Take Me On

Take Me On by Katie McGarry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kickboxing, MMA cage fighting, homeless kids and families, abusive parents, dysfunctional families, the loss of a job and a home, an abusive boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, and a sort-of gang. Sounds like a total mess of a book trying too address too many things - but Katie McGarry does what she does best and turns out an amazing teenaged romance.

McGarry seems to be expert at damaged yet mature characters who journey to move beyond their pasts. She does this by often using the characters to encourage and support one another. This is a great example because it's always easier to see past and support those around us rather than deal with our own problems; a great reminder that anything is possible. Contemporary fiction is always relatable to real life, so when it does it in a positive way, it's translatable to real life. Like it or not, we often live out what we read. And in this case it's a very good thing.

The character development here is pretty standard for this series. And yet it feels fresh as McGarry tackles the whole world of MMA fighting. The story could have been all about angry people doing angry things. But it goes beyond that with a maturity that, although in most cases is relatively unrealistic, is a good goal for which to strive. West Young is a character who is an 18-year old who is full of rage and yet still able to step into a loving counselor role when dealing with the girl he loves. Not likely in real life, but it served the story well. And again, sets a great standard to live out in real life.

The book has all the right things - great story, good pacing, well-developed characters. Katie McGarry is just really good at what she does and was smart to do a series - every single book in it is strong. I will be looking forward to the next book because I know I can expect it to be great. This is YA contemporary at its best.



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