Take a Bow

Take a Bow is my third Elizabeth Eulberg novel and it will certainly not be my last. I recommend Elizabeth Eulberg's books to anyone looking for quality teen chick lit or for a sweet summer read. Eulberg is an incredibly talented author whose stories combine social issues, romance, friendships, and drama for a charming, yet addictive story that comes with a satisfying happily ever after.

Take a Bow is told from the point of view of four characters who attend a highly competitive arts school. There's plenty of struggling to find one's identity, but there's also a slightly painful, but delicious 'unrequited love' dynamic that's built up throughout the novel. Be warned that this book may disrupt your life. I had a hard time putting it down show more towards the end as I needed to know if Emme and Ethan would end up together, if Carter will finally be able to do what he wants, and if Sophie will get what she deserves.

I love that Take a Bow features musically talented characters with realistic musical ambitions. It's not a book about a group of teens who form a doomed rock band. It takes a look at all the hard work required of a student perusing a career in music, at ambition, and at what it takes to make or break your dreams for the future. Moreover, teens can relate to the pressures of being accepted into post-secondary education, and about the fears about the future that accompany the end of one's high school career.

Take a Bow is a charming, heartfelt, and surprisingly powerful story that could only come from the brilliant writing of Elizabeth Eulberg. Elizabeth Eulberg is my go-to recommendation for YA novels for girls, and one of the top chick lit authors for girls ages 13 & up.

4 Stars show less

I didn't like Lonely Hearts Club--it was bland and I gave up within the first fifty pages. This is not uncommon. My reviews on here and ratings are of books I actually finished. I DNF books overwhelmingly. It's not a crack at the author actually; I am super impatient and have high expectations. It is a me thing. Nonetheless, I was hesitant to read this book because I hadn't liked the other. Stumbled across this by chance. I thought it was about theatre, and, no. Opened the cover to read the flap, it's about -teens in a performing arts academy-. -Gonna read-, I thought. Gonna -make- myself read no matter how bad, because that setting--to say it hits a nerve is inaccurate. That sounds like I'm mad, and I'm not. It--is a setting I'm really show more into, and really--it's a positive, deep-seated thing.

I was entirely absorbed in the setting of the book. I liked how the characters were set up, and their backgrounds, and how that affected them so deeply. The author writes teens incredibly well, and the dialogue flowed. I chuckled at times. I was still entirely unprepared for the sheer levels of nails on a chalkboard-level melodrama, whining, weirdly set up love triangles, and oh, I often wished the kids would just shut up. Yes, their dialogue was cool and I still wished they'd be quiet and--do something. -Prepare- for things to fall through, not work, and stop being so whiny and self-centered. And yet--it's a realistic depiction of certain kinds of teenagers, so props to the author. I didn't like how often actors, especially musical theatre ones, were made fun of. I was one from ages eleven to nineteen, but not Carter-level at all. I was well-known in the company I was in, and that was it. Asked to audition for other stuff, but I couldn't make the auditions. That kind of thing. Onward. I haaated how Ben was portrayed, and the homophobia entwined with queer coding with Emme was also quite the sore spot for me. Sophie was an effective antagonist--hello, Teen Me, but to a slightly lesser extent. Emme was clearly a codependent--takes one to know one. Ordinarily I'd feel sympathy for a fellow codependent teen (I started showing symptoms around age twelve or something), but ugh, I wanted her to fail so spectacularly that she dropped out because I couldn't -stand- her as the book progressed. Oh, the cliches piled up. By the end, I gritted my teeth and practically growled. I was so glad the book finally ended. I'm still interested in the setting of performance arts academies with teenagers, so I'll seek out books that hopefully have different plots. A Time For Dancing--for years, I thought it -did- take place at a performing arts school, but not quite. It's hinted at. I'll read it after I finish another one I'm going through, and keep looking for good books. This wasn't for me. show less

I'd been excited to read Take A Bow ever since I first heard the premise for it. I generally love books that deal with the arts; be it music or theater and author Elizabeth Eulberg definitely didn't disappoint me.

The story follows the lives of 4 teens during their senior year at a performing arts school and I really loved how the novel alternates between each of their perspectives. Emme and Sophie have very different personalities so it was never confusing when the POV changed and the same thing can be said about the two guys. In fact I think the changing narrative gives you a better sense of exactly who this young people are and the pressure they are under.

Emme was easily my favorite character, she's just so sweet and likeable. show more Watching her confidence grow as the novel moves along was really great. She's truly the heart of the story and much of what happens with the other 3 characters has a direct link back to her.

Since Emme's in a band with Ethan I loved how the novel focuses a lot on that dynamic, both romantically and otherwise. Thankfully the novel doesn't leave their other 2 band mates, Jack and Ben, out in the cold with nothing to do. As supporting characters go they added a lot of humor to the novel and were as memorable as the main quartet.

The novel's pacing is quick and while there is of course loads of drama between the characters, the story itself is light and fun. It reads a lot like a TV series or film, making you care quickly and holding your attention throughout. If I had to complain about anything it would be that at 278 pages the novel was just too short for me. I wanted to spend so much more time immersed in that school with Emme and her friends.

As you can read from this review I'm basically trying not to gush about how amazing it is and how much you all should read it. However when it comes right down to it, I am gushing, you should read it and I hope you think its as wonderful as I do. show less

For me, reading an Elizabeth Eulberg novel is like cleansing my mental palate. After I've read something particularly heavy, it's nice to give my brain a break by picking up a lighthearted novel with a quick pace and engaging characters, characteristics synonymous with her novels.

Take a Bow is the quintessential Eulberg novel... and it might be my favorite so far. Actually, I feel like this newest release had a bit more depth than The Lonely Hearts Club and significantly more than Prom & Prejudice. I really came to love Emme and Ethan and I don't think I've ever felt particularly attached to any of the characters in the other books, though I've definitely enjoyed them.

As a completely non-artistic person, I always find novels about those show more who are talented in this area fascinating. I know academic pressure, but competitive performing arts schools are a totally foreign concept to me and are a bit awe-inspiring. I find myself drawn to books and movies with this theme.

Despite being totally non-artistic, I closely identified with Emme. She's extremely shy and often overshadowed by the bossy and overbearing Sophie. I wanted Emme to step out of Sophie's shadow so badly... somebody had to take that girl down a notch!

Take a Bow has some darker elements that weren't present in Eulberg's first two novels. This offering addresses substance abuse and, to some extent, the ill effects of childhood celebrity, whether it be actual big-screen fame or hometown fame. I think the depth present in Take a Bow is what, ultimately, made it shine.

If you're a fan of Eulberg's novels, or you haven't read one but think you might like to, be sure to pick up Take a Bow. show less

Elizabeth Eulberg. That is really all that needs to be said here... If you like contemporaries, I highly suggest you get yourself acquainted with that name. Her first two novels, The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice were adorable and wonderful and completely worthy of a babbling run on sentence. Take a Bow was no exception! It is everything I hoped it would be.

Take a Bow follows the senior year of three teenagers: Emme, Ethan, Sophie and Carter, during their stay at their elite performing arts school in NYC. Senior year is tough already, but when you add fierce competition for the senior showcase, huge college auditions, backstabbing, crushes, band gigs, and a soap opera role... what you get is a whole lot of drama. But in the show more best way possible?

The format of this book really reminded me of shows like Modern Family in the way that the characters go about their own lives, but then they also kind of address the reader (like the show characters do on the interview sessions). It was pretty hilarious in this way.

What I really enjoyed about this novel is that the voice is really different from Eulberg's other two novels. I have the immense pleasure of knowing the author personally, so I can say that the voice in the first two novels is similar to her own voice (hilarious). That is not a bad thing, but with Take a Bow she breaks from her own voice and is able to create four dynamic and very different characters with distinct voices. The characters continually frustrated me, but that just goes to show that I cared enough about them to get angry with them. Except maybe Sophie.... She is not a very nice person (keeping this review rated G, folks).

I'm a cynic, I'll admit it. I often enjoy when books do not end with a "happy ending". To me they seem more realistic. Not giving anything away, but the ending in Take a Bow is on the happier side. I actually really liked it! It was because the whole plot is very realistic. Even when the characters eventually get what they want, they have a tough road before they reach that point. Nothing is just handed over to them, which is something I find in more than a few contemporaries.

This seems unnecessary... But overall, I loved it! Should you read it? Definitely. show less

I'm not always a fan of books that have so many poing of views, but I love Elizabeth Eulberg's books, so I decided I had to give this one a shot. We first meet our four main characters as they are about to audition for their freshman year at CPA, they all have different reasons for wanting to be there, and none of them know what to expect. Then we jump right to the beginning of their senior years. They've all been in school together for three years and this year is when their futures will be decided. Emme and Sophie have been best friends since they were eight, but they are starting to drift apart. Emme has her band and her songwriting, and Sophie has Carter and the spotlight. Ethan and Emme have become really close since they became show more part of their band freshman year, but something happened over the summer and things are tense between them. Carter is a former child star who wants out of the spotlight, he just wants to be a normal guy.

Even though we alternate between these four characters, they are in each other's lives enough, that we get a pretty full picture of what is going on from day to day at CPA. My favorite character was Emme. She had the most going on in her story and she also had the most compassion. She was definitely naive, but had the biggest heart and worked so hard to keep things together. My next favorite is a tie between Carter and Ethan. I really liked getting to know Carter as a person, because he was learning about himself at the same time as I was, while reading. Deep down he's just a normal teenager who wants to be left to his own devices. I really enjoyed the friendship that formed between him and Emme, she really helped him see that getting what you want doesn't have to be so difficult. Ethan was so misguided and broken, through most of the book I either wanted to smack him or hug him. He was great with Emme, so careful with her feelings and taking care of her when something was wrong. He was so devoted to her and it was clear to anyone who was looking, except Emme. I hated Sophie. I know she's technically the villain of the story, so you aren't necessarily meant to like her, but I couldn't stand reading her chapters. If they hadn't been necessary to the flow of the story, I probably would have skipped them. She was manipulative, cruel and only cared about what everyone else could do for her.

This was an exceptional read. I loved how music tied into almost every part of the story and I am so enamored with most of the characters and the way they related to one another. As far as contemporaries go, this one should move up to the top of your wish list. If your reading experience is anything like mine, you won't want to put it down until you are finished :0) show less

This book immediately appealed to the fan girl in me who was obsessed with the first 3 seasons of Glee.

A most enjoyable fun light hearted read about a group of teens in a prestigious school for performing and creative arts in New York. Centres on four characters, told from four different points of view. Each character had their own discitinct voice and personality . The only character I really did not like at all was wanna be super star actress Sophie who took backstabbing bitchiness to new level of obnoxiousness.

Wonderful, full bodied and fleshed out characters. The plot focuses on their senior year, something about the end of term show case which is a really big deal and college auditions. There's drama, a will they won't they show more romance, audition drama, an awesome band with a troubled lead singer, the bitchy actress, backstabbing, and the quiet but very talented and pretty girl who needs to come out of the shadow into spot light.

Well written and concluded realistically. A very good read.

And crosses off my second square for Bookish Bingo Summer Card - music or dance themes.
books-i-own-paperback show less