Take

by Jennifer Bradbury

Two teens uncover a secret hidden in the Cascade Mountains that spans generations, stringing together family skeletons, lost stories, and a discovery of love and self in this tense and emotional young adult thriller.

Cara is on the cusp of adventure. Unlike her best friends, she doesn’t want to go to college, she wants different kinds of challenges. And anyway, home just doesn’t fit anymore. She is growing distant from her friends and hasn’t spoken to her father in eons. To make matters worse, her ex-boyfriend and fellow climber, Nat, has popped back into town after breaking up with her over text. So it’s the perfect time to leave, and she has big plans for a gap year to rock-climb in Patagonia.

But when Cara hears that her father is actually missing, things change. While trying to track him down, she discovers a trail of clues centering around the history and life of the legendary mountaineer, outdoorsman, author, and all around dirtbag, Beckett Friedrichs. And unfortunately, the only person who knows enough about Friedrichs to make sense of any of this is Nat.

Their search for Cara’s father will lead into the Cascade Mountains, up a harrowing rock face, and navigating through time as Nat and Cara explore the history of World War II with the impact of Pearl Harbor and its Japanese Incarceration Camps, Cara’s family, and each other.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Adventure, Audiobook, Realistic Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Bradbury is an English teacher living in Burlington, Washington. She and her husband took a two-month long bicycling trek from Charleston, South Carolina, to Los Angeles, California for their honeymoon, changing more than fifty flat tires along the way. She was also a one-day winner of Jeopardy! Shift is her first novel.

Reviews

[Mandi Lucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I loved the whole thing from start to finish. I was right there with Cara from start to finish. I learned about a part of her life and what her dad was like

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cara just finished high school and plans to take a year off to travel to Patagonia to do some climbing. She is working three part-time jobs to finance her trip but her plan is interrupted. Her dad has gone missing and didn't show up for her graduation. Also, her ex-boyfriend returns from college for summer break and walks back into her life. They pull their climbing experience and problem-solving skills together to put decipher clues to find her dad. Their search leads them into the Cascade Mountains and puts her on a path to solve secrets in her family heritage, including World War ll and the Japanese Internment camps.
This young adult audiobook was a great listen while working on projects. I enjoyed the family history aspect of the story.

[Eleni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is my first ever rock climbing fiction, and I surprisingly enjoyed it. I didn’t realize when picking it up that it was paralleled with a WWII story. I honestly probably wouldn’t have read it if I knew because I’m a little burnt out on that genre. However, it surprised me in the best way and gave a lot of flesh to the story. Definitely felt on the younger side of the YA audience and the ending was a bit hodge podge and unrealistic, but over-all a quick, fun read. Perfect for outdoorsy teens who like adventure with a splash of history.

[bach books · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to read a great book set in my proverbial backyard. I enjoyed the mystery and the history fueling the story.

[Diana-christie Biancardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover drew me in.

[Amanda ☆ Nana's Books ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this YA historical fiction is based around rock climbing! It's hard to find those kinds of stories.

[Amanda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah yeah so the author was one of my closest college friends, but this rating is genuine. I loved this book and tore through it. My favorite of hers since the first one.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part historical fiction, part broken/ rebuilding romance, and part thriller, this is a great read about a girl whose father has a mental illness that has stressed and frustrated her most of her life. When he disappears instead of going to work the one job he's performed every summer, she begins to worry. The only person she can trust to help her figure out what's going on thanks to a mysterious display of maps and post-it noted on the wall at her father's home, is the guy who dumped her the year before.
It turns out Dad has gone to climb a peak, allegedly the only one a famous hiker/climber never summited in their part of the country. If Cara is going to find her father, she needs Nat's help. Their detective work is blended with entries from a diary beginning just before World War Two that gradually reveal part of the mystery that has her father trying to summit the peak. The author's knowledge of technical climbing, the gradual revelations about what happened many years ago, and the way Cara and Nat slowly open back up to each other are combined to create a real page turner that subtly opens readers' eyes to how devastating the internment of Japanese Americans was during the war. Terrific read all the way around.

[annabeth ☼]

*DNFed at 21%

As random as it seems, I thought I would try this because I just needed something to read on my phone for a little bit to wind down to go to sleep, but this just wasn’t my thing unfortunately. I think if I was into rock climbing, I would have pushed through and at least enjoyed those aspects of it. But, because I’m not, I just decided that I don’t need to see it through to the end.

There were a few things that made me put it down. For one, there was noticing guys and calling them “hot,” which I’m not a fan of seeing or reading ever. There was also some language, nothing super excessive, but a “holy s***” is what made me put the book down. Also, there was an attempted sexual assault on page (from the pov of someone witnessing it), which was just…. not nice to read. Especially in a YA book.

Besides these things, it was an okay book so far. The writing was fine, and I even liked Cara as a character (although I did not like Kiley at all). I just don’t have the time or patience to see through a book that I’m not really enjoying right now.

Content Warnings:
Moderate - Cursing, Sexual Assault (attempted)

The cursing:
3 “crap”
1 “crappy”
1 “bad*ss”
1 “pissed”
1 “damn”
2 “hell” (specifically as curse words)
1 “holy s***”

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a former climber who keeps intending to get back on the wall, I really enjoyed this book. The author interwove relatively believable stories of two different generations that merged together in a predictable, but satisfying way. The complicated father-daughter relationship is probably very relatable to many, as would be the miscommunications of young love. This felt very nostalgic to me, but I’m not really the demo.

I don’t know how non-climbers would see this book, and the likelihood that the population of tweens or teens that might read it and also already climb is probably slim. 5.10 and 5.11 climbs outdoors placing your own protection is no joke. I was seldom able to flash 510s indoors. There is a delightful urban dictionary-like, climber-speak fictional reference cited throughout that I hope is actually in press. Doubtful.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-3.75 stars
Cara loves rock climbing. She is working multiple jobs to save up for a trip to Patagonia. But when her dad who has mental health issues goes missing, she will need to put everything on hold to find him. With the help of an ex-boyfriend who has recently returned to town, they head into the Cascade mountains.
This book has a little bit of everything: action/adventure, romance, mental health advocacy, historical fiction - bringing in the WWII incarceration of the Japanese. Because there were so many elements, it was a bit complex but the author did a good job tying it all together, especially explaining the rock climbing terms for those who don't climb.
CW: swearing, grievous bodily harm, racism

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise behind this book, we don't have anything about rock climbing in the library, especially fiction. Also, there is a back story about the Japanese internment camps during WW2. Unfortunately, neither plot line was discussed too deeply, it was more about a teen age love story between the protagonist and her ex on the search for her runaway father. I wish the history of the camps had been a bigger part of the story so the reader could actually learn about something that is not taught in our TN curriculum. Also, it is super slow. Took me forever to get into.

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately not my cup of tea.
While I was really curious about the climbing theme and also interested in the premise of the plot, it just didn't feel polished enough and the whole book was somewhat empty - characters a bit dull, plot seemed to move thanks to convenience and I just couldn't buy the whole „my dad is missing, I have to find him on my own“ thing, because the justification felt really forced.
Overall, I think it's not a bad book for someone who's either younger or passionate about climbing and is looking for a casual read

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging read following Cara, a rock climber trying to find her missing, mentally ill father in the present day. The parallel story, told in journal entries, follows 16 year old Beck, a Civilian Conservation Corps member, then soldier, during World War II. There were mysteries and lots of climbing details, romance and adventure. A really great, unique read that will appeal to lots of different readers.

[the fifth annual farkle family fiesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was giving me very much middle grade novel vibes for some reason but it was not children's book subject matter so like idk it was a little weird. it was a cool concept though. also I'd like to note the actions and choices of these characters were like stressing me out in my day to day life like in a good way I think? Some parts were hard to get into.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 This book was good, but I wanted less climbing info. Also I kind of liked the secondary plot of the world war 2 romance a whole that more than the modern one. I would have much preferred it be only Becks and Ru's story.

[Tara Mickela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hikers and climbers, WWII readers, mystery buffs, this one has something for everyone and makes it suspenseful too. Cara is a kick butt teen determined to find her dad who has vanished but the only person who can really help her is her ex boyfriend.

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be more “hidden treasure adventure” and less family drama

[➳ johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's so good. i have nothing negative to say for once.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and how exciting to make that connection.

[Maggie Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the parallel stories told in this novel, and I appreciate a YA novel that talks about the internment camps here in the US during WW2.

[Moma Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the intro to climbing. Good story line.

[Bonnie Arriola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like dad napped only with climbing

[☆Amanda Cresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that will stick with readers -- a good option for reluctant readers. TAKE overlaps several YA genres: adventure, historical fiction, sport, and a soft romance.

[Leslie Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the dual timelines, and it's so rare to see a book that has rock climbing scenes. Really enjoyed it.

[RAL]

An intriguing book that twists contemporary mystery and tragic history together to form an exciting read!

[Lindsay Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

YALit class.

Def a good entry point for readers who like sports/rock climbing. But it felt short and like it wasn’t fleshed out enough.

[Allison Ponder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the THS Bookclub for the month of January. First action book I’ve read in a while. Something different from my romance books and really got into the storyline.

[VASSAR MCMEEKIN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the ending