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maxieb's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
welcome to new york:
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it's ever-changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you wouldn't change anything, anything, anything
Like any great love, it keeps you guessing
Like any real love, it's ever-changing
Like any true love, it drives you crazy
But you know you wouldn't change anything, anything, anything
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
A story of misadventures and misunderstandings, Take Me Home Tonight follows three high school friends as they embark on a series of mostly unplanned adventures in New York City and beyond. The book starts out narrated by Kat as she frets over her role in the latest school play—which she sees as the key to her future college plans (and therefore to her future as an actress). When the cast list is delayed and Kat’s best friend Stevie is stood up by her dad (again) for her birthday dinner, the two decide to head to New York City themselves. Of course, their parents would not be on board with this plan, so tell them that they’re sleeping over at their other friend Teri’s house as a cover. Teri ends up babysitting in place of Kat and things go very wrong very quickly, which becomes a crazy subplot of its own. And Kat and Stevie’s night also goes downhill when a series of disasters leaves them separated and without phones. At this point, we get Stevie’s POV too and we follow all three girls on their misadventures.
My favorite aspect of this book is the relationship between Stevie and Kat. The two girls are best friends, but they realize during this whole experience that they don’t always communicate very well and they often take each other for granted. They end up in a fight, and a series of misunderstandings makes them each assume the worst of the other. Stevie and Kat are so very different, and that can cause conflict, but they also complement each other. Honestly, I felt like the relationship was realistic in a lot of ways (especially for two teenage girls). While I didn’t always love the way either of them acted, I felt like I could understand them. Another element of the book that I loved was the way little details end up getting woven into the story later. I’ll admit that you have to suspend a bit of disbelief (there are so many coincidences! So. Many.), but I still found myself enjoying the way everything unfolded. Then there was Stevie’s relationships with her father and step-siblings—she grows so much throughout the book and looks at some hard truths about those relationships (and about her own culpability in the ways they’ve gone wrong). There was a whole lot to love about this book!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
A story of misadventures and misunderstandings, Take Me Home Tonight follows three high school friends as they embark on a series of mostly unplanned adventures in New York City and beyond. The book starts out narrated by Kat as she frets over her role in the latest school play—which she sees as the key to her future college plans (and therefore to her future as an actress). When the cast list is delayed and Kat’s best friend Stevie is stood up by her dad (again) for her birthday dinner, the two decide to head to New York City themselves. Of course, their parents would not be on board with this plan, so tell them that they’re sleeping over at their other friend Teri’s house as a cover. Teri ends up babysitting in place of Kat and things go very wrong very quickly, which becomes a crazy subplot of its own. And Kat and Stevie’s night also goes downhill when a series of disasters leaves them separated and without phones. At this point, we get Stevie’s POV too and we follow all three girls on their misadventures.
My favorite aspect of this book is the relationship between Stevie and Kat. The two girls are best friends, but they realize during this whole experience that they don’t always communicate very well and they often take each other for granted. They end up in a fight, and a series of misunderstandings makes them each assume the worst of the other. Stevie and Kat are so very different, and that can cause conflict, but they also complement each other. Honestly, I felt like the relationship was realistic in a lot of ways (especially for two teenage girls). While I didn’t always love the way either of them acted, I felt like I could understand them. Another element of the book that I loved was the way little details end up getting woven into the story later. I’ll admit that you have to suspend a bit of disbelief (there are so many coincidences! So. Many.), but I still found myself enjoying the way everything unfolded. Then there was Stevie’s relationships with her father and step-siblings—she grows so much throughout the book and looks at some hard truths about those relationships (and about her own culpability in the ways they’ve gone wrong). There was a whole lot to love about this book!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
bookswithbit's review against another edition
4.0
What a wild ride, oh my lord.
The ONLY issue I had with this book was the repeated jokes about and misuse of a dog as an “emotional support animal” - which i’ll go into more detail about when I do my blog review.
4/5 stars for a funny, adventurous, lighthearted yet heartfelt novel about 2 best friends (and Teri) on the adventure of a lifetime.
The ONLY issue I had with this book was the repeated jokes about and misuse of a dog as an “emotional support animal” - which i’ll go into more detail about when I do my blog review.
4/5 stars for a funny, adventurous, lighthearted yet heartfelt novel about 2 best friends (and Teri) on the adventure of a lifetime.
yoonriqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? No
5.0
susan_hooimeijer12's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cassixxlynn's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I usually thoroughly enjoy Morgan Matson’s books but this latest escapade was a bit of a let down. I had kind of dismissed reviews that said you needed to suspend disbelief, because I was all onboard for ridiculous mishaps on a night out, but the side story was so bizarre and then they implied it didn’t happen but that character believed it did…and WTF?
Things I did like? Brad the Pomeranian who belongs to Stevie’s step-sister. He gets locked out of her apartment too. Much of the plot is them trying to get keys to return Brad and get their stuff, this was fun and silly, and I enjoyed how Stevie starts to bond with the steps-siblings she has resented and ignored in the past.
Kat, well, she’s just kinda selfish? I get the point of the story was that the kids think they’re all grown up but actually they’re still young, naïve and can be absolute brats, and the events bring them to understand that…but still she was a bit much. She is obsessed with acting and the school play. She uses her best friend, ditches her, all to try and land the part she probably would have got anyway. How she thought turning up at a teacher’s play unannounced when he had kept that part of his life secret, was a good idea?
She repeatedly has chances to do the right thing, and maybe if she had ditched her plan when they got split up, then I would have warmed to her more, but she kept on choosing the wrong path. I wasn’t sure why Cary kept giving her, a complete stranger, money, especially since he is doing so many jobs to save enough money for his education.
I could cope with all the coincidences convenient bumping into people (New York is a big place, right?), but Teri’s side story was bizarre. She is their cover, looking after Kat’s phone and social media so it looks like they’re on a sleepover, not running around New York. She’s contacted by someone desperate for Kat to babysit, so not to break cover, Teri takes on the job, fine. But then, she and the kids are kidnapped. Yeah, I don’t understand how it made the final draft either.
Things I did like? Brad the Pomeranian who belongs to Stevie’s step-sister. He gets locked out of her apartment too. Much of the plot is them trying to get keys to return Brad and get their stuff, this was fun and silly, and I enjoyed how Stevie starts to bond with the steps-siblings she has resented and ignored in the past.
Kat, well, she’s just kinda selfish? I get the point of the story was that the kids think they’re all grown up but actually they’re still young, naïve and can be absolute brats, and the events bring them to understand that…but still she was a bit much. She is obsessed with acting and the school play. She uses her best friend, ditches her, all to try and land the part she probably would have got anyway. How she thought turning up at a teacher’s play unannounced when he had kept that part of his life secret, was a good idea?
She repeatedly has chances to do the right thing, and maybe if she had ditched her plan when they got split up, then I would have warmed to her more, but she kept on choosing the wrong path. I wasn’t sure why Cary kept giving her, a complete stranger, money, especially since he is doing so many jobs to save enough money for his education.
I could cope with all the coincidences convenient bumping into people (New York is a big place, right?), but Teri’s side story was bizarre. She is their cover, looking after Kat’s phone and social media so it looks like they’re on a sleepover, not running around New York. She’s contacted by someone desperate for Kat to babysit, so not to break cover, Teri takes on the job, fine. But then, she and the kids are kidnapped. Yeah, I don’t understand how it made the final draft either.
eyleen's review against another edition
2.0
DNF after 100 pages.
I loved every Morgan Matson book and was so looking forward to this one, but it was really disappointing :(
I was so bored! It felt like reading the diary of a 12-year-old girl...
I loved every Morgan Matson book and was so looking forward to this one, but it was really disappointing :(
I was so bored! It felt like reading the diary of a 12-year-old girl...
jennaclarek's review against another edition
okay so i was super looking forward to this book and i was so obsessed with morgan branching out from her usual type of story! this is definitely different from her other books - partially because it's not set in the summer and partially because it has multiple POVs - and even though the vibe does feel a little different at times, it's also totally morgan. she does such a great job of creating a FEELING and writing about setting in a way that's transportive and immersive. i FELT like i was in new york and i spent the whole time wishing i was there with my own best friend. the different perspectives were really fun and interesting - although i didn't really love teri's pov ): - and i think it really did a lot for the two main characters to show their individual arcs. personally i really connected to stevie and her arc, and it was really cool to see her grow as the book goes on.
also can we PLEASE talk about the CAMEOS!!!! there were a few really juicy ones and even though the one at the end took me by surprise it was also really sweet! it's so great getting to see morgan's old characters brought back to life in a new light.
AND BRAD WAS SO STINKIN CUTE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
i don't think this is my favorite morgan matson book (just because some of her others are SO GREAT), but i really loved what this book's core message was, that you shouldn't just accept life as you think it should be, you can take the time to change and evolve and try new things no matter where you are in life. and i think that's especially poignant after a year of living in a pandemic. even more so when it's set in the wonderful city of new york where everything is chaotic and cooky and fun.
i will always and forever be a morgan matson fan, and i'm so excited to see where she goes next now that she's exploring new types of writing!
also can we PLEASE talk about the CAMEOS!!!! there were a few really juicy ones and even though the one at the end took me by surprise it was also really sweet! it's so great getting to see morgan's old characters brought back to life in a new light.
AND BRAD WAS SO STINKIN CUTE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
i don't think this is my favorite morgan matson book (just because some of her others are SO GREAT), but i really loved what this book's core message was, that you shouldn't just accept life as you think it should be, you can take the time to change and evolve and try new things no matter where you are in life. and i think that's especially poignant after a year of living in a pandemic. even more so when it's set in the wonderful city of new york where everything is chaotic and cooky and fun.
i will always and forever be a morgan matson fan, and i'm so excited to see where she goes next now that she's exploring new types of writing!