It was good and the writing was interesting. [It was compelling] how the book changed perspectives with the characters. I enjoyed this book very much. AHS/KB

Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

Rhiannon has just been dumped without a reason. She's miserable beyond belief. Nicole has just dumped her boyfriend with a reason. She's confused beyond belief. And James...James would do nearly anything to get Rhiannon to stop mooning over her ex and finally notice him as more than her buddy.

Over the course of a week, many things will happen to these three friends. There will be confessed secrets, messages on sidewalks, delivered flowers, a ton of photocopied notes, one awesome speech, and lots and lots of karma.

But in the end, will they discover what they truly want?

This realistically honest book told in three different points of view will blow you away. Ms. Colasanti has such a real talent for capturing the personality of teenagers, it's like she is one herself. Her plot is unique and her attention to delivery is grabbing.

Insightful, humorous, moving, and never dull, Colasanti's characters will feel like they're your best friends by the time you have finished this delightful novel. ( )

This book is written from the perspective of three high school teens living in New York City. The story is told three times through each persons eyes. It tells of many high school relationships, broken romance, true love, taking chances, a guy falling for his female best friend, forbidden love for a teacher, how physical abuse can change a person, and the cruelty of sexual abuse. The drama is real and the heart warming way the story is told totally sucked me in from the beginning. The real victory was in the Karmic balance of the resident "mean" girl we all knew in school. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who believes love conquers all.(Michele, Fall 2009)

I read this book immediately after Colasanti's other YA book, When It Happens. At first, I didn't like this book as much , but as I continued to read, the characters grew on me. As in When It Happens, this book is all about relationships in high school. Rhiannon just got dumped by Steve without an explanation. Her friend Nicole has done pretty much the same thing to her ex-, while James gets dumped because he's too close to Rhiannon.

What sets this book apart is how the story is told from each of their perspectives, but unlike in most books of alternating perspectives whose chapters move forward in time, Colasanti flashes back to re-tell the same events from another perspective. I'm not sure this technique worked for me, but by the end of the book, I was looking forward to experiencing more of the puzzle. As in life, the same event can look very different depending on one's perspective.

Overall, I will recommend this book. All the pieces came together in a satisfying epilogue that made me sniffle. ( )

While Take Me There is written in the same honest tone Colasanti's readers have gotten so used to, there's just something a bit off about the whole thing. Other than Nicole's issue, which isn't revealed until the very end, it's all about the relationships. I don't want to read only about boy trouble! The characters were well-characterized, but they still didn't seem like well-rounded individuals with big concerns, again, with the exception of Nicole at the end of the book. Maybe if Nicole's problem had been the focus from the start, and it had begun with the confession, maybe that would have made a better book. Complaints aside, I am still head-over-heels in love with Colasanti's writing. I love how she can mention casual details (ex: Rhiannon & Nicole having a big fight last year) without massive elaboration, but adding so much to the characterization. Yes, they did have lives before the book, and they will have lives afterward, and this is just one moment, one tiny glimpse into their world, but not the whole story. I love that. Colasanti knows she has smart readers who can create their own characters, so she mentions these little things, not quite details, because they are important tidbits and not just extra nonsense, and she leaves it up to the reader to figure out the details. I'm a bit torn on the multiple points of view. Nicole's story did not really work with the other two until the very end, and I was disappointed by that. Her story bored me; it was underdeveloped and disconnected. On the other hand, I really liked reading James' parts, and Colasanti's take on a boy's thoughts was pretty interesting. The ending was fantastic, I just wish it had happened sooner. Not Colasanti's best work, but I'll take it regardless.

Rating: 4/5 ( )