Title: The Take Down
Author: Corrie Wang
Publication: April 11, 2017
Publisher: Freeform, Disney Book Group
Genre: Teen, YA Fiction
Pages: 384
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Kyla Cheng doesn’t expect you to like her. For the record, she doesn’t need you to. On track to be valedictorian, she’s president of her community club, a debate team champ, plus the yummy Mackenzie Rodriguez has firmly attached himself to her hip. She and her three high-powered best friends don’t just own their senior year at their exclusive Park Slope, Brooklyn high school, they practically define the hated species Popular. Kyla’s even managed to make it through high school completely unscathed.
Until someone takes issue with this arrangement.
A week before college applications are due, a video of Kyla “doing it” with her crush-worthy English teacher is uploaded to her school’s website. It instantly goes viral, but here’s the thing: it’s not Kyla in the video. With time running out, Kyla delves into a world of hackers, haters and creepy stalkers in an attempt to do the impossible-take something off the internet-all while dealing with the fallout from her own karmic footprint. Set in near-future Brooklyn, where privacy is a bygone luxury and every perfect profile masks damning secrets, The Takedown is a stylish, propulsive, and provocative whodunit, asking who would you rely on if your tech turned against you?
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
The Take Down by Corrie Wang instantly reminded me of Mean Girls meets Pretty Little Liars with a slight bump to the near future. This novel sounded intriquing and suspenseful, two of my favorite qualities to find in a book.
The Takedown follows Kyla as she maneuvers her life of college applications, holding space in the mean girls, popular crowd, boys, and more. Unfortunately for her someone is out to get her. From moment one in this book you can feel the tension building. You know something is happening, but you aren’t sure what. It almost seems too obvious, but I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting to see what it was and how it was going to effect everyone. In this case, the ripple effect from the first incident is tragic for Kyla. She watches helpless as her life starts to fall apart.
I found myself hating Kyla and her friends, but also caring for them. I didn’t want to see all these horrible things happening to them, but I felt that some was karma building up and overflowing. I kept guessing who could be behind it and I was pleasantly surprised when I found out who. The characters Wang developed were strong, multi-layered, and fun to read about. They really drew you in. I also loved that on top of the main story line, there were other side mysteries going on. It gave a depth to this novel that most are missing. The only thing that bothered me was the way the teenagers talked to each other in “IM” speak. It was distracting at times, but this was minor enough to not effect the overall enjoyment of the story. Plus I think it was part of the point of the futuristic, obsession with technology.
This book is perfect for young adults, teenagers, or anyone looking for a suspenseful, thoroughly enjoyable read then pick up The Takedown. You won’t regret it.
STAR RATING: 5/5
The Takedown by Corrie Wang is out and available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and bookstores near you. Make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave your feedback for author Corrie Wang when you are finished. You can also check out more about Wang on her website HERE.
