Book Review: I Take You

Can a woman be sexually active without being label a slut or a whore? Are there people who are just simply unfit for marriage? Can a marriage built off of lies and deceit survive? Those are the questions that Eliza Kennedy looks to answer in her debut novel: I Take You. 

The Stats

• Author: Eliza Kennedy (Bio)
• Genre: Fiction - Contemporary Women
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Crown
• Release Date: May 5, 2015
• Time it took me to read: A little over 2 weeks

The Plot

I Take You follows the story of Lily, a sassy and impulsive lawyer, as she treks down to Key West, Florida to get married to her fiance Will, a brilliant and sweet archaeologist. The story seems innocent until you realize 2 pages in that Lily is not as... committed... to her approaching nuptials as her fiance is. No one in Lily's life really thinks she should be getting married, especially due to her appetite of various men (and drinks) and this conflicts her on whether she should call the whole thing off or continue on, despite her numerous affairs. This book is fast and wild with a twist at the end that I promise you won't see coming.

Thoughts

So, I found this book... interesting. When I first stated reading it, I couldn't connect with Lily. I found her really hard to like, immature and annoying. The book is written in first person so the writing was scattered and impulsive just like the character which made this book tiresome. To me, this story is just not believable all the way from Lily's free lifestyle to her family dynamic. I Take You was all over the place, just like the character, yet still easy to read. 

Despite me not caring for the book too much, I DID like the conversation that the author started in regards to sexuality and women. Something that I hate about society are the labels and the judgement that are pushed on women who are not monogamous, yet the same standard are not held for men. Men are praised and revered while women are shamed and humiliated. I personally do not relate to Lily's decisions or lifestyle, but if there was a woman out there like Lily, I wouldn't judge her either.

I admire Eliza (the author) for delivering such a bold and controversial topic on her first novel. Though I've never met this author, I imagine that she is a really smart woman who likes to push the envelope on controversial subjects. She does an excellent job of talking about sexual stereotypes throughout the book and for that, I can respect this novel. 

Overall

Okay

In my opinion, this book was just okay. It didn't really leave much of an impression on me so it would be hard to recommend to others. I am however, interested in reading more from Eliza Kennedy. I am very curious to see where her literary journey will take her and the types of books that she will continue to write. Because I am more interested in the author over the novel, overall, I gave this a 3 out of 5 stars. 

I received this free book from Blogging for Books for this review. This is an honest review and all opinions are my own.