Take Me There - Carolee Dean

Take Me There by Carolee Dean
Date Released:  July 20th 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages:  320 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Borders

Summary

Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.

But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked.

My Review:

The cover of this book caught my attention, its a good cover, really, and next, the title. I though, Susan’s Colasanti Take Me There? I picked up the book and read the summary. Long Summary Short: Bad gang boy fall for pretty it girl. And then I though, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles! So I immediately buy the book, considering I’m a big fan of Colasanti’s and Elkele’s work, I assumed it would be a story like Perfect Chemistry, with the light bubbly factor of Take Me There.

You guessed. I was wrong. Take Me There did follow the Perfect Chemistry theme, a bad boy falling for the good girl. Thinking he doesn’t deserve her. And he’s in a gang. Or was. The Difference is that this story has so much more depth, in Elkele’s work, it wasn’t so much depth, but more like drama, and to add action, don’t get me wrong I LOVE the Perfect Chemistry series. But Take Me There was just. . . I have never liked a character so much in my life.

I know the idea of a guy being in a gang and having trouble with it sounds supper exiting, but I don’t think it applies so much to take me there, It doesn’t have some gruesome shocking parts but, Its more of the self-discovery of Dylan, his internal fights, deciding to do the easy thing, or the right thing. Fighting for Jess’s love, trying to hide a past that seems to hunt him, and trying to be someone else, to change, when it seems like its in his veins to be a criminal.

I really liked this book, or maybe I even loved it. I’m not quite sure yet. It made me feel sad, happy, angry, frustrated and so many more things. After I finished it, it was as if I had a hole in my chest, it was a. . . I don’t know how to describe it, it wasn’t a happy ending, it wasn’t a sad ending, it wasn’t angry. . . but I was full of hope, love , uncertainty and freedom in many ways. Like life itself. Bus specially hope. I can relate so much to Dylan in the way he needs to write down what’s in his mind, but there doesn’t seem to be enough ink or paper or words to put them down. Its the book that has moved more things inside of me, the one that I have marked more pages in because I love them, and so far the one who has leaved a mark in my mind and in my heard.

I think Take Me There is a road we should all cross, Dylan is a great character, the story is thrilling in many ways, Jess’s character is simply beautiful, and Dylan’s like. . . it’s a tangled up, and bumpy road.

Dylan - "A mermaid found a swimming lad
Picked him for her own
Presses her body to his body
Laughed; and plunging down,
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown."
Jess - "I thought mermaids were supposed to SAVE men."
Dylan - "They are, but sometimes a guy doesn't mind drowning."