Horror

The Taking of Jake Livingston

The Taking of Jake Livingston

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-18 07:51:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ryan Douglass
  • ISBN：198481253X
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Summary

Get Out meets Danielle Vega in this YA horror where survival is not a guarantee。

Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St。 Clair Prep， one of the others being his infinitely more popular older brother。 It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated， Jake can see the dead。 In fact he sees the dead around him all the time。 Most are harmless。 Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again， they don’t interact often with people。 But then Jake meets Sawyer。 A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life。 Now a powerful， vengeful ghost， he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake。 Suddenly， everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood。 High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win。

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Reviews

kim baccellia ，

I really wanted to love this book。 There are some really good parts and I love the idea of a Black teen protagonist who not only deals with racism， bullying but can see murdered dead people。 The pacing was slow and at times it was hard to keep my attention。

Johnee ，

I liked the story。 It has a really strong start and a great pace as we read two POVs， getting to know the MC Jake Livingston and troubled teen， Sawyer Doon。 About halfway through the pacing somewhat changed and I began to lose a little interest despite the fact that some interesting things were happening。 I did find some of the scenes， especially near the end， really confusing to understand and wasn't able illustrate what was happening in my mind。 There in fact， was a lot of great description， b I liked the story。 It has a really strong start and a great pace as we read two POVs， getting to know the MC Jake Livingston and troubled teen， Sawyer Doon。 About halfway through the pacing somewhat changed and I began to lose a little interest despite the fact that some interesting things were happening。 I did find some of the scenes， especially near the end， really confusing to understand and wasn't able illustrate what was happening in my mind。 There in fact， was a lot of great description， but I found that some of the terms such as "ecto-mist" wasn't enough to help me picture what was really going on。I was underwhelmed when I reached the end of the story， which I feel terrible for thinking。 The themes and subtle messages about today's society are so important， and there is a clear lack of representation for black gay teens in books but also in media Overall， this story was decent and had some action-packed moments， and even some scenes that provoked anger， a sense of suspense and annoyance。 My actual rating is 3。5 stars but rounding down。 。。。more

Elyssa ，

Content warnings for the book: gore， graphic descriptions of death， physical and emotional abuse， homophobia， racism， bullying， suicide attempt， suicide， school shooting， attempted rapeActual rating: 2。5 out of 5I enjoyed this book， but feel like I would have liked it more if it was a bit longer。 I think the concepts of the ghost world would have made more sense if the book took the time to explain them。 I kept getting lost while reading about the ghost world due to it not being developed or exp Content warnings for the book: gore， graphic descriptions of death， physical and emotional abuse， homophobia， racism， bullying， suicide attempt， suicide， school shooting， attempted rapeActual rating: 2。5 out of 5I enjoyed this book， but feel like I would have liked it more if it was a bit longer。 I think the concepts of the ghost world would have made more sense if the book took the time to explain them。 I kept getting lost while reading about the ghost world due to it not being developed or explained enough。 I really enjoyed the other horror aspects though， my favorite being the possessions。 I enjoyed the romance， but wish it was a bit more developed。 。。。more

sevcan ，

dnf at 54% i’m not sure what made me dislike this。 i didn’t understand shit while i was already halfway through and i think that might’ve been the purpose， for the reader to be confused as fuck， but it just wasn’t that interesting。 i’m sad because i was so excited for this book， but it’s not what i expected at all。 MAN。 i was so bored。

Sophia ，

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Aoife ，

3。5

Nephilim Ale ，

✨3’5/5✨

Gabrielle Maria Subroto ，

Horror is not really my favorite genre because I'm easily scared and will lead to nightmares when I got to sleep。 But seeing the synopsis I think it was intriguing so I wanted to give this a try。 Fortunately for me， this book didn't scare me to the point of having nightmare after reading this。The concept is very interesting and this is pretty well written。 The characters are likeable and the atmosphere is really spooky。 There's some parts that I read really gives me goosebumps but I was easily s Horror is not really my favorite genre because I'm easily scared and will lead to nightmares when I got to sleep。 But seeing the synopsis I think it was intriguing so I wanted to give this a try。 Fortunately for me， this book didn't scare me to the point of having nightmare after reading this。The concept is very interesting and this is pretty well written。 The characters are likeable and the atmosphere is really spooky。 There's some parts that I read really gives me goosebumps but I was easily scared so there's that。 There's a lot of things going on but I feel the pacing is too fast。 The story itself has the potential to be more explored， I feel like this book is too short。 I wouldn't have mind if this is a bit longer so， there would be more time and space to build some aspects which has been introduce in this story。 For example， giving the background story for each characters and the new relationships growing at the time， discuss more about how the abusive relationships impact the main characters and how they deal with it and also the matter of being gay and being a person with color can set some challenges in a teenager life。 Not too mention， the additional challenges for the main character to have to deal with his sixth sense power of being a medium which sometimes makes him feel like he's out of place。 Overall， this is a pretty good horror novel and I enjoy my short time knowing Jake's story。 I am looking forward for more books from this author :）Actual rating: 3。5⭐ 。。。more

Siofra ，

I'm leaning towards 3。5/3。75 but not a 4This was one of my most anticipated books of the year， and while there were many parts I adored about this book （I really love this author; they are so sweet）， I was honestly let down for a good part。Pros:Lgbtq+ Main Black CharacterDeals with abuse， racism， trauma， homophobia， SA， hints of eating disorder， mental health， and realizing that your trauma does NOT mean you get to hurt others。The ghost and magic were mostly fascinating and had a lot of potentia I'm leaning towards 3。5/3。75 but not a 4This was one of my most anticipated books of the year， and while there were many parts I adored about this book （I really love this author; they are so sweet）， I was honestly let down for a good part。Pros:Lgbtq+ Main Black CharacterDeals with abuse， racism， trauma， homophobia， SA， hints of eating disorder， mental health， and realizing that your trauma does NOT mean you get to hurt others。The ghost and magic were mostly fascinating and had a lot of potentials， hinting at coming back to this world which I WOULDN'T MIND AT ALL。Plus， we got a better relationship with a new friend， a new love interest， and Jake's family members。The switch in perspective with Jake and Sawyer。Cons:The Flow of the story wasn't strong and extremely weak in some areasI was confused and had to read a few chapters twice to fully grasp what was going on （BUT that's probably just me）I felt like I was hyped up towards the end， and I got a strange ending to the battle。I also have no idea if this is just meant to be open-ended or not。 。。。more

Adriana ，

This book is a bit of a downer， but it kept me turning pages and it has a gripping and positive ending。 Poor Jake does not have the best life to begin with and things only get darker when this poor baby medium comes up against the vengeful ghost of school shooter， Sawyer。There is so much that happens as the story progresses to show both how Sawyer got to be a vengeful ghost and how Jake experiences the world and all he has to put up with。 The parallels between the two are many， but as much as si This book is a bit of a downer， but it kept me turning pages and it has a gripping and positive ending。 Poor Jake does not have the best life to begin with and things only get darker when this poor baby medium comes up against the vengeful ghost of school shooter， Sawyer。There is so much that happens as the story progresses to show both how Sawyer got to be a vengeful ghost and how Jake experiences the world and all he has to put up with。 The parallels between the two are many， but as much as situations are similar， they have very different support systems。 And that is ultimately what leads to the big faceoff in the exciting conclusion。 I fully believe that Douglass earns all the praise this book is receiving just from how humanely he treats Sawyer and the fact that his mental state might have led him to do what he did， but it was totally the fault of the adult in his life， his mom， not taking mental health seriously and apparently only caring about what others might say about her son being in treatment。 It's dark and a bit depressing， but very well written with a plot that pulls you in and doesn't let go。 I see why it's been getting such great press。 Happy thanks to NetGalley and G。P。 Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the read！ 。。。more

Ellie Blackwood ，

Rounded up from 4。5 starsThis book follows a Jake， a boy who struggles with being the only Black queer kid at his high school … and the fact that he can see ghosts。 But when a vengeful ghost starts murdering people in his neighborhood， it’s up to Jake to stop it， or else he might be next！This is a really short， fast read that kept me turning pages！ I loved the character of Jake — he’s a genuinely compassionate person with realistic flaws， and his development throughout the story was great。 I was Rounded up from 4。5 starsThis book follows a Jake， a boy who struggles with being the only Black queer kid at his high school … and the fact that he can see ghosts。 But when a vengeful ghost starts murdering people in his neighborhood， it’s up to Jake to stop it， or else he might be next！This is a really short， fast read that kept me turning pages！ I loved the character of Jake — he’s a genuinely compassionate person with realistic flaws， and his development throughout the story was great。 I was rooting for him all the way， both in terms of defeating the ghost and getting the romance he deserves <3The book deals with a lot of heavy topics， but I thought they were folded into the narrative really well。 Still， definitely be aware of the content warnings before reading！ （See the bottom of this review for a list。）I thought the workings of the ghost world was really interesting， and I kind of wish there had been more development in that area。 The world was fleshed out enough that I was able to follow the story easily， but I was really curious to know more about Jake’s abilities。 That said， I tend to like more worldbuilding， so if you prefer getting straight to the action then you’ll like this style！Overall， I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short， spooky read with some well-placed social commentary。Thanks to Penguin Teen for the ebook ARC！Content warnings: racism， homophobia， death， violence/gore， parental abuse， bullying， mentions of suicide， gun violence， school shootings， mental illness， attempted rape。 。。。more

Rajiv ，

[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] What a delightfully scary book “The Taking of Jake Livingston” was！ The author blended romance， horror， supernatural suspense， and even heartfelt moments beautifully。There are so many aspects to admire about the tale。 What made it special for me was the characters。 Jake is terrific in the lead。 I could connect Jake’s emotions on so many levels （well， except for his extraordinary gift）。 Jake feels misunderstood， average， and s [Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] What a delightfully scary book “The Taking of Jake Livingston” was！ The author blended romance， horror， supernatural suspense， and even heartfelt moments beautifully。There are so many aspects to admire about the tale。 What made it special for me was the characters。 Jake is terrific in the lead。 I could connect Jake’s emotions on so many levels （well， except for his extraordinary gift）。 Jake feels misunderstood， average， and still coming to terms with his sexuality。 As if that is not hard enough， he also has to deal with a vengeful spirit that targets him。However， the highlight of the story was Sawyer。 I think he is one of the most complex villains I have read as of late。 Even though you hate Sawyer for what he does， there is a part of you that feels sorry for him while you read his journal entries。 I always think an author is exceptional when adding complexity to their characters and making you feel various emotions。 Not only did I dislike Sawyer， at times， I felt sorry for him。 However， for the most part， he scared me。 There were also moments where Jake sees similarities between him and Sawyer that stood out for me。Speaking of which， the author also writes the paranormal angle wonderfully。 Some scenes genuinely terrified me， especially when Jake sees the demon or the drawings in his book。 My favorite part of the story was when Jake interacts with River and his Grandfather。 Similarly， the author added a nice LGBT angle to the plot that gave it a fresh look。Overall， “The Taking of Jake Livingston” is a gripping young adult horror novel that would surely please fans of the genre。 。。。more

Heather ，

This was an interesting book， and not something I have read before。 I found it very impactful and heart-wrenching （not something I would have expected from a horror book！）。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 It was darker than I had originally expected – not the standard “dark tone” that you grow to expect from horror – which I personally loved。 This is perfect for a Fall/Halloween read – and if you aren’t too scared read it in the dark！For my full review: click here This was an interesting book， and not something I have read before。 I found it very impactful and heart-wrenching （not something I would have expected from a horror book！）。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book。 It was darker than I had originally expected – not the standard “dark tone” that you grow to expect from horror – which I personally loved。 This is perfect for a Fall/Halloween read – and if you aren’t too scared read it in the dark！For my full review: click here 。。。more

Sydney ，

4/5 starsrtc！

Leanne ，

This book had a lot an interesting premise， and it was certainly an enjoyable take on what it would be like to see ghosts every day。 Jake， the protagonist， is being hunted by a vengeful ghost who wants to possess him。 As a closeted gay student and the only black person in his year， Jake struggled to fit in and make friends， and this is even more difficult because of all the ghosts he sees。While Jake was a sympathetic character， my biggest issue with this book is that I really struggled to emotio This book had a lot an interesting premise， and it was certainly an enjoyable take on what it would be like to see ghosts every day。 Jake， the protagonist， is being hunted by a vengeful ghost who wants to possess him。 As a closeted gay student and the only black person in his year， Jake struggled to fit in and make friends， and this is even more difficult because of all the ghosts he sees。While Jake was a sympathetic character， my biggest issue with this book is that I really struggled to emotionally connect with any of the characters。 The writing wasn’t very engaging; I felt disconnected from much of Jake’s narration。 I still don’t feel like I really know his personality; as a result， even a lot of the supernatural aspects of the story felt distant， because Jake didn't truly feel like a real， fully developed character to me。 I understand that his ability to see ghosts everywhere made him constantly zone out in his daily life — to the point where his friends and family often mention it。 But this also had the effect of me， as a reader， feeling disconnected from his character。 Because of this， he felt pretty empty to me。 I also don’t think that his relationships were written very well — in particular， I felt like the way his relationship with his brother changed by the end of the book felt abrupt and rushed。 The ending in general felt way too quick; there certainly was not enough build up。 Overall， this is by no means a bad book， but I think that it could have really benefited from a more balanced focus between the plot and the characters。 。。。more

Cindy Peters ，

Just ok。

Bryan ，

An impossible to put down book that carries enough creeps and shock-value in fiction value alone， but the fact that the author took the care to weave their story in a world so real that it carries as much terror as the fiction。This is a truly haunting story of characters facing real life challenges and those of fictional horror。 I'm not sure which is worse。Great book， great characters， haunting moments in good and unfortunate ways。 This has heart that is very real， and I hope everyone who reads An impossible to put down book that carries enough creeps and shock-value in fiction value alone， but the fact that the author took the care to weave their story in a world so real that it carries as much terror as the fiction。This is a truly haunting story of characters facing real life challenges and those of fictional horror。 I'm not sure which is worse。Great book， great characters， haunting moments in good and unfortunate ways。 This has heart that is very real， and I hope everyone who reads it grasps that。 This book felt to me like it was one ghostly breath away from being all too real。 。。。more

aly ☆彡 ，

2。75I haven't read any horror books for some time now （I think the last time was from Madeleine Roux） so this feels like a breath of fresh air but I don't think I find myself enjoying this one as much。 Let's just start with what I like about this book first。 The pretty cover。 It gives me a whole Frankenstein vibe and I love the the colour palette。 It what makes me want to read this book in the first place。 Book cover first， plot later （lol）。 Addressing the racism and microaggression faced by the 2。75I haven't read any horror books for some time now （I think the last time was from Madeleine Roux） so this feels like a breath of fresh air but I don't think I find myself enjoying this one as much。 Let's just start with what I like about this book first。 The pretty cover。 It gives me a whole Frankenstein vibe and I love the the colour palette。 It what makes me want to read this book in the first place。 Book cover first， plot later （lol）。 Addressing the racism and microaggression faced by the main character for being both people of colour and gay。 I find Jake's life experiences important in providing societal commentary and insight into how discrimination can isolate and depress young people。The horror in this book is not entirely my favourite （I'll tell more why） but I do appreciate the direction that the author is going for in this book。 I specifically find the death loops intriguing。 Even so， there were also some other things that fell short and doesn't work for me。Underdeveloped world-building。 The book is short which made it super easy to read and finish but the world-building is written poorly。 The atmosphere of the novel was inconsistent because there wasn't much to latch onto at the start， and the author didn't provide enough information to grasp Jake's condition。 I don't think I truly understand the death world this book is trying to portray。 Especially when it suddenly involved Jake's ancestors。 Or why Jake can see ghosts and deem as powerful and Sawyer's equal。 The concept of possession and dream-like in horror books is actually not my cup of tea。 The book starts great。 However， after few pages， I found the story to be quite flat。 And honestly， I was kind of bored not until the plot picks up again towards the end。 It's not the author fault though， just a matter of preferences。 Allister's presence in Jake's life seems so sudden， and even when the book does not put their relationship as the main focus， I still feel theirs as insta-love。 Therefore， I couldn't feel any sort of connection between the two simultaneously making the queer representation felt scant。 Characters。 As much as I would complain about a one-dimensional character， this book is being far-fetched because Sawyer is so complex and multifaceted that the proffered discussions in his chapters are insufficient。 Gun control， school massacres， and mental health are all issues that need to be tackled outside of the private matter but was done poorly。 Meanwhile， not much can be gained for Jake as a character either。 All readers would get besides being a boy who can see ghost is an anxious and gay person。 It is pretty disappointing。 I am not sure if reading thriller and horror book consecutively is why I didn't find myself enjoying this as I expected myself to be。 I truly wanted to love the book I do， but I couldn't find myself to be impressed。 。。。more

Sharanya ，

**TW: racism， homophobia， depression， suicide ideation， suicide， torture of living creatures， domestic abuse， sexual assault of a minor， mass gun violence， murder， gore**Ok so…I might have to reassess my definition of Dark YA after this。 Jake is just a kid struggling with being Black， queer， & possibly depressed。 As if all of that didn’t equal a full plate， he’s also constantly tripping over the dead as they’re replaying their final moments。 Restful， Jake’s life is not。 He’s isolated at his all- **TW: racism， homophobia， depression， suicide ideation， suicide， torture of living creatures， domestic abuse， sexual assault of a minor， mass gun violence， murder， gore**Ok so…I might have to reassess my definition of Dark YA after this。 Jake is just a kid struggling with being Black， queer， & possibly depressed。 As if all of that didn’t equal a full plate， he’s also constantly tripping over the dead as they’re replaying their final moments。 Restful， Jake’s life is not。 He’s isolated at his all-white prep school， feels unwanted at home because of past incidents， and just want to keep his head down & survive。 Is that too much to ask？ Apparently。Enter Sawyer， the poltergeist of a school shooter who isn’t quite done with the lives of the living。 He wants Jake’s body to finish what he started， and he’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants…unless Jake stops him first。 This book has a bit of a sluggish start bc of the main character’s passive nature & his slow narration， but once the story starts it really gets to you。 The writing was lush & gorgeous， with really lovely （if horrifying） pockets of imagery that sucked me in。 The collision course set between Jake & the poltergeist feels raw & at times spine-crawling， especially bc you’re in the killer’s head for a chunk of the first half。 You really feel for Jake as he struggles with his identity and his calling。 Over all， this was a great horror coming-of-age story about accepting yourself & facing your darkness。 。。。more

Kamaryn ，

I loved the ending！ It was so heartfelt and felt and I really REALLY felt for jake！ The scenes about bullying and hate were so heartbreaking， nobody should ever have to go through anything like that。 The only things I was a little bored with was the over explanation of the auras and swirls and red and black swirls in some scenes to where I found myself skimming past that because there was just so much of it， but I loved the book and wish it was a series！！

Bryan L ，

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :D（4。5） Well， well， well。 I did not think I'd like the book the way I liked it。 the taking of jake livingston is a social thriller that follows jake， who has the ability to see replays of ghosts of the dead in their last moments。 on top of that， he is one of the only black students at his private school and faces racism from other students and teachers alike。 and then a ghost， sawyer doon， the shooter at his school from year Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :D（4。5） Well， well， well。 I did not think I'd like the book the way I liked it。 the taking of jake livingston is a social thriller that follows jake， who has the ability to see replays of ghosts of the dead in their last moments。 on top of that， he is one of the only black students at his private school and faces racism from other students and teachers alike。 and then a ghost， sawyer doon， the shooter at his school from years before， begins to haunt him。The beginning of the book was a lot confusing because the story is told from two points of view and at the same time we get to know them， Jake and Sawyer the ghost。 But after that and we get along with the main story the book is pretty amazing。 I loved the fact that there was LGTB representation （past and present） and the characters were so well written that you can relate with them。["That's a yes， right？ He smiles giddily。 "You can get me in？" "It's not the Met Gala， Grady -it's a house party"] Jake has found himself to be the focus of a powerful ghost who brought a gun to school shooting people before himself。 But it goes beyond that， becoming a story bigger than expected。 It feels so real and true， with issues like: homophobia， depression， sexual abuse， RACISM！！ and bullying， It was a book I really enjoyed but was hard to get into it and get used to the way it was written。 Even though is short but gripping and entertaining。 I'll be expecting more books from this author in the future。Español:（4。5） Bueno， bueno， bueno。 No pensé que el libro me fuera a gustar tanto como terminó gustándome。 The taking of Jake Livingston es un thriller social que sigue a Jake， quien tiene la habilidad de ver la muerte de los fantasmas en ciclos justo en sus últimos momentos de vida。 Además es el único estudiante negro de su escuela privada y enfrenta racismo tanto por los estudiantes como por profesores por igual。 Y todo cambia cuando un fantasma， comienza a perseguirlo en todo lo que hace。El comienzo del libro fue demasiado confuso， debido a que contamos con dos puntos de vista diferentes y vamos conociendo tanto a Jake como a Sawyer， el fantasma que lo atormenta。 Pero después de eso nos mantenemos con la historia principal del libro que es realmente increíble。 Amé el hecho que hubo representación LGTB （en el pasado y presente） y los personajes estaban tan bien escritos que uno se puede identificar con ellos。Jake se encontró así mismo siendo el enfoque de un poderoso fantasma que había llevado un arma a la escuela empezando un tiroteo， terminando consigo mismo。Pero esto va mucho más allá de eso y se convierte en una historia mucho más grande de lo esperado。 Se siente tan real y verdadero， con problemas como la: homofobia， depresión， abuso sexual， ¡¡¡RACISMO！！！ y el matoneo。Fue un libro que realmente disfruté pero fue duro adentrarse en él y acostumbrarse a como estaba escrito en inglés- Sin embargo es corto pero enganchador y entretenido。 Estaré esperando más libros de este autor en el futuro。*** This is an e-ARC， uncorrected text。 。。。more

Roxanne Da Silva ，

Super unique and creepy concept & I loved the ending

Moriah Venable ，

Review to come。 I was trying to finish this book in one day but Youtube distracted me。

Gigi ，

I loved how the author covered some heavy topics like racism， bullying and homophobia。 What should have been a hit for me， unfortunately was underwhelming。 I wanted to love this more than I did。 I mean come on， a boy who sees ghosts？！ And a ghost who can still hurt people？ 🤯The alternating POV’s were done really well， but it was one of those books that when I put it down， I wasn’t that eager to pick it back up。Even though it was just average for me， I’d still encourage others to give it a go。

Rebecca ，

Really enjoyed this take on ghosts - a mix between Ghostbusters and The Conjuring。TW: school shooting， graphic death， attempted sexual assault， mentions of suicide。

Ale ，

at first I was really intrigued by this book， but sadly I couldn't get it to like it。 there were some things that made me feel uncomfortable while reading and to be honest at some point I lost interest in knowing how it would all end。 but at least it was a quick read though very meh if you ask me anyway I think what I liked the most about this book was the cover。 at first I was really intrigued by this book， but sadly I couldn't get it to like it。 there were some things that made me feel uncomfortable while reading and to be honest at some point I lost interest in knowing how it would all end。 but at least it was a quick read though very meh if you ask me anyway I think what I liked the most about this book was the cover。 。。。more

Jonathan David Pope ，

Following teenage medium， Jake Livingston， as he is haunted by the spirit of school shooter， Sawyer Doon— The Taking of Jake Livingston is a thrilling ghoulish adventure that I didn't want to put down。 Filled with dynamic characters， bone chilling encounters with spirits， and a heartwarming romance between two Black queer teens， I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book。 Ryan Douglass does a good job of addressing social issues like mental illness in teens， sexual abuse， and parental neglec Following teenage medium， Jake Livingston， as he is haunted by the spirit of school shooter， Sawyer Doon— The Taking of Jake Livingston is a thrilling ghoulish adventure that I didn't want to put down。 Filled with dynamic characters， bone chilling encounters with spirits， and a heartwarming romance between two Black queer teens， I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book。 Ryan Douglass does a good job of addressing social issues like mental illness in teens， sexual abuse， and parental neglect in a dynamic way。 I appreciated Sawyer’s character， and the way that his past and events leading up to his actions were explained but not justified。 I adored Jake， and the realistic growth his character showed over the course of the novel。 It was the small details that really did it for me though， the mention of Jake’s mother wearing a bonnet， and her working as a flight attendant explains why she might not be home all of the time （I hate in YA books when parents are just non-existent with no explanation）， Benji and his relationship as older and younger brother， and also the way the mention of his grandfather ended up coming full circle。 Sooo…where’s the sequel？ 。。。more

Melissa ，

This was such a fascinating read！！ I absolutely loved the atmosphere and just the general vibes this book gave off。 It’s so spooky but also touches on important issues such as race， class， toxic families and homophobia。 Be aware that this is a pretty dark story where one of the main characters was the perpetrator of a school shooting。 Is that a spoiler？ I’m not sure but in this day and age I want people to be aware of the triggers in the book！ But this was freaking fantastic！ Everyone needs to a This was such a fascinating read！！ I absolutely loved the atmosphere and just the general vibes this book gave off。 It’s so spooky but also touches on important issues such as race， class， toxic families and homophobia。 Be aware that this is a pretty dark story where one of the main characters was the perpetrator of a school shooting。 Is that a spoiler？ I’m not sure but in this day and age I want people to be aware of the triggers in the book！ But this was freaking fantastic！ Everyone needs to add this to their spooky October tbr’s！ 。。。more

Ainhoa ，

this was confusing and insensitive as fuck

Sara ，

CW: School shooting， bullying， mentions of suicide， mental illness， homophobia， racism， attempted rape， child abuse， explicit murder， death， animal abuse**Against bugs This book was so messy！ I loved the messiness at times but every time there were ghost-action I didn’t understand anything！ It was well written though， and touched upon many important topics， but there were some things that didn’t make much sense to me。 But it also didn’t really bother me either？ My favorite thing about this book CW: School shooting， bullying， mentions of suicide， mental illness， homophobia， racism， attempted rape， child abuse， explicit murder， death， animal abuse**Against bugs This book was so messy！ I loved the messiness at times but every time there were ghost-action I didn’t understand anything！ It was well written though， and touched upon many important topics， but there were some things that didn’t make much sense to me。 But it also didn’t really bother me either？ My favorite thing about this book was the characters and the representation， mainly the main character Jake being a black gay teenager :） I also liked how Douglas handled Sawyer’s side of the story。 And how fast paced the book was。 It was a good read！ With a story will definitely stay with me for a while。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Taking of Jake Livingston

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Taking of Jake Livingston&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Taking of Jake Livingston&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0