The Taking of Jake Livingston

Ryan Douglass

2021 • 257 pages

Ratings51

Average rating3.6

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not a guarantee. Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake. Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game—one Jake is not sure he can win.

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mari

i got so sweaty omg

October 1, 2021

Alana

Since seeing this cover, I knew I'd have to read this book. I leave it undecided but not regretful, because while the story was short and fast-paced, it did have important and inclusive topics. Some depth lacked in what could have been included, but what Douglass did include was done well.

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Daijah

Stacks of Strange August Book Club Pick

I'm not a big fan of paranormal horror specifically with spirits or hauntings but occasionally it can work for me. This one half worked and half didn't. I did enjoy how the main character, Jake could see spirits and it was basically like a power. I didn't enjoy how the main ghost was portrayed because it felt more like satire than something to be taken seriously.

I would argue that the ghost is supposed to be taken seriously because they were actually a school shooter who committed suicide which in itself is a dark topic. I feel like even though this was YA, it could have dealt with the topics in a more mature way than it did. The topics were mostly dealt with fine, it was more just Jake's interactions with the ghost that felt like Casper the ghost and not a murderous spirit.

I did really enjoy the race commentary and how it feels to grow up in a majority-white neighborhood and school. As someone who had a similar experience growing up, it felt really accurate and resonated with me. I also really liked seeing Jake explore his sexual identity and what that means for him. It felt really realistic and you can tell this book is own voices in both aspects.

This was really similar to me in feelings as Cemetary Boys. I enjoyed the story but it felt like younger YA/a bit juvenile for me personally. I do really love some YA stories but this one just felt too young and I didn't connect with it as much because of that. I think this might be a really good book for 13-15 year olds but once you get to the 16+ range I feel like it might be a little too young for them.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Ryan Douglass, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.