Take Me Home Tonight
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- Create Date：2021-04-21 13:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Morgan Matson
- ISBN：1481498983
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Summary
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
meets Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist in this romp through the city that never sleeps from the New York Times bestselling author of Since You’ve Been Gone， Morgan Matson。
Two girls。 One night。 Zero phones。
Kat and Stevie—best friends， theater kids， polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City。 They have it all planned out。 They’ll see a play， eat at the city’s hottest restaurant， and have the best。 Night。 Ever。 What could go wrong？
Well。 Kind of a lot？
They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones， family drama， and unexpected Pomeranians。 Over the next few hours， they’ll have to grapple with old flames， terrible theater， and unhelpful cab drivers。 But there are also cute boys to kiss， parties to crash， dry cleaning to deliver （don’t ask）， and the world’s best museum to explore。
Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps， both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship， their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future。
That is， assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight。
Two girls。 One night。 Zero phones。
Kat and Stevie—best friends， theater kids， polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City。 They have it all planned out。 They’ll see a play， eat at the city’s hottest restaurant， and have the best。 Night。 Ever。 What could go wrong？
Well。 Kind of a lot？
They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones， family drama， and unexpected Pomeranians。 Over the next few hours， they’ll have to grapple with old flames， terrible theater， and unhelpful cab drivers。 But there are also cute boys to kiss， parties to crash， dry cleaning to deliver （don’t ask）， and the world’s best museum to explore。
Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps， both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship， their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future。
That is， assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight。
Reviews
Shayla Moffatt
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am so happy I was able to read this book ahead of time， thanks to Netgalley。I loved， loved， loved this book。 Of all the Morgan Matson books I've read， I think this one stands at a tie for my favourite。 I have been anticipating this book since it was announced that Morgan was writing another book about best friends， especially when it was compared to Ferris Bueller。 There's something about the way Morgan writes her books that I just love， and they're so easy to read。 Her characters are so well- I am so happy I was able to read this book ahead of time， thanks to Netgalley。I loved， loved， loved this book。 Of all the Morgan Matson books I've read， I think this one stands at a tie for my favourite。 I have been anticipating this book since it was announced that Morgan was writing another book about best friends， especially when it was compared to Ferris Bueller。 There's something about the way Morgan writes her books that I just love， and they're so easy to read。 Her characters are so well-rounded and have a realistic plot that allows them to grow， and Kat， Stevie and even Teri are no exception。 Their friendship was also something relatable， and I admire someone who can write people so honest and raw， and weave it back together when it gets turned on its head。 Kat and Stevie are both great characters， with strong points， flaws and issues， that they learn from and grow from by the end of the book。 I don't think I have a favourite between the two， and I could easily see myself in both of them， which is always great as a reader。I love that this book primarily takes place over the course of 24 hours。 It allows the author to really delve into the story。 The book is set up in time chunks， which was a great addition to the story。 I was a little confused at the addition of Teri's night in the book， but overall it was interesting and added some fun espionage to the otherwise crazy but still mundane enough to be relatable night。 While it did seem a little out of place， I liked that Teri didn't get forgotten in the story as the "third friend"。 Another thing Morgan Matson always does so well is romance。 Especially in books like this one and Since You've Been Gone， when romance is not the main focus of the story， there's just enough to satisfy the reader， while keeping the story in line with the friendship plot。 Kat and Cary's story is so cute that I'm jealous， and I also liked the fact that Stevie and Beckett did not get back together， which I initially thought might happen。 Also， I love for the cameos of past book characters that she always includes。Basically what I'm saying， is everyone should read this book， and every book by Morgan Matson。 They just get better and better。 。。。more
Alexis
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3/3。5 stars？ Currently debating still about my rating
James
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Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I adore Morgan Matson's books and this one was definitely one of my most anticipated of the year， but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me。 While I did enjoy the two main characters， Kat and Stevie， and their misadventures over a crazy night in New York City， it was the completely out-of-nowhere and unnecessary side plot involving their friend Teri that really brought my ratin Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I adore Morgan Matson's books and this one was definitely one of my most anticipated of the year， but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me。 While I did enjoy the two main characters， Kat and Stevie， and their misadventures over a crazy night in New York City， it was the completely out-of-nowhere and unnecessary side plot involving their friend Teri that really brought my rating down to a 3。5/5。 It pulled you out of the main story and didn't really have any payoff for the overall plot。 。。。more
I'm All Booked Up YA
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Kat and Stevie need an adventure。 Kat’s anxious after the theatre teacher postponed the casting of the school play。 Stevie pretends everything is okay after he dad cancels her birthday dinner to work， but she’s secretly devastated。 Kat and Stevie head into New York City， lying to their parents that they are staying at their friend Teri’s house and not leaving suburban Connecticut。 Since Stevie’s dad never cancelled the reservation at the fancy restaurant， the two girls expect to have an epic nig Kat and Stevie need an adventure。 Kat’s anxious after the theatre teacher postponed the casting of the school play。 Stevie pretends everything is okay after he dad cancels her birthday dinner to work， but she’s secretly devastated。 Kat and Stevie head into New York City， lying to their parents that they are staying at their friend Teri’s house and not leaving suburban Connecticut。 Since Stevie’s dad never cancelled the reservation at the fancy restaurant， the two girls expect to have an epic night。 Except， nothing goes as planned as soon as they enter Grand Central Station。 Stevie runs into her step sister， who needs a favor。 That one action spirals into a crazy night of losing phones， having no money， getting completely lost and meeting some interesting characters along the way。 Kat and Stevie， with their futures in front of them， learn a lot about themselves and the people they want to be in a one night crazy adventure through the Big Apple。Like all of Matson’s YA books， we had so much fun reading Take Me Home Tonight。 We’re a huge fan of her other books， The Unexpected Everything and Save the Date， so we couldn’t wait to read her latest。 One thing that stood out to us right away was how different Kat and Stevie’s personalities are， even though they are besties。 I think it helped their character growth for the two of them to have a disagreement and to get separated in the city。 For Stevie， she needed to open up her eyes to new possibilities and let people into her life。 Her journey takes her （and a cute puppy named Brad） through Central Park， Columbia University and all across Midtown。 She also makes a few unexpected friends along the way。 Kat had to learn not to be so controlling and be able to have fun， let loose and be open to an unexpected romance。 We loved the chemistry Kat had with a guy she can’t stop running into in a city of over 8 million people。 The night that consisted of a crazy amount of comedy of errors made the two friends even stronger in the end and we appreciated how much Matson put into their stories。 Also， we loved the NYC setting， which felt different from any other book we read set in the city。 Matson took time to describe the different neighborhoods and we could tell how familiar she was with each location。 Take Me Home Tonight had a great ending that left us satisfied。 Something about unsupervised teens in a big city made the adventure that much more fun。The only parts we had trouble with were the mini-chapters that featured Teri。 They were so bizarre and unrealistic that it distracted for the rest of the story。 Overall， pick up Take Me Home Tonight when it releases on May 4， 2021 if you’re in the mood for a YA contemporary that’s both heartwarming and hilarious。 Blog | Twitter | Instagram 。。。more
Andge （Down the Rabbit Hole）
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Check out my blog for other reviews！Rating: 3。5 stars**Take Me Home Tonight comes out May 4， 2021！**Thank you Netgalley and Simon Schuster Canada for this copy in exchange for an honest reviewLet me first start off by saying， “phew， what a wild ride！” this book truly was。 It took a little warming up to at first but by the end of the night， it was like we went down a very long journey with each girl。 Take Me Home Tonight lives up to the Ferris Bueller theme as besties Stevie and Kat journey into Check out my blog for other reviews！Rating: 3。5 stars**Take Me Home Tonight comes out May 4， 2021！**Thank you Netgalley and Simon Schuster Canada for this copy in exchange for an honest reviewLet me first start off by saying， “phew， what a wild ride！” this book truly was。 It took a little warming up to at first but by the end of the night， it was like we went down a very long journey with each girl。 Take Me Home Tonight lives up to the Ferris Bueller theme as besties Stevie and Kat journey into the heart of the city on their own with hardly a soul knowing where they were up to。 This is a story about friendship （the best of kinds）， facing what is holding you back， and being able to grow from these things instead of letting it tear you back down。 While it may focus on two teenage girls， I do think the themes here teach a great lesson for any age。I will say it took a while to get into the story。 We have a slower beginning as Morgan sets the stage for the girls’ trek into NYC。 Both Stevie and Kat are theatre kids and they LOVEEE and live for this。 When the list for the next play’s casting unexpectedly does NOT go up when it should have before the weekend， it particularly drives Kat insane who has her eye on a specific role she absolutely needs to land。 I understood her drive although the lengths she goes to drag Stevie downtown for ulterior， self-serving motives drove me mad。 Meanwhile， Stevie has family issues to deal with as her father has remarried， giving her 3 grown-up stepsiblings who all live in the city and get to hang with her father more than she could。With each girl figuring out their future and what it is they want， they set off to have a quiet， fun night in NYC and then hopping back up to their suburbia home before anyone （aka their parents） know any better。 Little do they know， things are about to get CRAZY。Out of the two， I definitely connected with Stevie more。 She was the quieter one while Kat was more spontaneous and wild。 They balanced each other out， which can be a great thing when it comes to a dynamic duo friendship like theirs。 But I definitely felt Kat had more growing up to do because…she really seemed like an immature teenage girl。 Which is weird to say because these days， most YA protagonists do not sound or feel like teenagers。 Yet Kat was a little self-absorbed， knowing Stevie didn’t have enough of a backbone to yell at her/fully disagree with her plans for them。 She would always take Stevie’s phone – out of her hand – without asking to just use it。 Her first inclination was to NOT take responsibility for things that were， well， her responsibility！ Doesn’t this sound like a wonderful， full-blooded teenager figuring herself out？However， Kat was right in the sense that Stevie really had no spine in the beginning。 She would not tell anyone she was hurting， physically or emotionally， because she didn’t want to bring attention to that or make them uncomfortable。 It’s oddly enough a character trait I see in Asian cultures， that sense of trying not to be a nuisance or bother to other people。 It definitely requires some balance because self-care is important too。Thankfully， these things each girl has to work with is something they have to come face to face with in one night。 I won’t give away the crazy sequence of events that happen to them， but let’s just say their phones aren’t with them anymore at some point， there is a dog thrown into the mix somehow （see gorgeous cover！）， a kiss or two with an interesting guy and some potential moments of danger （but you know， not too dangerous although you never know in the big， bad city！）。Oh， and the best part？ Each of them have to face this alone。 No distraction， no excuses， no friend to rely on for the things they usually avoid。 Both Stevie and Kat go through some interesting things in one night – like， can someone go through such events in only several hours？ – but perhaps only in the City that Never Sleeps， right？One thing I wanted to note is that technically， there are 3 POVs in this story。 While the majority is between Stevie and Kat on their respective adventures， their third， mutual friend Teri also has a strange adventure of her own back in their suburbia town。Firstly， I have mad respect for Teri。 How does a girl slot herself into a tight friendship like Kat and Stevie’s without feeling like you’re the constant third wheel that is always second thought？ I’m not sure I could do that。 But here she was， being the “lie” the girls gave their parents for what their evening was going to be。 When a parent calls Kat for last minute babysitting， who has to cancel their night to ensure Kat doesn’t get into trouble for not being where she’s supposed to be？ Uh， Teri of course。 What a great friend！ I would love to have a girl like that in my corner。Okay， so babysitting sounds like nothing super special。 Maybe a diversion from a nice evening planned at home but still， how exciting can this POV be， you ask？ Well， let’s just say these kids are ridiculously smart （are 11 year olds actually that brilliant？） and hilarious。 The （mis）adventure they find themselves on with Teri is perhaps wilder than anything Stevie OR Kat faced。 The only thing was that I wished there was more of this。 These POVs were only snippets in between chapters or at the end of one of the other POV chapters， like a little tension reliever from all that was going on emotionally with either girl。Also， it’s in Teri’s POV where we encounter the ever lovely Canadian stereotype。 What is that， you ask？ Well， you know， the idea that every Canadian is super polite and our police force is ALWAYS the Royal Canadian Mounted Police （also， no one says the whole thing， you shorten it…because it’s long）。 I always find it fascinating seeing Canadian representation in literature from non-Canadians。 I mean， it could be a worse stereotype so I can’t complain。To conclude， the beginning definitely was a little longer than I wanted it to be to get to the adventure in New York but it was worth the wait。 The lessons learned along the way and the adventures all THREE girls go on in one evening was super fun to follow along。 The protagonists definitely act like teenage girls so it’s understandable I was quite annoyed with them for a good 45% of the book for doing dumb things。 But， like some things that take time to get good， Take Me Home Tonight is one of those stories that do get good， even great， if you are willing to push through the parts that may not be what you’re looking for。Overall Recommendation:Take Me Home Tonight is a story of friendship that is tested and growing from the things we avoid， all against the backdrop of an evening adventure in New York City。 Split across 2 （technically 3） POVs， we follow besties Stevie and Kat as they each encounter interesting individuals， places/sights they have never seen and a new perspective of who they want to be。 While the beginning was a little slow to get the pieces laid out for this wonderful evening， and the girls definitely acted like their teenage years， it was surely balanced out with wonder， reflection and even some romance。 Who said one night can’t change you forever？ 。。。more
Michelle （MichelleReadsYA）
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DNF 50% in。 I’ve tried to blame my lack of interest in this book on my pregnancy， but that’s not true。 I just never had the desire to pick this up and read it because it wasn’t good。 Neither main character did anything for me and their lack of communication was so stupid。 Matson is one of my favorite contemporary authors， but this one and Save the Date have really missed the mark for me。
Eva 🌻
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DNF at 30%， skimmed a bit。 Honestly this isn’t for me。 Not a bad read necessarily but it felt too young。 I couldn’t get into the problems the characters had and I didn’t like Kat。 She was way too much， she seemed obsessed with Stevie， who didn’t seem into their friendship and fell flat。 Also， why bring in another point of view a quarter of the way in？ I didn’t find the story interesting and it spent too long on certain parts like the dog。 I sat on this book for so long just leaving it over and o DNF at 30%， skimmed a bit。 Honestly this isn’t for me。 Not a bad read necessarily but it felt too young。 I couldn’t get into the problems the characters had and I didn’t like Kat。 She was way too much， she seemed obsessed with Stevie， who didn’t seem into their friendship and fell flat。 Also， why bring in another point of view a quarter of the way in？ I didn’t find the story interesting and it spent too long on certain parts like the dog。 I sat on this book for so long just leaving it over and over again。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lindsay （pawsomereads）
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RTC
Audrey
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3。5As a theater kid myself， I always adore when characters are as passionate on the subject as I am！ New York is also one of my favorite settings so I had to pick this up！ Starting off with discussing the main characters of this story， I thought they were both characters that we got to see their good and bad side quite well。 They both grow together and individually in this tale is a true coming of age fashion。 But I did find Kat a harder character to love because I found her really selfish multi 3。5As a theater kid myself， I always adore when characters are as passionate on the subject as I am！ New York is also one of my favorite settings so I had to pick this up！ Starting off with discussing the main characters of this story， I thought they were both characters that we got to see their good and bad side quite well。 They both grow together and individually in this tale is a true coming of age fashion。 But I did find Kat a harder character to love because I found her really selfish multiples times in the story and it really irritated me。 She does get better further down the story。 Plot-wise， I thought the story constantly got better the more I was reading and I was entertained。 The constant coincidences and mishaps keep the story going。 But I really found Teri's side-plot unnecessary。 It just didn't fit in with the rest of the book。 Due to Kat's initial personality and Teri's side adventure bothering me， I couldn't rate this higher than 3，5。 But I can definitely see an audience that could fall in love in love with this book。Thank you， NetGalley， Simon and Schuster and Morgan Matson for the arc！ 。。。more
Theresa
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Oh I love Morgan Matson’s books！！ This one took me just a little bit to get into， but man I forgot how fun her books are！ This one had such shenanigans and adventures and I loved that it was set in the city。 I really loved how both Stevie and Kat grew from the beginning to the end of the novel， and I love how Morgan is able to set up little details that all come together in the end。 So great！
Heather
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Take me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson is a cute story about friendship and adventure。Best friends Kat and Stevie are opposites in every physical way。 They even have different personalities。 But somehow when they are together people mistake them for sisters。 But on an unexpected visit to New York City， these friends are about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime。 This book started off pretty slow。 It was difficult to get into the characters and their storyline。 While I do not read many Young A Take me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson is a cute story about friendship and adventure。Best friends Kat and Stevie are opposites in every physical way。 They even have different personalities。 But somehow when they are together people mistake them for sisters。 But on an unexpected visit to New York City， these friends are about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime。 This book started off pretty slow。 It was difficult to get into the characters and their storyline。 While I do not read many Young Adult books， I stuck with it and enjoyed the remainder of the story。 Things really picked up once Kat and Stevie started their trip to NYC。 There are many funny parts as well as sweet scenes that really show the bond these two characters have。 If you enjoy Young Adult novels， this book would definitely be a must read for you。 It was a fun and light-hearted read。 I would give this book a 3。5/5 but will round up for theater aspect that is weaved into the storyline。 Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Yolanda
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*Review will be posted to my blog on 4/17/21**Likes:*The title ALWAYS makes me sing that 80’s song， “Take me home tonight， I don’t want let you go till you see the light…” – it’s such a good song and reminds me of my childhood！ Such a fun title！*Everything happens in one night in NYC of all places which is always a good time， right？ It’s such an exciting city， so I loved the setting。 It’s the perfect place for nightly shenanigans。*I did enjoy Kat and Stevie’s friendship。 At the start you just kn *Review will be posted to my blog on 4/17/21**Likes:*The title ALWAYS makes me sing that 80’s song， “Take me home tonight， I don’t want let you go till you see the light…” – it’s such a good song and reminds me of my childhood！ Such a fun title！*Everything happens in one night in NYC of all places which is always a good time， right？ It’s such an exciting city， so I loved the setting。 It’s the perfect place for nightly shenanigans。*I did enjoy Kat and Stevie’s friendship。 At the start you just know they are tight， and they do get separated during their wild night in NYC but it helped them deal with their own issues for a few hours before meeting up。 I like their separate emotional journeys and when they come back together， they are better for it。*Kat has a cute little romantic encounter， but I loved Stevie’s interactions with her family even more。 We get to meet her step-siblings and watch her deal with family issues， I thought it brought the emotional feels in the story。Random Notes:*I appreciate the whole Adventures in Babysitting references with Teri’s storyline but I mostly skipped it。 It didn’t work for me because I was more interested in Kat and Stevie’s adventure and it really went off in a whole direction with Teri。 In the end I thought it was sorta funny and cute but during the story， it would take me out of the story。*This would make an entertaining movie。*More suited towards teen readers。Final Thoughts:This story is about one wild night in New York City shared between two best friends who have a falling out along the way but find their way back to one another。 There is Teri’s storyline who is on an Adventures of Babysitting kick and it’s funny in the end but unfortunately took me out of the story multiple times。 I think teen readers will enjoy this one and relate to Kat and Stevie’s personalities and friendship。 。。。more
Katelyn
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I have always been a big fan of Morgan Matson's， but this book missed the mark for me。 I thought Kat （or is it Cat？ the spelling was inconsistent） was one of the most annoying main characters I have ever read。 How weird was it that she was so obsessed with her theater teacher she wanted to track him down over the weekend？ Like I'm a teacher and feel personally violated by one of my students seeking me out on the weekends。 It was too bad Cary was super swoonworthy。 Stevie was actually enjoyable a I have always been a big fan of Morgan Matson's， but this book missed the mark for me。 I thought Kat （or is it Cat？ the spelling was inconsistent） was one of the most annoying main characters I have ever read。 How weird was it that she was so obsessed with her theater teacher she wanted to track him down over the weekend？ Like I'm a teacher and feel personally violated by one of my students seeking me out on the weekends。 It was too bad Cary was super swoonworthy。 Stevie was actually enjoyable and I enjoyed her character growth with her step siblings and her dad。 Oh and Brad。。。 oh how I love Brad。。。 and then don't get me started on the RIDICULOUS CIA agent in the trunk SUB PLOT。 And then to find out AMY AND RODGER did not end up together！！！！！！！ I was livid over that。。。。 So Ms。 Matson this book was a massive let down for me。 But I love all of your other books。。。 which is why I know a better book could have been written。 #Sorrynotsorry 。。。 I do think theater fans will enjoy。 Thanks NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Teri
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I have to admit – it was the Ferris Bueller comp title that cinched the deal on requesting this book from NetGalley。 There were no Save Ferris water towers， but this sure was a fun romp。Kat and Stevie are ride or die besties， but polar opposites in interests， actions， and physical attributes。 Despite a planning checklist for their trip into NYC， their adventure goes sideways from the moment they step off the train at Grand Central Station。 The evening lands them in some unexpected， chaotic， and I have to admit – it was the Ferris Bueller comp title that cinched the deal on requesting this book from NetGalley。 There were no Save Ferris water towers， but this sure was a fun romp。Kat and Stevie are ride or die besties， but polar opposites in interests， actions， and physical attributes。 Despite a planning checklist for their trip into NYC， their adventure goes sideways from the moment they step off the train at Grand Central Station。 The evening lands them in some unexpected， chaotic， and humorous situations， and they meet a Pomeranian named Brad who will steal your heart。 Kat and Stevie are both very relatable and flawed， and each of them experience their own coming of age moments over the course of the story。 Those more serious moments aren’t something I expected going into this book， but I like how they’re life-changing issues and the ways the girls deal with them。Something I feel could have been left out was Teri’s subplot。 After reading Kat’s and Stevie’s chapters， her sections felt like a speed bump that took me out of the story。Is it likely most of this storyline could happen？ No。 But if you suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow， you’ll soon find yourself caught up in an unlikely， but whimsical adventure。I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Gracie
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall: love love loved this！ loved all the different points of view， the chapters split up by time， brad， the insane plot with teri and co， BRAD， the theatre community， stevie’s growth， cary dressed like a fighter pilot， all of the insane coincidences。 man。 this was a truly stellar read！！！！ without a doubt 5 beautiful， bright-as-new-york-at-night stars！my thoughts while reading:*- 7: I love how all of morgan's books overlap。。。。 just saw a shoutout to gelsey from second chance summer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall: love love loved this！ loved all the different points of view， the chapters split up by time， brad， the insane plot with teri and co， BRAD， the theatre community， stevie’s growth， cary dressed like a fighter pilot， all of the insane coincidences。 man。 this was a truly stellar read！！！！ without a doubt 5 beautiful， bright-as-new-york-at-night stars！my thoughts while reading:*- 7: I love how all of morgan's books overlap。。。。 just saw a shoutout to gelsey from second chance summer！ （and a beckett ref on 24 from since you've been gone！ 31: an amy ref！） also what is a sitzprobe - 10: cute friend nicknames！！ - 24: prediction of how many times bug juice will be mentioned in this book: 4 - 35: starbucks putting their names as cat and steve。 classic starbucks move。 side note， it took 3 uses of “bux” before I realized that meant starbucks。 guess I’m not hip anymore - 44: classic dad move/opinion there。 also GRADY， love this kid already。 he “prefers plain almonds” lmaooo- 56: things are going well so far。。。 I give it 14 pages before everything falls apart （64: “What’s the worst thing that could happen？” is usually the wrong way to start off a plan） - 57: the fbi raided the office？？？ I have questions - 70: 14 pages after my prediction and things are still going alright。。。。 - 102: there’s a guy IN THE TRUNK WHAT - 103: brad is perfect omg。 also realizing that the book’s cover is absolutely perfect for the story - 105: ah， is this going to be kat’s love interest？ hmmm- 110: smh。 must be nice to not have to worry about how to pay for college - 134: it’s happening。 things are falling apart。 don’t they know you’re supposed to never split up？！？！ BABY SHARK DO DO DA DO DO DA DO - 136: “how do you eat a whale， pumpkin？”- 144: I’m so stressed - 157: why is everybody getting held up at gunpoint or knifepoint？！！？- 178: I want to hear archie’s a cappella group - 190: I’m sorry， what？ he’s a cia spy agent who’s been operating undercover as。。。。。。 part of the。。。。 bulgarian mob？ there’s no way this is real。 this book is a roller coaster - 217: they missed each other AGAIN。 NO- 235: I was wondering when beckett would come up again。 love that guy - 266: no， kat， you don’t have to do it。 go find your friend - 282: this is a jewel heist now？？？？- 300: FINALLY we get to know what happened at the boxcar cantina！- 315: you TELL EM STEVIE- 331: are amy and roger not together？？？ I’m crying - 340: FULL BODY CHILLS。 SHE FOUND THE PAINTING。 NO WAY。 NO POSSIBLE WAY IT WAS THERE ALL ALONG - 363: teri has got to be tripping。 there is no possible way this is real。 I mean the royal canadian mounted police？ really？ please - 370: I swear if cary works at this party I’ll lose my mind - 371: the sixth job！ of course- 375: did she just。。。。。 get recruited。。。。。 by the cia？- 404: OKAY YEAH， TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT WAS SO GOOD 😭*these page numbers are based on the advance reader's copy！ I've waited SO LONG for this arc！！！ a gigantic thank you to simon & schuster for the arc and netgalley and edelweiss for the drc！ 。。。more
sureena
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A new Morgan Matson book coming out in time for summer？？ Yes please <3
The Candid Cover （Olivia & Lori）
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Review to come！
MMill
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3。5 StarsKat and Stevie need a distraction from desperately waiting for their High School's casting list for King Lear to be announced。 When Stevie's father cancels on her birthday dinner in NYC but suggests she keep the reservation， the two besties decide to escape Connecticut for a night of adventure in the big city。 But right away， everything goes wrong。 From losing a purse and dropping a phone on the train tracks， to getting mugged and chasing after a lost dog。。。their super fun evening goes 3。5 StarsKat and Stevie need a distraction from desperately waiting for their High School's casting list for King Lear to be announced。 When Stevie's father cancels on her birthday dinner in NYC but suggests she keep the reservation， the two besties decide to escape Connecticut for a night of adventure in the big city。 But right away， everything goes wrong。 From losing a purse and dropping a phone on the train tracks， to getting mugged and chasing after a lost dog。。。their super fun evening goes from bad to worse。 With tensions running high， Kat and Stevie have a big fight and then get separated。 Will they be able to find each other in the New York crowds and salvage their friendship as well as their big night out？Morgan Matson's voice is pretty hard not to love。 You get sucked in right away because it's just so conversational and chill， and before you know it， you've read 5 chapters and can't wait to see what's going to happen next。 I especially loved that in her first few books， which I think of as falling into the "Smart YA" genre: the characters are clearly teens and have some growing and learning to do， but there's still a clever maturity there （which means adults can read and enjoy them， too）。 Matson has made a bit of a switch in her last two books， however （Save the Date and this one）， and her plots now seem to entirely consist of long lists of hijinks that ensue from a simple premise。 It's like there isn't an actual story， she just throws every single crazy thing that can happen in a situation （Save the Date: wedding， Take Me Home Tonight: night in NYC） at the characters and then connects the dots。 It's still fun to read， but it gets a little ridiculous after a while。Luckily， Matson's writing is intelligent and compelling， so even as you're rolling your eyes， you know you're still going to keep going。 And despite the fact that the plot was weak， I was still going to give this one 4 stars at first because it was still fun to read。 But I had to knock it down a half star because of the inexplicable sub-plot about Kat and Stevie's friend， Teri， who stays behind in Connecticut to cover for them but then goes to babysit and ends up dealing with CIA agents and stolen diamonds。 Was it real？ Was it all a dream？ Who knows， but it was WEIRD and entirely unnecessary。 It didn't move the rest of the story along at all， and all I could think the whole time was， "WHY is Morgan Matson ripping off Adventures in Babysitting so blatantly， all the way down to character names？" （This is explained later as it's revealed that Teri's Netflix queue did， in fact， include Adventures in Babysitting。） Anyway， it's entirely possible that this storyline won't make it into the finished copy of the book， and I hope it doesn't。 It just makes the long list of crazy things that happen to these girls EVEN crazier and harder to believe。So while this was a fluffy read and a good escape， I just wanted a little bit more of a solid plot that made the girls' growth seem more intentional and less of a coincidence。 I enjoy Matson's writing， and I'm hopeful that she moves back towards a more organized and cohesive plot with her next book。**Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。** 。。。more
Cleo Harper
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How much chaos can two high school seniors cause during a wild night in New York City？ Turns out， a lot。 - lost phones， night jobs， parties， museums， rogue Pomeranians， the list goes on。 Parts of this were a little unbelievable （the B plot came out of left field）， but it was a fun and wild ride from start to finish， and fully captures the intense need for freedom during your last year of high school。*ARC provided by Netgalley for review*
Becca
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Morgan Matson's books are marked by hijinks and friendship， and Take Me Home Tonight is no exception。 Connecticut high school seniors Kat and Stevie go on a spontaneous trip to Manhattan to catch dinner and their theatre teacher's play， but nothing goes to plan。 Dog-sitting， subway-missing， and a host of new acquaintances accompany them， and the two girls have to grapple with some of their fundamental differences。 I hate to say it。。。 but this is the first of Matson's books that is a miss for me。 Morgan Matson's books are marked by hijinks and friendship， and Take Me Home Tonight is no exception。 Connecticut high school seniors Kat and Stevie go on a spontaneous trip to Manhattan to catch dinner and their theatre teacher's play， but nothing goes to plan。 Dog-sitting， subway-missing， and a host of new acquaintances accompany them， and the two girls have to grapple with some of their fundamental differences。 I hate to say it。。。 but this is the first of Matson's books that is a miss for me。 Although the premise is intentionally a little farfetched， I felt that there were just *too many* coincidences and crazy situations。 The addition of their friend Teri's subplot felt forced and too disconnected from Kat and Stevie's story。 I really struggled to get into this book， as the majority of the first third is from Kat's point of view and I found her unlikeable。 While this book is still， technically， realistic fiction， it felt light years away from Matson's Save the Date or The Unexpected Everything。 Will I still read her next book？ Absolutely！ But not with as much enthusiasm or urgency as before。Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's for providing an ARC！ 。。。more
Carrie G
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***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC！***This was not， to be honest， my favorite Morgan Matson book。 Don't get me wrong， it was still very good， but it wasn't my favorite。 In the beginning， I just didn't really like Kat and Stevie as characters。 Kat was too too pushy and self-centered。 Stevie was too。。。 I don't know。。。 milquetoast， I guess。 And all of this drama about drama - when will casting be posted？ who will get which part？ I'll ***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you Netgalley for the ARC！***This was not， to be honest， my favorite Morgan Matson book。 Don't get me wrong， it was still very good， but it wasn't my favorite。 In the beginning， I just didn't really like Kat and Stevie as characters。 Kat was too too pushy and self-centered。 Stevie was too。。。 I don't know。。。 milquetoast， I guess。 And all of this drama about drama - when will casting be posted？ who will get which part？ I'll die if I don't get this part！ how will I survive the next 30 minutes until the list is posted？！ I get it。 I did theater in high school and college。 Getting cast （or not） is a big deal， especially in high school when everything feels like life or death。 But it was a lot。 Then， the trip into the city and the "quick errand as a favor" that you know if going to NOT be quick but WILL be disastrous。 Trope after trope after trope。 But this is Morgan Matson。 The book HAD TO get better， right？YES。 It did。 Slowly but surely， as the crazy night in New York proceeded， these characters grew and evolved and had hilarious misadventures that truly endeared them to you。 （Does that sentence even make sense？） And while only 50% of the things that happened would realistically happen in the real world， all of the things were perfect and necessary and absolutely *should* be able to happen。 And seeing how the individual， unrelated events ended up overlapping and pulling the characters back together was my favorite aspect of the story。 It was what won me over。Oh， and let's not forget Teri。 She wins the award for the least believable but most bada** character in the whole thing！While this may not have been my favorite title by Matson， I will definitely be buying it for my classroom and recommending it to students。 It's a GREAT mix of comedy， adventure， real life， and romance。 Certainly worth checking out！ 。。。more
Jill booksandescape
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I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson is a novel that takes place throughout one adventure-filled day。 It follows best friends Kat and Stevie， theatre kids who decide to sneak out of their suburban town and into New York City for the night。 They plan to see a play and eat at a fancy restaurant。 Things turn bad when Stevie’s phone is destroyed and the girls are left with no phone， and then they get separated。 I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson is a novel that takes place throughout one adventure-filled day。 It follows best friends Kat and Stevie， theatre kids who decide to sneak out of their suburban town and into New York City for the night。 They plan to see a play and eat at a fancy restaurant。 Things turn bad when Stevie’s phone is destroyed and the girls are left with no phone， and then they get separated。 Stevie， with a Pomeranian named Brad who is not hers， and Kat， with a $100 bill no one wants to break being the only money she has。 Throughout the eventful night， many things go different than expected。 Things don’t all go bad， though。 Kat and Stevie have monumental revelations about their friendship and choices in life。This is such a fun read！ I definitely need to read more of Morgan Matson’s books。 Without spoiling too much， I just have to say that Kat and Stevie’s friend Teri has a wild time in this book。 I definitely enjoyed reading her perspective！ 。。。more
caitlin e。
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Review copy courtesy of EdelweissI have loved previous Morgan Matson books but something about this one dragged for me。 Balancing a serious story with a ridiculous side story was weak， and I just didn’t enjoy either of the characters。
Sarah Bittel
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I’m obsessed with @morgamat ‘s books， so when I got approved for this ARC I definitely screamed。 In this book Kat and Stevie sneak away from their homes to head into NYC for the night。 They deal with getting lost， smashed phones， running into old flames， and so much more。 It’s definitely a whirlwind of a night for them （and my high school life was definitely not eventful like theirs haha）。 One of my favourite parts of Matson’s books is always the family & friendship developments。 Kat and Stevie I’m obsessed with @morgamat ‘s books， so when I got approved for this ARC I definitely screamed。 In this book Kat and Stevie sneak away from their homes to head into NYC for the night。 They deal with getting lost， smashed phones， running into old flames， and so much more。 It’s definitely a whirlwind of a night for them （and my high school life was definitely not eventful like theirs haha）。 One of my favourite parts of Matson’s books is always the family & friendship developments。 Kat and Stevie have to deal with a lot in this book （and have to really try and figure out the dynamic of their friendship）。 Thanks to @netgalley @simonandschuster and @morgamat - Second Chance Summer is still my #1 but this one was a close second！ 。。。more
Cara
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What a joyful celebration of female friendship。 Take Me Home Tonight touches on codependency， the uncertainties of college， and relationships between blended families， among so many other important topics。 Morgan Matson continues to be one of my favorite authors of all time。 Best friends Stevie and Kat are seniors who spend one wild， crazy， and unbelievable night in New York City。 They have a plan--see their drama teacher’s play， celebrate Stevie’s 18th birthday at a fancy restaurant， and make i What a joyful celebration of female friendship。 Take Me Home Tonight touches on codependency， the uncertainties of college， and relationships between blended families， among so many other important topics。 Morgan Matson continues to be one of my favorite authors of all time。 Best friends Stevie and Kat are seniors who spend one wild， crazy， and unbelievable night in New York City。 They have a plan--see their drama teacher’s play， celebrate Stevie’s 18th birthday at a fancy restaurant， and make it back to their friend Teri’s house for the sleepover that their parents assume they’re really having。 But if that plan followed through perfectly and with no conflict， that wouldn’t be much fun， would it？ No phones， a dog named Brad， a missing piece of art， a celebrity encounter， and a one hundred dollar bill that nobody can accept all make for one stressful but amazing evening。 Two other important notes: Cary was charming AF。 I think he’s up there with Sarah Dessen’s Owen and Wes for me。 Teri and the Adventures in Babysitting interludes？ Come on。 SUBLIME。My advice: read this with every seemingly insignificant detail tucked away in the back of your mind， because each one will come back around in the most satisfying of ways。 Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc！ 。。。more
jesse📚
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I haven’t laughed out loud reading a book in such a long time。Two months in 2021， and my reading year has gotten off to a great start。 Books like Take Me Home make me love the joy of young love， meeting cute boys and the like， AGAIN。This book is so cute and so FUNNY， it actually lifted my moods。Take Me Home is a story about two girls: Kat and Stevie， and how one night stranded in N Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。I haven’t laughed out loud reading a book in such a long time。Two months in 2021， and my reading year has gotten off to a great start。 Books like Take Me Home make me love the joy of young love， meeting cute boys and the like， AGAIN。This book is so cute and so FUNNY， it actually lifted my moods。Take Me Home is a story about two girls: Kat and Stevie， and how one night stranded in New York changed their lives。 It all started when Stevie’s Dad suddenly cancelled Stevie’s birthday dinner。 In order to cheer Stevie up， Kat decided to plan a trip into the city all by themselves， without their parents’ knowledge。 See the thing is， both Kat and Stevie are in the theatre club and Kat is hell-bent on getting the role of Cordelia in a production of King Lear。 The trip to New York wasn’t just about cheering Stevie up: it’s also so she can meet with her theatre teacher to put in a good word for the casting， which had yet to be posted。 So the two decided to travel to New York from Connecticut and asked their friend， Teri， to cover for them。 However， the night that is supposed to be time of their lives took a turn to what might be the worst night of their lives when an incident with Stevie’s stepsister led to an incident with a Pomeranian， which led to an incident in the subway that got them separated。 Oh， they also got mugged， met cute boys， ran into celebrities， and cabs who won’t accept a hundred dollar bill。 At the same time， Teri， who was supposed to be covering for them ended up with an adventure involving three toddlers， the CIA， and the FBI。Yes， it’s as crazy as it sounds。Do I think this book stands out from other YA books？ It doesn’t， if you only judge it from the synopsis。 But do I think so after finishing the book？ Yes。Personally， I haven’t read any Morgan Matson book other than Since You’ve Been Gone， which I didn’t finish， so I was quite unfamiliar with her books， but I do know that some of the characters from her other books made an appearance in this one （BECKETT！！！）， so it’s really something to look forward to， if you’ve read her other books （aw man I kind of regret not reading the other books sooner but what’s done is done）。I love this book so much。 I can’t even remember why or how I came to DNF Since You’ve Been Gone。Morgan Matson highlights the ups and downs of the teenage life; it highlights friendship， cute romance， and then mixed them up with comedy。 But most of all， this book is more about finding yourself， and figuring out what you really want。 It’s entertaining， relatable， light， and also fun to read。The writing of this book is very easy to get into。 The characters are—despite making stupid decisions along the book—very relatable。 While Kat and Stevie weren’t together for most part of the book， the POVs and what happened between these two girls are written in such a good way and I love how the plot interloped and everything comes into full circle。The only downside of this book is that I really don’t like what happened to Teri。 I can’t click with it and it feels more like an odd piece of the book。 Though it was fun and matched the atmosphere of the book （it was wild！）， it doesn’t add any depth to Stevie and Kat’s story and it feels so out of place。 I feel like it would be better to just not include it at all。 I really enjoyed this book。 In fact， I would make a mental note to check Morgan Matson’s other books！ If you’re looking for a quick， light read， or if you just want to feel the New York atmosphere， this book is definitely recommended！ 。。。more
Lauren R。
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Alright this turned around for me for sure。 I didn’t like Kat at all at the beginning。 There was a very odd subplot with Teri that definitely didn’t NEED to be here， especially because the book was pretty long as it is。 I loved the “crazy night in NYC story” as always， and the references to Connecticut are even better。 I think this one will grow on me more with hindsight once my initial feelings on Kat subside a bit more。 In the end it was a cute friendship-focused story that was incredibly read Alright this turned around for me for sure。 I didn’t like Kat at all at the beginning。 There was a very odd subplot with Teri that definitely didn’t NEED to be here， especially because the book was pretty long as it is。 I loved the “crazy night in NYC story” as always， and the references to Connecticut are even better。 I think this one will grow on me more with hindsight once my initial feelings on Kat subside a bit more。 In the end it was a cute friendship-focused story that was incredibly readable and fun。 。。。more
Ella
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this book was so bad yet so entertaining
Heather~ Nature。books。and。coffee
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I have been enjoying YA lately， so when I seen this on @netgalley and the synopsis sounded super fun， I knew I wanted to read it！ Kat and Stevie are 2 best friends who live in the suburbs of NYC， and they sneak away for a few hours of fun in the Big Apple！ This was a pretty fun read！ It was like taking a little trip to NYC！ 2 friends， lots of entertainment， adventure， boys， animals！！ Although I was wanting a little more from it， overall it was enjoyable enough， and I always love a book set in NY I have been enjoying YA lately， so when I seen this on @netgalley and the synopsis sounded super fun， I knew I wanted to read it！ Kat and Stevie are 2 best friends who live in the suburbs of NYC， and they sneak away for a few hours of fun in the Big Apple！ This was a pretty fun read！ It was like taking a little trip to NYC！ 2 friends， lots of entertainment， adventure， boys， animals！！ Although I was wanting a little more from it， overall it was enjoyable enough， and I always love a book set in NYC！Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy！ All opinions are my own！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Take Me Home Tonight
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Take Me Home Tonight&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Take Me Home Tonight&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0