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rambling_willow's review
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
One moment, Ian tries to confess his love for his best friend, Eric. The next, he's abandoned. The town has undergone an emergency evacuation and he has been left behind, along with two other disabled teens, not knowing what happened.
And to make matters worse, he's dead.
I love the story and the themes. The small-scale apocalypse. The dead walking among the living. The government doing the bare minimum about it. The feeling of being a burden and being left behind because of it. Becoming what you tried your best to avoid.
I think the representation has been done wonderfully. It all felt like real people that fit in the story and not like stereotypes. My biggest critique is that it's done a bit too subtly. For example, Ian's gay realisation is mostly glossed over. Although I like that it's not overdone, I do wish it was a bit more.
Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for giving me access to this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
_ash_mac's review
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Leif’s premise was promising, but ultimately I couldn’t stick with it and decided to DNF this at around 20%.
It starts off fairly weak, The first chapter sort of jumps into the world without explanation, which would be totally fine but with the entire ‘everyone can still interact/see with the dead’ just doesn’t work with a ‘nod to a couple who just know, been their done that.’ And while the focus of Ian being in love with Eric was interesting, there’s no weight to it, I couldn’t really engage or believe in this love being the catalyst to the story. I’m absolutely sure that this works well for other readers, and ultimately I know this could be a great novel. I can see the build up is there, the premise is there, I think I just had an issue with the technical writing aspect (such as paragraphs starting out with one idea, jumping to the next, then back again)
Could be a fantastic read, ultimately just not a fantastic read for me.
It starts off fairly weak, The first chapter sort of jumps into the world without explanation, which would be totally fine but with the entire ‘everyone can still interact/see with the dead’ just doesn’t work with a ‘nod to a couple who just know, been their done that.’ And while the focus of Ian being in love with Eric was interesting, there’s no weight to it, I couldn’t really engage or believe in this love being the catalyst to the story. I’m absolutely sure that this works well for other readers, and ultimately I know this could be a great novel. I can see the build up is there, the premise is there, I think I just had an issue with the technical writing aspect (such as paragraphs starting out with one idea, jumping to the next, then back again)
Could be a fantastic read, ultimately just not a fantastic read for me.
rileyswan's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
At its core, Take All of Us is a story of disability liberation: of allowing yourself to be a burden, to take up space, to make selfish decisions, and to choose—again and again and again—a different life over an ended one.
The story starts with insecure, people-pleaser Ian, who also has Epilepsy. He has a seizure right before telling his best friend that he loves him, dies, and then wakes up in a rotting body with his best friend, —and everyone else in town—nowhere to be found. He also hates himself. Not in the obvious way many characters do, but in the way where he offhandedly, subtly talks about himself as if he is not boy but burden; in the way that is most easily recognised by fellow disabled people, who know better than most what it feels like to put upon someone the devastation of knowing someone who is dying.
But then—and this is my favourite part—he meets Monica, a Black girl with chronic pain and a cane, who feels just as burdensome as Ian, and Angel, a fiercely blunt autistic girl with zero fucks to give and even less patience when it comes to Ian and Monica's hesitance to take up space in this world. She convinces them to take up that space, because when else is a better time to let yourself be big and bold than when your small country town has been abandoned?
Ian rots, but he also lets himself love and be loved by his new friends as they search the town for survival necessities and the people dearest to them. I don't want to spoil too much in the romantic context, as the details there develop far after the early story which is detailed in the blurb, but I must say it was charmingly complex, and added an additional layer to the disability liberation lens of the overall narrative.
This is the first story that I've personally seen that has handled apocalypses and their consequences from an authentic and empowering disability perspective. Not everyone will agree, nor will everyone feel represented by it—but I do. I do, and so will many others. It was heartwarming to read a story about a gay disabled boy living in a decaying body and doing fucked up things, and yet loving himself and being loved by those around him more than ever.
Leif's Debut, Take All of Us, goes to show not only the importance of embracing your disability, of reasserting power over your life, of making autonomous decisions regarding how you want to live that life, but also the value that is found in these stories—whether they are melancholic contemporary explorations or visceral depictions of blood, guts, and love. (The latter is my personal favourite, and I believe Leif did an exquisite job.)
The story starts with insecure, people-pleaser Ian, who also has Epilepsy. He has a seizure right before telling his best friend that he loves him, dies, and then wakes up in a rotting body with his best friend, —and everyone else in town—nowhere to be found. He also hates himself. Not in the obvious way many characters do, but in the way where he offhandedly, subtly talks about himself as if he is not boy but burden; in the way that is most easily recognised by fellow disabled people, who know better than most what it feels like to put upon someone the devastation of knowing someone who is dying.
But then—and this is my favourite part—he meets Monica, a Black girl with chronic pain and a cane, who feels just as burdensome as Ian, and Angel, a fiercely blunt autistic girl with zero fucks to give and even less patience when it comes to Ian and Monica's hesitance to take up space in this world. She convinces them to take up that space, because when else is a better time to let yourself be big and bold than when your small country town has been abandoned?
Ian rots, but he also lets himself love and be loved by his new friends as they search the town for survival necessities and the people dearest to them. I don't want to spoil too much in the romantic context, as the details there develop far after the early story which is detailed in the blurb, but I must say it was charmingly complex, and added an additional layer to the disability liberation lens of the overall narrative.
This is the first story that I've personally seen that has handled apocalypses and their consequences from an authentic and empowering disability perspective. Not everyone will agree, nor will everyone feel represented by it—but I do. I do, and so will many others. It was heartwarming to read a story about a gay disabled boy living in a decaying body and doing fucked up things, and yet loving himself and being loved by those around him more than ever.
Leif's Debut, Take All of Us, goes to show not only the importance of embracing your disability, of reasserting power over your life, of making autonomous decisions regarding how you want to live that life, but also the value that is found in these stories—whether they are melancholic contemporary explorations or visceral depictions of blood, guts, and love. (The latter is my personal favourite, and I believe Leif did an exquisite job.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Chronic illness
Minor: Vomit
shrikebait's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Take All of Us had my heart in a stranglehold. Tears were shed.
The kids are not alright...and that's okay. There's fantastic disability, neurodiversity, and queer rep. I love that these characteristics are very intentional and central to the story. Leif centers each character's identity and loudly denounces inspiration p*rn.
There is no shortage of gross-out body horror and cosmic horror between the heartwarming moments. I found myself pacing just to release some of the tension Leif builds so well. I highly recommend this book for both YA and adult readers, especially fans of queer horror.
Thank you so much to Leif, Holiday House, and NetGalley for the chance to check this ARC out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
The kids are not alright...and that's okay. There's fantastic disability, neurodiversity, and queer rep. I love that these characteristics are very intentional and central to the story. Leif centers each character's identity and loudly denounces inspiration p*rn.
There is no shortage of gross-out body horror and cosmic horror between the heartwarming moments. I found myself pacing just to release some of the tension Leif builds so well. I highly recommend this book for both YA and adult readers, especially fans of queer horror.
Thank you so much to Leif, Holiday House, and NetGalley for the chance to check this ARC out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cannibalism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, and Gore
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Dementia, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Gaslighting
iamcupid_'s review
3.0
I feel like I shouldn't give any comments on this because I really just think this book wasn't for me, I wasn't the audience. So take everything I say lightly. This book was full of anger, sadness, and hope. Hope for as much as there were anger and sadness. It was a beautiful book, if we're being objectively honest. I just felt disconnected. It was probably because these characters want to live so badly in a situation where they don't have to and I always said that if there was an event like that, I wouldn't last a day alive. But I get it, even if only to a limited extent. When you live your whole life trying to please other people, why SHOULDN'T you take space especially in a time and place where you don"t know where your death is guaranteed? It was a nice message all in all even if I couldn't relate.
entamewitchlulu's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a fair review.
This one was...wow. I'm not really even sure how to talk about this one. It was good, in a way that's difficult to comprehend. This is a really fascinating take on zombie fiction, used in a way to tell a story about what it means to take up space, be selfish, and live for yourself in a world that wants to leave you behind, especially in the context of chronic illness and neurodivergency. It's an allegory, but it's also very real because the characters actually have disabilities, the zombie thing is just an extra layer of metaphor over a very real story.
And it's good. It's really good. I cried a fair bit while reading because it hit really emotionally intense chords. And the ending built up very slowly and steadily to something that was eerie, surreal, and yet very emotionally resonant.
I think the only thing that pulled it down from a 5 star for me was that I found myself often a bit confused about certain plot points. Like, for example, how did Angel already know that Monica's mom was dead? How did any of them, actually, figure out that she was dead, and hadn't just evacuated from the fire? There were a fair few instances where characters would say something that contradicted something from a few pages ago, or know something that I feel like they had no reason of knowing. And while the romance seems to be a big part of the marketing, I felt like it was pretty muted in comparison to the rest of the story lines going on here, so that was just a little bit disappointing.
That aside, this is really like. Again, it's hard for me to describe exactly what I think about it because it's so surreal in probably the best way possible. I'm not a big horror person and I don't like gore, but I was able to get through the bits of gunk to deeply enjoy my time in this world.
This one was...wow. I'm not really even sure how to talk about this one. It was good, in a way that's difficult to comprehend. This is a really fascinating take on zombie fiction, used in a way to tell a story about what it means to take up space, be selfish, and live for yourself in a world that wants to leave you behind, especially in the context of chronic illness and neurodivergency. It's an allegory, but it's also very real because the characters actually have disabilities, the zombie thing is just an extra layer of metaphor over a very real story.
And it's good. It's really good. I cried a fair bit while reading because it hit really emotionally intense chords. And the ending built up very slowly and steadily to something that was eerie, surreal, and yet very emotionally resonant.
I think the only thing that pulled it down from a 5 star for me was that I found myself often a bit confused about certain plot points.
That aside, this is really like. Again, it's hard for me to describe exactly what I think about it because it's so surreal in probably the best way possible. I'm not a big horror person and I don't like gore, but I was able to get through the bits of gunk to deeply enjoy my time in this world.
eastofreality's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
green_ghost's review
3.25
Thanks to Netgalley and Holiday House, for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Being Autistic, chronically ill, and queer, it isn’t too often I see all of these in one book.
Natalie Leif has constructed a wonderfully creative and gory story, letting disabled kids take up space, to be themselves unapologetically.
I got a little bit lost with the plot at some points, but overall I enjoyed the story, and recommend checking it out upon release!
Being Autistic, chronically ill, and queer, it isn’t too often I see all of these in one book.
Natalie Leif has constructed a wonderfully creative and gory story, letting disabled kids take up space, to be themselves unapologetically.
I got a little bit lost with the plot at some points, but overall I enjoyed the story, and recommend checking it out upon release!
ramunepocky's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
“They couldn’t afford to get in trouble when their whole existence caused trouble to begin with; when they spent so much time trying to compensate for themselves.”
this review is not spoiler free
I’d been excited for this book because the concept sounded interesting and the cover was gorgeous, and I wasn’t disappointed; I really enjoyed it!! It was a bit slow to start with, and I didn’t really understand what was going on to begin with, especially where the dead were concerned, because being told that someone was dead but then moving around and muttering to themselves made my brain go “huh????” But it made sense once it was explained and I understood what was actually happening. I thought it was a really interesting take on zombies with their immediate returning and them being identifiable by their eyes, and the slow way in which they’d start to lose their memories and degrade. I thought it was really interesting too that there was an entity in the mountain that they were trying to return to, and the way it would sing to them to come home. It may be because I’ve literally obsessively been playing Rebirth, but it reminded me of the way that the Sephiroth clones are drawn to him without having real control of where they’re going, or what they’re doing. I also think it was interesting that them going to the mountain to degrade repeated the cycle as their oil would leak into the water and corrupt it and turn more people into this world’s zombie equivalent. I loved that there was a happy ending too, and that once the entity was destroyed, all the people that were dead, but still “living” got a chance to live again, though they weren’t entirely untouched by what they’d gone through and their eyes still represented that. I really loved the disability rep too and the running theme of being allowed to take up space and to stop feeling guilty for “being a burden” and being selfish and asking for what YOU want instead of thinking about what is best for everyone else because you’ve already asked for “too much” in being alive.
I really loved Ian; I thought he was a really sweet protagonist, and it absolutely broke me to see him die in such an awful way when he’d only wanted to tell his best friend how he felt. It was really heart-breaking watching him try and process the fact that he’d died, especially after living with the fact he’d die earlier than the average age as a disabled kid, and him not wanting to be mercy-killed because he still wanted to live. I loved the development of his relationship with Monica and how he goes from a one-sided rivalry with her to becoming friends and having a really sweet and supportive relationship. I also really loved his dynamic with Angel and how he went from being unsure of her and her monotone and blunt way of speaking to becoming really fond of her. I loved that the two of them became so protective of Ian and they wanted him to be able to have his own choices, despite being dead and “losing himself.” It was heartbreaking to see him start to lose those pieces of himself and forget things, and be leaking oil more often, but that that didn’t change the way his friends saw and interacted with him, and they just tried to help fill in the gaps. I loved the way they all supported each other, and the way they’d developed a fast and unbreakable friendship in the most dire of times. I also really loved Ian’s dynamic with his best friend, Eric. I would have liked to have seen their dynamic when Ian was still alive a bit more before he dies as he died really early into the book and I felt like I didn’t get a real sense of how they interacted beforehand, and then we didn’t see much of Eric until around half way through the book, but I loved seeing how they interacted after that, even though it physically broke me to see Eric struggle so much.
It was really clear from the moment that Eric first saw Ian again how much him being dead affected him and how traumatising it was for him. He blamed himself for what happened, and it breaks me when they finally properly reunite and they have the conversation about it. It also destroyed me to see Eric try to mercy kill Ian to “make things right” and how he couldn’t actually do it when he had the opportunity because it broke him too much. It was so clear how much Eric loved Ian too, even before we got to see them reunite, the essential shrine that Eric had of all the stuff Ian had given him over the years and their pictures together, it was so clear that Eric loved him back and had just suppressed that like he did the rest of his emotions. It hurt me to see Eric in so much pain after everything that had happened, but considering how much he’d blunted his own emotions and stopped himself expressing them due to his tumultuous relationship with his father, it was nice to see him able to actually express his emotions and his pain, even if a huge chunk of that is likely due to the fact he was so traumatised and felt so guilty about Ian’s death that he was unable to suppress his emotions anymore. It destroyed me to think about the fact that he blamed himself so much and was so hurt by it that he’d literally just curled up in the mall to die, and that’s how Zoey had found him, and damn, I’m glad she did. I’m really glad that Eric and Ian got to reunite properly around the 50% mark and that they actually stayed together because it was killing me not knowing what had actually happened and Ian being torn between angry and blaming Eric, and missing him and wanting to talk to him, and I just really wanted to know what had gone through Eric’s head when he’d briefly seen Ian at the store. I really loved Eric too, bless his heart, he was such a sweet character, even though he hadn’t been allowed to be sweet, and it hurt when he confessed his feelings to Ian thinking he wasn’t lucid enough to actually hear him, and him saying all the bad things he felt about himself. And it was so cute too to see him so embarrassed and always blushing when they both knew how they felt about the other and were more affectionate with each other. It made me laugh so much when Ian tentatively calls him his boyfriend and Eric is blushing like “we’re boyfriends” and Zoey is like “YOU WERENT ALREADY???? YOU WOULDN’T STOP TELLING ME HOW MUCH YOU LOVED HIM” Bless. I’m so happy that they got their happy ending together and were allowed to actually be happy.
My favourite character was absolutely Angel. I loved her so much. I loved the way that she tried to encourage Ian and Monica to take up space and stop apologising for their existences. I resonated a lot with her and her clearly autistic traits, and I think it was sweet the way she showed that she cared about Ian in her own way. I also related to her not caring about the evacuation and choosing to stay behind because she liked and wanted the quiet, and that she hated how loud the world usually was, and how overwhelming it had been.
I would have liked to have seen Ian reunite with his family at the end, especially after the phone call he’d had with his parents and sister, and how she’d asked him if he was still alive and he’d said no, but I did love that the focus was more on found family instead.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and am excited for the physical release (that cover is so pretty), and will absolutely read anything else the author writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism and Death of parent
paper_bound's review against another edition
4.0
This book was not quite what I expected but it was a really great read!
Something weird is happening to people who die in a small West Virginian town: their bodies take a while to realize they're dead, leaving friends and family to wander around until they fall apart or are put down for good. We follow Ian, a teenage boy who has spent his life being careful and managing seizures. During an evacuation, an accident leaves Ian dead, alone, and searching for answers about what happened. As he searches for his best friend and secret crush, he teams up with other teen misfits who have also been left behind.
I really enjoyed how the story jumped right in, no explanation or lengthly info drops about this weird infection that causes the dead to stick around. It's a mystery to the characters, and also just an excepted part of life by the point we see them in the story. This helped create an atmosphere of mystery and uncertainty. I wish we could have dug into the characters a bit more, but I enjoyed watching this misfit teens come together to try and survive. There were also a number of times when I teared up, which is a win to me.
The message of the story was a bit on the nose, in that it was stated pretty clearly. This doesn't always work for me, but it's a message I think is important so I was happy to just roll with it.
While I would characterize this novel as horror, it's not incredibly terrifying. There are some moments of body horror and the situation itself if pretty horrific, but I wouldn't say I was scared. More unsettled- which works well for me.
Something weird is happening to people who die in a small West Virginian town: their bodies take a while to realize they're dead, leaving friends and family to wander around until they fall apart or are put down for good. We follow Ian, a teenage boy who has spent his life being careful and managing seizures. During an evacuation, an accident leaves Ian dead, alone, and searching for answers about what happened. As he searches for his best friend and secret crush, he teams up with other teen misfits who have also been left behind.
I really enjoyed how the story jumped right in, no explanation or lengthly info drops about this weird infection that causes the dead to stick around. It's a mystery to the characters, and also just an excepted part of life by the point we see them in the story. This helped create an atmosphere of mystery and uncertainty. I wish we could have dug into the characters a bit more, but I enjoyed watching this misfit teens come together to try and survive. There were also a number of times when I teared up, which is a win to me.
The message of the story was a bit on the nose, in that it was stated pretty clearly. This doesn't always work for me, but it's a message I think is important so I was happy to just roll with it.
While I would characterize this novel as horror, it's not incredibly terrifying. There are some moments of body horror and the situation itself if pretty horrific, but I wouldn't say I was scared. More unsettled- which works well for me.