I Take You

Reviews

"A salty, lively first novel... crackling, bawdy, and modern."— STEPHANIE CLIFFORD, New York Times Book Review 

“In the first big beach read of the season, New York lawyer and bride-to-be Lily Wilder has a hard time staying faithful to her perfect fiancé- but that won’t stop this hilarious debut novel from winning you over and warming your heart.”—Entertainment Weekly

"It's the smartest, sexiest, funniest (like, hilarious) beach read on the shelves right now." —Huffington Post 

"Lily Wilder is a young lawyer who compulsively drinks, swears and sleeps with random strangers-even as she prepares to wed her fiancé in just a few days. But she grows on you. This debut novel's take on modern gender roles is aggressively provocative, with graphic sex. It's also funny and, eventually, wise." —People

"Saucy, sexy and funny as hell, all aboard this irresistible train wreck with narrator Lily Wilder. She’s a work (and sex!) driven high-powered New York litigator who drinks like a fish and enjoys the company of other men, even if they aren’t her fiancé. She’s also getting married in Key West in one week. Oh boy! Eliza Kennedy’s debut novel will have you blushing, laughing and loving the lavish antics of our new favorite protagonist. This is your next book club read." —USA Today

“[Kennedy's] snappy comedy of mis-manners delights in subverting expectation... I Take You, as salty-sweet as a margarita, will appeal to fans of Seating Arrangements, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and, looking further back, Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time, though it’s far more ribald. Kennedy’s novel, tailored for summer wedding season, is a sassy paean to pleasure and romantic love that may well leave you singing that classic Gershwin line, ‘Better call the calling-off off.’”  —HELLER MCALPIN, NPR.org

“Kennedy’s debut novel sparkles with candor and wit…[her] ribald story is both engaging and atypical, the perfect combination for a new voice in women’s fiction.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“…hilarious, frank and boundary-pushing.”—BookPage

“I Take You is fast-paced, with a medley of subplots and interesting characters. It’s also an examination of gender roles and cultural expectations…an enjoyable read with a darker spin on the chick-lit formula.”—Roanoke Times

“[I Take You]will have you turning pages more often than Lily Wilder, the main character, drinks and goes out.” —Elite Daily

“I have not laughed this hard or this much at a book since Bridget Jones's Diary. I Take You is wickedly smart, hilariously funny, sexy, clever, and stupidly accomplished for a first novel. In short, the most enjoyable read I have had in YEARS. I completely loved it.”
—JANE GREEN, New York Times bestselling author of Tempting Fate
 
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I Take You is the funniest book I've read all year. I drank four bottles of chardonnay by myself because I couldn't get to a book club fast enough. Eliza Kennedy makes infidelity sexy again!”
—GARY SHTEYNGART, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story
 
“I Take You is sexy and smart in equal measure—Eliza Kennedy’s heroine Lily Wilder is great fun to be around, even if she’s not always sure who she’s taking to bed. Kennedy’s witty and brash voice will win you over by the end of the first page.”
—EMMA STRAUB, New York Times bestselling author of The Vacationers
 
“This fun, warmhearted novel is the rare great read about love and marriage that doesn’t tacitly promote a set of dated ideas about how women should feel, think and behave. Instead, it romps along merrily while being subtly revolutionary about sexual politics—no small feat, as anyone who’s tried to romp merrily while revolting can attest.”
—EMILY GOULD, author of Friendship: A Novel 

"In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West's free-love attitude, is guided toward yes. This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it'll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side." 
—Kirkus Reviews

“What appears at the outset to be standard chick-lit fare turns into a smart and challenging examination of gender politics and the meaning of marriage in the twenty-first century. While Kennedy’s compulsively readable debut is sure to be controversial, it should also ignite productive conversations about traditional gender roles and stereotypes.”
– Booklist, starred review

“A whip-smart debut.”
– Harper’s Bazaar 
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