'm glad I tried it again.
There are many things I didn't like about the main character, Lily Wilder, but if you keep reading...she can be quite entertaining! (I didn't like anyone from Gone Girl either, but I couldn't put the book down.) Lily is smart, funny, often drunk, and never monogamous in her relationship with her fiance.
The dishonest part of this did bother me. I try to be open-minded, but I just think people should be honest. I also felt like the author got a bit preachy with her message. (Especially that part in the bar where they kept listing all the comparisons between words for women and words for men.) I prefer to have the book tell me the story and let me come to a conclusion on my own. Spare me the lectures, please.
Overall, I was entertained. I'm really glad I (eventually) gave this book another shot. I would read this author again -- especially if Lily's grandmother decides to make an appearance in another book. (hint, hint)
*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC.
There are many things I didn't like about the main character, Lily Wilder, but if you keep reading...she can be quite entertaining! (I didn't like anyone from Gone Girl either, but I couldn't put the book down.) Lily is smart, funny, often drunk, and never monogamous in her relationship with her fiance.
The dishonest part of this did bother me. I try to be open-minded, but I just think people should be honest. I also felt like the author got a bit preachy with her message. (Especially that part in the bar where they kept listing all the comparisons between words for women and words for men.) I prefer to have the book tell me the story and let me come to a conclusion on my own. Spare me the lectures, please.
Overall, I was entertained. I'm really glad I (eventually) gave this book another shot. I would read this author again -- especially if Lily's grandmother decides to make an appearance in another book. (hint, hint)
*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC.
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January 6, 2021DNF
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