The Taking of Jake Livingston

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.